《Aden Strong: Avatar In DC》 Aden Strong (Aden''s P.O.V) The thing with shock is that it leaves you mute, reaction wise. You''re hit with this intense focus on¡­ nothing. Instead of your brain not computing, it computes everything till the end result is nothing. "My name is Aden Strong and I am not crazy. My name is Aden Strong and I am not crazy. My name is Aden Strong and I¡­" "Duck!" A body tackled me out of the way of an attack that left the wooden crates behind me a mess of wrecked goods. Is that a cabbage? Who puts a cabbage¡­the cabbage was stepped on by a scaly foot and a packet with a white substance spilled out. Cocaine. Oh. I felt something roughly pull me up and throw me behind it. "Get out of here, you idiot! Run!" The young boy who said that was dressed in a very familiar outfit, red, green, black and yellow. "Robin?" I muttered. "Yes. I don''t have the time to sign you an autograph and that will probably never happen if you get yourself killed." Full clarity finally hit me like an 18 wheeler. "Oh God that''s Killer croc!" I scrambled back in fear as The Batman ducked a hasty haymaker that broke through the concrete pillar of the warehouse we were in and in a swift action planted a device on Croc''s chest. Batman then flipped over him. There was an explosion and Croc was launched off right into a kick on the small of the back from the Dark Knight. I had the time to gawk at the expert display in gymnastics before going right back to panicking when¡­ "Gah. Stay still you little shit!" A hail of bullets escaped the firearms of a few generic thugs hiding behind a black SUV. I counted 4 with three more unconscious right next to them. I crouched right behind an empty container and closed my ears. I had never heard gun shots before. What.The.Fuck.Is.Happening! There was a loud snarl and growl and I saw Croc''s body sail over my head to grasp at the rafters of the warehouse. Another loud sound was the clang on the container itself as Batman jumped off it and shot a line. A swing later and he followed Killer Croc outside the building. I scampered up and ran off towards the entrance to the building. And immediately shouted in fright when a bullet hit the ground right Infront of me. My shirt was grabbed from behind and I flailed in fear before my back hit the container I had been hiding behind of before. "You''re seriously still here? You must have a death wish!" There was a continuous spray of bullets that hit the container. "Stop stop, you fools. Don''t finish your mags before we get the Boy Wonder!" The same guy with the gun who had talked earlier said. "Stay here and don''t move. I have a few suckers to educate on why guns in foolish hands is wrong." Robin told me with a small upturn on his lips. I nodded dumbly and he patted my shoulder before throwing a few birdarangs on the only source of light in the warehouse. The light bulbs shattered and the whole building was plunged into darkness, the only source of light being the moon shining through the hole made by Killer Croc while escaping Batman. Smart guy. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I glanced around trying to widen my eyes and see. Robin had disappeared and a few seconds later the sound of birdarangs cutting through the air, shouts of people cursing out and bodies hitting the ground and more gunshots ringing out was all I could hear. A few more bodies hit the ground until I saw a lone man running towards the entrance of the warehouse. I looked back and saw nothing but darkness. Logic dictates that you stay with the good guys, Aden. Robin is terrifying but he''s nut going to hurt you like he did those men. Please don''t¡­ I ignored my own advice and found myself running desperately towards the entrance door, right before the guy Infront of me fell down from a birdarang hitting his trouser on the side, and then digging into the concrete, effectively taking him down. What level of skill did it take for someone to do something like that? Nah nah I''m out. I increased my running speed much to the shouts of my savior. "Wait. Don''t. The Penguin¡­" I didn''t listen and just ran, the road to my salvation was so near and then -- I rushed through it to freedom. Only to step right infront of almost a dozen guns. Pointed. Straight. At. Me. My hands came up quicker than my brain could register. " Don''t shoot! Don''t shoot!" A guy stepped forward and stared at me. He was dressed in a fancy suit with a pistol in hand. "You''re not Bats or his little side-kick. Who the fuck are you?" "My huh¡­name is Aden Strong sir. And¡­and I don''t know how I got here. I was watching a movie in my apartment and then the next thing I know, I''m in a warehouse dodging bullets and watching a showdown between Killer Croc and the frickin Batman." There was a brief silence as he nodded, holstered the gun on his hip and lit up a cigarette. The smoke twisted in the air slowly, while he took in a slow but long drag. "I believe you." A couple of tears escaped my eyes as the feeling of relief overwhelmed me. "But I still can''t let you go. Sorry kid, Penguin wants everything happening here to be hush hush." Quicker than my eyes could see the gun was back in his hand and I didn''t hear the blast but more like felt it. A cold feeling spread through my chest as I spared an incredulous look at the growing spot of red soaking my blue, Ghostbusters t shirt in blood. Something warm rose up uncontrollably through my throat and I knelt as my vision got hazy. The last thing I saw wasn''t my murderer, nor was it Robin or Batman. It was a pulsing white light, beating like a heart, everything having faded from my sight. I reached out with my hand, it was so beautiful. I wish I could hold it. (Robin''s P.O.V) ''Damn it! Batman is gonna kill me for this.'' Robin thought while fighting the last of the mooks so that he could go after the civilian that had appeared from nowhere during the fight with Killer Croc and the Penguin gang. Something was going down, Robin''s detective mind told him. Penguin wasn''t one to work with high profile villains like Killer Croc. A clown dressed in Superman colors and wearing a power armor would have been more discreet than Croc that''s for sure. So whatever the smuggled goods were, they were enough for The Penguin to bring in muscle of Killer Croc''s caliber. That''s bad. Robin smashed a knee on the goon''s face and followed it up with a sweep that brought the guy to the floor with a thud. A zip tie appeared in hand in a practiced motion and the guy was immobilized quickly. Then Robin was off. He arrived just as a shot rang out. Cursing, he jumped behind the few crates on the entrance and watched as the young man he''d been trying to save fell to his knees. Robin''s eyes, widened in horror. "No¡­" "There he is boss!" A voice shouted and was immediately followed by a storm of bullets, that made Robin roll away. He was mad. At the situation, Bruce for insisting on chasing after Killer Croc, Penguin for being the cause of this entire thing, the dead boy who had probably just been a little older than him and most of all, he was mad at himself. Robin threw a few smoke pellets on the ground and during the confusion, a few birdarangs shot out of the obscured position. Unfortunately, the birdarangs were accurately shot out of the air and Robin settled on a terrifying conclusion that made him eliminate any lines of sights to his position. The only sniper who could shoot like that despite the smoke was Deadshot. Deadshot was under Penguin''s payroll too? Damnit! Deadshot wasn''t a C-lister like the the goons in the Penguin mob. Deadshot was deadly. "Let''s box him in. Bring out the grenade launcher. Our backup will make sure we get him this time." What? Grenade launcher? What about the goods in the warehouse. Of course! Robin almost smacked himself for his stupidity. Penguin would want to erase all evidence of his involvement. The smell of gunpowder filled the air and Robin started getting worried. He couldn''t leave his hiding place because Deadshot would no doubt tag him. He needed a distraction. As if to answer his prayers, a whoosh of air exploded outside the warehouse. The gust cleared out the smoke and sent men flying away from it''s epicenter. Then the shouts started. Guns begun spitting out bullets as everything descended into chaos. Robin ran out of the building and barely avoided a huge piece of rock from smashing into him. He rolled away and escaped the flames licking his cape. His costume might have been highly resistant but he didn''t want to bet on just how resistant. He flipped away, rebounded from the wall to jump on a street light then shot a hook line to the next building over. The line pulled on his body but the trajectory was thrown off when a huge gust of wind magnitudes bigger than the last one carried him away. His young body hit the wall and breath left his lungs. His eyes watched on in shock as the boy from before floated in the air. A bubble of air enclosed his body, with rings of water, stones and fire surrounding the air bubble. Gone was the brown eyes and in their place were glowing white orbs. Men were cowering behind overturned cars. Some were bleeding, one was smashed to pulp by a rock and two others were burnt beyond recognition. Robin realized offhandedly that those men were dead. Batman never killed, no matter who the villain was or what they''d done. He broke bones but never killed. Bile rose up and he vomited on the ground next to him. Anger marred the features on the now alive boy and when he raised his hand hell was unleashed. The Avatar had arrived in DC. The Justice League (Aden''s P.O.V) I came to with a groan of pain. My throat felt parched and scratchy. I fluttered my eyes open and winced at the bright lights. "Here you go." A soft voice said and a glass of water was added to my hand. I immediately brought it my mouth and took a mouthful of the precious natural liquid. "Hey hey easy." The glass was only taken from my hands after I was done with it. Having fought valiantly and stubbornly without any pleading or begging. Let no one tell you otherwise! After I was done with the water, I looked at the other occupant in the room and gaped at just how beautiful she was. "¡­ huh.. hi?" I lamely said. "If this is how angels wake people up in heaven then thank God I was religious." The woman, was blonde, with black lipstick, a black costume and¡­wait. "Black Canary?" I asked tentatively, my brain finally catching up. I was having some heavy suspicions on who she actually was. She nodded and rose up from the chair. " I''m glad to see you''re awake. Do you remember anything?" My heart started hammering in my chest as I processed the implications of standing - well more like lying Infront of a fictional character. Her question also triggered my most recent memories and I started breathing heavily. I was in a fictional world. I was in¡­crap¡­I was in DC! Going by the looks of Canary and her voice, Robin''s relatively young age and snarky attitude, I must be in Young Justice. A half forgotten cartoon I''d watched out of boredom. All things considered it wasn''t the worst of all DC universes so I was relatively safe. For now that is. "Can I use the bathroom?" I asked her and she nodded, helping me up. She then directed me to a door on the left side of the bed and I entered. Before I could close the door, she placed a hand on my shoulder and I turned to look at her in question. "I''ll be back with someone to do a check up on you and make sure you''re completely fine." I nodded. Not really opposed to the idea. Besides, how else would I get the answers to my questions if I didn''t cooperate with them? Acting stubborn would only increase Batman''s suspicions at me and from what i knew about the guy, that was one way to make your life harder. I patted myself down¡­I had a hole on my chest last I checked. A hole made by a bullet. One would think that being from the dangerous part of L.A, guns and such would be something that I was familiar with even from just a passing glance but that couldn''t be far from the truth. I had friends who had friends who were involved in crime but most folks were just trying to live their lives normally. A word that I couldn''t use so casually anymore. Infact, how did I even get here? I remember my whole life, so the chances of a ROB messing with my memories and personality was minimal. I was also in my original body. Dark skin, brown eyes, messy hair in a Taper Fade, 5 feet 8 and a slim build from long hours playing basketball. What''s next for me I wonder? I splashed a few cups worth of water on my face and swallowed the sudden lump that appeared in my throat. I wouldn''t cry. Like Dad always says, ''make the best out of every situation''. I knew it wouldn''t and couldn''t be easy but you know what? It is what it is and crying like a little bitch wouldn''t solve anything. As if to reward me for reaffirming my will, a piece of folded Paper suddenly appeared in a flash and lazily drifted to my open palm. I unfolded it and read. -Congratulations. Due to your universe achieving 500 universal cycles and planet ''Earth'' reaching a milestone by producing over a quadrillion number of sentient creatures, one lucky schmuck has been chosen for a never before seen chance. A...¡­ Multiversal Ambassador!!!!! You (Incase you haven''t figured it out yet) are that lucky schmuck. Interact with the people of this Universe and stand a chance to win €^{^¡é|¡ã¡Ì€¡Ì¡Â¡Â¡Á¦Ð£¤¦Ð£¤¡ã¡Á^. And if you win €^{^¡é|¡ã¡Ì€¡Ì¡Â¡Â¡Á¦Ð£¤¦Ð£¤¡ã¡Á^, then you get to be a ¡Â¡Â¡Á¦Ð£¤¦Ð£¤¡ã¡Á^$(_#$-6. Get it? All this is geared to HELP you. A system was tailor made for you that was judged to be just¡­right for this world. Do not fret however if you feel like it''s Limiting, achieve different Milestones and power will follow you soon after. Excelsior! Young Aden and like your name, Be STRONG. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. P.S - You''ll probably never hear from us again, we have a shit load of work to do but luckily the system is fully automated and draws the energy to keep itself running from what the humans of this world call '' The Bleed.'' The program is very very advanced, no one and nothing will notice it. P.P.S - Although the potential for your growth is limitless, do note that the system will not stray from it''s core functions. No crafting if the system is meant for Fighting. P.P.P.S - No one will be watching so don''t get yourself killed too soon before you reach ¡Â¡Â¡Á¦Ð£¤¦Ð£¤¡ã¡Á^$(_#$-6, kid. P.P.P.P.S - This is the final one I promise! Your chosen system is¡­The Avatar System! Not only that but also for reaching the milestone ''Out - of - depth - and Into - a - whole - other - universe'' you get¡­ Adaptable Body. Look at the System Interface to learn more. I finished reading the whole piece of paper and sat on the toilet seat numbly. The paper burst into flames and I jumped a little before sitting down again and hugging myself. I gently started giggling. Out of the Quadrillion people who have supposedly existed over the course of 500 universal cycles, I get chosen? Me? I mean, what qualifications did they even use? The guy with nappiest hair style of all time? ( All I can say is I didn''t use to look this good forever). The door to the hospital room I was in opened and I knew it was my cue to leave the bathroom. So you know what, I''m not going to care about any of that stuff. As long as these ''beings'' didn''t affect my life, I would live it as I saw fit. Out of sight out of mind and all that. I straightened out my hospital gown and left the bathroom. A few new additions were standing before my bed. One, a man dressed in an all black bat costume, Batman obviously, another in the iconic red blue and yellow, Superman and the last, dressed in a red costume munching on a Snickers bar, The Flash. Real life Superheroes in the flesh¡­wonder what they''ll open the conversation with? "I didn''t hear you Flush." The Flash joked and I chuckled. I''ve always liked his sense of humor. Not the timing though, given by the look Batman sent his way. The Flash looked away and said, "Wow. I love the decor." Superman snorted while Batman''s glare intensified. "I''m just going to wait outside." The fastest man left the room in the blink of an eye. Batman levelled his gaze back at me. "We need to talk." He pulled up a chair towards the small table near the bed and placed a laptop on top of it. A logo of Wayne Tech appeared on the screen and I swallowed a snort. Bruce then clicked on a video on the screen and my eyes bulged out of their sockets. "What¡­" "That''s you." I felt like shouting at him, '' I can see that'' but chose to focus on the screen instead. I was floating in mid air, a bubble of air surrounding me, rings of fire, earth and water enclosed the bubble. The four elements. The Avatar State! I watched as I demolished the warehouse from before with a wave of my hand. Concrete broke free from the pavement and pelted the men running away in panic. A huge rock smashed a man into pulp and I felt like vomiting after seeing the blood pool on the ground. I snarled and flames chased after a few men and burned them to a crisp. The camera evaded a huge rock and changed position. The last take they had of me before the footage ended was a black figure jumping in to stop me. I had a hand on my mouth as I looked at Batman. "I¡­I don''t remember any of that." " That doesn''t change the fact that you took the lives of three people and injured six others. Including Robin." It was like a gut punch once he delivered the last line. Robin was hurt? "God, is he alright?¡­I swear I never meant for any of that to happen." Superman placed a hand on Batman''s shoulder, cutting off whatever he wanted to say next. He grind his teeth and placed a bag on top of the bed. "Inside there''s a change of clothes. Get cleaned up and Superman here will walk you to the Cafeteria to get something to eat. After that, we will continue this conversation." Saying that, Batman turned around and walked off. Superman sighed as the door closed and patted me on the shoulder. "Don''t worry about him. He''s just been very worried about Robin." I shook my head, still feeling awful. "No, I understand. It''s just that¡­" Superman sat on the table as I trailed off. "He''s like that with everybody so don''t let it get you down kid." "It''s Aden. Aden Strong." Superman smiled widely. " Cool name. I''m Superman." We shared a laugh and slowly I calmed down. I was loath to bring it up once more but it needed to be said. " I really don''t remember doing any of that." He nodded understandingly. "When I got my powers, I almost hurt the people I care about. So I know what you must be feeling. What''s done is done and you can only move forward and make up for your past actions by doing something meaningful with your new powers. No one blames you for what happened Aden so don''t blame yourself. There''s nothing as bad as holding on to guilt. It eats you from the inside." He got off from the table and smiled that million dollar smile again. "Now then, how about you get cleaned up and I''ll introduce you to the rest of the League?" The Avatar System (Aden''s P.O.V) Superman led us through a few long hallways and I got to see the layout of the Watchtower. I couldn''t believe it. I was in space, staring down at the cradle of human civilization. Planet earth was¡­ "Beautiful right?" I nodded in agreement with Superman. "She is." "It never gets old you know." He said. "It''s a sight that always leaves me amazed. Come. You''ll get other chances to watch the Earth soon. The watchtower is not going anywhere." I followed him closely behind. The wonderful sight I''d just witnessed changed my perspective on things. On the walk to the cafeteria, I was already giddy at the prospects of what I could achieve. I was in a fictional world for god sakes! That meant, I wasn''t restricted by the mundane anymore. I could¡­I could be a hero. No, that''s too shallow a goal, I could be the GREATEST hero in the world. Many would kill to be in my shoes. So no more whining, no more crying, no more doubting myself. It was with a new resolve that we finally made it to the cafeteria. The place was huge and almost deserted. Almost, because of the Scarlet speedster munching on cupcakes and a silver colored man with a red star on his chest reading the newspaper. "Supes. There you are. Batman said to tell you about the meeting. I was supposed too come get you but¡­" Flash gestured to the cupcakes. " I got a bit distracted." Superman smiled and nodded at the other man present. "Captain." "Hello Superman. So this our current guest?" Superman lightly pushed me forward. " Aden meet Captain Atom. Captain this is Aden Strong." I reached out a hand to shake his hand and my palm disappeared in his huge one. Strangely his skin didn''t feel as cold as it looked. "Nice to meet you son." His voice was strong and I remembered he used to be in the army once. I nodded but before I could say anything else, the Flash whooshed in. "Hey there. We already met but I didn''t introduce myself. I''m Flash, you know, the fastest man alive." I blinked. "Uh yeah. I''m Aden Strong. The most confused guy alive, I guess." I added lamely, not expecting the laughter from Flash. Even Superman chuckled. I looked at them strangely. Was the bar set for jokes this low in this world or are they just fans of dad jokes? Superman patted me on the shoulder. "Get something to eat, we''ll talk some more after I''m done with the meeting." I nodded and they all turned to leave. Flash waved at me lazily and I smiled at his antics. I went over to the counter and marveled at the automatic set up of the cafeteria. The league didn''t have a live in chef but after biting into the burger, I was ready to pledge my undying loyalty to the one who had made the food. My plate cleared out quickly and I finally had some time to think about the message I had gotten. It was time to check the Avatar System. "Menu." Instantly, a screen appeared in my vision. (The Avatar System) Bending Styles - Air (UNLOCKED) Fire ( LOCKED) You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Earth ( LOCKED) Water ( LOCKED) Perks: Adaptable body. There was a plus sign on each of the major elements. I pressed on it and for each element a section opened up. Air Mastery Level (Beginner) - Locked - Locked Fire Mastery Level (Locked) - Locked - Locked Earth Mastery Level (Locked) - Locked - Locked - Locked Water Mastery Level (Locked) - Locked - Locked - Locked NB: To unlock more bending styles, get the current bending style to Master level. To do that, unlock the Sub - elements of each Element. I nodded in understanding. The outline of the whole screen was very straightforward. All I had to do to get access to fire bending was master wind bending. But what about the Avatar State? How did I achieve it if I didn''t have past lives? And what were the conditions to use it. I would have appreciated some answers but whoever had brought me here had most likely forgotten about me. In the grand scale of things, I doubt powerful beings would watch me as entertainment. Which meant, I would have to figure most of this out by myself. Oh goodie. Next I clicked on the Adaptable body perk and a bunch of information appeared. (Adaptable Body:- Your body is susceptible to different exotic stimuli. As a result, it grows to adapt to different things without any drastic change of form.) Ok, that''s good. So if I burn myself with fire many times, as long as I heal I''ll eventually develop resistance to it? What an overpowered ability. Too bad, I don''t have regeneration as a perk. Those two would pair well. Slow exposure would be the way to go then. The good thing is that I could grow stronger, faster and more durable in the long run as my body adapted to heavy weights. Something else was bugging me¡­ exotic stimuli huh? My head perked up. It had been long since I''d watched the show but wasn''t there a strength serum or two? Venom? No that''s Bane''s neo-steroid strength enhancer ¡­ Of course, The Blockbuster formula! It came with some adverse physical deformities but adaptable body would get rid of that for me. But if I want the very best, I think I should skip on the blockbuster serum. There was an even stronger variant that was a fusion of The Blockbuster formula and venom. It was permanent. Luckily it was one of the highlights of the show so I remembered quite a fair bit about it. The other details were fuzzy however. So I now have a clear direction I can take. The question remaining is what is the Justice League going to decide to do with me? And do they have Pepsi on this world? (General P.O.V) Batman was standing at the lower end of a U-shaped table. On his left side was Superman and on the right sat Captain Marvel. He clicked the remote and a projector placed in the open space between the two columns of the table lit up. A hologram of a young black kid appeared. "This is the subject of today''s matter. His name is Aden Strong. He was on the scene during a fight with Penguin''s men and Robin. I won''t go into the details of the operation but while I chased after Killer Croc, this happened." He clicked on the console and the footage from before started playing. Once it was done. Different expressions appeared on all of them. Most were surprised at the power displayed by the young boy. "He seems to have control over the 4 basic elements. Wind, fire, earth and water. It''s my belief that although he displayed complex manipulation of said elements, he wasn''t aware of himself at that moment. I had to use knock out gas in high quantities to take him down, showing that he also has a resilient physique." Batman continued. "There''s one problem however. He doesn''t exist in any records or databases. No facial recognition has picked up on his face before. He''s a ghost. Normally there would be traces left of a data wipe but nothing this clean." There was concern etched on the faces of most of the Justice League. "What''s your take on that Batman?" Green Arrow spoke up. Batman grunted and pressed another key on the console, leading to the hologram shifting to an image of a dozen earths side by side. "I believe that he is from an alternate earth." There was a collective murmur of disbelief. Batman continued on regardless. " Such a theory would need more looking into and input directly from the source." Superman shook his mind. "That''s a huge leap. Even for you, Batman." "So more Earth''s exist?" Captain Marvel wondered in excitement. "Yeah. I''ve met a few people from alternate dimensions and travelled to others too but still Bats, I agree with Superman, it''s a huge leap in logic." The flash supplied from the side. "You know, we could just ask him. I doubt we can expect anything but the truth with a telepath and Wonder Woman''s Lasso of Truth." Hal offered a suggestion. It was popular enough that most of the others nodded. Batman acquisced to the majority''s view. "Alright. Moving on, there''s the matter of what to do with him. He''s responsible for 3 deaths and even more injuries." The mood turned grim. "The League has never condoned killing but I think we can rule this as an act of self defense." Surprisingly, Batman was the one to defend Aden''s actions. Superman looked at him, surprised. An expression that was shared by all the rest. They knew that Robin had gotten injured, a cracked rib and a dislocated shoulder from an unavoidable hit from a stray rock. Superman looked proud of his closest friend. "That''s incredibly understanding of you. Usually you''re all like...I am Batman." Flash joked, changing his voice to an intimidating grunt at the end. There was a few chuckles as Batman stared down at the Flash. Somehow this seemed like a usual occurrence. "Moving. On. His abilities seemed to draw themselves out when he was already hurt, evidenced by the blood stains on his clothes. That would suggest that they are something new to him. It''s paramount that whatever we decide here, takes into consideration the training of his abilities to avoid outbursts like before." " I could take him in. Maybe having someone who shares the same roots and culture as a mentor would help him acclimate better to a different world." John, one of the two green lanterns around said. Batman nodded. "That won''t work John. It would be appropriate if it wasn''t for your off world duties." Hal''s words to his fellow green lantern made him sigh. " Themyscyra is out for obvious reasons but so is the rest of the League for other various things. My suggestion is we let Red Tornado oversee his training. His powerset is elemental manipulation and that would go a long way when paired with Tornado''s experience." Green Arrow rounded up to look at the Dark Knight. "You''re suggesting we make him a part of the black ops team in the works?" "Yes but as a probationary member up until he gains complete control of his abilities or we decide otherwise." None refuted Batman''s words and after discussing more issues regarding league business, the meeting was concluded. The Basics (Aden''s P.O.V) "I still don''t get why we had to leave the Watchtower for this." Red Tornado ignored my complaints and floated towards the training room. So far we had passed by the kitchen, meeting hall, the showers and personal rooms. "The watchtower is for league members and associates only. Your previous stay was due to the unique circumstances." He finally decided to answer. I rolled my eyes. " So after you guys finished interrogating me you decided to kick me out of the underoos club? I feel used." "Negative. The Batman suggested, bringing you down to earth would help you get used to a new planet by spending time with other people. Preferably, your age-mates." He probably meant the side-kicks. Problem was I hadn''t even met one except for Robin and that didn''t count because I was screaming my ass off during our first meeting. Oh and I was also responsible for his injuries so... That aside. The interrogation had been¡­ surprisingly tame compared to what I had been expecting of Batman. They already knew or guessed I was from another world, so I just rolled with the information they already had and told them about the league from my version of the earth being relatively newer as compared to here. They had me write down some of the things I could remember about their alternate selves and I wrote general stuff that a normal civilian would know. There was the threat of being found out about the information I had by the Martian Manhunter, so I had projected my reasons for lying to him. " Hello, J''onn," I''d begun. By the subtle widening of his eyes while standing behind Batman, I knew he''d heard me. Meanwhile, my hand hadn''t stalled for a single second during that time. Writing down some of the villains I knew they had faced already. " I don''t know if you''ve read my mind or not but this world is based on a comic book in my world, so I guess you understand why I couldn''t share that information with the whole collective. I know it''s your duty as a Justice League member to inform the others but I fear that such a delicate¡­issue would be better handled with discretion." I could feel his shock ripple through the link he had made with my mind. "I urge you to only share this with Batman. I''ll answer any questions you have after you''ve taken my opinion into account and come to a logical conclusion." Luckily, J''onn had acted like nothing had happened and after a while I was done. There were inconsistencies that Batman picked up on and combined with what I had told J''onn, I could expect to see the Dark Knight soon. The truth is, I was doing this for my own safety as well. I would rather Batman, Mr. suspicion incarnate know this early on rather than finding out about it due to his detective skills. Giving him the chance to decide whether to tell the rest of the League would keep the responsibility off my shoulders and I could focus fully on training my powers. The easy part was that I could guess what he would decide. Probably something along the lines of asking me to tell him everything and then file it away and start countermeasures on any future threats. That would guarantee me a level of trust from him as well as a healthy suspicion on my true intentions. A good balance. He would keep me close and offer the best training for me that the league could offer because of the value of what I knew and the power I possessed. I hated using what I knew of his personality to plan around him and the others but, I couldn''t afford to half-ass this. Infact, building my own mental shields was PARAMOUNT. Apart from J''onn J''onzz, his niece Miss Martian and Psimon could read my mind. I could take advantage of my adaptive physiology, and have Miss Martian regularly intrude into my mind. Adapting to those intrusions, I can then build my mental shields up stronger. It would take a lot of time but with patience, my mind would become an impenetrable fortress. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. We reached the training room¡­and passed it. "Wait, I thought we were going to test out my powers?" I asked, confused. "We are." The android said in that same blank tone I had already gotten used to. I looked back at the door we were leaving behind. "We were never meant to do it in the training room were we?" I swear I caught a hint of amusement from Tornado as he replied, "No. That was just your assumption." "So¡­where are we going exactly?" "The beach. The open area will be suitable and prevent damage to any equipment incase things get out of hand." Annoyance showed itself on my face. "Is that what the League thinks is gonna happen? That I''m going to go all Rage god again?" He didn''t answer and floated silently as before, leaving me to my thoughts. It was when we appeared behind the mountain complex that I came to the obvious conclusion, I had missed entirely. I snapped my fingers in realization. "You were giving me a tour of the place! That''s why we didn''t come here directly." Red Tornado didn''t have any expression on his face but the smug was rolling off him in waves. "You finally caught on. Good. You''ll be responsible for giving the tour to your peers once they arrive. This is meant to be your base of operation." I nodded. Batman had also informed me of the team being put together. They were supposed to be brought here in a week. Robin will probably have already healed by then. The League''s medical expertise was pretty good. Break a bone? Green Lantern lines up the broken bone in surgical precision. Wayne industries and Lexcorp had also made huge strides in the medical practice that my normal earth wouldn''t see for the next 20 years. Red Tornado floated to a small distance away from me and stopped. A gentle wave lapped onto the shore as a slow breeze blew through my clothes. I was dressed in a red t-shirt and black shorts. Knowing what the business was for today, my shoes and socks were put away and I settled into an Airbender stance similar to Ba Gua Zhang. The style emphasized the concept of ''Flow''. Maneuvering around objects to avoid direct confrontation while still controlling the motion of the fight. Being free like the air. All this was supplied by my innate air-bending powers. I didn''t have a teacher to teach me the forms but that was the good thing about air bending¡­it was freeing. "Let''s begin with a demonstration of what you can do." I nodded at Red Tornado and breathed in and out. I sank into the breeze blowing slightly and tried to beckon it. The breeze escaped my grasp and I reduced my aggressiveness. It wasn''t about control¡­it was about¡­ manipulation. My left leg stepped back in a circular motion, followed closely by my left hand. The sand on the beach picked up as a breeze followed behind my actions. The air ruffled my T-shirt as I completed my twirl in a complete 360 degrees. My right hand picked up the breeze and the palm exploded out in a swift action. The breeze turned to a torrential wave of wind that sent sand and dust flying away Infront of me. "Wow." I muttered in fascination as the aggression in the wind petered out to nothing. Leaving behind the soft breeze from before. " You seem to have basic understanding of wind manipulation. You can''t force it to do your bidding. It''s very nature opposes that. Now let''s try a spar." Red Tornado was an android of few words so I nodded and breathed in, watching him intently. I wasn''t sure but I think that he was an air elemental? There was no way I could beat him in that. But I didn''t need to beat him. I just needed to learn and get better. I waved my hand a blast of air fanned out towards him. The wind was nullified into nothing before it could even get close. The dust and sand picked up by the attack provided enough cover for me to sprint towards him. I got within range and jumped, I manipulated the air to give me a push and I found myself 5 meters above him. My leg lashed out in an air slash but he calmly floated away from the attack. My arm then shot off to the side and pushed my body away on the air, bringing me closer to Tornado. Tornado''s hand came up and a swirling mass of red wind hit my body, throwing me back. "Oof!" I used the air to slow my descent but I still landed on the beach painfully. "Do you know what you did wrong?" He asked, floating calmly towards me. I was busy trying to breathe though, so he decided to answer. "You left yourself open before a superior opponent. Fighting in the air is a different skill from doing it on land. It''s an environment suited for those with free range of movement. Something you currently lack. To put it in human terms, You''re not quite there yet, Champ." It''s official, Red Tornado can joke. I turned myself over and rose up to my knees while feeling dizzy. He was right. That move had been fancy but completely unnecessary. I looked back at him, my determination as strong as ever. "Again." Hero Name and Costume (General P.O.V) Batman walked out of the Zeta tube in silent contemplation. The introduction of the young team to Mount Justice was only two days away. Batman wondered how that would go. Robin and the others were insistent on having more responsibility heaped on their shoulders. They didn''t have an idea of what they were asking for. No, having them act as a black-ops team would be better. Batman himself would vet their missions and little by little as they matured, so would the trust to handle more, be given. He had no doubt they would step up to the challenge. Having them become a part of the Justice League was currently ill-advised. Especially given the fact that their enemies had grown smarter, careful and less visible. They were operating in the open yet hidden. Partnering up and shoring each other''s weaknesses. The shipment with Penguin was a cache of altered cocaine that lasted longer and with stronger effects. No trace had been found and the Penguin was hiding. Bruce could direct his considerable resources into finding out his whereabouts but he decided to take another approach. Waiting. His contemplation moved on to why he was here today. Aden Strong. 17 years old. Alien from another earth. An earth where all of their struggles was just entertainment to their masses. Batman wasn''t sure what to make of that but he did what he always did, took it in stride and created countermeasures, incase any of the sensitive information Aden had given them came true. It wasnt a lot though. A few villains, invasions and the unlikely but terrifying prospect of Superman going murder hobo after losing his wife and unborn child. Batman''s hand clenched and he stopped in place. He wouldn''t let that happen. Bruce would sooner break his oath to never kill, to put the Joker down rather than see his best friend go through grief like that. That would also be the day that he would have to give up the cowl. Back to the young boy, Batman knew he didn''t mean any harm. He could see a lot of loneliness in his eyes but Aden was bravely holding on strong. That was enough for Batman to give him a chance. Bruce knew that treating him with suspicion would only distance him and that could turn badly. The information that Aden contained was dangerous in the wrong hands but what made Batman cast his vote into keeping the boy closer was his powers. Batman had seen it¡­the white eyes that had stared at him during that night, were filled with¡­so much power. Superman was called a god by some but what Bruce saw that day¡­was more¡­ Bruce reached the training room and found Red Tornado hovering before Aden, who was cross legged on a mat. His hands were outstretched, cupped Infront of him. A swirl of air rolling between the palms, in the form of a ball. "Am I interrupting something?" Red Tornado turned to look at him. "Batman." He nodded then continued, "No. We were just getting finished for the day." He said and left the room. Batman turned his gaze to Aden and found him scrunching his eyebrows in effort. The ball of air swirled around his body as he simultaneously jumped. The ball stabilized below him, connected to his body by one leg as the other was crossed over it. The ball then started rolling around as Aden rode above it around the room. Batman''s eyebrows rose up at the casual display of high level air manipulation. "Yes I did it!" He excitedly said before spotting Batman and directed the ball to him. The air ball disappeared and Aden landed on the ground gracefully. "You''ve gotten better." Batman observed. Aden nodded his head in a little pride. "Yeah. I have been practicing a lot this past week. Red Tornado has also taught me some awesome moves." It was also true. Even the level of his proficiency in the air element had gone up. Air Element (Practitioner) -Locked. -Locked. He wanted to get the mastery to Expert before he tried unlocking any of it''s sub-branches. Aden had gotten to know how the proficiency ranking went. It was, Beginner - Practitioner - Expert - Master - Grandmaster. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. He had a feeling that he was nearing Expert and that was because of all the air manipulation exercises he had done. He had also asked Red Tornado to get him a book on the basics of Ba Ghua Zhang. That martial art shared a lot of similarities with air bending and once Red Tornado had gotten him the book, his skill in air bending had shot up. "That''s commendable. Follow me." Batman said after a while. (Aden''s P.O.V) I followed after the dark knight, taking the chance to study him some more. He walked with a natural grace. Like a predator ready to pounce and attack. With my improvements in bending, my intellect and observational skills seemed to improve a little as well. Air-bending involved a lot of meditation and maybe that had given me some more benefits. We made it to the meeting hall and right there on the table was a briefcase carrying something I had been looking forward to, the entire week. I looked back at the dark knight and asked, "Is that what I think it is?" He nodded and I jumped to study it. The briefcase opened up to reveal¡­ "This is not what I drew when you asked me to make a sketch of my super suit." I told him a little dissatisfied. "Your costume idea was impractical for your powers. Currently you don''t have access to the full scope of your abilities as you yourself told me. This suit will be more appropriate for the time being." I took a minute to reason it out and had to nod at what he was saying. My design was a little too ambitious. It was too outstanding in its magnificence. No cap. My design had a white hood, a dark blue sleeveless tunic that run from my neck attached to the hood, down to between my knees and a white pair of pants that were shoved into black boots. There were white bands along my open arms, two on both biceps and one above the gloves covering my palm and wrists. To top it off, on the chest was an emblem with a modernized take on the symbols of the four elements. Instead of that visual orgasm of a super suit, Batman had commissioned something else entirely. For starters, it was the same type of style as Kid Flash''s costume. The difference being that most of the suit was black with white accents on the ribs. An emblem of air was in the middle of the chest represented by a swirling circle. For a mask, it was styled akin to Kyle Rayner''s but instead of a domino mask, a visor was in place. The whole suit looked...unique if a bit average. The thing I disliked most about it was the emblem for air on the chest. It felt like...like I would undermine myself if I accepted it. I was the Avatar for crying out loud not an average Airbender. What would villains think when they saw me... It was like an electric shock went through me as I turned to the Dark Knight. "You want them to underestimate me, don''t you?" It all made perfect sense. After seeing the upper levels of my power, Bruce had probably come up with this ruse. To put me in a costume that by all accounts wasn''t a clear representation of what I could actually do given enough time. After Supervillains get used to me being an Airbender...bam! I hit them with fire or water or earth. Any countermeasures to beat me in the future would useless because...my powers would grow and grow and grow past them all. I looked at Batman in a new light. "Have you decided on a name for yourself?" Batman''s voice cut through my thoughts. I looked at the emblem on my new suit. Initially, I wouldn''t have accepted any other name but Avatar. Looking at it from a different perspective...I didn''t deserve that name yet. Batman had a point in his actions and if there was one thing I knew about him...he never did anything without taking every single detail into account. I would trust his judgement. "Maelstrom. For now, call me Maelstrom." (Elsewhere) A row of screens were placed before a hidden figure. "The shipment was compromised." The hidden figure said. "All within expectations." One of the figure in the screen spoke. "I agree. If the plan had worked out, we would have found ourselves in partnership with a very shrewd man." Another intoned. A deeper voice than the previous two, supplied it''s own thoughts. "With the Penguin, currently indisposed, we can place our very own tool to gain us more footing in Gotham." Another voice sighed. "Batman has always moved to crush any new... ambitious forces in Gotham. He seeks to maintain the current delicate balance." The deep voice from before snorted. "He is someone who strikes from the shadows and darkness. Our methods have evolved to work in the light. We need no fear." A female voice was the next to speak. " Our whole purpose is for humankind to be unhindered in it''s growth. Every step we take has been for that sole purpose and anyone who steps in our way, will be made to see the light.'' With that, no one else spoke and the screens went static. Lex Luthor stappled his fingers together as he thought. "Not one of them asked how the plan failed. More for me then." He said to himself. On another screen was an obscured image of a floating boy with the four elements surrounding his form. The elements had messed with the picture but the one thing they failed to hide was the glowing eyes. "You''re not a metahuman are you? You''re something more." Lex said to the picture. Meeting The Team (Aden Strong) I turned up the volume and bopped my head as the bass made the room shake. I powdered my hands and stretched my whole body. The training room in Mount Justice was huge, most definitely to allow enough space for every league member to work out at the same time. Not that such a thing would happen. Infact I doubt most of them had even used it. Somehow I couldn''t see Red Tornado or Captain Atom pushing weight and asking each other, "Do you even lift bro?" Jokes aside, some of the weights went up to 5000 tons. It was crazy that even the racks supported a few dumbbells like that. Then again, this world had some crazy stuff. Away from the Superhero business, the normal everyday appliances that I had seen were futuristic back in my world. After 5 minutes of stretching I looked at the obstacle course ahead of me. Turns out that the team had a budget set aside for us by the league. I used the excuse of training the team to react faster to danger, for Red Tornado to agree to construct the obstacle course. That same afternoon, yesterday, Green Lantern, had come by and voila, a compact 10 challenge obstacle course. The course was filled with some of the hardest obstacles ever cleared. I was dressed in a black vest and a pair of gym pants. The first challenge was the rolling log. I jumped a little in place to loosen my muscles, timed myself and then began. (2 hours later) I looked myself over in the mirror and nodded, the visor part of my mask came down, hiding my features. I didn''t look like me, which duh, I guess was the point. Batman had advised me to lose the Taper Fade and after a lot of back and forth, he finally gave up though I could feel his disapproval everytime we spoke. My relationship with both him and Red Tornado had also gone into a comfortable place. The android didn''t speak much but he was always helpful. Batman''s attitude was cool, if you were an antisocial guy like me. And today¡­today I would meet the rest of my future team. I just hoped that things would go well. I left my room and found Red Tornado already waiting for me in the hall. "Follow me." He said and I nodded. We used a Zeta tube and when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a massive room. The Hall of Justice. Specifically, the library, judging from all the bookshelves on the sides. Martian Manhunter was the only one around, along with several reporters watching us from behind a glass panel, located in another room. Flashes of camera hit us and I gulped in nervousness at the step I was about to make. Today was the day. My introduction to the life of capes. Both heroes and villains. "Maelstrom. Welcome to the Hall of Justice." Martian Manhunter told me while smiling softly. I returned the smile. "Thank you. It''s good to be here¡­ actually where are the rest?" I asked. "They''re just arriving. Excuse me." Manhunter said and left. A brief silence settled upon me and Tornado. Something I had gotten used to by now. To calm down my nerves, I took the chance to review my progress over the past 2 days. Air Mastery Level (Expert) Locked You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Locked My air mastery had gone up to Expert. It might seem fast but I had really tried my best to bridge the gap between the sidekicks and I. They had me beat in experience and knowledge so I had to learn faster. In the mean time, I would let the my strength carry me over. Fortunately, I already knew some of the villains we would face and I had even tried to create counters to some of them. The wide doors to the library opened and in entered 8 new individuals. Aquaman and Aqualad, Flash and Kid Flash, Green Arrow and Speedy and lastly Batman and the boy wonder, Robin. Robin did a spit take as his eyes landed on me. I waved a hand awkwardly. "Hi?" "You have got to be kidding me. You?" Robin swerved his head to stare at his mentor. "You never said anything about¡­" He waved his hand at me. The others studied me and Kid Flash whooshed over. "Who''s the new guy?" He studied me from a few sides before running back to the rest of the group. "I like his costume." "Team meet Maelstrom, Red Tornado''s protege." I stepped forward, calming my wildly beating heart. I wanted to fanboy so much right now but as my Dad always told me, first impressions are very important. "Hello everybody. As Batman said, I''m Maelstrom. Happy to meet you. I hope we all get along and become friends." Robin entered into a staring match with Batman before sighing and conceding. He stepped up and offered a hand. "Nice to meet you. Officially. Just know I''ll get you back for that blow." I smiled at the olive branch. Not the least bit intimidated by his promise. I grasped his hand and shook it. "Hey man, I''m Kid Flash. Great to meet you, so what are your powers exactly?" Kid flash asked. "Aero-kinesis." I answered but by the slight narrowing of Robin''s eyes, I knew I would soon face some questions from him. Wow. The kid was just as intense as Batman when he glared. "Cool. Can you make tornados like Red Tornado?" Kid Flash went on. I smirked. " You''ll soon find out." "My name is Aqualad. Nice to meet you." Aqualad was a calm individual but from the sincerity in his eyes, I could tell he was the one to welcome me completely without any reservations. I turned my attention to the last side-kick in the room. Speedy didn''t spare me a glance as he approached the league members who had separated themselves to discuss about something. "Quick debrief to discuss the coincidence of four ice villains attacking on the same day. We won''t be long." Batman announced. The light to access the Zeta tube ran over him and the other mentors. I watched Speedy''s back as my jaw clenched at the silent dismissal. "That''s¡­ah Speedy. He''s like that with strangers. Don''t worry he''ll come around soon." Robin told me but by the look on my face he could see I didn''t believe him in the slightest. He shrugged. "What is this?" Speedy''s voice cut through harshly. The older members of the league turned to stare at him. Green Arrow made to talk, "Speedy¡­" Speedy''s face scrunched up in anger. "No. No more excuses. You promised us a real look inside. Not a glorified backstage pass." "You need to be patient. It will happen on it''s own time." Green Arrow opened his mouth and made things worse. "What I need is for someone to take me seriously." Speedy rebutted turning to the others. "This is never going to end. They''re always going to treat us like sidekicks not equals." "Let us try to calm down and talk this out Speedy. I''m sure we can reach¡­" Speedy laughed Aqualad''s words. "I bet you don''t even know that this is not the real headquarters. The real HQ is located in space." Batman looked at Green Arrow in disapproval. "I thought we could make an exception." The glare didn''t end. Infact it grew in intensity. "Apparently not." I didn''t know what to think but from the little I had seen, I could tell that Speedy had a few issues to work through. I didn''t remember the whole Young justice plot but there was something about him¡­ "If you can''t treat me like a partner then I''m done." He finished his rant by throwing his hat on the floor and walking off. With that the whole room filled up with tension. I really didn''t feel like being in the room and this was the perfect time to talk to J''onn. I walked over close to them. "Can I talk to you for a second J''onn?" Batman nodded to him. I had already told the Dark Knight what I wanted to ask J''onn, and he''d given his approval. We went off to a private office attached to the library, leaving behind the sidekicks who looked lost in thought. "What did you need, Maelstrom?" I wrung my wrists, suddenly unsure of myself. "Look. You know my situation. And I''m worried that another telepath, one aligned with the ''lets take over the world'' thing, might just as easily read my mind as you can." J''onn nodded his head and hummed. "You want to know if there is a way you can shield your mind from telepaths." "Exactly." He was silent for only a few seconds. "Very well. I know of a few exercises we can do to strengthen your mind. Fortunately, I am also teaching M''gann so it will be easy to include you to the already set schedule." "Cool. Cool. When will we start?" "Soon." I resisted to grumble mostly because I was asking for his help. Soon wasn''t really an answer and I felt uncomfortable knowing that Psimon, a supervillain telepath, was in my future. J''onn''s earpiece beeped and he turned to me. "League emergency. Take care Maelstrom." He phased through the walls and was gone. I sighed and left the room. "¡­ project Cadmus?" Aqualad''s voice rang out as I came within earshot. "Let''s find out." Robin perked up and started typing on a computer. "What''s up guys?" I asked but none of them answered me, too engrossed on the screen. "Access Denied." Robin scoffed. "Wanna bet?" I came up close to them and marveled at his hacking skills. "Wow. You''re good." I told him. "Thanks but this is easy. Same system as the bat cave." "Access granted." "Project Cadmus. It''s a lab here on DC. But if Batman''s suspicious of it¡­maybe we should check it out." Robin reasoned. Aqualad''s face lit up. "Solve their case before they do. It would be poetic Justice." "Wait. Sorry guys but if I''m getting you right, you wanna go to DC and investigate a lab that The Batman, emphasis on ''The'' is suspicious of, all the while directly going against their order to stay put?" They looked at each other and turned to me. "Yes." The word came out in unison. "Why? You''re gonna tell on us new guy?" Kid Flash asked me mockingly. I didn''t really mind, having understood his personality. A smile worked it''s way onto my face. "Not at all. Infact, count me in." Cadmus (Aden''s P.O.V) We took a Zeta tube to the area in the city where Cadmus was located. Coming out of the phone booth, we spotted the smoke rising over a few buildings a block away and Kid Flash took off towards that direction. Boy wonder shot a cable to the building Infront of us and pulled on it. He landed on the roof and took off with Aqualad and I following behind. Aqualad''s Atlantean physique, that was levels higher than mine by the way, helped him gather momentum from his sprint and jump onto a window close to the roof of the two story building. Then he pulled himself over. Not one to get shown up, I used the wind to increase my speed and copied Aang''s move on the walls of Ba Sing Se. The draft picked up behind me and propelled me forward at high speed. Closing up on the wall of the building, I stepped on it and pushed up. The next step I took was of the window sill and then I jumped, easily clearing the distance. My leap carried me to somewhere nearer the edge of the building, right behind Aqualad. Infront of us was the Cadmus building. It''s upper section was in flames. Boy wonder was just arriving on the ground. I looked at Aqualad and said, "Let''s jump." We did and I manipulated the air to slow us down, finally landing on the ground and catching up to Boy Wonder. "No time. Kid has cleared the area of civilians but something tells me¡­" Robin didn''t complete his sentence as a section on the second floor blew up sending two scientist falling to the ground. Kid Flash luckily supersped towards them and saved them. Barely placing them on the roof of the building. Unfortunately the speedster lost traction and had to hang from the window. "We need a plan¡­"Aqualad began before looking around and finding out that the Boy wonder had disappeared. "He''s up ahead. Come on, I have an idea." I told Aqualad and started sprinting forwards, the wind carried my body as I moved as fast as a speeding car. I had Aqualad''s bounding steps behind me and looking on ahead, noticed that Robin had already arrived at Kid Flash''s position. He helped him up and they entered the building. Meanwhile I took a running jump, cleared a distance of 20 meters and stepped on the ladder of the fire truck on the scene. I distantly heard the firemen shouting in surprise. I pushed off the vehicle leaving behind a sudden whoosh of air behind me. My trajectory carried me to the roof of the building. The two scientists stepped back in fear, I spared them a look at their wariness before I realized something. I was still unknown so they didn''t know if I was a hero or a villain. Fear was understandable. "Who¡­" One of them started before I pointed at Aqualad who was coming up, riding on water. "Aqualad''s going to get you down." I then ignored them and focused on my task. Ok here goes nothing. I focused and pulled out all the air from the room burning below me. A cloud of smoke flew out of the room leaving behind a vacuum, and nothing else but blackened furniture. Meanwhile the two scientists reached the ground safely, due to Aqualad, who then controlled the water to rise up and form a platform for us to step on. "Let''s go to the others." I nodded and we went down, stopping and entering the room next to the one burning previously. Aqualad did not look happy as he said sarcastically, " Appreciate the help." Robin spared an amused glance at us. "Nice going. You too Maelstrom." I nodded and started to look around. Aqualad did the same and we all heard the ding of an elevator from the hallway through the open door. We went on guard and ran out to the hall. "What was that?" I asked catching a glimpse of something before the elevator doors closed. "No idea but a 2 story building like this shouldn''t have a high speed express elevator." Boy wonder told us while swiping at the watch displayed holograms on his wrist. I whistled in appreciation. "Ok, I know it''s not the time but could Batman get me something like that if I asked nicely?" The boy wonder looked at me and smiled. "Cool isn''t it?" I nodded while Wally snorted. "Keep dreaming, I tried to ''ask nicely'' but all I got was the patented glare." "Guys focus." Aqualad said while going to the elevator and pulling the doors apart. Robin whistled. "So that''s why they need the express elevator." Just as I had expected, the elevator went down many floors judging by the shaft. "Now what?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.I asked. "Despite our powers or in Robin''s case skills and gadgets, I don''t think we should go down there without informing the League first. This doesn''t seem like your average supervillain scheme to me." Kid Flash patted me on the shoulder. "I get it man. You''re scared. But this is what comes with being a hero." "Wow Kid, that was almost inspiring." Robin threw a jab at him. "Hey what''s that supposed to mean?" Robin ignored him and turned to me. "If we contacted the League they would just tell us to fall back and by then, it might be too late." Aqualad nodded. "I believe it would be prudent to go forward. As humans would say, "It is easier to beg forgiveness than to seek permission." "Wow." I was stumped by their recklessness but in the end, I nodded. Robin wordlessly shot his grapple gun. The hook dug onto the ceiling above us and he jumped, hanging from the cable as he went down. Next up was Aqualad. Kid Flash followed after them while smirking at me. "Guess you''re last." He said, saluting. I rolled my eyes though he couldn''t see it from my visor. I pulled on the cable to make sure it was stable before biting the bullet and sliding down along it. Luckily I had my gloves on, so friction wasn''t a problem. I pushed myself to the ledge of the floor where the rope ended just as Robin hacked the elevator doors. Aqualad opened them and we stepped through. We walked in to find ourselves in a huge room lined with strange compartments on the side. "Welcome to Project Cadmus." "Guys, this place gives me the creeps. We should¡­" Kid Flash used his Superspeed and pulled ahead of us. "¡­be careful." I finished lamely. "Dammit." Aqualad said as we ran forward. Kid Flash slipped after running into huge gray creatures and losing balance. I sent a blast of wind that pushed him away from being turned to mince meat by a Genomorph. "Thanks." He said once they made it past. The huge creatures had tiny other creatures on their shoulders. They spotted us but ignored our existence. My heart was hammering inside my chest. It''s one thing to see such things on tv and another to stand close to them! "Ok that happened. Still don''t want to call in the League?" "Not yet. I need to find out what''s going on here." Robin insisted and I knew the others would back him up. I swallowed my objections for the second time as we proceeded through the hallways to come up on two huge double doors. "That looks interesting." Kid Flash said. "I agree. Aqualad added while Robin broke through the security measures and the chamber doors opened. Inside, more Genomorphs were put into glass casings. Electric energy ran through their forms as Kid Flash told us of his suspicions that the reason Cadmus was off the grid was because the they were using Genemorphs to produce energy. At that point, I tuned them out knowing that trouble was about to arrive. 2 minutes later, Guardian and a number if combat Genomorphs entered the room. "Don''t move! Wait, Robin? Kid Flash? Aqualad?" Guardian looked caught off guard by our presence. While they were talking, I prepared myself, ready to spring into motion when Guardian and the Genomorphs inevitably attacked. This would be my first real battle and my nerves were killing me. I breathed out calmly while stepping away from the others to avoid friendly fire. Guardian clutched his head in disorientation once he figured out something was wrong. The horns of the Genomorph on his shoulder glowed red and I took that as my cue. "Take them down hard!" "In your dreams buddy." A blast of air escaped my hands, knocking the Genomorphs back. Guardian rolled to the side and escaped the attack. Robin threw a smoke pellet on the ground and I used my air to spread it out faster, obscuring our position. The four Genomorphs jumped through the air. I took the chance while they were suspended and let loose a point blank air bomb. This was a skill I had come up with while practicing, where I condensed as much wind as I could before releasing it in one burst. It sent out a shockwave of air that slammed two of the Genomorphs to the walls of the room while sweeping the smoke away. "Holy crap. The new guy has moves." "Focus Kid!" Aqualad shouted while dodging Guardian''s attacks. I watched as Kid Flash took one of the Genomorphs out leaving one that was headed for Aqualad. Birdarangs came flying from above and took it out. Courtesy of Robin With all the Genomorphs taken out, that left only Guardian and boy was he powerful. Guardian threw out blows that Aqualad struggled to defend against. More Genomorphs entered the room and I turned my attention away from Aqualad. "Hey Kid. I need a distraction!" "Sure." Kid Flash replied and blitzed forward in zig zags. In the same motion it took him to run, I twisted and bent, harsh winds covered my form before I completed the set of motion and stepped forward. "Out of the way kid!" Kid Flash hopped on a wall and ran up to clutch one the beams above us. My hands shot forward and a massive cone of wind slammed onto the new Genomorphs. The blast pushed them all away and back out into the hallway. Aqualad was also done with Guardian after electrocuting him, so we left the room and ran to the elevator which Robin had just finished hacking into. "Way to be a team player, Rob." Kid Flash said to the boy wonder, looking miffed. Although that statement was true in most cases, I disagreed at that current situation. If Robin hadn''t gone ahead, we would still be stuck fighting the Genomorphs. "I thought you guys were right behind me." He answered. The elevator doors opened wide and we entered, Aqualad barely made it as he came rolling in a group of Genomorphs following behind him. Luckily the elevator closed abd started going down. "Why are we heading down?" I asked Robin. "Dude out is up." "You don''t get it. Project Kr is down on Sub -Level 52." Robin responded. "Perhaps we should contact the League, this is getting out of control." "No, We started this. Lets finish it." Robin said convincingly. This time I didn''t hide my sigh. Project Kr (Aden''s P.O.V) The elevator opened up to reveal a room built inside an underground cavern. The room itself emptied into two ominous hallways. "Ok, which should we pick? Bizarre looking hallway one or bizarre looking hallway two." "I would say neither. In fact I''m an advocate for, let''s get the hell out of here and call in the big guns." My words had an effect on them but they still weren''t willing to turn back. "Maybe Maelstrom is right. That said, we''ve already come this far. Might as well just continue." I threw my hands up. "I give up. You''ve been in this game longer than I have so what the hell. Let''s continue on and hope we live to tell the tale." "That''s more like it." Robin responded to me. But before he could add anything else, a Genomorph dressed in white spotted us. "Halt!" The alien took control of a few metal barrels and telekinetically threw them at us. My hand snaked out and a gale of wind knocked the projectiles away. We then started running towards the second hallway. I knew that they were coming for us and I didn''t feel comfortable being confined in such a place with no way out. We made a turn and saw a woman get knocked down by Kid Flash who was moving at high speeds. The massive door to project Kr was ahead of us, about to close but we all luckily made it through as it shut behind. Trapping us in the room with Superman''s clone. So far I had been following the plot but being in that situation, about to face a Kryptonian hybrid who could smash me to pulp, made me realize just how dumb I was. I had neglected to give Batman information regarding the Young Justice universe because I knew how altering events could lead to worse shit but¡­ following the plot so closely had been a dumb mistake. One I was about to pay for. While I was lost in my thoughts, Robin and the others decided to free Superboy. My eyes widened. "No wait!" Robin pressed on a key and the glass case opened with an exhale of air. "Dammit!" I said, earning looks of confusion from the others. "We don''t know if they''ve programmed him to attack intruders like they did with Guardian." I saw realization fall onto their faces. "Get us out of here Robin!" Aqualad shouted in alarm as his water bearers appeared in his hands. Kid Flash turned to me angrily. "Why didn''t you say anything?!" I looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding me! I told you guys to contact the League!" "There are no signals down here." Aqualad interjected. "Let''s try talking first. It''s Superman''s son. Here''s to hoping he shares the big guy''s fluffy personality." Robin''s words were met with a angry scowl from the clone. "Or not." "Look out!" I shouted to Aqualad, pushing him away with a gale of wind. Superboy slammed a fist down on Aqualad''s previous location and rounded up on the person closest to him, which happened to be me. I ducked a punch and slammed my palms on his gut. A blast of air carried him off his feet to Aqualad''s timely attack on the small of Superboy''s back. Superboy flew above me to hit the metal frame of his glass cage. He stood back up looking no worse for wear. "Guys, any ideas?" I asked, prompting Robin to go forward. His hands were held up. "Calm down. We''re on your side." The clone''s response was to jump at him with a hand pulled back. Boy wonder jumped away and in the same motion shot a taser at Superboy. Which did absolutely nothing. He pulled on the Wires and Robin went flying towards him. Fortunately, Kid Flash swooped in and sped away with Robin before Superboy could hit him. "Aqualad. We can''t win like this." I told him, my hands were shaking in fear. Aqualad had a determined look ok his face as he jumped in to the fray. "We have to try!" He shouted while drawing water from his tattoos to form the hammer from before. He smashed it onto the clone who blocked it with one hand and pushed it to the side. The hammer disappeared and a shield formed on Aqualad''s side to block the devastating punch to the kidneys. Aqualad was pushed back and the clone made to follow only to divert in his course and come for me as I was gearing up for another attack. My eyes widened as he body checked me onto the wall. My back hit the hard surface and a breath of air escaped my lungs. I fell onto the ground wheezing and my head ringing. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I heard a cry of pain and saw kid Flash smash into Robin who had tried to use smoke bombs to distract the Clone. The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Aqualad electrocuting Superboy. "Time runs short. You must awaken. You must awaken now!" The loud voice rang through my head making me open my eyes in shock. I strained from my bindings once I saw myself and the others suspended from glass casings not unlike Superboy''s. "What happened? Where are we? Let us out now!" Kid Flash asked in panic. "I hate to be that guy but, I told you so!" I shouted in frustration. Robin had the decency to look away. "We''re sorry for dragging you into this Maelstrom." Aqualad apologized but I sighed. "No it''s not your fault. I wanted to come. Besides although we could have done some things differently, we''ve succeeded so far on surviving no worse for wear." Kid Flash was relentlessly, straining his body against the cuffs. Keeping a speedster locked up was probably very frustrating to them. "This is so not cool man!" "Just calm down Kid. I doubt you want to piss off the guy who can fry us just by looking, with your nagging." "We only sought to help you out." Aqualad began. "Yeah and then you turn on us!" Kid Flash added looking angry. "Kid Please. Stay quiet. I believe he was being controlled." "Yeah. I noticed that the Genomorph''s horns glowed right before he attacked us. It wasn''t intentional." "What if I¡­what if I was?" Superboy asked tentatively. "He can talk?" The others looked surprised at that, especially Kid Flash. "Yes he can." Superboy said looking peeved at Kid''s words. Kid Flash was quick to say, "Not like I said, ''It.'' " Then they went on to have a dialogue about how Superboy could leave with us and we would show him the sky¡­and his father Superman. Oh boy, I really didn''t want to see the look of confused anger when Clark learns that he has a son. I tried my best to highlight that particular thing to Batman. To tell him that in one of the alternate earths, a clone of Superman emerges. A clone that wouldn''t turn on him because of his background. I just hope Batman had spoken to him about it. ¡­We can show you Superman." I caught the end of Aqualad''s words and so it seems so did the scientist walking in. "Empty promises. They are not going anywhere. Guardian, get the weapon back in its cage." Desmond said. The man instantly rubbed me the wrong way. "He''s not a weapon asshole. Just because a knife can stab someone doesn''t mean that it''s all it can do." "Oh, and might you be? A new hero? No, you''re hanging out with the sidekicks, so the question is, whose protege are you?" He asked making me smirk. "Get me down here and I''ll show you." Desmond snorted. "Children these days. Running their mouths without a care for the consequences." He turned to the lady scientist from before, "Start the cloning process." Then to Superboy, he stepped closer. "You are not a real boy. You belong to Cadmus. Now get back to your pod." The horns of the Genomorph on Superboy''s shoulder glowed and Superboy left. 2 metal rods with 4 pincers each detached from the frame of our cage and impacted my chest. There was a discharge of energy released and I felt my blood being drained from me. Not a minute later, Superboy came charging in. Desmond looked on disbelief as Superboy pushed him out of the way. Robin broke through his cuffs and instantly they freed the rest of us. Robin threw 4 explosive birdarangs that took out the containers containing our blood samples. During the commotion we ran out of the chamber. We took a turn and ran towards the elevator. Genomorphs suddenly broke out of the pods dotting the hallway and we found ourselves surrounded. I didn''t stop, augmenting my agility with air. I took a leap and at the apex of the jump, wind surrounded my form as my body twisted, a tornado sprung up, strong enough to push the huge Genomorphs out of the way, clearing the way enough for the others to take down the rest. "Superboy let''s go!" I shouted at the clone who was wrecking the Genomorph''s shit. " Don''t give me orders!" I rolled my eyes as he followed us. Aqualad forced open the elevator doors and we started going up. Robin and Kid Flash on a grapple gun and me bounding on the sides of the shaft. The others landed on the ledge of sub level 15 while I was higher on sub level 13. Robin looked up at me and shouted. "Maelstrom there''s an elevator coming down!" He shouted and I let loose an air bomb on the elevator doors, blasting them open and jumping in, narrowly missing the lift from crashing into me. And like that, I had successfully separated from the rest. I smiled, the good thing is that they didn''t suspect anything. You might be wondering why Sub level 13 was special. The short answer? It was where the Blockbuster formula was contained. The fight with Superboy from earlier showed me that despite my powers, I was essentially a glass canon. He had taken me out of the fight in one hit. That needed to change. I couldn''t wait for the Kobra-venom. The blockbuster formula was here and ready. I stepped into the hallway and ran forward, looking for anything distinctive. Luckily most of their forces were looking for Robin and the others. I didn''t have a lot of time though, Desmond would also walk in, looking to use the Blockbuster to take us down. I made another turn and before me, written in bold were the words, Containment 13: Blockbuster. Blockbuster (Aden''s P.O.V) A problem presented itself soon. I couldn''t open the doors to the Containment unit. Hacking was Robin''s thing not mine. Anytime now Desmond would walk in to take the sample he would use, although that was risky, it was also my only chance. I looked for places to hide and settled on the ventilation shaft at the end of the hallway. From that position, I could see the doors to the unit perfectly and I was undetectable, mostly due to Robin hacking the motion sensors. I stayed put for 5 minutes before the elevator doors dinged and opened, Desmond entered looking to be in a hurry. He jogged slightly towards the huge doors and swiped. I jumped out of the shaft and landed gently behind him as he pocketed his card and entered a code. Then the biometric pad on the wall next to the door, scanned his eyeball. I silently thanked my lucky stars that I had waited. There wouldn''t have been any other way to open those doors without getting found out. What I was doing needed to be seen as something necessary. Taking the blockbuster formula would no doubt increase my strength way above what I currently had. That would raise flags with Batman and the rest, if I didn''t have a good explanation. So Desmond needed to take that formula first and turn into Blockbuster. When he started overwhelming the team I could jump in and beat him, telling them that I had taken a sample of the blockbuster to give to Batman for study only to have to use it to avoid our deaths. That wouldn''t really fly with Batman but one thing I was sure of, was that he would look the other way. The thing is I wanted to be a hero and he wouldn''t risk losing my alignment to the good side, over something like that. As long as I wasn''t killing anyone, I hoped he would condone my actions like he did with Catwoman. What Batman didn''t know was that although I wanted to be a hero, it was not in the traditional sense. I had plans for this world and I would take every advantage I could to make them happen. If that meant stretching my morality a little into the gray area so be it. I mean, I was just 17 years old but I could see what was wrong with this world! That meant more than most, I had the responsibility to change it for the better. The doors opened with a loud hiss and Desmond walked in. I trailed after him and hid behind a machine, watching him. He approached a glass casing containing 6 samples of the blockbuster formula glowing blue. Desmond pressed a key on the computer and the casing opened. He grabbed one of the formulas and looked at it with a manic expression in his face. "Yes this will do." He turned and left, only to stop before the door with an odd look on his face. He shook his head and left, muttering. "It''s probably nothing." I felt like slapping myself when I realized I had left the kid to the ventilation shaft on the floor out in the hallway. I breathed out a sigh of relief when the doors closed behind him, locking me inside the lab. I waited for a few minutes then walked to the glass case and opened it. My hands grabbed 2 of the vials. I stalled for a second thinking things through. The plan had been to skip on this serum and use the perfected version of it but the thing is¡­could I survive without this power up until the Santa Prisca mission? Hell I could die here if I wasn''t careful. No, I couldn''t wait for the Kobra-venom serum. It had to be now. Here''s to hoping that adaptable body lives up to it''s hype. I didn''t waste another second and drank one of the vials. Instantly¡­pain assaulted my body. I felt myself stretch and a cry escaped my mouth. "Ohmygod." I shut my eyes and curled up in a ball. Desmond hadn''t gone through such agony in canon so what was different! No he didn''t have adaptable body though did he? The way the perk worked was allowing changes to be made to my body as a result of an outside element interacting with my biology. That came with the added benefit of my body not changing drastically from the model of how my species was supposed to look like. I clenched my jaw and took the pain with nary a cry, hoping it would end soon. (With The Team) They had been surrounded. Genomorphs on all sides. There hadn''t even been a fight. The Genomorph from earlier had taken them out easily through telepathy. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Then he''d given Superboy a choice. Superboy had chosen freedom rather than captivity. With that, Robin and the others had breathed out a sigh of relief thinking that the fight was over. "It feels like a fog lifting." Guardian said after the Genomorphs released him from their control. "Guardian?" Robin asked. The older man looked at him. "Go, I''ll handle Desmond." A snicker sounded from behind them. "Handle me? I think not. Blockbuster will let me restore order here in Cadmus." They looked behind them, only to see Desmond drink a strange blue glowing serum. Right before their eyes¡­Desmond began to change into a grey, monstrous form with red eyes. Cut 5 minutes later and the sidekicks were losing badly. The creature had blasted Superboy through the roof of the building, right to the next one up. He had strength to match Superboy and enough durability to take their hits and shrug them off. He punched Superboy to a wall and then used Kid Flash to slam into Aqualad sending them both to the ground. Robin''s birdarangs did absolutely nothing and the boy wonder was just about to come up with a risky plan when reinforcement arrived in the most unlikely way. Maelstrom blasted through the elevator doors, catching everyone''s attention. "Hey guys. Thought you needed some help." "Maelstrom!" Robin shouted in relief. Batman would have had their heads had they let the new guy get hurt. The creature turned to look at Maelstrom and roared, running forward. Maelstrom ducked the first blow and in a move that surprised the rest, let loose an uppercut that snapped the creatures head back with an audible crack. The blow was so strong that it sent a sudden gale of wind through the room. The creature was lifted and slammed into a pillar that broke under it''s weight. "Ooookay¡­I didn''t know you could do that." Kid Flash spoke up looking shocked. They all looked at Maelstrom in question. To answer them, he showed them the vial held in his hand. It contained the same blue liquid that Desmond had used. " I followed this guy into a lab where he took one of these vials, talking about how he would use one to restore order." Maelstrom told them while helping Aqualad out from under one if the wrecked pillars. "I took two of them to give to the league for study but then found myself besieged by Genomorphs. I took a risk and drank one, hoping I''d get strong enough to overcome their number. Then¡­they just stopped." They looked at him and he tried to clarify. "I mean they didn''t attack me so I used the elevator to come up and the rest is history." Robin wasn''t convinced. "Then how did you not turn into a monster like Desmond?" (Aden''s P.O.V) My body felt¡­ amazing. I clutched my fist in wonder while I contemplated how to answer Robin''s question. "I have a power called Adaptable body. It let''s me adapt to certain conditions without a change in physiology." Just then Blockbuster extracted himself from the wreckage and shook his head while staring at us. "Save the rest of your questions for later. Right now I think we should handle this." "He''s right Rob. We need to take this thing down." "I agree." Kid Flash said and was backed by Aqualad. "You all talk too much." Superboy told us and sprang forward with a snarl. I looked at Robin and added him the second vial. He looked at me strangely. "You excell at long range against this kind of opponent. It''s less risky if the vial stays with you." He nodded and I jumped into the fray, following the others. I called upon the air to slow down Kid Flash''s body from colliding against me. "Thanks." He said upon landing. His body blurred as he jumped back to fight against the monster. Blockbuster took Aqualad''s water mace to the face and stumbled back. Although he was disoriented, he managed to backhand Superboy, sending him flying off. Aqualad came into position underneath him and slammed a hammer on the monster''s side. I jumped over him assisted by the wind and slammed an axe-kick on Blockbuster''s head sending him to the floor on one knee. Kid Flash whizzed in with a hundred punches a second moving faster than Blockbuster could see, successfully distracting him. "Aqualad! Superboy! Hold him down I have a plan." "Don''t order¡­" "Not now Superboy, you can set me on fire later with your heat vision. Right now, use that anger and work with us." "Robin. Some smoke bombs to distract him. Kid Flash keep doing what you''re doing." "Got it." It must have been the urgency of the situation combined with no one else having a plan but they listened to me. "Kid Fall back." He did so, right when Robin''s smoke bombs hit Blockbuster. I slammed a double hand punch on top of his head when he made to get up, sending him back to a knee. Superboy and Aqualad came in from behind and grabbed each of his hands, pulling them back. They strained and I hurried to carry out the final step of the plan. I waved my hands and a bubble of air surrounded Blockbuster''s head. I sucked out all the oxygen from the bubble, slowly suffocating him. "Hurry!" Aqualad shouted, his hands shaking while his face scrunched up. Kid Flash came in from the side and helped him, barely easing the burden. Blockbuster''s eyes were wide open as he tried to rise up but couldn''t due to the legs placed on his back, pushing him to the floor and denying him leverage to stand. Finally, he slumped on the ground, passed out and the three of them let go, breathing heavily. "I¡­I never¡­want to do that again." I ran a hand on my face and breathed out. "It''s over." The entrance was before us. I looked at the others and pointed to Blockbuster. "Should we leave him here or¡­" The unanimous decision was to carry him outside, a task that Superboy took on willingly this time, sending a challenging look my way. We followed him out and into the night sky. Superboy dropped Blockbuster on the ground as he stared at the moon, too distracted to notice the league watching us with unamused looks on their faces. I looked at Batman and he narrowed his eyes at us. "You have some explaining to do." Aftermath and The New Perk (Aden''s P.O.V) "I''m Superman''s clone." The air chilled suddenly at the drop of Superboy''s statement. Superman''s face hardened in a way I hadn''t seen before. Seems like Batman hadn''t informed him of anything. Speaking of the Dark Knight, he did not look happy. "What. Happened?" He ground out. No one stepped up to talk. Robin finally sighed and started talking with the rest of us adding bits and pieces to the story. Batman looked at me strangely once he heard that I had used the Blockbuster formula but otherwise didn''t comment. Some of the other League members did not look at me fondly. Oh boy, they probably think I''m a power hungry maniac now. That said, I wouldn''t change a damn thing. I was itching to go and test out what I could do now. After we finished, Batman held out a hand and Robin placed the Blockbuster formula on his palm. Batman then put the vial in his utility belt and the league members separated themselves from us to have a brief meeting. I looked at the others, we looked banged up due to the fight but we were all otherwise okay. It started out as a chuckle then I started laughing in happiness. The others looked at me weirdly. "Hey, you okay man?" Kid Flash asked and I smiled at him. "Just happy that we''re still alive. I mean, we beat that thing. We beat everything Cadmus had to offer and came out on top." Robin smiled. "I forgot that this was your first time." Kid Flash whooshed next to me and draped his hand across my shoulder. "Yeah man. You were great. And you did make a tornado when the Genomorphs tried to overwhelm us!" I laughed as he reminded me of the time he had asked if I could create a tornado like Red Tornado. "You''re pretty alright, new guy." "Overwhelmed? Why is no one ever¡­" Robin started only to have Kid Flash cut him off. "No no no, no more whelmed stuff Rob." Aqualad patted me on the shoulder. "He''s right. You handled yourself admirably. You''re fit to be a hero Maelstrom." I smiled, a feeling of giddiness overcoming me. I looked at Superboy who was scowling at Superman''s direction and the glee diminished a little. I couldn''t let Superman''s relationship with what was virtually his son start off so rocky. Something had to be done. "Manhunter." I mentally shouted. J''onn didn''t react so I shouted even louder. "Manhunter!" "Yes, Maelstrom. How can I help you?" He finally answered. "J''onn could you please connect me to Superman?" J''onn was silent for a little while, probably questioning when he had turned into a phone. then¡­ "Very Well." The next voice I heard was from the man of steel. "Maelstrom?" He asked and I walked a little bit away from the others to stop any distractions. "First of all, I cannot begin to imagine what you''re feeling right now. I know you''re shocked and confused and many other conflicting feelings, that someone in your position would feel." A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Go on." Instead of replying I concentrated on relaying the memories of Superboy fighting with us. I felt the undertones of surprise, respect and a tiny touch of pride through our link but so was confusion, distrust and fear. "He fought against all he''s ever known because he wanted to live up to your legacy. He wants to be like you. Superman is more than just a man. You represent truth, justice and compassion. Those values are what he admires in you. Someone like that, striving to earn your approval does not deserve a cold shoulder." "What would you have me do! I never planned for any of this to happen!" The man of steel lost his nerve, showing just how much of an emotional turmoil he was in. But I knew I had him where I wanted. "Neither did he. Give him a chance and try to connect with him. He''s your son whether you like it or not and right now, he''ll need you the most. Do this so that you will not regret in the future when you try to be in his life." "No you don''t know what you''re asking of me." I sighed. Why does he have to make all this so dramatic. "I''m asking you to stand above the negative emotions. Be compassionate. That''s not too much to ask is it? And with that I cut off the mental link. I was under no illusions that he would listen to me. But those words, he needed to hear them. Superman made his way to us and stopped before Superboy. He breathed out and a small smile appeared on his face. "I saw what you did, courtesy of Maelstrom. Good job." Superboy, hell even I was surprised. That''s not what I was expecting. "Th¡­thank you." Superboy stammered out. "You will be staying at Mount Justice with Maelstrom. I''ll be coming over regularly to check on you before we figure anything else out." With that Superman nodded and looked at me from the corner of his eye as if to ask, ''satisfied?'' I looked away, only now realizing that I had just lectured the man of steel. Superboy turned his attention to me. "Thank you." He said sincerely. "Did we miss something?" Kid wondered while looking between us. Batman started walking towards us cutting off the discussion. "Despite the results, we are not happy." "You should have called!" Flash butted in. "You hacked into the Justice league systems and disobeyed a direct order to stay put." Batman continued. "That aside. Good work team. However, it goes without saying that you will not be doing this again." Aqualad stepped forward "I''m sorry but we will." "Stand down Aqualad." Aquaman told his protege. "I''m sorry my King but no." I watched on as each member of the team stepped forward in determination, standing up to the Justice League. They all turned to look at me and I shrugged. " What they said." Batman''s eyes narrowed at me but I ignored him turning to my teammates, "So what do you think we should call ourselves?" (Sometime Later) I made it out of the Zeta tube following Red Tornado. He hadn''t said a word about the whole Cadmus debacle except for, "I am glad to see you''re alright." Which was cool. Red Tornado wasn''t a talker and I found that I was more than comfortable with that. "Goodnight Tornado." I told him and left to show Superboy his room. The hallway was brightly lit as he and I walked on in silence. "Superman said you showed him what I did." He finally broke the comfortable silence. I hummed in confirmation. "I just showed him the truth. That you''re more than a clone." I watched him from the corner of my eyes. His face looked lost before it changed to one of determination. We didn''t say anything else all the way. I showed him where the kitchen was, fully stocked pantry and all and then the rooms, promising him a tour around the whole base come morning. I told him to wait a little and left for my room. I came back with a few t shirts that were a size bigger than my actual size and a few pairs of trousers. Superboy didn''t have a change of clothes so I offered him a few of mine and made a note to go to town for some shopping tomorrow. I told him goodnight and left for my own room. Once inside I hit the shower and dried up. My eyes roamed over my body in the mirror and I did a spit take. I¡­had abs. I touched them a little and they felt hard. Like steel. My chest was much bigger and my arms¡­I flexed. "Holy shit. I''m ripped." It must have been the Blockbuster formula. Thinking about it, I was reminded of the talk I would soon have with Batman. I wasn''t looking forward to that. Done with admiring my new body, I fell inside my sheets to sleep but a prompt from the system appeared before my eyes. I propped myself up and read it over. (Congratulations. For participating in your first Superhero mission and not dying, you get¡­Chi Blocker Perk.) -Chi blocker- take down your enemies by targeting their chi points. I smiled. Information appeared in my head on the forms and where to target to block someone''s chi. This new perk was very welcome. I wonder if it would work on Superhumans like Deathstroke or aliens like Superman. The short answer? Yes. As long as the target was biological then all I would need to do is hit their chi points and they would be helpless. (The Next Morning) "Red Tornado will be your supervisor, Black Canary will handle your training and I will deploy you on missions." Batman announced. We were all in the hall of Mount Justice. That is the team and the mentors and Black Canary. I tried my best not to stare at her but goddamn Canary was hot. Batman continued while my mind went off tangent into fantasies with Canary calling me dzaddy. What? I''m a fucking hormonal teenager, cut me some slack! "¡­the six of you will be that team." Batman finished. "Wait six of us?" Robin asked in confusion and Batman gestured behind us at the pair coming out of the Zeta tube. "Team meet Miss Martian, Manhunter''s protege. She will be part of you." A green skinned shy girl waved at us from Manhunter''s side. "Hello." Kid Flash draped a hand over Robin''s shoulder and whispered, "I''m loving this gig more and more." Then he turned to the new arrival. "Hi miss M. I''m Kid Flash, this is Robin, Aqualad, Superboy and Maelstrom." "Hi." I waved at her then turned my attention to Manhunter and raised an eyebrow. "She''s your other student isn''t she?" Manhunter smiled and nodded. Miss M must have felt the telepathic feedback as she turned to me and a second later, I heard her voice in my head. "Hello, you''re mind is very open telepathically." I frowned. "Is that a good thing¡­or?" "It is. Especially for someone who''s not a telepath. It just means you can project your thoughts out to a telepath much easier. In addition, your mind is very flexible" "It''s nice to meet you Miss Martian. Excuse me guys." I spoke out loud and approached Batman, who was typing something on the hall''s computer. I cleared my throat. "I''m guessing you want to talk?" He stopped what he was doing. "Yes." The New Strength (Aden''s P.O.V) "Why did you take the serum?" Batman''s question cut right into the matter. I couldn''t afford to lie to him, so I went with the simple answer. "For power. To clarify, the situation was¡­bad from the beginning." "Which is why you should have stayed put." Batman interjected. "I''m sorry but have you met them? Plus the whole situation with Speedy left them in a position where they wanted to prove themselves to you. It was either join them and try to help out or stay back and lose out on the camaraderie." We were a little further away from the team, Batman had pressed a button on his data pad and I picked up on a static field enveloping our position. "Explain." He told me, clearly referencing on why I took the blockbuster formula. "It''s very simple. I didn''t see another way we could win. We were trapped in enemy territory, an enemy who had easily taken us out earlier . After eavesdropping on Desmond and learning what the serum could do, I took it in hopes that it would be enough to grant us victory. I avoided the negative effects due to my other power." "Adaptable Physiology." He stated and I nodded. I ran a hand through my hair, " I won''t lie to you, Batman. I was selfish and I endangered my life but my intentions were not evil. All I really wanted to do from the start was to get the others and leave. But things just got more and more complicated along the way until finally, I found myself in that position." I clenched my jaw, " I don''t regret my choice." I finished, waiting for his verdict. If he wanted me to leave the team then I was okay with that. I had a plan in place on how I could do this Superhero gig by myself. "Don''t do it again. Next time things might not work out as well as they did." He told me and I breathed out a sigh of relief. "You will also go for a check-up at Star Labs, to make sure that the formula doesn''t have any unforeseen effects." I agreed seeing no harm in that. "We''re done here." I turned at the dismissal and walked away. "And Maelstrom, good job." A smile appeared on my face as I walked away, a little straighter. ( A Day Later) Star Labs was amazing. The technology was otherworldly. I saw a man floating in the air assisted by 4 metallic bands attached to the wrists and the ankles. When I asked the intern leading me to the room where I would get my check up about it, he simply said, " Nth Metal" and left it at that. The check up took a few hours and after I was done I left for the cave. Stepping out of the Zeta Tube, I belated myself after seeing Superboy and realizing we hadn''t done any of his shopping. Superboy had always worn the same type of clothes in Young Justice but now that I was here, hell to the eff no. Where I come from, style is as much a part of you as anything else. My swag senses were tingling. I talked to Red Tornado and then M''gann, Superboy and I spent the rest of the afternoon, shopping in town. Happy Harbor was a quaint little place and the food was great. We lazed around and came back to the base, happier and Superboy clothier? Is that a word? (Three Days later) The medical check up at Star Labs was an eyeopener. The scans showed that my muscle density had increased by over 1000%. The tensile strength of my skin was enough to block small caliber bullets. There hadn''t been any physical exertion exercises but I wasn''t worried because the gym in Mount Justice was more than sufficient to test that. I looked over at Superboy and found him benching 100 tons easily. My eyebrows rose up as I left him to do his reps and approached the treadmill. I started slow with a jog, then upped the speed as I listened to old-school hip hop assault my ears. My heart started pumping faster as I regulated my breathing, moving even faster. At my top speed I looked down and noted I was pushing 50 miles per hour. Not quite speedster level but still faster than any human should be. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Things got crazy when I used air-bending to augment my speed. My feet slapped the treadmill as a gale appeared behind me and made my body lighter while also reducing the air resistance. My speed instantly jumped to 60 mph. The air got more violent and to reflect that so did my speed, 70 mph¡­80 mph¡­90mph¡­100mph. That was the limit for the current me. I strained to keep up that speed while thinking of ways I could increase it. A lot of things factor into Superspeed. The main thing though, is a high perception to react to moving at that speed, I had no idea how to tackle that. There was also the problem of maneuverability. My speed pushed me forward but it didn''t account for quick turns or corners. Not yet. The way to get better would be to constantly push my air bending training. I could already feel I was halfway to the next level which was Master. I lost control and was thrown off the treadmill. I hit the ground and tumbled to the sound of Superboy chuckling. I got up and dusted myself. These few days had helped me build a good relationship with him and M''gann and as a consequence of Superman being more understanding, Superboy was much more mellow. "Laugh all you want but I bet you can''t beat that speed." I told him in a challenging tone. "Oh it''s on." He told me and removed his shirt. I think I heard a squeal from somewhere by the door. "You know, you could simply come in M''gann. I doubt Superboy would mind." I didn''t need to be a telepath to know she had ran away. Superboy smirked and started to run upping his speed more and more to the point he was nothing but a blur. "Fuck." I said softly when he proudly stepped back and showed me his top speed. The boy of steel was fast. 200 mph. The problem was that apart from the first episode there were less instances where he showed that speed. But maybe that was because it took sometime to accelerate? Kid Flash could go from 0 to a 100 in the blink of an eye. So superboy probably chose to focus on what he was good at. Punching really hard. He hopped out of the treadmill and smiled pointing at the weights. "Here''s my own challenge." I shrugged and approached the weights. Long story short, he beat me in that too. We found out that I could comfortably lift 60 tons. My limit was 70 tons though and that was after huffing and puffing. I was a little disappointed in myself. I hated losing so I decided to at least secure one win. Plus I also needed a subject¡­I mean a partner to practice chi-blocking on. I smiled in secret as Superboy and I faced each other on the sparring mat. "So here are the rules. First one out of bounds loses. No dirty fighting, hitting below the belts or blowing holes in each other''s body." Superboy grunted and my shirt came off as well. I had a rocking bod now, all the more reason to show it. I saw M''gann, our referee, blush even deeper at the testosterone on display. Superboy and I stood facing each other. His hands came up in a standardized guard. His form was firm and stable, feet set apart and his front leaning forward. I kept a loose stance on my part. "Ready, Begin!" At M''gann''s word, I sprang forward, cart wheeling to add momentum and increase chi flow according to the chi blocking forms I had intergrated with. The best part about the forms was that they shared many similarities with air-bending. Adding air-bending to the forms brought about a sort of flavour to chi-blocking. They worked together almost seamlessly to give me crazy flexibility and reaction time. I transitioned from the cart wheel to a twist in the air, coming down upon Superboy with a mock of a punch, the joint of my index finger protruding slightly from the rest of the fingers. This was to target the chi points better. Superboy swiped his fist at me but I grabbed his hand, twisted my body, flowing like water to his back. My hand lashed out to his armpit and he sucked in a breath as the arm went slack. Undeterred, Superboy threw a back hand while turning his body to keep me in his vision. You cant hit what you can''t see after all. Except if you were me, I ducked the hand without looking and swept his legs from under him. My hand shot out multiple times before he could touch the ground and when he did, his body lay there motionless. "Wh¡­what was that?" He asked bewildered. I sat cross legged while M''gann flew forward in worry. "That, my friend is chi-blocking." "Is he going to be okay?" "Yeah don''t worry about him. It''s going to wear out in just a short while." M''gann looked relieved at my words. I turned to address Superboy. "I guess I can count this as my win?" He grunted, a little annoyed, making me laugh. We then left for the kitchen after M''gann told us about the cookies she had made. They were actually good. Especially given that they weren''t burnt like the ones in the prime timeline. A day later, the others came to hang out in Mount Justice. Superboy was not around however. Surprisingly Superman had asked Superboy to accompany him for a patrol around Metropolis. I was really happy for him. No doubt it was a tactic for the older man to get a reading on his clone but although their relationship hadn''t started out smooth, I had hope that it would go well. Miss M and I decided to give them a tour of the base and it''s facilities. Of course things got interesting when Robin and Kid Flash decided to try and beat my record on the obstacle course. Taking Flight (General P.O.V) Robin bent his knees as the alarm went off. Suddenly, he sprang forward, his feet barely losing balance on the rolling log as he ran on it. He heard the cheers from the rest as he ran on towards the next obstacle that was a wall with two pegs that went onto slots, which you used to climb. His hands seamlessly used the throttle pegs to climb, not even once did his feet touch the wall. He pulled himself over it and jumped, landing on the ground gently, rolling and then using the momentum to add speed for the 20 feet high warped wall. He heard Wally ask if he would make it and Robin smiled. This was easy compared to the training he had gone through. Robin''s legs pumped as his feet pushed off the wall to grasp it''s top and then he used his hands to not only pull himself up but to also throw himself further, leading to him grasping the rope and swinging to the next platform. "Ok that''s cool." Aden admitted. Before the Blockbuster formula, throttle pegs always gave him trouble. Aden watched on as Robin completed the rest of the obstacles and ended up with the second fastest time. "21 seconds." Aden said pressing on the timer. "What! No way!" Wally came over to see for himself. "He beat you Wally. Just accept it. He beat us all too except for Aden." Kaldur told him. In last place was Superboy, who had been disqualified when he got frustrated at the Fly wheel and smashed the rolling plates. Next place was Kaldur at 25 seconds, then Wally at 22 seconds and finally Aden held the record at 19 seconds. M''gann had refused saying it wouldn''t be fair because she would just fly past all the obstacles. Unsurprisingly, Robin was frustrated that he didn''t beat Aden. However, after learning that Aden was at the obstacle course every day, he chalked it up to him being more familiar with the obstacles and promised he would beat his record. The team were enjoying themselves, when Red Tornado''s voice rang through the gym''s PA system. "Red Tornado to team. An emergency alert has been triggered at the power plant. I''m sending you there to investigate. Covertly." He added. "Finally, a mission." Robin said as they ran out of the training room. "How are you guys going to get there? Maybe I should scout ahead?" Wally asked, his googles coming on. "No need, we can all use M''gann''s ship." Aden told them. "Hello Megan! Of course, follow me." Miss Martian took a turn and the rest fell right behind her. They soon came upon her red oval craft. "It''s¡­aah cute? Not aerodynamic but definitely cute." "She''s asleep Wally. Lemme wake her up." The ship transformed upon Miss Martian''s touch and they entered. They took their seats and Miss Martian controlled the ship towards the huge bay doors that were now open, courtesy of Red Tornado. Robin reached in to the sleeve of his jacket and pulled out his yellow utility belt. "You had that the whole time?" Wally asked. "Yeah just like you had your googles with you." "Touche''." "So what do you guys think it is?" Wally asked looking around at the rest. They were already approaching the Power Plant in question. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "A huge ass Tornado heading our way?" Aden responded. "What?" Wally''s question was answered when he looked through the wind shield of the ship and saw the Tornado in question. "Miss Martian, pull back!" Aqualad said in urgency but it was too late, the Ship was sucked into the Tornado, disorienting everyone. By a stroke of luck, Miss Martian took advantage of the Tornado''s motion to pull away by accelerating forward suddenly. The ship landed safely and they all jumped out. "So what''s the¡­" Aden cut his statement short when he caught sight of Robin trying to sneak away. "Oh no you don''t Robin." Everyone turned to stare at the Boy Wonder, whose sleeve was gripped in Aden''s hand. Robin chuckled. "I was just going to scout ahead. You guys come up with the plan, I''ll work with you." He then pulled on his sleeve and ran forward. "Same with me. You guys come up with the plan" Wally said and sped off "So what''s the plan?" Miss Martian asked. The rest looked at each other and shrugged, running after their missing teammates. Several Tornados had sprang up around the parking lot sending people screaming and stationary objects like the vehicles flying. Aden''s speed picked up and Superboy pulled up next to him. Miss Martian flew on ahead to block a vehicle about to fall on a few workers hiding behind another car. "Get out of here." Aden shouted at them unraveling the tornado aimed at their position. Aqualad and Superboy ran forward into the building, leaving Aden and Miss Martian to get the civilians out of the scene. (Aden''s P.O.V) I remembered this particular villain encounter pretty well. A villain called, Mr. Twister. He possessed Red Tornado''s abilities and was very proficient in using them. It wouldn''t be an easy fight. After helping the civilians to escape, I went to the back of the building to see if any more people needed help. I cleared that area as well and ran inside. "Whoa." I jumped to the side to avoid colliding with Wally''s body, after he was thrown out through the entrance. My hands came up and I pulled apart the tornado coming at high velocity towards me. "You possess Aerokinetic abilities. Commendable use but that will not help you." Came the robotic voice of the android floating out of the building. Twin tornados came at me from both sides. I swept out my hand and the gale produced, fanned out in a voluminous wave, pushing the tornados away from me. I ran forward and jumped at the Android. He pointed his hands at me and an airbomb exploded out of my palm, aimed up at the sky. The force of the wind pushed me to the ground faster and I avoided the tornado above. The android quickly brought his hands down at my position to bombard me with the tornado still firmly in his control. I tried to unravel it like before but the force this time was greater and I was thrown back. I controlled the air in the surrounding to land safely on the ground next to Kid Flash. "He got you too huh?" "Not really. I couldn''t get close to him though." I quickly helped Kid Flash up while watching our opponent. "Any idea Kid?" "Yeah. Hit him faster than he can react to then you blast him with an air bomb or your new strength." I nodded. It was more than I had. Plus, I wanted to extend the fight a bit longer. I felt¡­I felt like I was at the cusp of something. Kid Flash sped off suddenly, leaving behind afterimages in his wake, I slid forward too, moving like a snake as I used the air to make minute changes to my steps in hope of confusing the enemy. "All your efforts are futile." Kid flipped and dug both his feet on the android''s Torso. "That''s what you think but frankly, nobody asked you!" The Android took a step back and pushed Kid away with a blast of air. My hand was already in motion when I saw the streaks of electric energy running down the Android''s limbs. I pushed Kid Flash away and the electric bolts slammed onto the ground, unearthing the soil. I took the chance while the Android''s hands were overextended and slammed a fist with swirling air around it for speed and power onto his chest. He flew away towards a charging Superboy. "Go to hell!" Superboy slammed into Mister Twister''s back and sent him spinning away. Birdarangs shot through the air and an explosion followed after they made contact. The fight reminded me of the Blockbuster one. I couldn''t help but note just how well we worked together. Maybe we could win this¡­ No sooner had that thought crossed my mind when I found myself twisting uncontrollably through the air. My clothes smoked as a electric current ran through my body, making my muscles seize up in pain. I slammed onto the wall of the building and left a crack as my body slumped to the ground. "Maelstrom!" Miss Martian cried out in worry. "I''m okay Miss Martian. Concentrate on the fight!" "No more games!" The Android shouted from a far as my mind struggled to concentrate on the fight. I had just taken his lightning strikes point blank. "Hello Megan! Mister Twister is Red Tornado!" Miss Martian said confidently while I slowly got up. " How many Androids do you know that can create tornados?" Everyone stopped what they were doing. My face turned ugly in anger. "What is wrong with you! He''s not Red Tornado. Tornado would never put people in harm''s way for any reason." I could see as realization dawn on their faces. Unfortunately it was already too little too late. "You think I''m Tornado? Let me prove you wrong!" A sudden Tornado sprang up near Kid Flash. This Tornado was different. More aggressive and bigger. I stumbled forward in my burnt up clothes and tried to take control of the air. I stretched out a hand and felt¡­ something. My hand stalled for just a brief second. I wish it hadn''t. There was a cry of pain as Kid Flash was thrown away and smacked across a tree. An audible crack! rang out and everyone''s eyes widened as Wally''s leg bent the wrong way. Wally''s breathing picked up, while his body shook both in pain and in surprise. The fight stopped. "Just like children you also get distracted too easily." The android said while laughing. "Robin, Aqualad watchout!" Two twin tornados sprang up under both teens and swung them around. I knew Mister Twister''s plan from the get go. Wally was out of the fight and Superboy? He took a running leap at the Android but the same lightning shock I had been hit with, slammed him into the ground. He was still trying to get out of the groove his body had made. Miss Martian tried to pelt the android with trees and whatever else was lying around but the harsh winds surrounding him were too much. No. This fight was mine. Wally was hurt because of me. This Android was turning to scrap metal! Earlier I had felt something when I had connected with the tornado in his control. The air had leaped in excitement at my touch. That''s when I realized I had crossed through the threshold. I didn''t need to look at the system to see I was firmly in the Master level. My hand rose up and I pulled. Every tornado in the area dispersed. Aqualad and Robin landed on the ground as they turned to me. "I''ll handle Mister Twister while you guys come up with a plan." I said running forward past them. "Handle me? I¡­" He started. "Shut up you scrap metal. Time for you to get your can kicked." I relished the look of awe and surprise as the wind carried my form upwards and I shot off into air in the classic Superman pose. There was no warning as I plowed into the Android at high speeds. "He can fly now!" Robin shouted. Yes, Boy Wonder. I could fly now. First Sub-skill (Aden''s P.O.V) My fists slammed into Mister Twister and the momentum carried us off into the docks of the settlement near Mount Justice, The Happy Harbor town. Our trajectory spun us to the water. We skimmed above it, the water roiling behind us as I put my all into pushing him in. Mister Twister regained control over his limbs and a huge tornado appeared under him, sending the water erupting up into a wave that headed for the docks. I looked over in concern that was quickly eased as I caught sight of Aqualad near the beach. The brief respite allowed Mister Twister to fly further away from me. "I will admit, child. You caught me off guard. Not anymore." The wind picked up as even the clouds above swirled over us. His limbs sparked with electric energy and a beam of lightning appeared from above and slammed onto me. A hand came up and my impromptu wind shield, protected me, scattering the streaks of blue lightening to the sides. The shield held easily. I had access to air constructs now, perks of getting to Master level no doubt. The shield was a pale green color. I enlarged it to cover my body as Twister''s signature Tornados besieged me from all sides. My bubble of wind held, swirling around not unlike the first time I went into the Avatar State. "You love Tornados huh? Let''s see how you like it standing on the receiving end." I told the Android, my hands reached to the sides and forcefully took control of his Tornados. "Impossible!" I combined them into one and sent it over to him. "Improbable maybe but not impossible." The tornado slammed onto a dozen more he created while flying back. All I did was incorporate his attacks into mine. He tried to fly away from the scene but I unraveled the gigantic Tornado and pulled it close to me. The wind roared as it jumped to follow my orders, sending water spraying all around me. The sea under me churned as I pointed my hand out to the Android flying towards the settlement. Behind me, numerous pale green constructs of blades formed at my urging. My hand fell and the constructs shot forward at more than 300mph. They cut through the air leaving behind a hissing sound. The Android was eviscerated. Slashes cut through his metallic shell and his body sparked as the limbs detached and fell off. He lost control of his flight and smashed onto a warehouse. I pushed my hands to the side and the air and water calmed down. I flew forward and instantly found myself feeling the sensation of free movement in the air. The others were gathering at the place where the Android had crashed so I leaned my body forward and shot off towards them. I laughed in glee as I saw my reflection on the water. I touched the water, doing twists and turns and all too soon found myself arriving next to the team. "Hey guys. I can fly now!" I told them in excitement. Robin snickered. "Yeah we saw that. Though for a minute there you looked like a fish out of water." Robin said referring to my inexperience with flying. I did the immature thing and stuck out my tongue at him. He laughed while approaching the limbless Android who was sparking. "Man that was so cool." Wally told me while patting me on the shoulder. "You did a great job Maelstrom." Aqualad added with the same soft smile we knew him for. Miss Martian was the most excited. "I am so happy. I have so much to teach you, now that I''m not the only one who can fly anymore!" Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. She flew over and hugged me. I patted her back awkwardly. Damn, M''gann was strong. Over her shoulder, I saw Superboy''s face and instead of the jealousy I was expecting, he had a small smile on his face. He noticed me and held up a thumbs up. A little of the tension inside me eased out and I felt a genuine happiness. I wish I could thank my past self for deciding to talk to Superman. "Guys, you need to see this." Wally called us over and we all approached just as a slim middle aged man stumbled out of the remains of the wrecked Android. "Foul I call foul." "M''gann." I told her. "Got it." A huge rock rose up and smashed on to the android. "Wait!" "No!" The protests from the rest were ignored in favor of turning the Android into pieces of metal. "Wait." I held up a hand to stop Robin''s aggressive statements. "Look." Miss Martian lifted the rock telekinetically, revealing the broken metal plates and parts of the android. "Oh." Wally muttered. "Nice." "We couldn''t risk letting him get close to us. He might have had a contingency plan to blow himself up in our vicinity." "How did you know?" Robin fell back on his detective side. " I asked Miss Martian to read his mind telepathically while we were fighting him but she couldn''t. The only way that is possible is if Mister Twister was¡­" "Inorganic." Miss Martian Supplied. "Right. But the simple answer? You guys didn''t see it but his left foot was sparking due to damage. Last time I checked, a person bleeds with an injury like that." Superboy noticed the red light from one of the Android''s eyes and stomped on it. "I''m hungry." He stated and left for Miss Martian''s ship that had just arrived. Wally flashed over to M''gann''s side while Aqualad left to stand a bit further from the rest of us. He brought a hand to his earpiece and gave Red Tornado status update on the mission. "Hey beautiful. What do you say we go and make more of those awesome cookies?" Wally said while winking. Robin laughed. "We? You''re going to be eating more than baking." "Dude! Come on!" Aqualad and I watched their teasing and chuckled. Once we were all in the ship, M''gann took us back to the Cave. Batman found time out of his schedule to come to the debrief. He had us go over everything for one full hour before letting us leave. I stayed behind after the others had left to go have some cookies to talk the Dark Knight. "Your abilities increased." He commented, reviewing the report we had made on the Android. The league had gathered up it''s parts and I was sure Batman would look closely into the perpetrator behind the whole thing. "I remembered something. There were other Android''s apart from Red Tornado in one continuation." He looked up from the data pad and narrowed his eyes. "That''s not in the information you gave me." I shrugged. "I guess I forgot. There are many timelines and alternate realities. It''s confusing at times and some details are forgotten." "I see. You''ll write up a report on all you can remember. Now, what do you need?" He went right back to the pad and I was silent as I mulled over what I wanted to ask. "It''s¡­" I clenched my jaw. " I was thinking of introducing some of the stuff from my world on this earth." Batman looked up. "Explain." I pulled up a chair and rested my hands on the table. "You know, things like music and books." The glare came back again. "No." I knew this was gonna be hard but I couldn''t do it alone while also being a hero. I needed Batman''s or rather Bruce Wayne''s help. "Look, I know your reasoning behind saying no." I stopped to judge his reaction and continued when I saw he was listening. "You think that I might mess up and disclose something that I shouldn''t. Which is understandable, given my situation." My fingers started tapping on the table, a nervous tic I''ve always had. "That can be solved by vetting everything before I release it." "You''re avoiding the main reason." Batman''s gruff voice answered. His white eyes speared through my own and I felt like there was nothing I could hide. The tapping increased. "Ok," I sighed. "You also think that the chances of other fictional worlds existing is highly probable due to this planet being real here yet just a story back in my home dimension. You''re worried that someone from another dimension might travel here by whatever fluke and come across a spoiler on their life." ''Mmh.'' He grunted, making me shake my head. "DC doesn''t do crossovers except maybe with Marvel. And¡­" "This discussion is over Maelstrom." I got up a little angry. I knew Batman was stubborn but come on. "Alright, I get the point about the books and what not. But what about music?" I think he might have cocked an eyebrow at me. "I just want to do something I''m good at. Being a Superhero is a noble use for my abilities but I feel like it''s still not enough for me. My uncle owned a recording studio and I have grown up with music surrounding me." The Dark Knight was silent for a while. "I will think about it." Was that the best I could get out of him? Yes. Did I get the hint to leave it at that? Yes. Did I follow it? No. "Look Batman, I know you''re concerned about a whole lot more than some teenager from another dimension asking you to let him do something he loves¡­but there''s nothing to think about. This is something I am not willing to back down on or make concessions about. I just thought I should inform you out of respect. Have a nice day, Sir." I turned and left the room, trying and failing to calm down my shaking hand. That was very nerve-wracking. Somehow standing up to Gotham''s protector was much more scary than fighting Blockbuster and Mister Twister combined. I had meant every word I said to him. I loved music and now that I was in another world I wanted to bring some of my favorite songs to life. Especially considering that this world didn''t have Chris Brown, Drake or any of the well known stars. I won''t lie¡­I was excited to be the pioneer of a different kind of hip hop, trap, rnb¡­you name it. The shit I had was going to leave the whole world shook. Too bad Batman said no to me writing some of the bestsellers from my world. You know what? What if I use a pen name? Not only that but I could think of a few light novels I could discreetly upload online. Then when I have already established myself, bam! I come up with Harry Potter. For this plan to work, the telepathic lessons were a must now. I needed to remember the books clearer. The whole team was at the Kitchen but I didn''t feel like talking to anyone just yet. I wanted to freshen up first. Martian Manhunter was coming for the telepathic lessons I had asked for. M''gann had been showing me some exercises on how I could increase focus by getting rid of distractions. The lessons were good and really informative. But I also found them a bit lacking. M''gann refused to challenge me. She didn''t want to hurt me by taking it too far, So Manhunter was my only chance at not being babied. I had my shower and sat down on the bed after remembering to check out my status. The first Subskill was Unlocked, I wondered what the next one was going to be. Air Element ( Master) -Flight. (Unlocked) -Locked. Santa Prisca (Aden''s P.O.V) I held the guitar firmly in my hands and began plucking the strings. It had taken a while to get used to my new strength but I could now play again. "Well, come on Aden¡­ we''re waiting." M''gann urged me, while Wally was shoving the cookies that M''gann had taken to making whenever we were all around, in his mouth. "Yeah, I could be beating your record now." Robin intoned while smiling behind his glasses. I rolled my eyes. "Patience guys. I believe he is about to start." Thank you Kaldur, I pray you live a full life. I cleared my throat and fidgeted in my seat. I was nervous. I hadn''t played ever since I had come to this dimension. Not seriously like now or infront of the whole team or any other audience for that matter. It had been 3 days since the fight with Twister and we were all back to a 100%. I had decided against playing Hymn For The Weekend by Coldplay to them, which is what I really wanted to do. To start off, I needed something catchy yet simple. The melody to Pink Sweats'' At My Worst started playing and everyone became entranced. I had always had a lyrical tenor, great for singing but I had trouble controlling my breathing. Funnily enough after the blockbuster formula, that problem disappeared. "Can I call you baby? Can you be my friend? Can you be my lover up until the very end? Let me show you love, oh, no pretend Stick by my side even when the world is caving in, yeah Oh, oh, oh, don''t, don''t you worry I''ll be there whenever you want me I need somebody who can love me at my worst No, I''m not perfect, but I hope you see my worth ''Cause it''s only you, nobody new, I put you first And for you, girl, I swear I''d do the worst¡­" I put in all my emotions, my fear at finding myself in a fictional world, missing my family so damn much, breaking up with my girlfriend just before I left my world, my hope that things would turn out okay and happiness that despite it all, I had managed to make friends and find a place to belong. I quickly wiped a tear discreetly after i finished up the song and looked around. Everyone had open mouths. "Guys?" I said, knocking them out of their stupor. "Wow, I didn''t know you could sing like that" M''gann said while blushing. "Yeah, that was actually pretty good." Robin added. "Didn''t expect that at all." Wally said and then went back to stealing cookies from Aqualad''s plate. "I liked it." Superboy told me while smiling. "They''re all right. That was very good. You have an amazing gift Aden." I hate being praised and that''s because I don''t know how to react to it. I nodded and looked away while laughing. "Thanks guys." Wally supersped to my side. "So Aden, what do you think about forming a band? you can sing and I can play. We can call ourselves the huh¡­" "You can play? Don''t crack jokes like that Wally." Robin snickered. "Dude! I can totally play. I just need a few lessons and bam, drummer extraordinaire at your service." No one looked convinced. I decided to spare Wally the grim reality of how hard learning music was and patted his shoulder. "I''ll think about it." "Batman to team. Everyone gather at the hall." We rose up and left for the briefing on our first official mission. To investigate Santa Prisca. I didn''t recall this mission clearly. And the lessons with Martian Manhunter were focused more on concealing my memories more securely. I knew the mission with Psimon was just around the corner so I had had to forgo the exercises to better recall my memories for hiding them away better. The mission was pretty straightforward. It was to covertly investigate the reason why the venom neo steroid shipments supply lines were stalled while the factory seemed to be operating normally. Batman probably thought that the supply lines had been changed but he wanted to make sure before jumping to conclusions. "So who is the leader?" Robin asked when Batman was finished with the brief. The Dark Knight and Red Tornado looked at each other and seemed to come to a conclusion. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work."We will let you decide that amongst yourselves." Oh boy. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was strapped on my seat inside Miss Martian''s bio-ship. My breath came out slow and long, a tactic to center myself for better focus. It was one of the exercises that Martian Manhunter had taught to me. You breath in and hold your breath for 10 seconds then you breath out and stay like that for 10 seconds before inhaling again. The cycle slows down your heart rate abd calms the mind. "We are arriving near the island. I''m putting the bio-ship in camouflage mode." M''gann informed us. 5 seconds later, I opened my eyes when she added, "Approaching Drop Zone A in 20." Aqualad got up and pressed on his belt buckle. The normally red upper section of his suit turned grey. These were the new suits given to us by Batman for covert missions. M''gann brought the bio-ship low, near the water. A section on the floor of the bio-ship opened up and Aqualad jumped through it. His mission was to swim and covertly approach the beach to take out the motion and heat sensors. He radioed in and informed us the detectors were down. "Approaching Drop Zone B." M''gann controlled the ship, once on the Island to drop us off a distance away from the beach. Wally pressed his belt buckle and his suit turned grey not unlike Aqualad. Miss Martian simply morphed her costume into something more inconspicuous. Luckily my own suit was predominantly black. Superboy on the other hand preferred to go as he was. To quote him, ''No capes or tights.'' Robin was a stealth master, it didn''t matter if he was dressed like a rainbow or not. "Inform me when you land so that we can regroup." Aqualad said. "Roger that." Robin answered. Boy Wonder and Wally used a rope to land while I merely floated down, carried by the air. I landed softly as Superboy jumped from the ship. The air under my control slowed him down before he could smash onto the ground. "I didn''t need your help." He whispered harshly. "It''s a covert mission. Had you landed, the loud sound would have risked us getting found out." I whispered back and he shrugged. "Whatever." Superboy grumbled, disappointed that he hadn''t made a crater under him. "Hey Robi¡­I hate it when he does that!" Kid Flash stated, referencing Robin''s disappearance. "I''ll go on ahead and scout." He then did the same thing as Robin and disappeared into the jungle. "Do you think he sees the irony?" Superboy asked while we followed after Kid Flash. "Nope. Not even if it slapped him in the face." Our feet were as silent as could be. I wasn''t experienced enough to fly in such thick foliage. Man, fiction makes it seem easy to fly but in reality it''s like learning how to swim. It takes time to learn all the fancy moves and increase speed in the water. To avoid detection I decided to stick to running. M''gann floated above us, invisible. We came up on Kid Flash hiding behind a few rocks looking out at a beaten path. His googles were on and he pointed to his front. "There''s a group making their way here." He whispered. "Two actually. There''s another one with guns coming from the other side." Superboy corrected him. "Are they together?" Miss Martian asked. "Let me go and find out. It will only take a second." Kid Flash announced and blitzed, leaving behind afterimages and protests from the rest of us. "We seriously need a leader." I muttered in exasperation. Our resident speedster slipped and fell between the two groups as they begun opening fire against each other. "Well, the stealth part is useless now." Superboy stated and jumped into the fight. I brought a hand to the earpiece I had on. "Maelstrom to Aqualad, do you copy?" "Send over." "We are currently engaging two opposing groups. Follow the sound of gunshots to our position. Out." M''gann had moved ahead and was throwing around Kobra goons like they weighed nothing. A few birdarangs fell between the men on the other group and exploded, sending the men flying away. A second later Boy Wonder was on the scene incapacitating goons left and right, next to Kid Flash. "What happened to being stealthy! Remember covert? Why didn''t you follow my lead and vanish into the jungle?" He asked in annoyance. "You didn''t tell us anything! We are not mind readers you know!" Kid Flash shot back and I agreed. I sailed over both of them and kicked out. A huge gale sent the goons flying away in shouts of surprise and pain. "He''s right Robin. Remember most of us are still very inexperienced." I told him. A hail of fire cut off what he was going to say next and we took cover behind a tree. Robin threw out smoke bombs that obscured the surroundings. Kid Flash ran out and took care of 3 of them while I used the cover to pull up on the rest. One Kobra goon stumbled back as I came out of the smoke suddenly. He rounded up his gun to shoot but I ducked the fire, my fists came up and I threw a few jabs on his armpits. His hands slumped, unresponsive. My palm instantly shot out and a blast of wind landed on his torso, throwing him to his partner. "Motherfucker!" One of the two left shouted and shot at me. I flew up, escaping the bullets and a tornado appeared before me, sweeping through the two of them and slamming them onto a tree. I floated down as the gunfire died down finally. Aqualad had regrouped up with the rest and I flew forward to join them. Everyone was gathered surrounding the tied up men. "Who''s the wrestler?" I asked them, pointing to a middle-aged man in face paint. Bane, no doubt. Kobra-venom (Aden''s P.O.V) "It all makes sense now. These hood wearing guys are part of Kobra." Robin said referring to some of the men we had tied up. "Well, share it with the rest of us." Wally told him impatiently. "I''m thinking, that Kobra came in and hijacked the factory from these other guys. That''s why the factory is still operating normally but the supply lines have been cut off." "So what are they making? More Kobra? Or something else." Aqualad''s question made the Boy Wonder rub his chin. "That''s what I need to find out." "You need to find out? We''re a team Rob. You''re making it seem as if you''re the leader." Wally protested heavily. "I am the one with the most experience." "Dude you''re just a 13 year old kid." Wow. I hadn''t known Robin was that young. When did Batman even start training him? "Ah! And you''re a mature 15?" "Now is not the time guys. We need to stay on track." Aqualad broke the argument apart, leaving one teenager frustrated while the younger one was smugly smiling. "Hahaha such clever Minos." Bane laughed "Perhaps I can be of assistance? It is my factory after all." I turned to look at M''gann and nodded imperceptibly towards Bane. Realization dawned on her and she nodded back. I walked closer to Bane and crouched before him. "And why should we trust you?" I asked him making him chuckle. "Because I am your only chance to get into the Factory undetected." I looked at him skeptically "You know of a secret entrance?" "Yes and I propose we work together, as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend." I nodded and got up. "Did you get it Miss Martian?" I inquired, walking away from Bane. "It wasn''t easy but I was able to see where the secret entrance is." Robin gave her a thumbs up as everyone else looked confused. "I asked her to read his mind then started asking pointed questions to make it easier for her." "That''s good foresight Maelstrom." Aqualad praised, making me shrug. "She did everything." "You tricked me? That is very smart but you still do not know the layout of the factory on the inside. You need me." "Not really. Get me to the control room and I''ll have access to everything." Robin crushed Bane''s last hope. "Hell yeah. Let''s do this." Kid Flash said, putting on his googles. "Wait. I think we should inform the League first. The mission was to investigate covertly. The situation has changed drastically from the mission parameters." I held up a hand and suggested. "No. Not yet. We still need to investigate and gather some concrete Intel to present to the League. Having them intervene on our mission is the same thing as saying we''re not ready." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Robin spoke up. I looked at everyone''s faces and saw determination. A smile worked it''s way on to my face. "Just making sure we''re on the same page. Something tells me, this mission will not be easy." "Ok. What''s the plan?" Wally asked. They all turned to look at me. "What? You can''t be serious." "You took charge during the Mister Twister fiasco." Wally shrugged, making the others nod. I looked at Robin. "And you''re okay with this?" "No. Not in the slightest. But I want to hear you out first. Besides, us following your plan doesn''t automatically make you the leader. Just the guy with the plan." He smirked in that infuriating way. I sighed. "Alright. So I''m thinking we keep it simple. First of all, M''gann did you get any other information from El Luchador''s mind?" Robin snickered while Bane ground his teeth. "I think the name disturbs him. Wonder what he needs to do to be turbed." "No one gets it bro." Wally''s words made Robin scoff. "The buyer is arriving tonight. That is the reason why he," she pointed at Bane. "Was trying to regain control of his factory." I smiled at the others. "M''gann connect our minds." She nodded after getting a nod of consent from everyone and inside my mind, I felt an alien sensation. " I didn''t want to risk anyone hearing the plan." I stopped to study their faces. Seeing the looks of concentration, I continued, "So here it goes, we use the secret entrance to go in. Robin accesses the control room to find out as much as he can about what they''re making, who''s funding them and who the buyer is. The rest of us will remain in position, hiding. Once we have gathered enough evidence to present to Batman, We''ll take out the lights and deal with the Underlings first. Then as a whole we''ll attack Kobra and his circle as a team. He must be packing some real firepower if he managed to force Bane out of his factory. Before the Buyer arrives, the Factory needs to be under our control. We have roughly half an hour based on the information stolen from Bane''s mind. Any objections?" There were none. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "Things are bad. Kobra managed to combine venom with blockbuster. The result is three times as strong as venom and permanent." Robin informed us through the link. "So just as we thought, Kobra is no doubt working with someone else with the knowhow to combine the two formulas together. I doubt they can do that by themselves." Kid Flash added. "Have you found out anything about the mysterious buyer?" "Nothing." Robin answered Aqualad''s question. "Ok Guys. We have learned what we can. It''s time we took these guys down. Kid, get Ready. Take away all their guns and knock them out once the light goes off. Use your googles. M''gann bind them together using the Zip ties Robin gave you. Superboy distract the big guy while Aqualad knocks him down. I doubt he can resist a high enough charge. Robin and I will take down Kobra and the girl." I reminded them the plan. "Roger." "Cool." "Let''s do this." "I''m ready." "Mnh." I aimed for the lights and tiny wind bullets shot off from my fingers. The lightbulbs above shattered and the whole factory was plunged into darkness. Instantly, guns started firing wildly as the Kobra goons were taken out by Kid Flash. Luckily, all of us could fight in the dark. Superboy, M''gann and Aqualad because of their unique biology, the rest of us because of the thermal imaging and night vision on our mask, googles and visor. That advantage was what enabled us to overwhelm them despite being outnumbered. Within a few seconds, most of the Kobra goons were down. Three figures appeared on my visor, the night vision had a green tint to everything but I could tell that one of those figures was massive. "Mammoth find out who is causing this and crush them." A deep voice from the one in the middle said. Mammoth grunted and took a few bounding steps into the dark, towards the last position he had heard of movement. Kobra was either very confident in his capabilities to split up with his main powerhouse or a fool. Superboy took a running leap and punched Mammoth out into the open night. A stream of moonlight shone through the hole in the factory illuminating the surroundings. I stepped out into the light. The palm of my hand faced backwards as I gathered the air around it. "Stand down Kobra. We have you surrounded and trust me, we will take you down hard, if you fail to comply." The girl, Shimmer I think, stepped forward to stand between me and Kobra. "How far the has League fallen to allow mere children to do their dirty work?" "Robin, now." "let''s see if you keep the same sentiment once we kick your ass." Birdarangs shot through the air as Shimmer''s hand rose up. The Boy Wonder''s projectile dug themselves around Shimmer and the blast lifted her off her feet with a cry of pain. In the same motion, I pushed my hand out and an air bomb exploded outwards, sending an unsuspecting Kobra flying off to slam onto the walls of the building. Kobra fell to his knees with a grunt and raised his head only to find my fist heading straight for his face. The hood had come off and I saw a slight widening of his eyes. At the last minute he bent his head backwards and managed to evade my right hook, only to miss the chi blocking strike aimed at his mid ribs. The blow connected and his breathing became laboured, His fingers swept out but a blast of wind blasted him onto the wall again. Coming down, I aimed for the chi points on all his limbs and Kobra slumped down, immobilized. Just then, a telepathic message came through our link. "Mammoth is down. How are things on your end?" Aqualad informed us. "Kobra has been taken care of. Robin?" I sent through an image of the bald and pale man. Robin chuckled. That''s Kobra alright. Miss Martian has the rest of the underlings tied up. I''m currently copying everything they have in their systems. Then I''m scrubbing the whole thing. Kid Flash is with me." Robin reported. " Wait, I can hear something." Superboy told us. "It''s a helicopter." "The buyer?" Wally asked. "Highly possible. Let''s regroup and lay an ambush. Miss Martian sneak into the helicopter once it lands and sabotage it. The rest of us will capture this mysterious buyer." Aqualad laid out the plan. "I''ll stay behind to make sure that Kobra and his cult don''t escape their bindings." I told them and broke off contact. I looked at the man in question and saw his eyes watching me with hate. "I don''t like the look on your face. Something tells me you want nothing more than to skin me, so off to dreamland with you." "You will pay for..." A sphere of wind surrounded his head, cutting off his words and sucked out the oxygen around him. He suffocated and passed out. I didn''t want him to break his bindings and have us repeat the same dance and song. Plus I had another reason... I closed my eyes and connected with the air. A small breeze swept through the whole factory. I used the wind to sense any movements throughout the building and smiled once I found out that the team had left. I was all alone with Kobra and his men. Gunfire started outside the factory and I knew I only had a few minutes at most. Despite being a good mercenary, I doubt Sportsmaster could handle 3 sidekicks and two Superpowered aliens in a fight. I approached a crate with the new product that was riddled with bullets and opened it. Inside I saw the vials of Kobra-venom, most of which were destroyed. I nabbed two of the vials and placed them into my utility belt. I couldn''t use them right now because I couldn''t know what effect they would have when mixed with the Blockbuster formula. After doing that, the Team came back with a bound Sportsmaster. The mission was more than a success. The only problem was that Bane had escaped. Meeting Someone Interesting (Aden''s P.O.V) "I''m impressed by how you managed to adapt to the change in situation. Furthermore, you were able to not only capture Kobra but also Sportsmaster who was the middleman, increasing the League''s chances at apprehending the main buyers behind the whole thing. The factory has been destroyed together with the rest of the formula." Wally high-fived me. "Hell yeah. Our first mission was a success." "Don''t celebrate too early. I expect a written report from everyone on where you messed up." The mood plummeted a little at Batman''s glare. "That said, good job team." Batman added, taking away the tension. We looked at each other and smiled. "One more thing." We turned our attention to the Dark Knight. "Who did you choose to be your leader?" As one, we all looked towards Aqualad. The Atlantean blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?" Although the question was directed to all of us, his eyes were on Robin. Boy Wonder snickered. "Yeah. Just until you inevitably mess up and I end up carrying the team." We all understood he was just joking. "What about you Aden? It was your plan that helped us complete the mission." I shrugged my shoulders. "I won''t lie, leading this team seems like an awesome thing to do but¡­compared to you, Wally and Robin, I still have a lot more to learn. You''re the right guy for this Kaldur. We all believe in you." Kaldurahm closed his eyes and when he opened them, I saw resolve. He stepped forward. "Thank you. I accept the responsibility and I hope we all work together." The rest of the team left for the night. Robin and Wally had school tomorrow after all. Speaking of school, we were slated to join a few weeks from now. Batman had decided that a few weeks was enough time for the three of us, M''gann, Superboy and I to get accustomed to earth. Then it was off to highschool. Oh goody. I opened the door to my room after saying good night to M''gann and Superboy. I removed the visor and ran a hand through my hair. Throwing the visor on the bed, my feet took me to the bathroom for some much needed privacy. The door to the bathroom clicked close behind me and I reached a hand into my utility belt. Out came the two vials. My heart hammered in my chest at how easy it had been sneaking the vials past the team and Batman. I breathed out to calm down my nerves. Batman told me explicitly to never use a strength enhancing formula again. Not only for the added danger but also because he thought I could easily be overcome by the greed for more power. The Dark Knight unfortunately, didn''t understand why this was necessary. Bad shit was coming in the future. Wally even dies though I couldn''t remember why or how. The power to protect myself and my new friends was needed. I couldn''t tell anyone that I knew the future of this planet. I had used the exercises Manhunter was teaching me to hide those memories as best as I could. So the responsibility to make sure we made it out of this alive fell to my shoulders. I opened one of the vials and drank it down. ( Two days later) "You know, when you told me to come with you on this patrol, I didn''t think that things would get interesting this fast." I told Superboy. I was flying beside him while he was jumping across rooftops. Superman was flying ahead of us, headed to the bridge connecting Gotham and Metropolis. "Well, maybe it''s your presence? On my last 2 patrols with Superman, things were relatively quiet." I scoffed at his words. "Relatively quiet for the man of steel is an alien invasion." Superboy laughed. "I think you should pull on ahead, there''s a school bus hanging from the bridge." I gave him a thumbs up and shot off after Superman. Superman went under the bridge to hold it up from collapsing. I flew to the front of the bus and waved my hands, a soft but strong gale pushed the bus back onto the bridge just as Superboy arrived and saved another car from plunging into the water. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. I went under the bus and easily lifted it up, then deposited it on a section of the bridge that was less likely to fall under it''s weight. I waved at the kids as they cheered in happiness. The driver breathed out a sigh of relief and muttered a thank you. I flew down towards Superboy and high fived him. "Good job boys. Now let''s¡­" A transmission came through his earpiece and Superman answered. "Slow down Arrow. No I''m available, I''ll be there in a few minutes." He turned to address us. "Sorry boys, we will have to get that apple pie another time. League business. I''ll call you later, Superboy." "It''s¡­Kon-el. Conner on earth." Superboy said while looking away. Superman looked surprised for a bit, before smiling and patting Superboy''s shoulder. "That''s a good name. We will talk more about that later." Then he was off. "Do you think he liked it?" Superboy asked me once we had escaped the reporters. We were sitting on the Daily Planet''s roof, eating corn dogs. "Yeah. I mean, it''s a great name. Plus you acknowledged your Kryptonian heritage and subtly told him you consider him as part of your family." I comforted him, knowing how much it meant to him for someone to say that. "Thank you Aden." We were quiet for a while. Content to watch the city. "What about you? Do you have family?" He asked me, making me stop chewing. I wasn''t ready to talk about that. Not yet. "It''s getting late. I think we should head back to the cave." I stood up, avoiding the look of sadness that flashed across his face. (General P.O.V) Santos was a business man. He had started off as a common goon for hire, doing odd jobs for the mob then joining Penguin once Batman had started targeting the Falcones. So Santos had wisely jumped ship. For the next half a decade, he worked for every supervillain in town, always managing to escape the long arm of the law and more than that, Batman''s radar. Santos liked to think he was a smart guy. Hence after saving away a tidy sum from all his illegal activities, he had set up a half a dozen legal restaurants around town and used his connections to purchase a building in Crime Alley on Theater district for his less than legal activities. The building was a generic strip club but down in the basement¡­that''s where the real show took place. An underground fighting club. The show brought in money like crazy. It was where people came to see men and women tear each other apart for cash. Now, Santos knew the rules of the game. First, never bite off more than you can chew, second, always have an in with the cops, third, stay the fuck away from the top 5 list and lastly, don''t mess with the freaks. The former 2 were self explanatory. The latter 2 were a bit more complicated. The top 5 list was the list of the supervillains you did not want to tangle with. Number one was the insane prince of all crime in Gotham, The Joker. Santos was a man of morals, however little they may be and the Joker sickened him. The next was Harley Quinn, mostly because of her relationship with number one, third was Poison Ivy, she was¡­toxic in all the ways the law deemed it. A terrorist in other words, number four was fucking Scarecrow and finally, The Riddler. Other villains like Two face atleast had a modicum of respect to their goons. Santos left the underling business mostly because of the top five. The last rule was to never mess with the freaks. By freaks, he meant Grundy, Killer croc, Firefly and Victor Zsasz. Despite keeping that rule almost judiciously, trouble came looking for him instead. His eyes tried to keep up with the clearly superhuman movements of the newest contender in the room. He was wearing a balaclava that covered his whole face only leaving his eyes open. The man was 5''9 and was very fit. The black t-shirt he was wearing hugged his frame tightly. Brown skin suggested he was African American. He also had on black camo pants and sport shoes. An amateur. An amateur that was clearly winning. This was his fifth fight in a row and he had won all of them, swiftly and ruthlessly. Santos didn''t like it. The guy was a superhuman no doubt. A metahuman likely. He had taken an almost 7 feet tall ripped giant down with a single punch. The crowd had gone silent before exploding into a wild cheer. People had started betting for him and that meant Santos wasn''t making money. Something had to change. He signalled to the event coordinator and the man nodded. It was time to bring out his special guest. She owed him a favor after all. (Aden''s P.O.V) 5 fights and 5 wins later, I knew the next match was going to be my last. Especially when the next fighter turned out to be someone very interesting. The crowd went wild as they made way for her. The adoration was intense. Her features were slightly asian but she had blonde hair. She was dressed in a sports bra, fingerless gloves and her face was hidden behind a green mask that covered the upper section of her face only. Her identity hit me like an electric shock. I was standing before my soon to be teammate, Artemis Crock. Her eyes were set in determination. This wasn''t a fight I could take casually and expect to win. Going all out wasn''t an option either. I was here to try and control the added strength from the Kobra-venom formula. Hitting her too hard would kill her. I brought my hands up and we faced each other. Artemis eyes grew wary once she started my form but that didn''t deter her. She took a step forward and attacked. Solomon Grundy (General P.O.V) Artemis Crock. That was her name. Mature for her age. Circumstances had forced that maturity upon her shoulders. That and her parents. One of them being a former supervillain, the other being very much still in the game. She also had a sister that had followed on her father''s footsteps. Fortunately, Artemis still had her mother and she was determined to break the chain. Artemis was going to be a hero. For that to happen though, she had to pay off some debts. Get into the hero business with a clean slate. Start over without any skeletons hiding in her closet. Not more than she already had at least. Paying off the favor she owed Santos meant fighting in his underground fights. Artemis'' training was enough for her to dominate the scene but the opponent standing before her was different. She could immediately tell it. This wasn''t going to be an easy fight. Artemis drowned out the noise as she watched the guy. Strong but with a physique that emphasized speed and endurance. She wouldn''t outlast him. That meant, putting him down quickly. She ran forward and started the fight with a jab. A jab that turned out to be a feint as her leg shot off to hit his thigh, a strike that would compromise his movements. Her opponent brought his knee up and blocked Artemis'' leg with the side of his shin. Artemis rebounded and transitioned to a round kick aimed at her opponent''s head. The guy''s foot lashed out quicker than Artemis could react to and buried itself right onto her gut. Artemis clenched her jaw and moved with the blow, flipping backwards to bleed out the momentum. She tried to bring her breathing back under control and sprang forward once more. This time she came up from the side with a left hook, trying to reduce the chances of a direct hit on her body by her fast footwork. Punches, jabs and swift kicks were exchanged in a crazy flurry of blows. The crowd cheered in ecstasy as the fight raged on. Artemis fighting spirit was awakened by then and a smile appeared on her face. She saw the same look on her opponent''s face and knew he was also enjoying it. It felt like she was sparring with Jade again. The smile slipped off her face when in a particular movement she overextended and her opponent let loose two very fast blows that sent her reeling. The kick that followed the unexpected blows sent her to Dreamland. (Aden''s P.O.V) Shit! I got lost in the fight and forgot to regulate my strength and speed! The crowd was going ballistic as I ran forward to see if Artemis was ok. The ref called the match in my favor after the countdown got to 10. I slapped her lightly and she groaned on the ground, trying to get up. "Hey, you okay?" She shook her head and got up gingerly. "Let go of me." The words were curt and I had no choice but to comply. I followed her swaying hips as she left the ring and shook my head to get rid of the distracting thoughts. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, your new champion, Aang!" The crowd started cheering me on with the name I had picked. I know, I have no originality. Bite me. Having bet 500 bucks on myself. I went home with 5 grand due to the earlier fights. It wasn''t a lot when you''re working under someone like Batman who was a frigging billionaire but it felt nice. Something about hard earned money being fulfilling and all that. The real prize I had gotten out of all of this, was the experience and getting to meet Artemis. The Kobra-venom had increased my strength by a substantial amount. Although not as big an increment as the time I took Blockbuster, it had been enough to throw my control off balance a little. That wasn''t a problem anymore. I left the building and went through an alley where I had stashed a hood on a dumpster that I took out and wore. Then I walked down the street towards the nearest Zeta Tube that was 4 blocks away in an old tailor shop. My footsteps were silent on the sidewalk. I came across a few people on the way that steered clear from me, showing just how cautious Gothamites were. During my walk, I noticed a figure following after me from the rooftops of the buildings I was walking under. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ''Could it be Robin or Batman?'' I wondered before getting rid of that notion. They had no idea I was even in Gotham, or that I had left the cave. The only other person who would be interested in me would be Artemis. She was probably curious about me. I had beaten her easily despite the fact that she had been trained by Sportsmaster himself. And that guy was a badass. I continued walking silently, curious about whether she would actually confront me or not. I crossed the street to the next one and rounded on the corner of a building. This part of the street was a bit more populated. There was a strip club, Chinese restaurant and even a Starbucks on it. It''s like after leaving crime alley behind, I found myself in another world. Artemis followed me closely just as I got closer to the shop with the Zeta Tube. Then something unexpected happened. The manhole cover on the road exploded in a shower of concrete and metal. The screech of tires was heard as the cars driving on the street bumped into each other. Pandemonium exploded and people started running away while a figure rose up from the sewers. 7 feet tall, grayish skin, patches of similar grey hair, ripped clothes and a body as huge as the incredible hulk. "Born on a Monday." My eyes widened. Solomon fucking Grundy. The zombie looked around and then roared. The air carried with it a rotten smell that made me almost gag. A woman disoriented from her vehicle crashing onto another screamed out in fright upon seeing Grundy. Grundy rounded up on her. "Grundy hates loud woman!" The giant shambled forward intent on crushing her and I enhanced my voice while flying forward. "Pick on someone your own size you walking Halloween freak show!" Excusing the irony, Grundy turned to stare at me angrily just as my fist landed on his face, lifting him up and sending him flying away. "Everyone get out of here!" I shouted and ran towards the woman from before. The seatbelt was cliche'' enough, stuck. I grabbed the door handle and pulled it. The whole thing tore off and I threw it like a frisbee towards the loud stomps I heard coming my way. A few arrows hit the door on its way to it''s intended target and the thing exploded once it made contact with Grundy, throwing him back. I pulled the woman out of the car and handed her over to another civilian who was escaping. The smoke hiding Grundy''s position retracted upon another roar by the undead. "Christened on a Tuesday!" A few arrows shot through the air and dug themselves on the ground around Grundy''s position. The arrows started beeping and then exploded. Grundy crashed onto the wall of the Starbucks building and I flew forward as he got up. An uppercut sent him sliding up the building, with me following right under him. Grundy shook his head and snarled at me. He brought his hands to the side and then clapped his palms together. The blast of wind sent him flying up even faster while I negated the gale produced from shattering any glass around and hurting people. I caught a glimpse of a fast moving figure heading across the rooftops as I increased my speed and plowed right on to Grundy''s chest going even higher and higher. "Married on Wednesday. Little Man die!" The shout reverberated through his chest and his hand came down in a devastating strike. I twisted around him and grabbed hold of the offending limb and spinned him several times. Then I aimed for a vehicle recycling site and threw him down. Grundy''s body fell uncontrollably and smashed onto the site, sending pieces of wrecked cars flying away from the crater he created with his body. The only way to take down Grundy was to kill him. He wasn''t like other villains who would escape when they found themselves on the losing end, and was also a stamina beast on top of that, making him even more dangerous to fight because he didn''t get tired. I floated in mid air and concentrated on the crater. With a hand motion, a tornado with Grundy''s body floating inside it appeared. I then closed my eyes and made the wind sharp. Grundy roared in helplessness as his body was sliced apart by millions of wind blades. His remains were scattered around the recycling site and I breathed out a sigh of relief at managing to end the fight without any loss of life. I couldn''t stay in Gotham for too long though. I didn''t want to answer Batman''s questions on why I was in his city. But before that, I looked at a certain direction and shot off into the night sky. A figure was crouched on a rooftop as I fast approached the building. The figure pulled on her bow in fright and let loose arrows at me. A tornado appeared around me and the arrows were pushed aside. "I am not here to fight you." I held up my hands. "This is Gotham. Seems like everybody is trying to fight somebody." I chuckled at her snark. "True but I''m not from Gotham. I was just here for sightseeing and to run some other errands." The hands on the bow lowered but the wariness and distrust remained. "What do you want?" Instead of answering, my eyes roamed down her figure as I studied her. She had changed into her iconic suit. "You dirty minded pig..." "Whoa! Whoa! I wasn''t staring at you like that. It''s just that... you''re a hero right?" Artemis huffed. "Yeah so?" "Your PR sucks." I continued speaking, killing off her wave of protest. "I like your outfit though and I saw what you did to Grundy with those arrows, you''re really good." Artemis blushed red. "I''m on a team of young heroes too. Maybe we might see each other again. Hanging out in these circles guarantees that much." Suspicion appeared on her face. "Team of young heroes?" I spared a look at my watch. "Yeah. Shit, I gotta go. Look, please don''t tell anyone you saw me." Saying that, I turned and flew off quickly. Why? Due to my mow superior senses, I caught a glimpse of the dark knight himself headed in our direction. I held out no hope that he wouldn''t interrogate Artemis about me. The good thing is that at least he didn''t catch me himself in his city. The Amazo Mission (General P.O.V) "He has not exhibited the full scope of his abilities since the incident. This begs the question, why? Was that particular incident a one off? The glowing eyes might mean that he was not in full control of himself. If so, that means he still has more power hidden inside." Luthor swiped the image on the screen which changed to show a hooded figure facing off against Grundy. "All that remains is to find out just who you are." (Aden''s P.O.V) I got back and went straight to my room. The next morning I was at the gym for my daily session. My eyebrows rose up in question when the door to the training room opened and in walked the team and surprisingly, Black Canary. Canary ran her eyes over my body with clinical precision, assuring me she wasn''t admiring my abs but instead gauging my strength. Sweat poured down my chest as I grabbed a towel and dried off. "Are you usually here this early in the morning?" She asked. "Aden is very enthusiastic about training. Superboy and I even find him here at night some times." "With the kind of freaks we deal with, I''m surprised you guys don''t train more." The others looked away in a little embarrassment as I told them. "I do." Superboy said with pride on his face. Kid Flash waved his hand in dismissal. "Training? Please. I''m fast. And my body is always supercharged. Running at supersonic speeds is more than enough training." "Yet you still can''t go as fast as The Flash." The boy wonder stated. "Dude, come on!" Canary looked at Aden sternly. "Don''t push yourself too hard Aden, although you have acquired new powers, too much training can have a negative effect on your body." I nodded. "I''ll keep that in mind. Now, did all of you come here to tell me that or¡­" "Black Canary is giving us lessons on close quarter combat. We thought the training room was more appropriate than the hall." Aqualad spoke up for the first time. We followed Black Canary to the sparring section of the room. There were weapon racks on the sides, courtesy of Red Tornado, courtesy of my nagging. I wanted to learn how to use a weapon. It was after I had noticed that a weapon helped me focus the direction of my wind attacks more. "Alright. Let''s begin. First thing you need to understand about combat is to always be the one to dictate the flow of the fight. That way, you will lead your opponent to making mistakes and leave openings that you can then exploit to take them down." Canary took off her jacket and winced in pain. She had a bandage on her left hand. "It comes with the job." She told us upon seeing the concern on our faces. "I''ll need a partner. Maelstrom, if you will." I stepped forward as Wally complained about not being able to show off his killer moves. We faced off and I instantly found out the difference between a martial arts master like Canary and an expert like Artemis. Artemis, I could read, Canary? She was a blank slate. This wasn''t going to be easy. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "The way you carry yourself has changed." She observed. I looked at her in faint surprise. "Yeah. I learned a new martial art skill. It''s called Chi blocking." She cocked her head. "That is an unconventional name. Never heard of it. Part of your powers I assume?" I nodded. "How many powers does he have?" Wally wondered out loud. "Trust me. You haven''t seen anything yet." Boy Wonder was quick to reply. His response took my thoughts back to the incident when we first met. That brief moment where I was lost in thought was all Canary needed to pounce. My eyes widened as her fist came too close to my chin. I leaned back and barely escaped the blow. Her hand bent after missing my chin and the elbow landed on my solar plexus. Despite my durability, my diaphragm spasmed and pain assaulted my senses, making it hard for me to breathe. In panic, a bubble of air formed around me and pushed Canary away. She flipped and landed on the ground with the grace of a cat. From my kneeling position, I looked up and saw the awed looks on the team. A feeling of frustration hit me and I barely stopped myself from punching a hole into the ground. How could I have been taken out that quickly? "Holy crap. Did you guys see that?" Wally spoke up. "She was so fast." Miss Martian added. "Can anyone tell me what Maelstrom did wrong?" "He got distracted at the start of the fight, allowing you to lead the flow of the fight." Robin responded to Canary''s question. "Good. There''s one more thing however. Inexperience. Maelstrom is not used to fighting opponents who are better than him, skill wise. Unfortunately, you can only build experience over time." "Batman to the cave. I need you all in the hall." We wrapped up the session with Canary promising us more lessons. I made my way to the hall along with the others in a dour mood. Fortunately Batman had no reaction to seeing me so I knew that Artemis hadn''t sold me out. Then again, the Dark Knight''s mood was barely readable at all times. "Yesterday. Green Arrow and Black Canary were attacked by a new menace. The two requested for back up from the rest of the league. We soon discovered that the Android who attacked them, could copy and replicate powers." Batman stopped to press a key on the data pad. The huge screens facing us changed to show a devasted street, wrecked vehicles and broken buildings. Everything clicked once I saw the image of Amazo on the screen. I sucked in a deep breath, earning a strange look from Robin. Amazo was in the information I had given Batman because of how dangerous he was. One entity with the powers of The Man of Steel, The Fastest Man alive and An Amazonian demigod was nigh unbeatable. Add in the other league members and you have someone only the Justice League could defeat. "Android? Who built it?" "The design matches that of Ivo''s earlier experiments." Manhunter made himself known by phasing through the doors of the mission room. "Ivo? But he''s dead." "Apparently not." Black Canary sighed. "Who''s Ivo?" Miss Martian asked. "Mad genius scientist, who we all thought was dead." Robin answered. "It took the Justice League four hours to defeat the android and dismantle it into parts. That''s where you come in." Batman continued. "You want us to be the security detail for the parts to be transported somewhere." Robin caught on quick. "Precisely. The two parts will be taken to two separate branches of the Star Labs. One in Boston, the other in New York for in depth analysis." "Excuse me." Everyone turned to me. "If this Ivo is as much of a genius as you say he is, wouldn''t that mean he might have a way to track the individual parts?" "Good point. We might be attacked on the way." Aqualad said. "Unfortunately, that is a risk we''ll have to take. Immediate evaluation is needed incase another android with the same capabilities starts making trouble. Every precaution has been taken. We will have four additional trucks to act as decoys incase Ivo or anyone decides to intervene. You will split into two undercover teams to safeguard the real trucks." "Yes. Road trip." Wally jumped in glee. "I''m sending you the coordinates to the pickup now. Batman out." We all looked at each other thinking the same thing. ''This mission will definitely not go according to plan.'' We got into our suits and moved out. At the pickup point, we split up into two teams. I was with Aqualad and Kid Flash while Miss Martian, Robin and Superboy were on the second team. We checked our coms and then proceeded to move, following behind the truck. Aqualad and Kid Flash were riding on some high tech bikes while I was up in the sky acting as their eyes. The sky was beautiful and clear. the sun was shining down on the corn fields covering our sides and it felt peaceful. Despite the time of day, the road was desolate allowing me to keep watch easily and still get lost in thought. My control over my powers was growing each day and I was grateful for that. The effort I put into training yielded results and I felt pumped up and confident about facing the battles that were in my future. Like Canary said, what I needed was experience. I also learned that just because I could block bullets with my body, my durability wasn''t invincible. I still couldn''t believe that she had managed to hurt me by targeting a weak spot. It just went to show that I still had more to learn. I would soon unlock the next sub-skill in the air element, taking me to grandmaster level and once I got there, it was only a matter of time before I... The first indication I got that something was wrong was the bright glint of glowing green eyes concealed in the cornfields. I swerved to the side, dodging the green laser beams that were quickly followed by the chattering of monkeys. "Guys, we have company. Of the Simian kind." I brought a finger to my ear and informed the two on the ground. "Got it." I tried to fly down but a group of flying monkeys besieged me from all sides. "Let''s try something new." Wind blade constructs appeared in my hands twisting like miniature drills. I slashed a monkey''s head off and plunged a blade into another Monkey''s chest. It screeched as it''s body twisted upon itself before exploding. My hands were a blur as I dealt with the creatures. The numbers did not reduce despite fighting off more than a dozen. The wind blades disappeared as I tried something else. My body spinned in place creating a tornado that sent all the monkeys in my position falling down in several slashed off pieces. Finally free, I looked at the truck and cursed out. The monkeys had flown away with the container. Dire Straits (Aden''s P.O.V) "Maelstrom, do you copy?" Aqualad''s voice came through the coms. "Loud and Clear Aqualad, I have the container in my sight. It''s headed towards Gotham." "I have Kid on the road as well, he will link up with the other team. Robin has a way to track the location where the monkeys are headed. Don''t engage until the rest of the team is around for back up." I frowned. "I can take them. The container is literally a few hundred meters away from me." "No, stand down. Let''s use this chance to follow the parts to where they''re headed to first." I slowed down, already seeing the mistake in Aqualad''s plan. "Aqualad, if the other container is headed towards Gotham as well, that means there''s a high chance they''re convening in the same spot. Ivo could assemble the parts again and that would be game over for us. We can''t take that chance." "He''s right. The android took 8 league members four hours just to take it down. We''re great but not League level yet, Aqualad. Plus Robin is already tracking the other parts." Kid Flash added. Kaldur was silent for a while. "Can you take them down by yourself? The robots are weak individually but in huge numbers, they are a problem." "Don''t worry, I got this." My speed suddenly increased as I cut through the air heading towards the fleeing container. Some of the monkeys broke away from the group carrying the container to assault me with lasers. I ducked and weaved past the attacks using the wind to blow the robots away and then smashing them with my fists once they were thrown off kilter. A wind funnel spread out before me, fanning the monkeys blocking my path to the side, only for them to be sliced apart by the tornados following behind me and on the sides. I dealt with the last of the robot monkeys and carried the container down. "Maelstrom to Aqualad. I''ve recovered the parts." "Good. Signal me and I''ll head to your position while you go on ahead and help the others." I looked around and made sure that no other surprises were hiding in the cornfields and flew off towards Gotham. Leaving a tornado of crops to show Aqualad the way. "Miss Martian. Tell. me once I get within your telepathic range." "Copied, Maelstrom. See you in a bit." Her voice came through the earpiece. I had never really seen how fast I could fly before. This was as a good a time as any. "5 bucks says I can break the sonic barrier." I pumped myself up and increased my flight speed to it''s limit. The environment passed me by in a blur. I spared a look at the sides and came to some conclusions. My speed was just subsonic. Not quite enough to break the sound barrier. Zaheer from Avatar could also use the wind to fly but there were clear differences between us. For starters, he didn''t produce a gust of wind when flying. For all intents and purposes, he was the wind. In my case however, I produced wind gusts to propel me forward. Secondly he was¡­in a sense, freer. His range of movement allowed him to be flexible like the air. He could stop suddenly and drag or airspeed did not affect him. All that showed me was that I still had more improvements to make. The good thing is that at Master level, I didn''t need to do any bending moves. I was deeply connected with the air at that point, that with the slightest gesture I could control it to do my bidding. "Maelstrom, you''re within my range. Just follow the telepathic beacon to me." Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Miss Martian''s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Got it." I looked at the ground under me and found that I was nearing the edge of the corn plantation. A few hundred meters before me, was a ranch. Even before I got there, I could already hear the sounds of battle. I touched down before the red barn and ran inside. The front of the building exploded into a shower of wooden shards as a tractor broke through it. I threw my hands forward and a gale of wind caught the 7 ton vehicle before it could ram into me. I was about to place it to the side when something impacted the tractor from behind, making it slip through my control and fall on me. Fortunately I caught it with my hands and placed it on the ground. Kid Flash extracted himself from the wrecked side of the tractor and jumped up, looking completely fine. "Great. You''re here. We have a¡­slight problem." We heard a grunt and several explosives from the barn which made me raise an eyebrow at Kid Flash. "Ok. It''s a big problem. Ivo managed to repair the android." "What? How? We recovered the other parts before he could get them." Kid Flash didn''t need to answer me because before we could go in, loud mechanic steps echoed out of the building and out came Amazo. Superboy and Robin were held in the Android''s two hands by their necks. "Oh shit! He used the Robotic monkeys as a replacement for the lower body!" I gasped. "Right you are my dear boy. It''s a shame my Monqis failed to retrieve the other parts but the true mark of a genius is to solve problems and so I did. Amazo, show no¡­" "Oh no you don''t!" Ivo found himself lifted into the air by Miss Martian''s telekinesis. He flailed about in panic. "Amazo! Protect your master. Primary directive!" The Amazo threw Superboy and Robin to the side and turned to Miss Martian. "Access Superman." It intoned. The man of steel''s familiar heat beams exploded out of Amazo''s eyes towards Miss Martian. She dodged them but the beams followed her. The heat beams carved a demolition line across the corn field setting it on fire just as Kid Flash and I jumped in to attack him. I punched out a hand onto the Android''s face that he caught and squeezed, making me grunt in pain. Kid Flash came in from the side and started hitting him with a metal bar he found, which did nothing. My foot slammed onto Amazo''s torso with great impact, pushing him back as I flipped away. Kid Flash cleverly tripped the Android and it fell to the ground. Explosive birdarangs dug themselves onto Amazo''s body but fell through when the Android accessed Manhunter''s phasing ability. The explosion sent me spinning away for a few meters but I got up and charged. "Anyone have an idea? We''re getting our asses added to us!" I shouted through the coms, receiving no answer. Miss Martian begun flying away with Ivo and the android pursued. "Access Red Tornado." A red Tornado sprang up below the Android and carried him towards Miss Martian. Why didn''t he just access Superman''s flight? The big blue is faster than Tornado by far. "He doesn''t have all the abilities he copied from the League!" Robin came to the same conclusion I did. "That means if we overwhelm him with many attacks while he''s occupied with getting Ivo back, we can take him down." "Right!" "Let''s do it." "I''m in. I''m going to turn it into scrap Metal." The last words were from an angry Superboy. "Miss Martian lead the android to us." Miss M did as instructed and passed by us, with Ivo screaming bloody murder and Amazo hot on her heels. Superboy growled and took a leap, shoulder checking the Android on to the corn field. The crops were decimated and a groove was left on the ground. We ran towards the pair just as Superboy interlocked his hands and slammed a double handed fist onto the Android. "Access Manhunter." The attack phased through the Android and a tremor through the ground. "Whoa!" Kid Flash lost his footing and fell, his body tumbled away, carving another path through the crops. "The owner is not going to pleased." Robin chuckled as he disappeared off into the plantation. "Access Black Canary." Canary''s sonic cry sent Superboy spinning away into the air. I jumped and grabbed ahold of his hand, spinning and throwing the boy of steel back at Amazo. "Access Fl..." His words were cut off as Conner slammed into the unsuspecting android and actually damaged it this time. On of it''s hands were bent the wrong way and it''s torso was caved in. "Take this!" Superboy pulled his hand back but the android opened it''s mouth and activated Canary''s signature move. Superboy managed to hold his ground despite being pushed back while covering his ears. Smoke bombs from boy wonder obscured the Android''s vision, covering me as I charged in. Wind surrounded both my palms, twisting and gyrating around. I enhanced my speed and cut through the smoke like a ghost. "Access Superman." My eyes widened once I saw Amazo''s eyes light up. I ducked just in time as the beams of solar energy flew above me. ''That was so close!'' To shorten the distance, I controlled the wind, sliding the rest of the way and then... whoosh! I passed by Amazo. Sparks started running around it''s hips after my palm cut through it like butter. "Access F..." My palm slashed out and the head separated from it''s torso. The android fell down in 3 detached parts including the the lower body from my earlier attack. I walked over to its head and slammed a foot down, totally crushing it. I breathed out and sat on the android''s torso. "Dude, how do we keep ending up in these situations? When will a mission go right? Just for once?" Wally complained spitting out pieces of leaves from his mouth. "No! What have you done you...you buffoons! My genius!" Ivo''s red bowtie detached to wrap itself around his mouth just as he and Miss Martian landed before us. "Sorry, I don''t like his attitude." M''gann shrugged at our looks. "Trust me, no one blames you beautiful." Kid Flash winked at Miss Martian while Robin went off to look for Superboy. Meanwhile, I tapped on my earpiece to update Aqualad on how things had turned out. He was the only one of the team who was left behind. "Maelstrom to Aqualad." "Maelstrom, what is the status?" "We''re all fine. We have Ivo in our custody and Amazo is scrap metal again." "Good. Miss Martian''s bio-ship is on its way to pick you up. Great Job." (Elsewhere) "The children are becoming more than a nuisance." One of the human like figures made of light said through the screen. "Ivo has been captured. He was a valuable asset." Another added. "They have dared to stand in our way too many times already. This deserves retaliation." This voice was deeper than the rest. "You''re all correct. But for now let us leave them be. When the time is right, even they shall see the light." The last voice was more menacing than the rest. A New Teammate (The Watchtower) "Now that everyone has arrived. Let''s begin." Batman stood up from his seat as he addressed his fellow league members. The ones present were just the mentors to the sidekicks as well as Canary who was the team''s combat instructor. "We''re here today to review our protege''s progress since the establishment of the junior team." The hologram between them changed to show the image of Blockbuster, Mister Twister''s remains and all the other villains Maelstrom and the rest had gone up against. The Flash whistled. "Seems like it''s been an eventful few weeks for them." "Flash is right. Most of these guys would have given me trouble back in the day." Arrow added. "And that''s taking into account that none of their encounters with the villains have gone exactly smooth." Superman shared his own opinion. Aquaman cleared his throat. "About that. Is there a way to give them missions with a lower amount of risk?" He hurried to explain himself. "I''m not doubting their capabilities. Aqualad has proven time and time again that he is strong. What concerns me is how simple missions completely go off the rails." The atmosphere became grimmer. "Makes you wonder¡­how many close calls until one of them gets injured or worse?" The mentors looked at each other gravely. "Aquaman has a point. But I share a different opinion. The job is dangerous. And they are quite aware of that. Filtering out missions that have an element of danger is not helping them. It''s hindering their growth." Canary spoke up. "With all due respect Black Canary, you don''t have a protege. Your opinion, quite frankly doesn''t count." Aquaman''s voice was annoyed. Black Canary narrowed her eyes at the king of Atlantis. "That''s not fair Arthur. You know that she only has their best interest in mind." Green Arrow defended her. Superman stapled his fingers together. "When we all started out, there was no one to hold our hands. The challenges we went through helped shaped who we are today. Helped shape what the League stands for." His eyes ran through everyone gathered. "Aquaman. You have trained Aqualad to do what you can and more in case you are not around, correct?" Arthur begrudgingly nodded his head. "Then you understand that for him to truly grow, you need to step back. Let them put what they''ve learned to work. Let them be greater than us. For that is our job as mentors. To ensure we leave the world in safe hands in the future." Everyone nodded at the Man Of Steel''s words. Aquaman seeing he had no support simply shrugged and kept quiet. "The team is more than ready to take on the huge responsibilities we have all prepared them for. That said, there are some concerns that need to be addressed." With a gesture from Batman, the image of the wrecked Cadmus facility, Santa Prisca and The cornfield where Amazo''s fight had occured appeared on the hologram. "We have long suspected the presence of a powerful group working in the shadows to counter the League''s efforts." The others sat up straighter. "After some investigation and interrogation of both Sportsmaster, Kobra and recently, Ivo, those suspicions have been confirmed." "Wow. Do you know the identities of the ones behind it all?" Barry inquired. Batman shook his head a little bit of frustration leaking through. "Not yet. They hide in the shadows. It''s now quite clear that they''re taking advantage of places where The League cannot go, to carry out their agenda." "Do they have a name?" The one who answered Green Arrow''s question was Martian Manhunter. "They call themselves, The Light." ( Mount Justice ) "I spy with my little eye A girlie I can get ''cause she don''t get too many likes A curly-headed cutie I can turn into my wife Wait, that means forever, ever, hold up, never mind Oh, I spy with my little eye A girlie I can get ''cause she don''t get too many likes A curly-headed cutie I can turn into my wife Wait, that means forever, ever, hold up, never mind Oh I, I spy with my little eye I spy, I spy with my little eye Oh I, I spy with my little eye I spy, I spy with my little eye Oh I¡­" M''gann knocked on the door to Aden''s room. All she could hear from outside was the sound of music and Aden''s voice. ''He really has a beautiful voice.'' M''gann thought. ''And also a great body¡­'' she blushed at the direction where her thoughts were taking her and shook her head to get rid of the image of sweat dripping down his brown skin. His muscles rippling with effort as he sparred with Superboy. Then she thought of Superboy¡­his jaw and beautiful blue eyes staring at her. His rock solid abs¡­ Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. M''gann didn''t notice when the door was opened, revealing a shirtless Aden with headphones on his head, staring at her in confusion. Aden snapped his fingers at M''gann and the Martian got out of her stupor. The reddening on her cheeks increased once her eyes landed on Aden''s chest. His sculpted physique looked¡­M''gann suddenly realized she was staring. She hoped that Aden hadn''t noticed but once her eyes looked at his face, she noticed the smirk. "Take a picture, it lasts longer." "Gaah!!" M''gann flew away in embarrassment, leaving behind the plate of cookies she had come over to bring. (Aden''s P.O.V) I closed the door after M''gann ran away in embarrassment. I munched on a cookie and almost moaned at the tasty goodness. M''gann had gotten better at baking. Her progress was phenomenal taking into account a few weeks ago she had no concept of earthen food. My eyes swept across my room to admire the new changes. I had used the 5K from my winnings to set up a private studio in my own bedroom. Fortunately, the room was huge enough for it to not look cluttered. I went over to the latest Lexcorp laptop that had cost me quite a penny. On the screen was this world''s version of Pro Tools, a Digital Audio Workstation. It was called, HighTones. Next my eyes landed on the Keyboard and the Guitar I had bought earlier. A microphone, speakers and the headphones I had on completed the set. Pretty bare for a music studio but great for starting out. I looked at the notebook in my hand and the lyrics to I spy by Kyle I was reconstructing from memory. It wasn''t the only song in the notebook however. Basically, I was jotting down all the lyrics to the songs I could remember, editing them and then recording myself and saving the audio file in my computer. It wouldn''t do if I forgot the best hits from my world. I even had a few original projects of my own I was working on. Music had always fascinated me and growing up in a family of musicians, I felt inspired to share that same joy I felt growing up to the rest of the world. I finished up after 2 hours and left my room for the gym, reminding myself to get a good camera for when I started uploading covers in this world''s YouTube. On to other things, I arrived in the gym and found Superboy bench pressing 150 tons with ease. I shook my head, said hi and went a bit further away from him to the sparring mat. I first started by stretching my muscles. Stretching was essential for a limber and flexible body. Which was essential for my fighting style. Chi blocking incorporated fast but elastic moves to take down your opponent with the minimal amount of effort. It was the principle of blow like the air but sting like a bee. After stretching for half an hour, I started doing the chi blocking Katas. The moves flowed like water, one set building the bridge to transition to another move. I got lost into it that I didn''t notice it when I started adding air bending stances and moves into the chi blocking. I had done it before but this time it felt different. The air exploded out like a minute shockwave whenever my fist shot out. The air extended away from my foot like a coiled snake whenever I kicked out and buffeted my surroundings while whistling whenever I spread my hands out without urging. I breathed a little heavily with a confused look on my face. The air whistled. No no, let me explain myself. It was different from the normal thing. I crossed my legs and started to meditate. The way it felt...it was like, like I was given the key to a door I couldn''t see. I connected with the air element around me and just observed. It roiled around, coiled in the air while gently swaying across the room. A new sensation also made its way through my senses. The air also sang. I opened my eyes. A breath escaped my mouth. I had it. I knew what the door was. I finally had the way towards my next sub-skill. Sound. A blue box from the Avatar System appeared before me. (A few days later) It was time for a new mission. The rest of the team was gathered in the hall when I arrived, my visor in my hands. I had gotten caught up in the training room, trying to perfect the new Subskill I had to minimal success. It was a new application of my bending that I had trouble familiarizing myself with. I said hi and we started making small talk. I noticed that M''gann was going out of her way to ignore Superboy and I. She would blush everytime we made eye contact and during our mental exercises she had been acting weird. I shrugged and put it out of my head. Soon, the security system announced the arrival of Batman, Green Arrow and our new teammate, Artemis. Only problem is...she noticed me almost right away and shouted, "You!?" Everyone turned to look at me and I glared at her. Artemis had the grace to mutter sorry and look away, leaving me feeling stupid for not wearing my visor. Then again, how did she even know it''s me? I was pretty sure my mask from when we met was a good disguise. Batman cleared his throat while looking at me, promising that we would have a discussion about what had just happened. "Team, I would like to introduce your new teammate. Green Arrow''s protege, Artemis." The Fog part 1 (General P.O.V) Ra''s Al Ghul was the incarnate of a shadow. Unknown to most and a daunting figure to those strong enough or influential enough to do. He meditated in his room, awaiting good news from his underling on the progress of the mission. His eyes opened just in time to stare at the screen showing a man whose upper face and head was covered with a visor that had a huge red optical lens at the front. "Dr. Roquette has resurfaced. She is trying to track us. That link however is a two way stream. I have her coordinates. It''s Happy Harbor, Rhode Island." "Who do we have close to that location?" Ra''s Al Ghul asked. "I have a few of our people in mind." The leader of the league of shadows grunted after seeing the names of their closest agents. "I have a feeling they won''t be enough." "What should we do then Master?" "Don''t concern yourself with that. I''ll handle it. Make sure you get what we need." (Aden''s P.O.V) Wally glared at me from across the room. The environment was tense and unfriendly. "Miss Martian link us all up. We don''t want the shadows to overhear our communication." Aqualad instructed M''gann through the coms. "Right." Her voice came through and I instantly felt the telepathic streams connected to my mind. And also Wally''s grumbling. "He had no right to talk to Speedy like that!" I rolled my eyes at the Speedster. "Dude, I''m mad too but it''s so not the time." Robin backed him up while also reminding him that we were on a mission. "Ugh! This was not. A good idea. I have a technological work of genius that borders on a miracle to track, a shadow group of assassins that funnily enough call themselves The Shadows that want to put me down under. And now on top of that I have to listen to teen drama!" Roquette shouted through our mind link looking exasperated. "So not the time lady." Kid Flash told her, completely missing the irony. Artemis snickered. "Kettle meet Pot." "Like I''m going to listen to the person who stole Speedy''s spot on the team." I ground my teeth in anger at seeing the flash of hurt on Artemis face. "So not cool Kid. Ease up a little, it''s not her fault you know." Robin was at least mature enough to accept the situation for what it was. Wally had¡­ disappointed me. "I''m going to patrol the perimeter." I told them and got up from the desk. "Yeah walk away, traitor." Wally added. "Dude!" "Kid, I will pull you out of this mission if you continue acting like this. Whatever issues you have with Maelstrom or anyone else, solve them after the mission. Not now." Aqualad''s voice was sterner than I''d ever heard before. Wally looked surprised before his face got even angrier, staring at me as if it was my fault. I had no doubt that Miss Martian was blocking the expletives Wally was probably thinking about me, based on her loud sigh "I''ll huh¡­ follow Maelstrom too." Artemis said out loud and trailed after me out of the class room. We made our way out into the open, the school building behind us in relative silence. "I''m sorry." Artemis told me softly rubbing her arm. I cocked my head to the side in a little confusion. Stolen story; please report. "For what?" "Well, for a lot of things actually. You stood up to Speedy mainly because of you know¡­me." I shook my head and turned my head around to look out into the bushes surrounding school property. "Trust me. It was less about you and more about how that guy''s attitude annoys me." Artemis chuckled a little. "Yeah you made that quite clear in the hall." I smiled at her as my thoughts took me back to what had happened. It was right after Speedy now Red Arrow had arrived with our new mission details. To protect a genius scientist he had rescued from the League of Shadows, while the scientist tried to track down a swarm of Nano machines she had been coerced into making by the same group. The nano machines were called, The Fog. They could eat through anything. Metal, concrete, flesh and bones. Their main function however was that they could instantly download any data and information from data storage systems and deliver it to the one controlling them. Cutting edge technology, top government information and secrets. The one who controlled them could do anything. Knowledge is power after all. She was hidden in the local high school of Happy Harbor. Back to Red Arrow, First of all he had swaggered in like he owned the place. Which I would normally shrug at and mind my own business but then he totally became an ass and insulted not only Artemis but the team. Talking about how we would never amount to anything meaningful while under the League''s oversight. (A while ago) I snickered at Red Arrow''s words. Everyone turned to stare at me. "You have something to say newbie?" Red Arrow asked, with a bite in his tone. "Me? No no. See I was actually content just listening to you bitch about how life is so sad because no one understands how great you are and how much they''re wrong not to offer you a spot in the Justice League." There was a brief silence. Then Red Arrow took a step towards me, anger rolling off him in waves. "What makes you think you can talk to me like that?" I smiled and got up. "What makes you think I can''t?" "Maelstrom¡­" I held up a hand to silence Aqualad, my eyes still staring at Red Arrow. "You walk in here like you own the place. Talk rudely to everyone. Including your so called friends and expect that the rest of us are just going to lay down and take it?" The smile slipped off my face as I crossed my hands. "You don''t know what you''re talking about Maelstrom." Kid Flash appeared between us and pushed me back. He turned to address Red Arrow. "Speedy he''s¡­new. Don''t listen to him." He still tried to suck up to the older teen despite the fact that all he had done was be a dick to everyone. My ears buzzed as I couldn''t believe it. I looked around and except for Batman (who was unreadable), Red Tornado (who didn''t really care about whatever was going on), Artemis, Superboy and Miss Martian, all I could feel wafting off everyone else was disapproval. ''Wow. Does this guy have superpowers that make other people want the seek approval from him or something?'' I wondered. "Frankly speaking. I don''t care what you think of me." ''Yeah right,'' I thought. "I brought you all a job I was sure you could handle. From your words however, I''m thinking maybe I was wrong." He told me and I chuckled. "Dude, this is not about our capabilities. Check our mission log. You''ll be surprised to learn that other people are competent too. You''re just mad that I see right through your bullshit." There was an intake of breath when my words dropped. Red Arrow couldn''t handle it anymore and advanced menacingly towards me. "You little..." "Both of you, stand down. This is not the time or the place." Batman came between us. Red Arrow stared into the Dark Knight''s eyes and held it before clenching his teeth and turning towards the Zeta Tube. "I''m leaving." "Speedy B06." "Its Red Arrow B06. Update." He stated as the light of the Zeta Tube washed over him. "What is wrong with you?" Kid Flash came up to me to hold me by the shirt but I easily shrugged him off. "I should be the one asking you that question. You all just let him walk all over you." I stared at the three veteran sidekicks. "I mean I can understand Kid Flash''s misplaced loyalty. But even you Aqualad? You''re so blinded by whatever past you have all shared that you can''t see your friend is changing." "You don''t know him. Speedy is a good guy." Robin came to his defense. "I never said he wasn''t. But the bitterness he carries...that irrational anger at the League for denying him what he thinks is his right...will get him hurt or worse." "Watch your words carefully, Maelstrom. You''re still pretty new so your opinion about him is all wrong." Green Arrow finally spoke up. The older man''s eyes were no nonsense and stern. I could already see that no matter what I said, they would still look at me as if I was the bad guy. I took a deep breath and nodded. "You''re right. But I''ll tell you one last thing." My gaze was unflinching as I stared them all down. "He comes up to me like that again and I''m not backing down. I have my own self respect and I hate bullies. No matter what kind." "Damn. That was...so hot." Artemis whispered but given how everyone was silent, no one missed it. Green Arrow sighed. "Time to move out team. Maelstrom, I want to see you after the mission." Batman stated and left. (Present Time) "That''s not the only thing..." Artemis words pulled me out of my thoughts. I spared a glance and waited for her to continue. "My reaction when I saw you...it''s going to raise some questions. Especially with Batman." I already knew what she was getting at but still, I pretended to be confused. "And why is that?" She held my hand, making me stop and turn towards her fully. "Let''s just say that my situation is a bit different. You saw where we first met, right? That''s my real life." Her tone turned gloomy. I sighed. "I understand. Trust me," my eyes softened and a small smile appeared on my face. "someone else would tell you that your background doesn''t determine the choices you make in life but that''s a lie. There are things you can''t fully shake off. Where you come from defines a part of you. And you can''t ignore that." She was stunned for a little bit. "Alright, I didn''t expect that." She finally said, making me raise an eyebrow. "Should I be insulted? I feel like I should be insulted." Artemis chuckled. "You can''t exactly blame me. I thought you hot guys trade your brains for those muscles." I smirked. "You think I''m hot?" Artemis boldly squeezed my bicep and licked her lips. "Guilty as charged." I swallowed. This girl... "By the way, you never told me how you recognized me." I asked her. "The jaw." Before she could elaborate a sound in the bushes made us pause. "Did you hear something?" She nodded and nocked an arrow, letting it loose towards the Grove of trees near the fence. There was a clang and I grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the way of the metal hook flying at us. Guys, we have company. The Captain Hook kind." I informed the others through our mind link. I had gotten good enough at manipulating what I sent over so most of the mental echo from my communication with Artemis was isolated from the rest. "Seems like they now know our location. Maelstrom, Artemis deal with whoever that is and fall back to within close proximity. We are short on manpower because I sent Superboy and Robin to where the Fog is." Aqualad''s voice came through the link. "Got it." The Fog final part (Aden''s P.O.V) "Ever wonder how someone wakes up one day and just decides to be a modern take on a character from Peter Pan?" I wondered aloud while floating around the air. Artemis weaved around the hook attacks while occasionally shooting out trick arrows. "No clue. Maybe it''s a cry for help." I chuckled while keeping watch. It wouldn''t do for someone else to slip past us while we were occupied by¡­ "Hey, what''s his name by the way?" I casually asked as the metallic hook whizzed by my face. I clutched the chain and pulled the guy to me. His eyes widened and my fist impacted the hasty one hand block from his left arm. The bone snapped with an audible sound and he winced in pain, landing on the ground painfully. He tried to rise up but Artemis shot a few arrows around him that exploded with the force of a flash grenade, momentarily dazing him. She stepped closer and threw a round house kick, sending him to dreamland. Artemis went towards the unconscious mercenary and hefted the huge hook while smiling at me. My mouth opened. "No way. His name is Hook? That''s like the most unoriginal name I''ve ever heard!" "Maelstrom, we need that back up now." Aqualad informed us. I looked at Artemis and she waved me off. "I''ll tie him up, go." My body turned and shot off towards the school building. I crashed through the skylight of the class and blocked the shurikens aimed at Dr. Roquette. They bounced to the side and I stepped in closer to a woman wearing a white creepy mask. Underneath her green costume, she had curves for days and was packing some dangerous weapons. I caught a glimpse of some kunai and knives strapped to her thighs when she flipped behind chairs for a modicum of cover. Aqualad was on the floor kneeling with one leg while breathing heavily. His Water bearers were held loosely in his hands. I frowned at Aqualad''s condition which was probably due to the poison on Cheshire''s weapons. The only thing I didn''t expect was the many passed out shadows inside the room. I frowned. This wasn''t canon. In the original timeline, they had only been attacked by three villains. Could this be a butterfly effect due to my interference? "Aqualad are you hurt anywhere?" I asked him through the link, while watching Cheshire carefully. "The doctor and I are fine. Just be careful not to get pierced by any of their weapons. Especially hers." " Miss M, Kid Flash how are things on your end?" "There are way more Shadows than we expected. We are currently occupied at the gym." Miss Martian told me through the link. "Maelstrom, you need to take the doctor and go. I''ll provide you with cover." I thought it through¡­ "I can carry you both. No one is getting left behind." "Kid Flash and I have the gym secured. If you can get here, we can regroup and come up with a plan." Miss Martian informed us. "Well well, and who might you be?" Cheshire cat brandished her sai at me, while stalking around us. I blinked and the whole room was swarmed with over a dozen more figures dressed fully in black. "You promised you would protect me!" Roquette was shaking when she said this. "Stay behind me doctor." "Artemis, I need you here." "Coming." "Nice get up. I have a question though, what''s with the creepy mask? If you ask me, it makes you less approachable." The assassins were patient, seemingly waiting for the signal from Cheshire. " Aaw. And I thought it was the best thing about me." I smirked. "If you''re going for the intimidating factor, sure. Personally, I''d like to see if your face matches your voice. Irresistible." "Oh my, are you sure you should be flirting with the enemy?" She asked me while twirling her Sai. "Not really but I won''t tell if you won''t." "I''m in position above you." "We need cover to relocate the doctor somewhere else." "Ok. In 1¡­" "Step aside then¡­ I''d hate to ruin that perfect jaw line." She crooned. "Sorry beautiful. Some other time." Arrows dug themselves around us and I grabbed a hold of Aqualad and Dr.Roquette. The woman screamed in alarm as I flew us out through the skylight I''d broken through earlier. Artemis drew a few more arrows and let them loose inside the classroom and then followed after us on the rooftop while I flew away to another section of the building. I held Roquette in my arms while Aqualad was floating beside me inside the bubble of air I had constructed to carry him. "Miss Martian, where is the gym located?" "On your left." She answered and I changed my course. I looked back at Artemis and saw her running in our previous direction. She stopped a few times and shot arrows towards the shadows pursuing us. "I''m gonna lead them away from you. They can''t see you in the dark properly while you''re in the air." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.She explained. "That''s a good idea. Hopefully by the time they realize it, we will be far away." I replied. "Slight problem even if you bring Dr. Roquette here, she won''t have access to a computer to finish creating the virus." Kid voiced something we had overlooked. "Don''t worry, I have a plan." We listened to Miss Martian''s plan and I remembered it as surprisingly the same plan that they had come up with in canon. Basically, Miss M changed her appearance to match Roquette, while Aqualad and Kid Flash acted as guards. Meanwhile I flew Roquette towards a cyber cafe in town to complete uploading the virus. 20 minutes later, I was standing guard Infront of Roquette as she hurried to finish the job. She breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled at me, "It''s done." My fingers went to my earpiece. "Maelstrom to Robin, do you copy? the virus is ready." Robin''s voice came out hurried and urgent. "Right on time. The fog is going for Wayne industries! If they copy the information from their servers¡­ It''s going to be bad!" His voice cut off. "I''m going for the one controlling the fog. How many teeth should he be missing?" I chuckled at Superboy''s statement. "Aqualad, did you get all of that?" "Yes but be careful. The assassin in the white mask is probably headed your way. Artemis is in pursuit." I sighed and turned to Roquette. "Stay behind me doctor. Seems like its not over." "What¡­but¡­but I finished the virus. They have no reason to kill me now." She started panicking. "Hey, hey," I held her shoulders. "We promised to protect you. That hasn''t changed." "How touching." My hand shot out to hit the projectiles heading towards us out of the air. I waved a hand and a gust of wind threw back the second volley of shuriken. "Relentless aren''t you?" I commented. Cheshire lowered her body into a ready stance. "I could say the same thing. But that''s about to end. Roquette is mine." "It''s too late. You were instructed to kill her to stop the Fog from being rendered inert. It''s already done. That means your mission has failed." Cheshire looked unsure. "I don''t believe you." I turned the monitor around and showed her the screen displaying a successful upload. "Well I''ll be damned. It''s not often I fail. Well played¡­" She trailed off, wanting to know my name. "Call me Maelstrom." She cocked her hip to the side. "Maelstrom huh. Cool name. Fits you perfectly. I''m¡­" I held up her hand before she could introduce herself. A small smirk appeared on my face. "No need. I''ll find that out for myself during the interrogation." Instantly, she went on guard. Though from a lesser discernible eye, her body posture remained loose and relaxed. "Confident you can take me down? I thought you were smart." I chuckled. "Trust me, I''m not the dumb one here. You followed me alone." She sighed. "Why are the cute ones so egotistical?" Cheshire leaped over the table and palmed her Kunai. They left her hands and cut through the air with impeccable accuracy. 4 were aimed at my vital areas and 2 shot towards Roquette. A tornado appeared before us and pushed everything away. Computers, chairs and papers alike. I grabbed Roquette and pulled her to my back away from the shurikens that dug themselves on the wall behind her. "I said behind me Doctor. Not beside." A monitor was kicked at me and I swiped it away, sending it to smash through the glass door of the Cafe. Cheshire had used that brief cover to pull in close to me. I lifted my leg off the ground, evading the leg sweep. She spinned around and threw one of her Sais at me. I grabbed it out of the air and returned the favor, sending it back at her. She quickly ducked by leaning her body backwards. The Sai passed above her, curving a line across her mask and detaching it from her face. Then the Sai planted itself on the wall behind her, digging in deeply into the bricks. Cheshire extended her body back completely and transitioned into a flip. Her eyes widened when she found me so close to her. My fist shot out before she could respond and landed on her left hand. Five more hits to her chi points and Cheshire slumped against me with zero control of her limbs. "Oh my god. Did you kill her?" Roquette came up from behind me and asked. Cheshire glared at me as I removed zip ties from my utility belt and fastened them on her wrists and ankles. "How is she going to walk like that?" "She''s not." I lifted Cheshire and held her close to me. "Showing sympathy for the enemy doctor? You do know she tried to kill you a minute ago." Roquette started stammering upon my question. "Still.. that''s¡­that''s not ethical, putting a girl in such a position!" I sighed. "I''m an Advocate for gender equality. Now stay here. I need to go out and look around to make sure none of those other assassins are headed towards us." She made to talk but I interrupted her. "And yes, Doctor. I''m taking the deadly assassin with me." I opened the door to the cyber cafe and walked outside. Just as I''d expected, Artemis was waiting outside looking unsure. "Hey. Where are the others?" "They''re yet to arrive. I left them rounding up the assassins at the school." "Cool. I caught this one and the virus upload was successful so the mission is complete." I stated and just to make her even more desperate¡­ "Can you imagine how much we can learn from her about the league of shadows?" Artemis made contact with Cheshire''s eyes and Cheshire smiled knowingly. Artemis drew her bow. "I can''t let you take her in." She told me with her hands shaking. I tightened the hold on Cheshire and got into a ready stance. "What do you mean by that Artemis?" She closed her eyes. "Please, Maelstrom. I''ll¡­ I''ll explain it later but you have to let her go." We faced off for a few seconds before I sighed and removed the zip ties from Cheshire''s wrist and ankles. Luckily, I had anticipated all this and the hits I had landed on her were not that hard, so after five minutes, she now had enough control of her limbs to move about. Cheshire got up and stretched, then she caressed my jaw with a smile on her face. "You really did a number on me darling." "Don''t." Artemis told her with a hard tone. "Spoilsport." Cheshire muttered, blew me a kiss and escaped into the darkness. I turned around and started walking away. "Wait." Artemis called out. "Thank you. I owe you one." I nodded solemnly and continued inside the cafe. On my face, there was a small smile. Tension and The Talk (Aden''s P.O.V) "Where is the girl?" Was Roquette''s first question when I entered the cafe once again. "Oh you mean the assassin that was hired to kill you, failed once and just kept on trying? That girl?" I shot back, looking at her weirdly. "Yes. What did you do with her?" I rolled my eyes. "She escaped. Some of the other masked ninjas attacked us and during the commotion she slipped her bonds and ran away." The one who answered was Artemis, following me in. Roquette looked skeptical. She adjusted her glasses while watching us with narrowed eyes. "Really? But I didn''t hear anything." "They''re Ninjas. Their whole deal is being unseen and unheard. Look doctor, I think your priorities need some revaluating. I mean," I gestured at her. "You survived an assassination from the League of Shadows. That''s bragging rights in some circles." "He''s right. You held up pretty well doctor. And the good thing is that the Shadows don''t have a reason to come after you now. Plus, the Justice League will put surveillance on you for a certain amount of time to ensure you don''t get attacked." Artemis followed up. Trying to appease the Doctor while also subtly changing the subject from the Cheshire thing. "All in all, it''s over." Roquette breathed out a sigh of relief and looked at us in gratitude. "Thank you so much. I won''t lie, since Red Arrow put me under your protection¡­I wasn''t confident on seeing the next day. But you guys are pretty good. Almost as good as the Justice League." I smiled at the praise. "Thank you. Heard that Artemis we''re practically as good as the League." "I didn''t say that. I said almost. The teen drama takes away a few points." Artemis laughed as I glared playfully at Roquette. "Why''d you have to ruin it?" The door to the Cyber cafe opened and the rest of the team walked in barring Robin and Superboy. Wally glared at me which killed my mood and brought back some of the same frustration from earlier. "What happened?" Aqualad spoke up. Artemis and I looked at each other and she stepped forward to update them on the Cheshire thing. "You let her get away?" Wally shouted at us. I crossed my hands on my chest. "What are you talking about?" "I know you, there is no way she could have just escaped you like that." He came up to me and poked his finger on my chest. I was momentarily surprised at the unintentional praise. Still, I didn''t like the way Kid Flash was pressing my buttons. "My priority was on making sure Roquette was safe. Everything else came second." He frowned. "Kid, that''s enough. Dr. Roquette is safe which is the only thing that matters." Aqualad came between us. "Teen drama. Yuck." Roquette muttered while shivering in distaste. "Hello Megan, Superboy and Robin just arrived with the bio-ship!" Miss Martian said happily and left the room. Everyone else cleared out leaving Kid Flash, Aqualad and I a bit behind. "Kaldur, we need to talk." "I agree." The stoic teenager nodded. "Let''s do it after we arrive." "Fine by me." I followed them out, got on the bio-ship and we all flew off. An hour later, after handing over Roquette to a League affiliate, I found myself standing before the three veteran side kicks on the team. I looked at the others, Superboy, M''gann and Artemis were no doubt on my side but¡­I didn''t want their help in solving this small group squabble. "Guys, could you excuse us for a bit?" Aqualad asked them and I nodded after they looked at me for confirmation. "I don''t like this. It feels like you''re all ganging up on Aden for no reason." Conner told them while leaving. "We''ll be right outside if you need us." M''gann added and followed after Conner. Artemis looked at me and nodded. Thick tension permeated the room after they had left. I removed my visor and set it aside on the table as we all sat down. "This can''t go on." I started, holding up a hand to stop Wally''s words. "If you''re expecting me to apologize for the things I said to Red Arrow¡­ you''re out of luck." "You embarrassed Speedy Infront of everyone!" This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report itWally jumped up in fury. "He''s not a child, Wally. He can stand up for himself, why are you fighting his battles for him?" I asked him frowning at the younger boy. "Because, it''s always been a dream of ours to join the League together and we have all worked so hard to make that happen." Aqualad answered. " You don''t know this because you just arrived recently but getting to the point where our mentors trusted us enough to watch their backs and save civilian lives has. Not. Been. Easy." Robin''s hands tightened into fists as he leaned forward on the table separating us. He picked up from Aqualad. "You couldn''t hope to understand our frustration. Imagine someone building up your hope for months on end, so you prepare yourself, polish your skills until bruises and blisters are a common thing every night you go to bed and when the day arrives bam! Nothing changes." "Speedy was even more dedicated than the rest of us. I know you think that we just let him walk over us but you''re wrong." Kid Flash stood up in anger. " You judged him without even knowing him. How many times have you been in a room with or even interacted with Speedy for you to form such a harsh opinion about him? Frankly speaking, you are a newbie. He''s better than you in every way possible and if it came down to the two of you...I think you know who our first choice would be." Kid Flash spit out at my face. My mind was instantly assaulted with red hot anger. This little shit... "Wally! That''s enough." Kaldur banged the table with his fist, leaving a debt in it as he addressed the Speedster. "You went too far, Maelstrom is still an integral part of this team and I will not let you ruin that! We are here to settle the disagreement from earlier not to put him on trial." Even Robin looked shocked at Wally''s words. "Dude, that wasn''t cool." Wally looked away while grinding his teeth. I breathed in to calm myself down and realized something, I wasn''t right¡­but neither were they. Maybe calling out Red Arrow Infront of everybody was the wrong thing to do but the words I said to him weren''t. I understood inconvenience and that familiar hope that turns into disappointment more than most because, that is what my entire my background was like. So I might have jumped the gun and pegged Red Arrow the same as me and I how I used to lash out in the past. I haven''t had an easy life and that''s all I''m going to say about it. I sighed, the anger slipping off my face as I turned to them, earnest. "Sometimes things don''t work out and for a long while you''re left feeling bitter at the world, which causes you to lash out on everybody and everything. The people closest to you get the blunt of it." No one interrupted me as I continued, " When you''re in a dark place, you try your best to pull yourself out from that hole because if you don''t, it just gets deeper and deeper until one day, you wake up and find that all that bitterness and anger has changed you. I thought I was standing up for you guys. Standing up for the team against a bully. I thought I was trying to help knock some sense into Speedy because I can relate to that." "Wait, what do you mean by that?" Wally demanded. I clenched my jaw and debated on my next words. "Things haven''t been...easy for me but I am trying my best to handle my shit the right way. The healthy way. By acknowledging that the situation sucks but also understanding that the bad things won''t last forever. That is what I was hoping to convince Speedy of." Robin had a suspicious look on his face while Wally looked like he didn''t know what to say. "Is everything okay Maelstrom?" Aqualad questioned with a little compassion. "Don''t worry. I have secrets that I am not ready to share yet and that''s besides the point. I just need you to know that, anything I said wasn''t out of malice. But I am not sorry for my words." Kid Flash looked ready to blow up again but I motioned for him to wait. "What I can apologize for however, is for making you three feel bad." Aqualad nodded. "It''s a...start. I apologize too for us putting you on the spot like that. Especially during the mission." We all clearly knew who he was referring too. " That sort of behavior could have compromised the whole thing." Robin smirked. "I don''t have anything to say sorry for because I was a professional throughout the mission." "Dude, I saw you throw him dirty looks at least twice!" Wally butted in. Much to Robin''s annoyance. "I wasn''t the one talking bad about him! Last time I checked that was you Wall-man." He said the last part derisively. Aqualad and I chuckled despite the mood. Things settled down and it was Wally''s turn. The mad expression on his face had slipped off by then. He looked contemplative and unsure. His eyes never made contact with mine as he got up. "I am sorry for saying all that awful stuff. They weren''t true, just wanted to make you feel bad." He made to leave the room. "Wally." I called out to him. He looked back at me. "It''s okay. We''re good." He smiled and made a thumbs up. The rest got up and left after a few fist bumps, leaving me alone in the room with my thoughts. So far I could say without a shadow of doubt, being in a team wasn''t easy. Just as Roquette said, the drama was off-putting and unwelcome. But sticking around was beneficial to me for now. My dream was to be the greatest hero this world had seen to change things for the better. That meant I needed the experience of working and learning tricks and trades from those who are more experienced before planning my next move. The one thing I promised myself while sitting in that room all alone, was that the next team I would be in, would have no drama and most importantly, would be under me. Batman (Aden''s P.O.V) "Maelstrom, I need you in the hall, now." Batman''s voice rang out through the whole gym from the PA system. Sweat was pouring down my skin in rivulets as I completed the set of crunches with a 50 ton weight dumbbell between my hands. Not even Batman was pulling me away from my gains. I had been at it for just an hour, having started early at 6 am. I completed the exercise and swiped a towel off the bench to wipe away the sweat. I didn''t have time to actually take a shower without testing The Dark Knight''s patience, so I left for the hall. On the hallway I met up with Conner who was coincidentally going to the gym as I left it. He smirked at me. "I feel like I should tell you, he doesn''t look too happy. I scoffed. "Is he ever?" Conner laughed. "That''s a good point. See you later." I nodded and headed towards the hall thinking about what Batman wanted to see me for. Could it be because of the incident with Speedy? Did he want to reprimand me for my behavior? No that didn''t seem like something Batman would do. His policy was to always let the team solve it''s own issues. Then again, I was a wild card in his eyes. Maybe he didn''t want me disrupting the peace or whatever. I arrived at the huge hall and my eyes were instantly pulled to the huge figure in all dark. Batman''s costume never failed to impress me. It was bulky yet accentuated his fit physique and was intimidating. Very intimidating. Which I guess was the point. I cleared my throat while standing up straight behind him. He swiped the last of the file logs off the hologram projector and turned to me with a few documents in hand. "Sir." I said in greeting. "Maelstrom." He nodded at me. "First of all, I want you to know that The League is impressed with the work you and your teammate have put in on your missions. Furthermore the information you supplied about the threats to look out for has helped The League to plan out better strategies for handling them." I was stunned at the praise. "Oh¡­thanks. It hasn''t been easy but I''ve learnt a lot by being in this team and it''s all because you decided to give me a chance. So thank you too." The expression on his face didn''t change but I couldn''t help but feel as if the air between us had grown more comfortable. "There''s a reason I wanted to meet with you today." He started, his voice as monotonous as ever. I sighed, my fears becoming confirmed. I was familiar with the tactic he had used, give praise before following it up with a reprimand. So I spoke up first before he could. "Look, if it''s about the issue from before, I talked with the rest about my behavior towards Red Arrow and we solved it. So no need for the tongue-lashing." Batman narrowed his eyes. "I was going to say, I have processed your identification papers. All preparations have been made for you, Conner and M''gann to join Happy Harbor high school. You will be starting soon." Batman concluded. "Oh." I was embarrassed at jumping to conclusions. Of course Batman wouldn''t care! I mean he would but as long as our arguments did not disrupt the team''s concentration during training or missions he would rather leave it to us to work it out amongst ourselves. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "In addition, I have thought about your proposal to¡­pursue your hobbies." He told me, referring to the writing thing. " The answer is yes but I will vet any material you wish to produce before you post it out to the world." His tone turned harsher. "All privileges will be revoked if you abuse this chance, Maelstrom. Don''t disappoint me." I nodded in confirmation. I would still have done it even without his permission but this way was better. He placed the documents on the table and addressed me. "That''s all. You''re dismissed." I gave him a curt nod and left while studying the documents. There was a birth certificate, passport and everything else I needed to present in a legal format. I took the documents to my room, took a shower to get rid of the slight sweat and started making music. I had roughly 20+ hit songs that I had managed to write down from my memory. The equipment I had was good enough for me to start my plans. All I needed was a good camera with the leftover money I had and then I could begin recording myself while singing covers. Although this world''s entertainment industry was different to my last, that was only in the case of different musicians and songs. The styles were a bit similar yet with a different tonal flavor. To ingratiate myself into the scene, I decided to start slow by making covers to this world''s best songs but with an exotic air to it. Settling on that plan, I used my laptop to window-shop for great recording devices that weren''t too expensive. The specs on some were crazy. Especially Lexcorp stuff. Wayne industries provided products that were good quality but aimed towards the common man but Lexcorp catered for the specialists. Meaning high end stuff for people who had the money and need to purchase that equipment. Equipment that included, micro cameras with a strong battery life and could store loads of footage, drones outfitted with surveillance tech that I''m not sure how Luthor managed to get the government to allow out into the public and lots more. I settled on a good camera that was a lot higher than my budget but was great for recording. The money I had on me was just a hundred dollars, having spent the rest on a few other¡­ important stuff. Basically, I needed my laptop to be secure from tampering with, so I had upgraded it''s security measures by installing the best anti-virus and anti-spyware software I could afford. Lexcorp''s stuff still turned out to be the best. I had the idea to ask Robin for help but that would give the impression I had something to hide. Which I did. And one of the Boy Wonder''s weaknesses or strengths depending on the situation was trying his best to dig for information. For now, I was content with whatever modicum of security my laptop had. I had plans for some under the table high specs upgrading once I got the money for it. One might wonder why I was so concerned with ensuring privacy. Easy, I needed to contact some¡­ interesting characters who would be able to analyse the vial of Kobra-venom I had to see if a stronger version of the same serum could be made. That was far off into the future however. I had no doubt I would need the power especially with the threat the Light presented. Unfortunately, that meant tippy toeing and hiding my actions from the Justice League and the rest of the team. Luckily I now had a viable reason for Batman to ease off my back whenever I decided to travel out of town. I''d just give him a spiel about music or something and I would be golden. Not really. Batman was a bad case of suspicion coupled with constant vigilance, I was sure he wouldn''t lessen his watch on me but that was good too. I was expecting it which meant I could control what he could more or less see. That was one of the reasons I had pushed really hard to get his approval in following my ''hobbies'' and ''talents''. I love music and writing, that much is true but that would come second to heroing and to do that, I needed a life outside the cave to set the foundation for what I wanted to achieve. Money for my projects and fame for protection through public adoration which would make it easier to get contacts and provide a good cover for my extracurricular activities. It was all a rough draft but something I was working towards. Which leaves me with looking fo a way to earn money quickly again. All things considered, underground fights were still my go to. Just spending less than 2 hours had netted me 5 thousand dollars, how much more could I get if I was serious about it? A lot more I''m sure. The problem is, I couldn''t go to Gotham again. I was a hundred percent sure that Batman would find me out this time. Before I had arrived at the hall for our meeting a half hour ago,he had been going through the Cave''s file logs. Which meant, he must have seen my usage of the Zeta beam tube to go to Gotham. This time he didn''t ask about it but he would no doubt be keeping an eye on me. That left going to other cities. Luckily, I had the perfect idea. L.A was a cultural hub for music and entertainment. Plus, Batman already knew that it was where I was from in my real earth, I could use that excuse of reconnecting with my roots to hit some of the illegal underground fights there and make money. Happy with the plan, I left my room and flew towards the gym for some power training. I had unlocked the next sub-skill which was sound. This just further showed me how my bending was different from the Avatar''s. There wasn''t sound bending from what I knew. Then again, I couldn''t say I knew everything about Avatar. This just showed that I could even be wrong about the other element''s sub skills. The most probable conclusion was that my Avatar System was different from the power system of the Avatar world. Benders used their chi to manipulate the elements and bending moves were essential to direct those same elements. However, my case was different. For starters, I didn''t use my chi to bend. My whole body, essence, soul and everything was connected with the Avatar System which acted as the medium to process energy from the bleed to allow me to bend. That was why, upon hitting Master level in air bending, stances and moves that had been crucial before were now not needed. Secondly, the Avatar had access to all the elements from the word go. Even if they didn''t have good control over them. My case was different. The system was built up on a levelling foundation, where I had to master an element first before unlocking another. Air Element ( Master) -Flight. (Unlocked) -Sound. ( Unlocked) So I only had to master the Sound sub-skill then get my air mastery to Grand Master level and then I would have access to the next element. Insight (General P.O.V) Batman was busy combing through surveillance footage from the street cameras in a certain section of Gotham. He narrowed his eyes once he saw a hooded figure leave a building and head towards a certain direction. That figure was Aden. "Well, did you find anything out?" Batman asked the darkness inside the batcave. The shadows rippled and Martian Manhunter''s form appeared. "No. My efforts¡­failed." Batman didn''t say anything for a few seconds while Manhunter came out closer into the light. "You''re unsure. Conflicted." Batman observed making Manhunter look at him in surprise. "How did you¡­" "That''s not important, J''onn. Speak your mind." "What I am doing is breaking one of the greatest moral laws from my culture. It is unethical to pry into the thoughts of unsuspecting victims." Batman''s attention turned to J''onn J''onzz fully. "You understand why. The situation demands it. Before we confirm the veracity of the information he has given us, all we can do is sit tight and make loose plans." "I understand my friend but that does not mean I have to like it." Manhunter told him. Batman nodded while switching focus of the cameras. "There is another problem." Manhunter fell silent to see whether his teammate was listening. "Go on." The Dark Knight responded, his hand stalling in place. "His mind¡­it''s adapting to every intrusive action I make to access his core memories. He is learning fast. Almost as fast as an actual telepath. It is strange and I fear given enough time, his mind might manifest telepathy as a power." "Is that so¡­" Batman pulled up a few medical records on the Batcomputer. They were records about Aden''s physiology from the Star Labs checkup he''d done a few weeks ago. "His body is highly adaptable to any changes. Upon using the blockbuster formula, he got access to all the benefits minus the changes in body shape that had affected Dr.Desmond. if you''re right about his psychic potential then that ability seems to not only affect his physical body but also extends to the mental aspect." Batman concluded. "Remarkable." "Indeed." Batman surprisingly agreed. "Any progress in finding out a way back to his world?" Batman shook his head. "Maybe. I''m chasing down a few leads but nothing concrete. Zatara has ruled out magic being the cause for his arrival. We know that it''s possible to traverse long distances given the presence of spatial devices like the Zeta tubes but the science behind dimensional crossing is uncharted territory as of now." "So a wait and see approach." Manhunter asked. "Yes." Manhunter looked off towards a shadow in the room and a small smile appeared on his face. "Have a good night Bruce." He nodded at Batman and left, disappearing through the walls of the bat cave. The Dark Knight was silent for a while. "How much of that did you hear?" A figure detached from the shadows and crossed it''s hands. Dick Grayson better known as Robin stared at his mentor with a frown on his face. "Enough to know that you''re hiding something from me." "I am not hiding anything. You''re the one who eves dropped on a conversation you were not meant to be a part of." Robin saw he wasn''t getting through to Batman so he decided to change tactics. "If it''s about the team then I have the right to know. You''re the one always telling me that every single detail matters. I need to know what''s going on¡­for the team." "Go to sleep. If it''s essential I will inform you." Saying that, Batman ignored him. Dick looked at his mentor''s back feeling frustrated. His gaze was drawn to the huge computer and a smile worked it''s way to his face. "It wouldn''t be the first time." He muttered to himself and left. (Elsewhere) "How''s the team working out for you?" Flash asked his protege. They were devouring donuts on the roof of the Central City hospital. They were there mostly for the paediatric unit of the hospital. The kids always loved to see a real life superhero and it made the Scarlet Speedster happy putting the smiles on their faces. "Oh, it''s so great. We get to go on these covert missions¡­" "I already knew that Wally. I''m asking about you know, the dynamic between you guys." Wally took a bite of his donut and thought about it. "We work together really well. Every mission we''ve been in hasn''t gone according to plan but¡­my friends have had my back and me theirs which is why we haven''t failed yet. To tell you the truth, we''re awesome." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Barry smiled, proud at Kid''s heartfelt answer. "Plus Miss Martian is sooo hot." Aaaand he''s back, Barry thought. (A few days later) "Aden, Wally you''re up." Black Canary informed us. "Oh yeah. I''m gonna show you all my killer moves." Wally stated, throwing the Snickers bar wrapper on the floor. "Red Tornado will have your head if you leave that lying around." Conner told him while I stretched out my body. The thing about Kid is that while he''s fast, coordinated and has super reflexes¡­his mind is scattered, attention easily broken and an absolute sucker for feints. I stepped up to the sparring floor. The floor itself was made with a light yet durable material that prevented grievous injuries while still delivering the sane oomph! one might expect in a fight. The Cave''s computer system operated a program that showed hit points whenever someone was successfully taken down while the combatants were both standing on the platform. "How about you give up Dude? You might be strong but I''m faster and you know what they say, in a fight speed is king." He informed me in his usual arrogant way but underneath that bravado, Wally was watching me attentively. Showing me that he had no doubt learned from all our previous matches. I felt like rolling my eyes. "Remind me, how many times have we fought and how many times have you lost?" Everyone chuckled. "Dude those don''t count. The situations were completely different!" "What''s wrong Wall-man you looking a little distraught. Maybe you should get traught." Everyone around us groaned at the drop of my words while Robin chuckled. "Well done my young Padawan." He bowed towards me while I smiled. "God, Aden I can''t believe you would make such a lame¡­" ''Now!'' The distraction was successful, the gusts of wind I had been priming around me roiled around my body as an outburst of the air element occured behind, pushing my body forwards at crazy high speed. Wally smirked and evaded my attack. "I knew you would try something like that." He told me while smiling victoriously. I didn''t say anything, electing to stay silent and instead attacked once more. Say what you will about Kid Flash but he''s powerful. All speedsters are. We traded blows. My punches shadowing his as he stepped back and evaded direct body hits, knowing that would take him down easily. He used his speed quite efficiently as well that even at an expert level in Chi-blocking I couldn''t beat him easily. Anyone else from the team would be hard-pressed except for Superboy who could shrug off hits like they were mere love taps. I studied Kid''s movements as we fought. My foot whipped out into a round kick that he ducked under, sweeping my leg out in the process. I used a hand to stabilize myself on the ground and lashed out with the back of my foot grazing him on the shoulder while I jumped back to my feet. Wally winced and rolled his hand. "I''ll get you for that." I beckoned him with a hand. The next second a whirlwind picked up as Wally decided to go all out in the speed department. I felt hits snake around my guard and land on my body from many directions. Just like I''d wanted. I closed my eyes and spread out my senses. Due to Wally''s speed, the air was in a tumultuous state. My eyes were not yet powerful enough to keep up with a speedster but I had been trying something else to combat them. Taking advantage of my ability to seemingly adapt to anything, I decided to start sensing the vibrations in the air and try to reconfigure an image of the scene in my head, effectively seeing without my eyes. A knock off magic sense. "Did he just close his eyes?" Conner''s voice reached me as I concentrated outwards. The progress in that skill had been minimal before. Then I got sound as a sub-skill and the progress had shot through the roof. ''There.'' It wasn''t a clear picture but I felt a body move through the air in a fast speed towards me. The air vibrated around the moving form, giving me a somewhat clear picture of Wally''s movements. I slid to the side at the last minute while my foot snaked out and tripped my opponent. Wally slammed onto the ground and bounced out of the sparring floor. "Winner: Maelstrom." The computer announced. "Oh man!" "That makes it 5 wins for me and 2 for you, Wally." I gloated a little while giving him a hand. He grabbed it and jumped up. "Dude for a minute there, I felt this weird vibration all around me. That''s what distracted me." "A vibration huh?" Black Canary asked while coming towards us. I scratched my head and looked at her helplessly. She nodded, understanding I didn''t want anyone overhearing. "Ok guys. This wraps up the spar. On to the obstacle course. I want to see those personal records broken." She announced. The rest made their way to the course while Canary and I were left standing alone. "I felt the same thing Kid Flash did. My metagene allows me the ability to create ultrasonic soundwaves that can split apart organic or inorganic materials. That allows me to be highly sensitive to vibrations of that kind." She explained. "And the vibrations I felt coming off you were eerily similar." "It''s a new facet of my air elemental abilities. As my control over the element increases I find myself getting access to what I have termed as Sub-skills. The first was flight and recently, Sound." Canary whistled in appreciation. "That''s a nifty ability you have." I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. The problem is practicing them enough that I can incorporate each new Subskill into my fighting style efficiently without throwing the whole rhythm off." She nodded in understanding. "I think I understand. As a martial arts master, it wasn''t easy combining all those different set moves into a unified whole, where my body could instantly react to a blow without conflicting styles coming in the way. I have an idea." Hope bloomed in my chest. I had debated actually asking her for some lessons but here she was, about to do it herself. "I could show you some tips on how to control your sonic abilities." I smiled. "Thank you, I would appreciate that a lot." Learning From Black Canary ( Aden''s P.O.V) "So," Black Canary slapped her palms together. "Simple explanation, sound is produced when an object vibrates and transmits that vibration through a medium. Be it, air, liquid or solid at the speed of sound." She explained while I remained attentive, listening to her. The others had left the training room for the beach but I had elected to stay behind and take advantage of Black Canary''s offer to give me some tips. "My Canary cry can reach devastating levels that can not only be used to gravely injure someone but also kill them." Her face turned stern. "I''m telling you this to let you know the dangers of going overboard. Past a certain point, it stops being sound waves and becomes shockwaves. Strong enough to demolish concrete and liquidify organs." I nodded, knowing she was being serious. Her full power in the comics could reach 300 decibel. That''s more than the force of a nuclear bomb. At that level though, I think she would also die along with whatever she aimed the attack at. If I could master the ability to produce destructive hypersonic sounds like Black Bolt then¡­not many could stand in my way. I could truly be the strongest person on this version of the DC earth. Imagine having the power to produce nuclear bomb level shockwaves by a single action. Such an ability however would need to be a trump card of sorts. The question remaining is, what made me confident that I could reach Black Bolt''s level of sound manipulation? Simple¡­I had recently tested myself and found out my reserves didn''t deplete. The system refined energy from the blind realities then fed it to me. That line had never been exhausted. No matter how many wind constructs I had created what got exhausted first was my body. Couple that with my adaptive physiology and with enough time, I would be a scary foe to face. The Avatar System was effing OP. "Let me demonstrate with this sheet of metal." She lined up the sheet with one of the dummies and stepped back 10 meters away. "Now you can choose to make your sonic blasts concentrated for more focused damage or spread out in an area of effect attack." She opened her mouth and screamed. The air shuddered as invisible rings of vibration propagated from her mouth to land on the sheet. A circular hole appeared in the middle of the metal. Black Canary stopped and screamed again. This time the sound waves were bigger the further they travelled from her mouth. The metal sheet warped upon itself and was thrown away together with the dummy. "Wow." I said before I could help myself. "That''s some phenomenal control you have there." Canary placed a hand on her hip and smiled at my comment/compliment. "Years of practice. Alright, now it''s your turn." I held up my hands a little unsure. "I still don''t really understand how to trigger it. Sensing things through the vibrations in the air is the only thing I''ve managed so far." Canary nodded in understanding while holding her chin. "You have a point, your abilities don''t come from a metagene like mine do. They are just an extension of your air control. Tell you what, why don''t you go with your gut?" I looked at her a little speechless. "Go with my gut?" Shrugging Canary explained, "It''s your body. No matter what instructions I give you, your intuition and instinct is what will help you. Oftentimes when metas manifest their abilities, it''s because of distress. In such a highly emotional state your logical thinking takes a step back. There is no manual for this Aden. So trust your gut." I nodded, though a bit unconvinced. Another metal sheet was placed before me. I maintained the same distance that she had, roughly 10 meters and breathed in while focusing before me. I was a bit frustrated because Sound hadn''t come as easy as Flight. With flight, things were straightforward, feel the air and then manipulate it to carry you forwards. Easy peasy. Except... it wasn''t easy peasy. Atleast not if I tried to put it in exact terms or explain it to somebody. I hadn''t followed an instructional manual or learned it from someone else either, it''d just come to me. I felt like slapping myself after coming to the startling conclusion that I''d mastered Flight by exactly how Black Canary said, through instinct. I looked at the sheet of metal, emboldened. "Ok here goes nothing." I pulled at the energy that allowed me to control the elements and pictured a blast of sonic waves leaving my mouth to destroy the target before me. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. My head was thrown back as a sonic scream left my mouth, intense and uncontrolled. The sound blasts hit the ceiling above as and created cracks on the natural cave surface, throwing stones and dust away. I shut my mouth and looked up from my position on the ground in marvel. "Did¡­" My voice croaked as i felt a dryness in my mouth. "Wuh..her" I motioned to Black Canary who threw a bottle of water over at me. "Easy. Take it easy. The first time is always like that, but it gets better." I wiped my mouth and started laughing. "That was amazing¡­I followed my gut just like you told me and it worked." She patted me on the shoulder. "Well done. Also, Green Lantern will have your head for the damage, they spent a lot of time stabilizing the cave to ensure it didn''t fall on our heads." Black Canary told me cheekily, relishing the look of panic that crossed my face. "John wouldn''t, right?" John was a stern guy that reminded me of my grandpa who had also been in the military. Canary chuckled. "Don''t worry about it, I was just joking." I overplayed my relief making her smile some more. Canary had a pretty smile. I was also wondering why she was being so nice to me after I''d confronted Speedy Infront of everyone. Green Arrow sure hadn''t looked too happy and they were dating. I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts and turned to the intact metal sheet. I could almost feel it gloating at me. "Round two." (Hours Later- General P.O.V) Aqualad stepped out of the discreet out of service telephone booth and looked around. The gray sky of Gotham hung above his head and cast a depressing mood on the city. "I''ve never liked it here." Aqualad said out loud to himself, unaware he had an audience. "Don''t let Rob hear you say that. He''ll have a few choice words for Atlantis." Kid Flash unexpectedly spoke up from atop a dumpster. "Kid. Where is Robin and why did you two want to meet secretly away from the others?" Aqualad inquired from the yellow clad speedster. Kid Flash shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I''m in the dark like you. Biscuit?" He offered but Aqualad shook his head. Kid Flash took that as a signal to start munching. They silently made their way to an unusual meeting point, an abandoned doll factory from before Batman took down Dollmaker. It provided privacy because not even hardened criminals let alone the homeless wanted to go there. People said the place was infested with ghosts. Aqualad and Kid Flash soon found themselves on the roof of the building. "Where is¡­" Something detached from the wall and unfurled it''s cape, revealing Robin. "Were you followed?" Aqualad and Kid Flash stared at each other. "No." "I don''t know." They answered respectively. "What? I had to buy a snack from the store, someone definitely saw me, so I can''t be a hundred percent sure I was not followed." Kid Flash answered upon the look given to him by the Boy Wonder. "Robin, why did you call us here?" Aqualad asked changing the subject. Robin''s hands ran through the wrist computer on his right hand before looking up. "There, I surveyed all the cameras leading here. You weren''t followed. And to answer your question Kaldur, all this cloak and dagger stuff was necessary. I have reason to believe that Aden is hiding something huge from us. Something that could put not only the team but the whole world in danger." Kid Flash and Aqualad stared at the Boy Wonder in shock. "Robin, this isn''t a joke. Are you being serious?" "Yes Rob. We''ve had issues with Aden but that''s all in the past. Are you sure you''re not grasping at straws because of that?'' Kid Flash added to Aqualad''s question. "No. I''ve felt suspicious of him for some time now. Ever since he showed up out of nowhere when Batman and I were fighting Penguin''s men, his crazy power and how he seems to just keep on getting better and stronger, even his actions when he took the Blockbuster formula¡­Aden Strong is not who we think he is. And we are going to get the proof." ( Aden''s P.O.V) A light knock sounded on my door. Luckily I was just coming out of the shower. I turned down the volume of the music and went towards it, opening the door wide while drying my hair with the towel. "Oh hey Artemis." "Hey, can I...oh." She cut off her statement halfway, furiously blushing. "Please don''t do the weird cliche thing where you feel shy because I''m shirtless." I told her while rolling my eyes. "I''m not the one who came to open the door while half naked!" She shot back, scandalized. "So what was I supposed to do huh? Keep you waiting for 5 minutes?" I crossed my hands together, an action that emphasized my chest and Artemis almost fainted. I chuckled in amusement. Teasing people was fun. "I...uh...you''re...not...not that...hot..." She stammered. Ok, I''ve officially broken our resident archer. Batman''s gonna kill me. "You know what, I''m going to go put on something before you pass out completely. Come on in." I told her and left the door wide open. I threw on a black T-shirt which matched with the blue shorts I had on and looked back at Artemis who was studying my makeshift studio. "M''gann told me you make music and that you''re a great singer." I smiled. "She did?" Artemis nodded before bringing a finger to her chin in contemplation. "Then again, M''gann is probably the nicest person I know. She could be saying that to spare your feelings." "That''s...true I guess but..." I went closer to her and placed a hand on the guitar on the table behind her. Artemis gulped at the closeness. "Maybe I can prove to you just how good I am." An Unexpected Meeting part 1 (General P.O.V) Artemis gulped while trying her best to hide the loud and erratic beating of her heart. There was a hot boy, a really hot boy close to her. It wasn''t her first time being this close to a good looking boy before but¡­Aden was somehow different from the rest. He was quiet most times, funny when he wanted to but above all, real. She would be the first to admit that he was very attractive but¡­she couldn''t let him know that she was susceptible to his charms. She placed her palms onto his chest to push him away, but found herself fascinated with the rock hard yet pliable flesh. Artemis unconsciously squeezed, lost in admiration. She heard a throat being cleared and looked up at Aden, who had a lazy smile on his face and a raised eyebrow. "Sexual harassment is a thing you know." He said making Artemis stiffen in embarrassment. "I¡­ah¡­saw a lint on your¡­t shirt and was¡­ removing it for you. Nothing else!" Aden decided to spare her and nodded along. "Sure, let''s go with that." Artemis felt like wiping that smug smirk off his face with a punch or a kick or a¡­kiss. She pinched her thigh. ''Get it together!'' Aden reached out towards the guitar behind her and pulled back from Artemis'' personal space. Artemis breathed out a simultaneous sigh of relief and disappointment. Inside her mind, she raged at her hormones. The soft tones of a guitar playing pulled her out of her thoughts. Then Aden begun singing. Artemis found herself entranced by his voice and the lyrics flowing from his mouth. The song itself brought out intense emotions in her. "Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes But it''s the only thing that I know When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes It is the only thing makes us feel alive We keep this love in a photograph We made these memories for ourselves Where our eyes are never closing Hearts are never broken And time''s forever frozen, still So you can keep me Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans Holding me closer ''til our eyes meet You won''t ever be alone, wait for me to come home¡­" Aden''s soothing voice was enchanting. Artemis was amazed at how someone could possess such a great singing talent. The song was way different from what she had heard before. She walked as if in a trance towards the bed and sat beside him, her eyes never leaving his face and when he was done, Artemis finally accepted what she had been trying her hardest to ignore. She had a crush on Aden. (Aden''s P.O.V) I finished singing Photograph by Ed Sheeran and turned to my audience. I was a little confused by the far away look on her face and snapped my fingers to catch her attention. "Hey, sooo how was it?" I asked her. The ego boost was always welcome. "That was¡­That was really great Aden. You have a magical voice." "Thanks." I smiled at her. "I''ve been practicing really hard. Music speaks to me. When I''m feeling down, I just get my guitar and after playing something¡­all my worries melt away and I feel free." "I wish I had something that did the same for me." She said a little sad. " I envy you, Aden sometimes I wish I could just sink into something so deep that I forget¡­ everything else." I didn''t say anything, only nodding to let her express herself. "She is my sister." Artemis revealed. At my confused look, she sighed and continued. "Cheshire, she''s my sister." I of course already knew that but a look of surprise crossed my face. "Oh. I guess it makes sense why you asked me to let her go." Artemis turned to me, guiltily. "I am really sorry for putting you in such a position Aden. It''s just that the others¡­" "Wouldn''t have trusted you, if they knew that your sister was part of the bad guys. I know." She nodded and pulled her legs close to her body. Her voice was small as she continued, This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere."It''s not just her. My dad¡­he''s Sportsmaster. I heard that you guys captured him and you can''t imagine how relieved I was to know that¡­that he wasn''t out there anymore. That he wouldn''t keep on hurting people for selfish reasons." She wiped away a lone tear from her cheek and barked out a laugh, not looking my way. "You must think, I''m pretty pathetic. Two of my family members are villains and instead of following in their footsteps, I''m here with you guys playing hero." I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "No I don''t. I think it''s admirable. You chose to take a different path. A selfless path. A path that is really hard in a bid to do what you can to offset the actions of your fucking and sister. It''s fucking inspiring. You''re not playing a hero Artemis. To me, you are one." She was bewildered for a moment before a smile threatened to split her face in two. "Thank you. Thank you for not judging me harshly although that''s what someone else in your position would have done." I shrugged. "Trust me, the last person with the right to judge anyone is me. We all have our secrets, Artemis." I responded, intentionally being cryptic. She looked at me weirdly, before she realized what I was getting at. "Are you talking about your ''extra curricular activities? You know the underground fights?" She whisper shouted at me. "Why are you whispering like that?" I poked fun at her, whispering back. Artemis punched my shoulder and I chuckled. "You didn''t deny it. You know, the Underground fight thing." She relented making me sigh. "It was meant to be practice on how to handle my super strength." "So that''s why, you didn''t go all out in our fight from the start." Artemis added making me nod. "Due to my powers, it''s really hard for me to lower my strength completely. So when I''m in the ring, every move I make I try to back it up by skill and not brute force. It''s good practice to make sure I don''t injure someone while we''re superheroing." I explained, further adding, "Plus it''s really hard to get a no hold bars type of spar while training with the team." Artemis winced, no doubt recalling the pain from my fist landing on her belly the first time we fought. "You could have fooled me. That blow was hard." I laughed at her expression and apologized. We stayed like that for a few more minutes, just talking about ourselves. She opened up to me about her mom who was a former criminal along with her dad but was now stuck in a wheelchair. I told her about my fear of fucking up and disappointing those who believed in me and by the end of it all we had grown closer. "Look at the time. I should get going." She told me while getting up. "Thank you." She gestured around. "For all this. The talk, the singing. I really needed it." I got up, placing the guitar back on my bed. "No worries. What are friends for?" She cocked her head and tried to tease me. "Friends? My oh my, aren''t you moving a little too fast?" "I''m not the one who''s leaving my room at 9 o''clock. If anyone sees you, what do you think they''ll say?" The resident archer''s face went red. "That''s¡­ that''s not¡­ Goodnight!" She opened the door and escaped closing it behind her with a bang. I listened to her walk away before the smile slipped off my face. Artemis had come here to tell me about Cheshire in hopes that I would sympathize with her sob story. It wasn''t quite manipulation but I wonder what would have happened that day had I decided not to let Cheshire go. I cut off that train of thought and looked at the time, confirming once more that it was near 10 o''clock. Tonight was the night I had decided to go to L.A and hit some of it''s underground fights. I changed my clothes into a black hood, jeans and a mask which went to my pocket then left my room silently. My feet padded the halls of the cave softly until I arrived before the Zeta boom tube and used it. I had done extensive research on the differences between my version of L.A and this one and the truth was that they were very different. Probably, as a consequence of the impact of a superhuman society. A nostalgic feeling overcame me as I breathed in the L.A air, the Zeta boom tube emptied out into a street that was fortunately near a nightclub that hosted underground illegal fights for the wealthy and influential. The name of the nightclub was Sunset Blooms. It had been a bitch and a half to get that information by the way because the fights were brutal. I''m talking death and grievous injuries brutal. There were two parts of entry to the nightclub. One was the main entrance for those people out to have a good time, unaware of the frankly dark shit going on under their feet and the other were part of the darker side of the city. The ones with a unique taste. A taste for violence. It was strangely comforting to see the darker sides of the city were still the same. I made my way towards the back entrance and tapped 4 consecutive times on the iron door. The door opened after I gave a unique phrase to the guy manning it. A guy who had a gun strapped to his hip, which further cemented the fact that I was in the right place. I went down the stairs as a loud cheering got louder and louder with every step until finally I found myself in a crowded space with people surrounding a ring. A ring that was wet with blood. (Elsewhere - General P.O.V) In the continuity that Aden was familiar with¡­''He'' left his post a year from now in 2011. Having decided to retire from the fiery pits and indulge himself in the pleasures of the human world. However in this continuity, ''He'' got tired of hell much earlier and so¡­the Devil, Lucifer himself left for earth and as a consequence, nothing would ever be the same again. An Unexpected Meeting part 2 (General P.O.V) An alert appeared on the Batcomputer''s screen. Batman clicked on it and narrowed his eyes. Someone had used the Zeta Tubes in the cave to go to a non-prioritized zone, Los Angeles. He accessed the surveillance footage to find out who it was while having his suspicions already. "Maelstrom." The Dark Knight found he was right on the mark when he saw Aden dressed in a baggy hoodie use the Zeta tubes moments after Artemis did the same and leave for Gotham. The Dark Knight could already guess why Aden had decided to go to L.A. Truth be told, he''d expected it. sooner or later, the displaced teen would feel the urge for some semblance of familiarity and going to his city of origin despite it being just an alternate of the real Los Angeles would provide it. Batman decided to take a wait and see approach. Something he had been doing a lot these days. He just hoped that he would get the answers he was looking for soon. As the world''s greatest detective, it bothered him that he didn''t have all the cards. (Aden''s P.O.V) I cracked my knuckles as my first match began. The floor was sleek with blood as mentioned earlier and as I stepped forward, a scanning device washed over me to test for the meta-human gene. Call it bloody, ruthless and dangerous but the match executives tried to make it fair. I eyed the device with a critical eye. It wasn''t sleek like Lexcorp equipment and neither was it efficiently made like Wayne tech products either. If anything, it looked constructed out of poor materials. Like a prop you would expect from a 80''s sci-fi B-movie. A smile split my face into two, clearly the work of a genius. Building something that could read deep into a target''s body and see if they have the meta-gene in their d.n.a wasn''t something just anyone could do. Regarding the poor make of the whole thing, it meant that that person was severely lacking in funding. That meant they could be recruited. The device beeped an all clear and let me through. I didn''t have a meta gene and I wasn''t an alien so it made sense I had been let through. Now if the device worked by studying the density of a target''s muscle tissues or esoteric energy readings¡­that might have been a problem. "I am going to break your bones and suck the marrow in them!" My first opponent threatened, much to the uproar of the crowd. These people loved mayhem and were looking forward to one of us breaking the other. I took a second to study him. He was dressed in ripped jeans that had poorly washed bloodstains on them. Showing one, he had a poor sense of hygiene and two, this wasn''t his first rodeo. His teeth were serrated, making his ugly face look even more menacing. Couple that with his crooked nose and you get, a 6,6 foot behemoth who literally ate people for breakfast; based on his choice of words. I cracked my neck and unzipped the hood, leaving me in a black T-shirt, a matching pair of shorts and my mask that I had designed to look really cool. It had webs crossing it''s length in a spiderman suit theme. There was a chime and the match officially begun. Instantly, my whole demeanor changed. There was no backing down from this fight and I couldn''t afford to get blind-sided by not taking it seriously. The Monster, believe it or not that was his moniker, advanced towards me with his hands apart and his tongue licking his serrated teeth. Someone else would have taken him for a joke but the fact that he had survived countless fights and was in this establishment that catered for the rich and powerful showed there was more to it. I studied him again, while we circled each other. His foot shifted to the front slightly and there! I saw it, his stance was stable and his back muscles were probably ready to push him forward in great momentum. This guy was trained. And sure enough, I saw a fast punch headed towards my belly. An attack that anyone else except for someone good would have failed to block. I parried the blow to the side, pulled in close and chopped my palm onto his neck, cutting the blood flow to his brain. He stumbled back and took a knee to the blood soaked floor. I didn''t grant him any respite and my leg whipped out, catching him right on the side of the head with my foot and sending him to the ground. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The Monster passed out. There was a brief silence before the Crowd went crazy. "Kill! Kill! Kill!" I looked around in great surprise. Are they serious? Turning my attention to my opponent, I found him unconscious and helpless on the floor. How can they ask me to do something so deplorable? I raised my hand and prompted them to keep quiet. Once the crowd of hundreds of people was silent, I spoke up. "I do not kill. Will not kill." "Boo! booo! $^it! F*ck you! A litany of insults was thrown my way as I left the cage. My surprise turned into anger. How many people have died here due to these people. It was fine with me if you break bones but killing those who were out of the fight or didn''t deserve it rubbed me the wrong way. Of course I knew I would have to kill eventually. The changes I wanted to bring about couldn''t be done without a few truly evil villains dying. But senseless killing wasn''t something I would condone. That''s why when the booing and cries of ''kill'' didn''t end, I decided on something someone else would call hypocritical. I was going to shut down this whole thing and steal their money. (Unknown P.O.V) "Maze dear, you feel that? The stench of a greedy little pig, so far away from home." A tall and very handsome man dressed in a Tuxedo said to his companion. The man had black wings unfurled behind his back and a majestic aura surrounding his form. His companion on the other hand was a devilishly hot female. She was dressed in all leather and had a glint of menace and killer charm glowing in her eyes. She cocked her head to the side while looking down at the Sunset Bloom nightclub in a little interest. They were both standing on the roof of the building opposite the establishment. "I''ve always wondered where that piece of hellhound crap, Galiel was. I was even looking forward to hunting him down and¡­slowly slicing the skin from his bones." She stated while sliding her finger along the length of the sharp looking dagger. The handsome man laughed. "You''re still mad at him even after 3 millenia I see." He commented while sparing his servant/ former lover/ best friend a glance. Mazikeen snorted. "Isn''t it the same for you Lucifer? He abandoned his post." The now named gentleman shrugged his shoulders and answered smoothly. "It''s a matter of principle. You on the other hand are making it personal. This is the human world Maze, I urge you to exercise a little bit of¡­ restraint. We don''t want the same debacle with Hitler now do we?" Maze rolled her eyes. "Oh please¡­just because I gutted him and stringed him up by his entrails, you all can''t seem to forget that can you." "Maze¡­ I''m The Bloody Devil and I understand eternal damnation and suffering but that¡­that was just brutal." Maze spared him a smile. "But you loved it." Lucifer sighed and matched the devilish smirk on his partner''s face. "I did. That said, I don''t want to announce our presence too early. Otherwise Father might decide to send one of my brothers to come and ''run interference'' before I corrupt his precious pet project. Not that they need any corrupting, free will has done that splendidly." "Fine. You''re no fun today. Woke up on the wrong side of bed?" Maze teased to which he ignored and focused his attention on the nightclub before him. They would need a base of operations and a place such as this, filled with debauchery and the smell of sin was fitting¡­for him, he supposed. The fact that a former resident of hell, a demon by the name Galiel who had escaped hell a few millenia ago was the owner just sweetened the deal. "Hey Maze what do you say we crash a party?" "I thought you''d never ask. Galiel is mine." (Aden''s P.O.V) I made my way towards the locker room . I didn''t make eye contact with anyone and opened the door to the bathroom. I looked at myself on the mirror of the dimly lit room and breathed out. This wasn''t going the way I thought it would. I couldn''t stomach the thought of going back onto that ring again. Something was messed up in this place. It was clear. much clearer now. The air itself was more oppressive inside this whole establishment than outside. I couldn''t quite put a finger on it but a malevolent aura pervaded the whole place. I wasn''t unsure about my decision to shut this place down now. Infact, how about I start with the couple of idiots coming my way? The door to the bathroom opened and in walked Dumb and Dumber. Two generic men dressed in tight black shirts and trousers. They weren''t normal either. A barely detectable scent of blood clung to them in a miasma that just screamed wrong. "Is it a requirement for you to be big, ugly and dumb to work here?" I asked them, opening the tap and lightly washing my hands. My face scrunched up in distaste. Even the water was kind of murky. The first of the men ran his eyes up and down my form, a sickening and hungry smile appeared on his face as he started to talk. "You''re coming with us. The boss wants to see you. See what''s behind the mask. Maybe understand what makes you think you''re better than the rest and why you won''t kill." The boss. That was... actually great. If I could get to him then I could take this whole thing down starting from the top. I turned to Dumb and Dumber. "Ok, what are we waiting for then? Let''s go." An Unexpected Meeting part 3 (Aden''s P.O.V) I followed one of the two men out of the washroom silently. The other one was behind me to make sure I didn''t decide to run. Which would have been the smart thing to do had I known what was to come. Unfortunately, I didn''t. We weaved through throngs of people before using the stairs to go up to the V.I.P viewing section. A few people pointed at me in distaste while the majority were focused on the fight happening between two women in the cage. One of them looked like a wrestler while the other moved with the grace of a cat. I narrowed my eyes, I could recognize the league of shadow''s training in her. Interesting. Dumber pushed my shoulder from the back. "Keep moving before I drag you there by your balls." His rancid breath made me scrunch up my nose in distaste. "There''s a little something called personal Space dickhead." My elbow shot backwards and caught him on the Solar Plexus. Dumber wheezed in pain and stepped back but remained standing which greatly shocked me. The blow wasn''t at full power but still¡­ Anyone else would have already passed out. Yet he remained standing showing that he was strong or better yet, abnormal just as I had suspected. A gun dug onto the skin above my kidney. I stared at the goon who had been ahead of me. "You think you''re hotshit? Don''t try that again if you know what''s good for you." He intimidated me. "Wow, a lackey that can snark back. I''ve seen it all now." Dumb used the gun to push me towards the door without commenting. Got to give it to him, he was very patient. Two guards were standing on the sides of the door, looking intimidating and dangerous. One of the two men leading me stepped up. "Lord Galiel requested to see this man." The guards didn''t comment but merely opened the door for me. Instantly, the smell of rotten eggs, blood and sulphur wafted out, making me stiffen and go on guard. "Move. I won''t tell you again." I stepped through with Dumb following closer to me and found myself in a very classy room. The furniture probably cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and a huge tv screen was mounted on the wall, showing the fights happening on the ring in real time. The room had a balcony where someone could actually look down and see the fight from up here. No mistaking it, this guy was the boss indeed. I took time to study the man and found him to be less than impressive. He was fat. His huge belly protruding out of the red robe he wore. His nails were clean at least but his teeth were yellowed and rotten. He seemed to stand at just below 6 feet with matted black hair and pale skin. On the table before him, was a white substance and a rolled up dollar bill. One of the men pulled me down to a kneeling position like he and his partner to show respect but I stayed upright, not budging an inch. "Kneel you fucking idiot!" The gun dug into my side some more but I showed no intention of following the order. Galiel raised up a hand and the goon went silent after muttering an apology. Galiel ignored us, using the dollar bill to snort the cocaine on the table. Meanwhile, I looked around some more and saw a peculiar painting with a few scuff marks on the sides of the wall it was placed on and muttered, ''bingo.'' I''d found the safe. "You are not normal." Galiel''s voice was gruff and deeper than I had expected. He levelled a cold stare at me and motioned for the seat opposite him on the other side of the table. I went forward, pulled out the chair and sat on it before crossing my hands on my chest. "Neither are you." Galiel''s eyes widened minutely. "Interesting." Then he added with a wave of his hand. "Leave us." The guy I had hit with my elbow earlier didn''t seem to like the sound of that. He stared at me with fury in his eyes. "Master, I beg of you to let me kill him after you''re done..." His partner looked suddenly afraid as he moved a bit further away from him. "You fool." He whispered low but just enough for my superior senses to pick up. "You dare to defy me?" The air in the room changed. Faster than I could react to, a blood red circle manifested on the floor below the guy, who had now just realized he''d fucked up and flashed yellow. Before he had the chance to do anything, an explosion of fire swallowed him fully. A blackened skeleton fell to the ground and shattered into ash. My hands tightened on the arm rest while I calmly tried to still my beating heart. That fire whatever it was¡­was hot. It was hot enough that I felt I wouldn''t survive having my whole body exposed to it despite my toughened skin. Maybe I was a little bit too hasty coming here. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Hell fire." He explained, " A little something I brought with me from home." He smiled slowly, waiting to see my reaction. "Mmh." I hummed, denying him a glimpse into my real thoughts. Inwardly though, my mind was in turmoil at the revelation. So this guy was a demon. Or at least claiming be one. This world was much much stranger than I thought it would be. Galiel snapped his finger. "Get our guest a drink. The special kind." He ordered while staring at me. This time his look changed to a disturbingly greedy one. Dumb looked unsure for a bit but after remembering the death of Dumber, he hurried up to follow his master''s orders, probably wary of meeting the same fate as his partner. "I don''t believe I have properly introduced myself. I''m Galiel, businessman extraordinare, collector of fine¡­ specimens and an amicable boss." I spared a glance at the blackened layer of soot at the irony of his statement. "You forgot Pyromaniac." He laughed at my words. "You''re funny. I like that. However¡­you need to know when to shut your mouth, brat." A heavy feeling fell upon my shoulders. It felt like telekinesis or some kind of energy, maybe magic? It wasn''t to farfetched based on the fact, he just fried a man to ashes. Fortunately, it wasnt anything too oppressive but I still groaned and sank into my seat all the same. I didn''t want him to know I could shrug off his power with barely any effort. This had turned from a simple robbery into something else. I needed to know if I was looking at a full scale demon invasion and why the Justice League or other affiliated heroes didn''t know about what was going on here. "Who¡­are¡­you?" I bit out. Galiel rose up from his seat just as a goblet of a black substance was placed before me. "The better question would be what I am. And that my soon to be underling is an opportunist." He went over to the balcony overlooking the fight happening downstairs. "Human souls are infinite batteries of energy. That''s why most of my¡­kind covet them. However, what they all fail to see is the vitality you all possess. Not much when compared to other species but humanity has them all beat on two fronts. One, your resilience in the face of dire straits makes your life force undergo a qualitative change and two, the fact that you fuck and breed like rabbits!" The demon started laughing uproariously. "That gives me an endless resource of mortal life force. Life force that I can then refine and turn into Power. Power that I can then use to pay back¡­" He stopped suddenly. "That''s none of your concern. No, you are here for something a bit more¡­ different." I strained showing him that I was still under the effects of his power. "You see¡­I lack talented fighters. Effective ones infact. Ever since the 20th century picked up with industrial and telecommunications growth, hiding my involvement in large scale human deaths has become a rather tedious affair. These days, underground fight rings like these are the only way I can act without drawing attention from the supernatural side of things." He came over to my seat and sat on the table. "Magicians are pesky little shits who poke their noses where they don''t belong. Superheroes are no better either. So take this as an interview¡­I can sense a strength in you. Your life force is much greater than any human I''ve ever seen before. With you, I won''t have to fear their interference and then I can act freely. You are my investment!" He held my chin and turned me forcefully towards him. The goblet containing the black liquid appeared on his other hand. "This will elevate you to the level needed to take on anyone. Even the big blue boy scout!" He finished happily. I still had my reservations but¡­this was basically a free power up. But first, I needed to know what it was. "What ish it?" I asked awkwardly, my jaw still in his hand. "Hush! My minion and drink up." "Wait." He brought the goblet up to my mouth but the look of anticipation on his face changed when my hand came up and held his wrist. He cried out as I squeezed it painfully. My other hand took the goblet from him and placed it on the table. The skin of his left hand flaked off to reveal a scaly arm and huge claws. He swiped the dangerous looking claws towards me but a quick tap on the elbow and the hand went slack, uselessly hanging from his body. "Who are you!?" Galiel shouted, fear coloring his voice. I sneered at him. "First of all, you talk to much. Secondly, I said wait you idiot. You were going to forcefeed me some shitty looking liquid without even explaining what it was." I increased the pressure on his palm making him cry out some more. "Do you know who I am!" I landed a slap on his jaw careful not to dislocate it for my next question but hard enough to show I wasn''t playing around. "What''s that liquid made of?" He stared me in defiance and started laughing. "I have been the cause of the fall of so many civilizations brat, you think you can threaten me to say anything?!!!" The door banged open and a group of guards appeared. "Men! Open fire!" Dumb gave the order. I really need to stop calling him that. His lack of hesitation showed he had some brains. After all, I am fucking dangerous. I opened my mouth and produced a Sonic blast at them. The concussive waves of sound threw them all back out into the hallway and shattered the doors into wooden chips. The wall surrounding the door had small cracks running up it as well. The crowd below started panicking and running away. Meanwhile I turned towards Galiel and saw the wide eyed look on his face. "What are you?" The reply came fast. "Special." An Unexpected Meeting part 4 (Aden''s P.O.V) "Now." I punctuated my statement by stomping on his leg and breaking it. Galiel groaned in pain but otherwise kept silent. I felt a brief surge of respect for his resilience before remembering what he was. "I won''t ask you again. What''s in the goblet?" Clearly I wasn''t going to get through to him. Centuries had no doubt tempered his will to the level where a little pain just wouldn''t cut it. That said, I wasn''t worried about his retaliation through the explosion of hell fire from before because of how close he would be. If he activated the spell or whatever it was, even he would be blasted to Kingdom come. So it was time to change tactics. I crouched next to him and brought my mouth close to his ears. "I wonder what would happen if I informed Zatara of the presence of a demon who''s been the cause of countless deaths and mayhem across history." Galiel''s eyes widened in panic. "No you can''t." I smiled and continued. "Zatara likes to stack the odds in his favor so he would most likely come prepared and with some super back up. The League kind." I dug my fingers onto his shoulders and stared at him even more intensely. "You would lose the fight. No question about it. And that would result in you getting deported back to hell¡­and from your earlier words, that''s worse than a death sentence." Galiel was shivering non-stop by then. "Ok. Ok¡­ I''ll tell you." He stammered out, the image of the defiant and stubborn demon from earlier completely gone. "The Goblet¡­contains refined metahuman essence. I use the devices outfitted on both ends of the ring to detect metas and then afterwards¡­kill and drain them of their vitality." I sucked in a deep breath. So¡­it wasn''t to make the matches fair. It was a means to hunt down ability wielders. "Why? Why target them specifically?" I asked him the question, already suspecting what he would say. "Quality. Human life force is not as potent as other races. That changes when the meta gene is introduced. Think of it as an elevator straight to the top floors." He smiled nastily. "And I''m usually there to welcome them like a good host." My hand applied pressure to his clavicle and snapped it. Galiel shouted at the unexpected pain. He spared me a hate filled gaze that I ignored. "You deserved that and you know it." I commented on the broken clavicle. "Next question, how many metahumans have you killed so far?" He clenched his jaw refusing to talk. "You know¡­I have Zatara on speed dial." He looked at me skeptically, making me laugh. "Ok that''s a lie. But trust me, getting him here is a simple matter of making a single call. You wanna try me?" Galiel huffed in frustration. "Fine. Metahumans are rare. But occasionally one or two find their way to me. I cannot tell you the collect number but it''s less than 5." Less than 5 my black ass. Galiel was a demon. A demon''s whole shtick was lying. Ipso facto Galiel was lying to me. Trying to downplay it. "Last question. What will happen if I drink it?" By now, almost everyone had cleared out but I could feel that something wasn''t quite right. Where were Galiel''s men? I had blown back Dumb and the group from earlier but I knew that none of them had truly died. So what was the hold up? I have to finish this quickly, get the money and skedaddle. A glint of interest appeared on Galiel''s face as he ran a curious eye around my form. "To be completely honest, I don''t know. The ones who have gone through the process before you, awakened Meta genes but their powers were either weak or incompatible with their bodies. so I changed things up a little and introduced¡­something else into the mix. So this is not like the previous versions. It''s...untested." I narrowed my eyes at that. That sounds familiar. "I''ve only had one successful meta with a useful ability and their power¡­" At this point his smile was back. "Needs to be handled with delicate care. After all, it is oh so useful." I narrowed my eyes. "The meta gene scanning devices. The one who made them is that meta, isn''t it? Probably someone with a technology intuitive ability. They were made shoddily... taking inspiration from Lexcorp, Wayne and many other companies involved with superhuman response, support and detainment tech. " Galiel''s look of shock was priceless. I felt a brief surge of pride course through me at the lucky guess. It was a farfetched guess but Galiel struck me as the kind of perso...sorry, demon, who would use every advantage he got. So based on that fact alone...of course he would see the potential of someone with the ability to Mish mash tech and create useful devices from poor materials. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation."How? How do you know that?! Did Ra''s Al Ghul send you?!! That bastard! We had a deal! " At the name drop, everything clicked. Ra''s Al Ghul was part of the light. The light had access to Kobra-venom and the original Blockbuster formula. I spared a look at the goblet once more. Galiel had said that this batch of meta essence was different from the usual one. It wouldn''t be a stretch to think that...he could have mixed it with Kobra-venom or blockbuster. I mean the Light had done it already. Who says they wouldn''t do so again? That said, I wasn''t going to use it now. That would be dumb and pointless despite having access to an ability that ensured nothing would change with my body. More study needed to be done on the...what should I call it? Oh yeah, how about The Meta-trigger? It''s simple and precise. I looked around for a container of sorts and my eyes landed on an empty whiskey bottle. Not the ideal container but desperate times call for desperate measures. I turned my attention back to Galiel who was still furious about Ra''s Al Ghul''s supposed betrayal. I wasn''t going to correct him though. Villains going at each other''s throat was fine with me. What I was more interested in was the Meta, Galiel had commissioned to build the Metahuman scanning devices. "Where are you keeping them? The meta who made those devices. Tell me and maybe just maybe we can renegotiate on whether I''ll let you go or not." "Fuck you." Here we go again. (General P.O.V) Maze contemplated on following after Lucifer as he made his way towards the front door of the establishment but decided not to. She was more comfortable in the darkness. Millenia spent being the boogeyman to the sinners in hell had ensured that the shadows were a favorite place. Not because of the concealment factor but because of the philosophical nature of it all. People fear what they don''t know. That fear...was deliciously satisfying when drawn out and intensified through a touch of mystery and suspense. With that she used the backdoor to infiltrate. Unseen and unheard except for the guard propped up on the wall with a slit throat. Lucifer never said anything about killing a single human. He''d said to keep their steps light and influence minimal. At least until they had their bearings right. To be honest, Maze didn''t see much point in all of this. If you ask her, whatever the Boss was after on earth... she was skeptical he would find it here. The city was... sufficiently dark but not to the level of a few others. Plus the Superpowered community would also be a problem if they crossed paths with them. Maze however was confident in Lucifer. He was the damned Devil for crying out loud. His power was unfathomable. It didn''t matter if he was currently suppressed to just above human in terms of strength. Maze''s eyes lit up in a little interest as throngs of people started making their way outside the room while panicking. She pushed through the crowd and found herself before a cage that had patches of blood on the floor. Her eyes quickly ignored that to watch a contingent of guards ran up the staircase towards the V.I.P section. "Galiel." She muttered in excitement. ''I''ll have to thin out the herd before he and I have a...long overdue family reunion.'' she thought to herself and took a leap. Using her superhuman agility, Maze grabbed the frame of the staircase and hoisted herself up. She landed halfway to the top of the Stairs and started going up. Suddenly, the foundations of the rooms shook following a huge explosion of sound. Maze stepped back just as the guards from earlier were blown back out of the room at the end of the hallway. She narrowed her eyes at the groaning men and stepped over them. Knocking out those who were about to get up. Her hand shot out to block a stone like limb from one of the men with her dagger. There was a loud ting! sound following the clash and Maze flipped backwards to study her opponent. The man did not look injured despite the massive attack from before. His right hand grabbed the remains of his tight t-shirt and shredded it from his upper body. "Are you with that guy? Answer me bitch!" He shouted and got mad when Maze cocked her head to the side in puzzlement. "Fine. Don''t talk...I like it that way." He licked his lips while running this perverted eyes down her body. Maze sneered. He would pay for that disgusting look. His skin turned to stone to resemble the hand he had used to block Maze''s dagger with. The man stepped forward with a cry and threw a punch. Maze ducked under his arms and snaked her way up his body. Her legs locked around his neck in a tight grip. Maze twirled her two daggers and then dug them through her opponent''s eyes. The man staggered with a shout of pain and knelt on the ground while spasming. Maze pushed them in deeper and a second later, the man''s dead body fell onto the ground. Maze didn''t spare a look at him and simply turned to stare at dozen more guards who had surrounded her. The elevator from the main floor of the nightclub opened, revealing Lucifer. Getting inside had been a breeze. He had even taken the time to tour the place. Lucifer was thinking of turning this underground section into a cellar. However he didn''t see a point in changing the business. From what he had seen, the nightclub was successful. What he would change however was the name. He was thinking of calling it...Lux. The sound of battle pulled him out of his thoughts. He smiled in amusement at the scene of Maze being surrounded by over a dozen of Galiel''s men. Someone else would be worried for her but he knew that the ones at a disadvantage were the lackeys. ''Looks like she is enjoying herself.'' An Unexpected Meeting Final Part ( General P.O.V) ( 2 days ago) The reporter looked professional despite the destruction showing in the background. He looked at the camera man and straightened out his tie to prepare himself to go live. "And we''re on in 3, 2, 1." The signal was given and the Reporter''s face turned grim. His voice was smooth and even, delivering concise and precise sentences in a tone that forced you to listen intently. "The mass destruction caused by the Terror twins continues. Earlier today, The two twins found themselves in an altercation with the Flash after attempting to rob priceless gems. They managed to escape but the Scarlet Speedster was able to retrieve the stolen gems..." A picture showing two blonde twins, a girl and a boy appeared on the screen next to the image of the reporter. Lex Luthor placed the glass of wine back onto the table while humming in interest. His gaze stared at the two twins in thought before a small smile appeared on his face. "Brutes whose powers are predominantly Super Strength with a below average intelligence level. No other outstanding qualities. Their personalities make them out to be brash and metas who mostly rely on their strength for everything. They are perfect to test ''him.'' " He sipped his wine before abruptly getting up from his seat. He walked forward slowly towards the balcony of his pent house and stopped, looking out over the city. A flash of red and blue cut through the air a ways off into the distance. Superman. Lex had only spotted him out of luck. Luthor sneered at the retreating figure of the Man of Steel. "Soon. Soon, you will reveal to the world what you really are. The folly of them treating you like a god shall be your ultimate undoing. And when that happens, when you get tired of hiding behind false morals, that will be the time that humanity no longer has a need for you. When that time comes, the gloves are off, Superman. Mark my words." Luthor retreated back into his penthouse. There was a young Caucasian woman dressed in a formal suit standing next to his table. A small smile appeared back on Lex''s face. "My compliments to the chef, Mercy but I believe that''s enough shrimp for the night." He stretched out his arms to the sides and Mercy dutifully dressed him in his black tuxedo jacket. Lex straightened out his suit and buttoned up the Jacket. "Right now, we have somewhere else to be." (Aden''s P.O.V) Ok..It''s official. I''m bad at the interrogation thing. No matter what I did¡­Galiel refused to break and give me the information I wanted. I had already wasted too much time here. I wanted to be gone before anonymously giving a tip to the supernatural experts on the shit that had been going on here. I looked into the eyes of the demon and saw spite. I¡­I also felt dirty. His face was bruised. Teeth loose and nose broken. It was as if something primal had been born inside me and I couldn''t stop myself from messing him up. I looked at the blood in my knuckles and swallowed the fear that something had changed within me. I''ve always known that my hands wouldn''t be clean. Especially given what I intended to do. To truly bring change to this world¡­it had to reach the point where Superheroes were no longer needed and to reach that point, I had to make sure that Supervillains were stopped. The ones who could change would be redeemed and the ones who couldn''t would die. It was the mission I had given myself due to the knowledge I had. The knowledge that ensured I knew a person better than even themselves due to studying their character and even alternate selves back in my old world. It sounds dumb and misguided. What made me think I had the power to impose my opinion onto others? To be truly honest¡­I wanted nothing more than to hole myself up in my uncle''s studio and make music like before. Not having to stress about things like saving the world or crap like that. But I couldn''t. The path I planned to walk would no doubt create enemies for me but I was ready for that. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Which is why, I couldn''t falter. Not now or ever. My hand rose up while I stared at the groaning mess of the demon before me. More of his human skin had slouched off, revealing black scales across his body. A sheath of twisting wind appeared, covering my hand. I didn''t look away. Galiel''s eyes widened and he scrambled to get up but I had used chi blocking on all of his limbs so he floundered in place. "Damn you, Human!" He bit out, the words were barely recognizable however. "I won''t pretend to be the good guy. Taking a life whether that person deserves it or not is something that taints you." My jaw clenched. " But to ensure more people are not hurt, that is a sacrifice I am willing to make. Goodbye, Galiel." My hand came down onto his chest and speared through his torso. Blackened blood burst out of his mouth and landed on my mask and clothes. They smoked as they melted from the acid like blood. I used my other hand to remove the mask. The wind attack sliced apart his internal organs from within, leaving a bloody mess on the ground. Galiel''s eyes showed fear as he tried to mutter something. His blood flowed onto the carpet floor and neatly arranged itself into a pentagram. I quickly jumped backwards just as a blast of hell fire burst out of the pentagram below Galiel''s body. "No! Dammit!" A sudden voice cut through the air, followed by a knife aimed towards my head. I ducked the attack, remotely registering the dull thunk! Of the projectile as it dug itself onto the wooden closet behind me. A woman walked calmly inside while twirling a dagger on her right hand. She was beautiful. She was also eerily familiar. "You stole my kill. You shouldn''t have done that. I''m not the sharing type." Fuck. That voice, the leather, the danger quality, sinfully sensual body, the daggers, L.A and Galiel''s demonic presence. I''m talking to Maze. My eyes widened. And if I''m talking to Maze¡­that means Lucifer is also not far behind. Shit. I cannot deal with this crap. Not now. Why the fuck is she even here! This is Young Justice! Not the Arrow-verse! "Cat got your tongue? No worries, I like the silent type. They always make the most beautiful sound when I cut them up." She stepped up and kicked a small stool towards me. The furniture sailed through the air and separated into two parts from a hasty swipe of my hand. Unfortunately, I lost sight of Maze. I used my new subskill to sense fluctuations in the air and rolled away from the dagger coming down at me from the top. How had she gotten up to the ceiling so fast?! The Maze I know is not this strong. Her punch slammed onto my guard and I was thrown back onto the wall of Galiel''s office. Cracks appeared on it along with an imprint of my body. I evaded another dagger aimed at my heart by suddenly doing a split. She jumped forward but I performed a windmill that transitioned into a back spin, hitting her with a blast of wind and throwing her away. The blast pushed away the table and made the papers on top of it fly. Maze grunted once she landed, looking surprised and ready to jump in to the fight. "Wait! This is all a misunderstanding! I''m not with him." I told her with my hands raised up. I didn''t want to start a fight I couldn''t finish which was especially true for this one. She cocked her head to the side. "So you do talk?" I chuckled nervously looking out for ''him''. "When I have something to say." Maze stood up from her slightly crouched position and started walking around me. "What was that attack? Are you one of these...super humans?" My gaze never left hers and my senses were on high alert. "Something like that. What about you? You don''t look like you''re from here." She smirked. "Something like that." There was a brief silence then she cocked her chin towards Galiel''s remains. "Why did you kill him? And how can you remain so calm about it? The first kill is always the hardest. For anyone" I started subtly moving towards the small table where the goblet had been placed, while forcing myself to act calm. Luckily, I had already transferred the Meta-trigger inside to a whiskey bottle. Her words struck a cord inside me. She was right. I was eerily calm for someone who had just taken another life. No not calm...composed. My hands were slightly shaking which made me realize that it was composure. I had already made up my mind. This was just a result of my strong conviction. But her words made me curious. "How did you know that this is my first time killing someone?" Instead of Maze answering, a deep silky smooth voice did. "It''s a trait exclusive to the best of the Lilims. The ability to sense sins. Before Maze, your true self is laid bare." Oh no. I looked towards the source of the voice and marveled in wonder. He was... distractingly handsome. I''m a completely straight guy if my sexuality has ever come into question but...wow. This guy, makes me feel as if I''m staring at the combination of every woman''s wet dream. He was sinfully, badly and evilly attractive. My heart hammered in fear. I hadn''t felt his presence. Even through my senses, particularly the disturbance in the air...I still hadn''t sensed him. What. The. Actual. Fact?! I backed away warily. I needed to get out of there. "I see you took your time." Maze commented while twirling a curved dagger. "I had to. It would be remiss of me to not tour my new premises now wouldn''t it? I have even thought of an apt name." He spread out his hands. Every action he did, registered as glorious to my mortal mind. "What do you think of...Lux." He finished with a flourish. "Lux?" Maze hummed, a finger on her chin. "I like it. Plus the irony is just like you." "Yes. It''s quite fitting." Lucifer looked around and frowned at the state of the room before zeroing in on Galiel''s remains. "Maze why is there a pentagram on the floor? I thought we talked about this. No shenanigans before we settle down." He snapped his finger and it was like time reversed. The disarrayed room, smashed tables and glasses, cracks on the wall... everything was fixed and when he was done, The Lightbringer, first of the fallen turned his attention back to me. "Now what should we do with you, I wonder." A Deal With The Actual Devil (Aden''s P.O.V) A thin trail of sweat fell down my back. My whole body was on high alert. I felt a pressure unlike anything else weigh down on my very core. Our eye contact ended when I was forced to lower my eyes from his own. "Interesting." The handsome man said, studying me curiously. My back was to the balcony. I could make a run for it. Maybe even with the Meta-trigger. It was close to me after all. I could distract them with a full powered wind blast. Nothing held back maybe¡­ "You''re not normal are you?" A voice said from my back. My eyes blinked and I realized¡­he was behind me. I know it''s exhausting to keep on saying this but¡­I hadn''t felt even the slightest bit of disturbance in the air. My shoulders eased up and the tension left me. There was no need to panic anymore. I understood now. This wasn''t an existence I could take on. Maze? I was confident in beating her. Her whole style relied on misdirection and attacking from the shadows. Lucifer? He was immortal and omnipotent in the comics, second only to The Presence and His light. Word for word. This wasn''t the comics. Instead it was a mish mash of events from the DCAMU( DC animated universe) and now the Arrow-verse. To that effect, I couldn''t count on anything. I couldn''t count on him being a pretty chill guy or not having the crazy power level of his counterpart. I couldn''t fight him and find out just how huge the disparity was. Which left talking. "The name is Aden. Who are you?" I enquired. Lucifer went to a red posh couch placed along the walls of Galiel''s office and sat on it. He closed his legs and leaned back, a glass of wine appearing on his hand, magically. Yeah not fighting was the right move. "I suppose I haven''t introduced myself. How rude. I''m the devil, first of the fallen, the deceiver whom you use an excuse to explain away your sinful actions. Tis I The Lucifer Morningstar himself. Gaze into my eyes and be tempted¡­yada yada yada." He finished with a roll of his eyes. Maze snorted and started chuckling. My eyebrows rose up. ''Ooookaay.'' Lucifer pointed at the laughing woman. "That''s Maze. She''s basically like my caretaker or housekeeper¡­" "Fuck you." Maze shot back smoothly. "Anyway, now that we have those pesky intros over and done with. I''m curious about something¡­what are you?" His eyes shone with a red glow and I found myself compelled to answer. However, my mouth refused to open and my whole body froze up. My thoughts grew muddled and my chest tight. Something was wrong. I heard Maze''s voice from far away but couldn''t muster the concentration needed to understand her words. I completely blacked out. An undefined time later, I woke up with a start, breathing heavily while trying to calm down my wildly beating heart. My fingers dug into the material of the couch Lucifer had been seating on before as I looked around. "Well, that''s interesting." Lucifer said. He had pulled up the same seat Galiel had used when I came in and was watching me with a curiosity that sent me on edge. Maze on the other hand, had a weird expression on her face. She was trying to hide it but I recognized a little bit of fear as she stared at me. "What happened?" I asked, running a hand over my face. Blacking out like that had never happened to me before. Not since the whole Penguin mob vs Batman and Robin thing I had stumbled in the first time. "Nothing much. You just blacked out while we were having our conversation." "Yeah I got that. I''m just wondering what caused it. Perhaps you have something to do with that?" I asked, pointedly. Lucifer had the ability to find out anyone''s deepest desires in the show. It wasn''t a stretch to think that he might have used that ability on me. "I have no idea what you''re talking about." A smug smile made its way onto his lips. "Maze can we get our friend here a glass of water?" Maze Looked at him in displeasure. "No, I''m good." The only thing I wanted to do was to leave. Skedaddle. Disappear and hope I never came across the devil and his¡­ whatever Maze was to him. "Oh, then perhaps you prefer something else with a little bit of¡­kick." Saying that, the Whiskey bottle containing the Meta-trigger appeared in his hands. I tightened my palms and forced my face to go neutral. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "I don''t know what you mean." "Really? You mortals are all the same. I''ll say this incase you still don''t understand who you''re standing¡­or rather laying before. I''m the bloody Devil. You can''t cheat death, the truth and lastly me." His words had a finality that I knew couldn''t be refuted. He opened the stopper on top of the glass bottle and took a whiff of the contents inside. His nose scrunched up in distaste. "I can feel your desire for this. The question that remains is¡­do you know what it is?" He rolled his eyes when I refused to answer. "Of course you do." My jaw clenched at the turn in situation. Galiel was dead, which wasn''t a bad thing but the problem is I couldn''t reap the benefits with Lucifer here. God, my luck. I swung my feet back to the floor and sat up straighter on the couch. "What do you want?" The devilish smile on his face was predatory. " A proposal of sorts. See I''ve realized something, whatever shitshow that Galiel had going on here is¡­partly my fault. And Galiel is not the only denizen of hell running around in the mortal world. So I need a cleanup guy. And that''s where you come in." A dumbfounded look appeared on my face. "What?" Lucifer clapped his palms together and got up. "Good. We''re in agreement then?" Wait what? I quickly got up to counter his words but he beat me to it. "And as a gesture of goodwill, you can take the essence and a small portion of whatever you find in the safe." His words ground me to a halt. He had me. To be honest, if I said no to the deal I would not only lose everything I had come here for and go back with nothing, but I was also risking offending the devil. You know, that guy with power just below The Presence? The guy who can destroy me with a mere thought? Yeah¡­ I''m not too keen on that. On the flipside if I did accept his deal, then it would entail interacting with the devil and his¡­ (seriously what''s Maze''s role in all this?) Friend some more. Not to mention, being his clean up guy meant fighting demons and many more supernatural creatures. Either way I see this, there''s no right or wrong choice, just the choice I could live with. And for now that was choice number two, working for him. My desire to bring about change allowed nothing less than a strong conviction to do whatever I can to achieve what I needed. I looked straight into the eyes of sinful beauty personified and made a deal with the devil. "Fine." (General P.O.V) The boy had just left. Maze had seen from his face that he couldn''t have been any more than 18 which was the age humans generally reached maturity. To Maze however, even a 80 year old man was like a flower yet to bloom. Too young to understand life in its full scope, yet going on about it as if they did. She often wondered how a species so short lived had even more passion and love for life than her sisters and brothers. Then again, the very nature of their short mortality demanded a semblance of fulfillment. She stopped herself. That train of thought was irrelevant because the boy, Aden was not a normal human at all. Not after what they had seen when the boy had blacked out. She could still remember the splendour of glowing white eyes and a presence that was in no way weaker than Lucifer''s. Maze had been terrified. And she didn''t get terrified. Not really. She has seen everything and anything this world had to offer. The best and worst of humanity but this¡­this was something else entirely. Lucifer had at that moment gone still with a serious look on his face. He never broke eye contact with Aden or whatever the thing possessing him had been. For two minutes none of them talked but from the way they watched each other¡­Maze knew they must have been communicating telepathically. "What was it?" She asked Lucifer, breaking the silence that had permeated the room upon Aden''s departure. Lucifer had gone silent, lost in contemplation when Aden crossed the door behind him. Maze''s nervousness increased at his continued silence. "Lucifer. What are you not telling me?" "The boy¡­he''s more special than we thought. This vacation is turning out to be very interesting." He finally commented. His voice soft and gentle. A quality that had always managed to put her at ease but today¡­it only made Maze dread his next words because Lucifer was far from done. His tone took on a harder note. "It called itself the Avatar Spirit. No real sentience, just a mass of ethereal energy running on a complex equation to simulate consciousness. A consciousness with only one role, protect the boy and destroy whatever threatens his life." Lucifer went silent. "And that''s not even the most intriguing part. 1, it was able to guard his mind from my mental probe and 2, it''s not from around here. The Avatar spirit is a being from outside Daddy''s jurisdiction. And that means¡­" Maze widened her eyes. "Demiurgic power has no influence on him because he is not marked as part of God''s creation. You and Michael cannot undo his existence." Maze sat down with a look of shock on his face. "Lucifer¡­how?" "How did that thing spear through the multiversal cluster walls and into our reality?" Another glass of wine appeared on Lucifer''s hand. He watched the swishing liquid inside the glass and answered. "I don''t know." The Disappearance of Doctor Fate (Aden''s P.O.V) I got back late. My mind was occupied by the conversation I had just had with the Devil and the new developments waiting for me in the horizon. I sighed as I removed my clothes and stepped into the shower. Galiel''s office coupled with the disgusting underground fighting ring had left me feeling filthy and unclean. I scrubbed my body until I was satisfied and then stepped out. My eyes ran over the bundle of items I had hidden inside my hoodie and walked over after drying my hair. I settled down on my bed and separated the items into four different piles. First there was jewelry that looked very expensive. Second, a stack of bills that added upto 26K. Then the Meta-trigger contained in a whiskey bottle and lastly, a client list. The list was of a few high profile people like politicians that Galiel had bribed, blackmailed or been in business with. The commissioner of the L.A.P.D was also on his payroll, which is how he''d gone so long without being found out. For a demon, Galiel kept a well detailed list of not only his assets but his contacts as well. Which is how I came upon the most interesting name on the list for me. There wasn''t much information about it and it was filed under, Special Consultant. That name was Noah Kuttler or otherwise known to all DC fans as the Calculator. The name sent alarm bells ringing inside my head. Was this the same Batman villain who had a genius intellect and was an informer for Supervillains? The fact that Lucifer existed in this world showed that there was more I still didn''t know. More wrenches to derail my plans if I half assed this. Fortunately, the good side to all this was that if The Calculator actually did exist, then it meant most of my problems about finding some interesting people I had in mind were now non-existent. I could just hire him for that. I filed that away and neatly arranged all the folders into one bundle. I could anonymously give this to the League and watch as they dismantled Galiel''s operations and took down all the corrupt officials of the government or¡­I could save this for a rainy day. A sort of leverage for when I wanted things to truly go my way. The only problem with that was, I would compromise my own ideals by letting these people continue to walk free after the things they''d been involved in. Tax evasion, fraud, abduction, torture, r*pe, murder¡­let''s just say that Galiel knew how to keep an interesting group. I chuckled. This would probably be the make or break moment of a hero if this was a comic book. Had I decided to selfishly keep the docket of information, I would have spiralled down into more and more selfish and greedy situations until finally I fell and became a Supervillain. Or something like that. Fortunately, the real world is much more complex. One mistake or oversight doesn''t spell out the direction you life is going to take. That was a narrow-minded perspective on what life truly is. The capacity for good or bad is equal in all of us. Some are just too jaded and selfish to listen to their inner selves. I packed everything up and placed it into a bag I''d bought, when I had gone for clothes shopping with Connor a while back. Then I put the bag under my bed. Speaking of which, I''d need to find a secure place to stash my things. The stack of bills were also inside that same bag which left only the expensive jewelry and the Meta-trigger essence on the table next to my guitar. The jewelry went into a sachet that I kept separate from the funds. I was going to see if I could exchange the jewelry for some cash and then hire someone probably The Calculator to open up an untraceable bank account for my activities. The Jewelry could be safely exchanged the next time I went to Metropolis. The economy and overall better living standard of the City of tomorrow would ensure less suspicion than Happy Harbor which was so close to Mount Justice. I knew there was probably no chance that Batman would find out about the Jewelry but taking extra precautions never hurt anyone. Lastly, I stared at the Meta-trigger in the whiskey bottle. Lucifer hadn''t looked particularly thrilled to give it to me. It hadn''t been obvious and would probably be arrogance to say I understood him but from his tone and the cold eyes, I knew that the essence in my possession was not a popular item to the Lord Of Hell. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I wonder what would happen if I actually used it. What sort of power would I get? Would it add to my current mastery in the bending styles or have a different effect on my body? Based on the fact that it was essence refined from meta-humans then it would mean that I could develop a metagene. I contemplated on using it at that moment. Just opening the stopper and drinking it down. What stopped me was a thought. If Galiel could use it to create Metas in the form of Dumb and Dumber and also the one who had built those meta-gene scanning devices, couldn''t I also do the same? But by drinking the Meta-trigger right now, I would lose that option. It wasn''t a secret that I was going to branch out on my own in the future. And instead of recruiting other superheroes to join my cause, what if I created my own? Decision made, I placed the Meta-trigger right next to the last vial of Kobra-venom I had kept from the bust at the Santa Prisca factory. I really needed a place I could hide these things. It would be a disappointment if Robin just happened to snoop around and come across the Kobra-venom. All my efforts in building trust with the team would all be for naught. The next morning I woke up early and proceeded to the training room as usual. My brief altercation with Maze and by extension Lucifer had surprisingly shed some light on what I needed to work on. My fighting style was heavily reliant on Chi blocking or bending. Which was a solid combination both for crowd control, one on one battles and even when I''m outnumbered. In other worlds, I had some good offensive options. Therein lies the problem. It wasn''t a matter of being bad at defense but instead not having a way to escape a battle I couldn''t win. If Lucifer had been at all serious about harming me, I doubt I could have defeated him let alone flee. That meant before I got to the level I was confident I could take on Darkseid himself and win, I had to approach every fight as if I was at a disadvantage and have a strategy for escaping in case things went sideways. So I stayed the entire morning, refining my sonic scream to a sufficiently dangerous level. The air rippled and pushed the wave of ocean water away. I was on the beach, having decided that practicing Sonic scream inside the cave was a bad idea. For several reasons actually not just because I could risk a cave in if I wasn''t careful, but also because Connor''s ears were very sensitive. I''ve always prided myself in being good at empathizing so here I am, breathing in the cold air and fighting with the ocean. An hour in and I started making it into a game. I tried shaping my Sonic blasts narrower for a harder concussive effect and then upping the intensity and spreading out the attack evenly from the point of contact. A shower of ocean water would rise up at that moment and fall down in a spectacle that caused a rainbow once the sun''s first rays hit it. It was beautiful. From there I begun trying to emit sonic attacks from the rest of my body, particularly my hands. That didn''t work though so I changed tactics and started meditating to get a sense of the vibrations propagating in the air whenever an object passed through it. My auditory awareness spread out fully. I could hear the gentle push and pull of the waves as they hit the beach, birds chirping almost 200 meters away, the slight hum of the sand as sunlight shone on the grains and heated them up and...a whooshing sound approaching me. I opened my eyes just as Red Tornado touched down on the ground before me. "Good morning Tornado." "Good morning to you too Maelstrom." His robotic voice was as blunt as ever. I cracked my neck and rose up while stretching. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" I finally asked, killing the brief silence that had befallen us. "I have reviewed your mission accomplishments. Coupled with your strict discipline in training and learning more about being a hero, I believe you can help me." A confused expression appeared on my face. "What do you mean? Are you saying you need my help in a mission or something?" "Precisely. I need you to help me find someone. An old friend of mine." Realization dawned on me. He was talking about Kent! The previous host of Nabu, a lord of order. His hero name was Dr. Fate. I remember this event happening in the animation. The mission went from a simple missing person investigation to a fight with Klarion the Witchboy, a lord of chaos. And Red Tornado was personally requesting for my help instead of presenting the mission to the team. Something isn''t right here. "Ok. I''m listening." "His name is Kent. And he''s been missing for close to two weeks now." "Not to sound rude, Tornado but why ask me? The league would have a better chance at finding him than I ever could." Red Tornado was silent for a while before saying something that completely shocked me. "Kent is mostly known by his other self, the hero Dr.Fate. I approached you because the helmet of fate shares almost the same flavor of energy as yours. The origin of your powers seem to be similar to that of a Lord of Order." The Helmet of Fate (Aden''s P.O.V) I was tongue-tied, mouth slightly open in shock. The origin of my powers was similar to the Helmet of Fate. That¡­that was¡­ surprisingly believable. It made a lot of sense. The Avatar''s role was basically keeping balance between the material and spiritual world. Granted, I didn''t understand what that meant in the DC world but that purpose was not unlike the Lords Of Order. Their purpose was to maintain order and foil Lords of Chaos like Klarion. Another thing was that the Avatar spirit was a high tier supernatural entity aligned to peace and light which made her a close relation to the Lords of Order, the Antithesis of the Lords of Chaos. It was convoluted at it''s core because I doubt I possessed Raava''s spirit inside me. Why was I so sure of this? For starters, I wasn''t a super powerful bending master reincarnated every generation to maintain peace among the four bending nations and secondly, The Avatar System siphoned it''s energy from the Blind Eternities. That couldn''t be where a Lord Of Order like Nabu acquired his powers. I wasn''t a fan of the comics but I think, a lord of Order represents the extreme embodiment of stagnation which to a short lived being like a human can be misinterpreted as good. A Lord of Chaos is vice versa. The extreme agents of Anarchy. Where was I going with this point? Their powers had a mystical origin and could be explained away by high tier magic or something. My own powers seemed like a complex science project in comparison. So the question remains, why did Red Tornado sense that our energies were similar? Could that mean that maybe I possessed an innate talent for the mystic arts apart from the powers I got from the Avatar System? Interesting but unlikely. This wasn''t something I could solve now but maybe if I studied the Helmet I could get the answers to my questions. "I think we need full hands on deck with this. The rest of the team''s help will prove invaluable." I informed Red Tornado after thinking about it. The mission details were coming back to me now. Basically, Klarion and Abracadabra, a Supervillain who used technology to fake magic had abducted Kent Nelson, the retired Dr.Fate so that he could help them gain access to the Tower of Fate and steal the Helmet of Fate. The team intervenes and they end up fighting off Klarion when Wally puts on the Helmet of Fate and gains access to immense mystical ability. We could take on Klarion as long as we worked together and targeted his pet cat, Teekl which was his anchor to the real world. It wasn''t going to be easy but a part of me was excited. Excited to see how I matched up against someone like Klarion. "Negative. This mission does not require assistance from the rest. It is a simple reconnaissance to the Tower of Fate. I have already investigated the premises myself. You''ll go there to see if I have missed anything." I frowned. Ok, I get that he doesn''t know how badly this shit will go down but come on! Haven''t they learned something from all our past missions? "With all due respect, Tornado. I don''t think that''s a good idea. All of our past missions have had some unforeseen developments. Going in less than prepared is¡­" "Are you not confident in carrying out this task?" His question drew me up short. "No. That''s not what I''m saying¡­" "If any ''Unforeseen developments'' do occur withdraw and contact me immediately. That said, your point does have merit. You can take the team with you." With that he left me on the beach feeling weirded out by the whole thing. It wasn''t like Red Tornado to do things hastily but I guess I could understand his desperation. He must have been feeling useless that he hadn''t found out Kent''s whereabouts and was instead stuck pulling surveillance at the Watchtower. I could also excuse him because in his opinion, this wasn''t a dangerous mission¡­just an investigation to see if we could find out anything about Kent''s disappearance. I finished up with my exercises, making sure I had sufficiently upped my control over the sonic attacks. Something told me I would need them for what we would be facing. After school was out, the rest of the team was gathered at the hall. All except for Robin who was with Batman in Gotham. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"So Aqualad, you said there was a mission for us?" Kid Flash asked while stuffing his face with a burger. "Not exactly. It doesn''t come from Batman. Red Tornado has asked us to check up on the disappearance of an old friend of his from when he was part of the Justice Society." "Sweet! Maybe I can get another souvenir. Those guys had some awesome adventures back then." Wally said. "Ugh! Is that all you you care about?" Artemis questioned while giving the fastest boy in the world the stink eye. "Nope. I can give you a list if you''re so interested about my likes though, Artemis." Wally shot back smoothly, making the rest of us laugh. "Focus. Maelstrom will do the briefing." Aqualad ordered and everyone settled down. I stepped forward and swiped my hand at the projector near the wall. An image of an 80 or so year old man appeared on the screen. "This is Kent Nelson. Otherwise known as Dr. Fate and he''s been missing for more than 2 weeks¡­" The briefing went smoothly. I answered all their questions, even the dumb and idiotic ones from Wally. Artemis was close to exploding in anger when Wally pretended he believed in magic to impress M''gann. I was kinda annoyed but I knew that soon he would change his whole outlook on magic. I tucked the key to the Tower of Fate that Red Tornado had given me earlier in the day and we left for Salem, where the Tower was located. "So Wally, when did you realize your ''honest affinity'' for Sorcery?" I sighed. Here we go again. Wally cleared his throat and responded to Artemis question with a lie that almost made me roll my eyes. "Well I huh¡­before I became Kid Flash, I seriously thought about becoming a Wizard." I tuned them out just as we arrived at the coordinates given to us by Red Tornado. The bio-ship opened up and we all jumped out. After deeming that this wasn''t a real mission, the team had opted to go in our civilian attire. I didn''t argue against that because I knew the fight would take place inside the Tower of Fate. That meant the chances for a civilian spotting us in our real life identities was close to nil. That said, I palmed the Balaclava inside my pocket comfortingly. I wasn''t exactly comfortable with taking that risk. Robin had the right idea to always carry a domino mask for when heroics were needed. "Everyone spread out and look around." Aqualad gave the order and everyone fanned out. I didn''t jump to use the key because I wanted to leave a bigger impression on Wally when the Tower appeared before his eyes despite not existing a few moments prior. We didn''t find anything and regrouped. "There''s nothing here. Could Tornado have given us the wrong coordinates?" Connor asked. "Unlikely." I shook my head. "So what do you think it is, adaptive micro-optical electronics and phase shifting?" Artemis asked our resident Speedster who was also the expert in technology and engineering barring Robin. Wally spared a look at M''gann and quickly changed what he was about to say. "Huh¡­it''s..clearly mystical." I couldn''t take it anymore. "Really? You''ll have to try better than that to convince me you believe in the mystic arts man." Wally immediately blushed which caused Artemis to break out in laughter. "That aside," I begun, showing them the key I had. "I have an idea. Red Tornado wouldn''t give us a key if he wasn''t sure we would find the Tower." I stepped forward and felt a brief hum from the key. My hand reached out and a key hole manifested before me in the open air. I stabbed the key inside and turned it. With a shimmer, a building appeared before us. Everyone gasped at the sight. "I can''t believe this was here the whole time." Connor said, awed just like the rest of the group. I pushed the door open and from inside a torrential aura of power registered in my senses as a static feeling creeping up my skin. "This place..." I started. "I know. The conservatory of magic in Atlantis feels the same way. Raw untamed magical power." Aqualad finished in a respectful tone. We proceeded inside and found ourselves in a bare room. The door behind us instantly disappeared as soon as the last person entered. "Ok. This is getting kinda creepy." Artemis commented. "No need to be afraid Artemis. Back in Mars, the Sorcerers were often masters of intrigue and strangeness. Maybe it''s similar on earth too." M''gann commented in that positive optimism that I found so endearing. I regret that the longer she stays on earth the more she''s going to realize just how much the world actually sucks. "Greetings. You have entered with a key but the Tower dies not recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent." A projection of Kent Nelson appeared before us and declared. Before any of us could stop him, Wally stepped forward. "We are true believers, here to find Dr. Fate." "Dammit!" I cursed out loud, shocking everyone present. How had I forgotten about Wally and his big mouth?! The projection disappeared and disaster followed. The floor below us gave out and we plummeted towards a lava pit. "Wally, I will kill youuu!!!" The Formidable Air Bender part 1 (General P.O.V) Aden and the others had just entered the Tower of Fate when behind them 3 individuals appeared. One of them, A lanky boy dressed in a black tuxedo with a red eyed cat on his shoulder, stared at Aden''s back curiously. "Interesting." He intoned. The cat on his shoulders purred softly and he rubbed it affectionately. "You''re right Teekl this is turning more and more into a party. Hurry up, Abra let''s get this show on the road." Klarion instructed a tall man dressed in a white shirt standing next to him. Abracadabra was holding a wand on his left hand, while the right one roughly pushed an older gentleman forward. "Move." The older man grumbled but still complied, walking forwards to stop before the entrance to the Tower. An Omega symbol flashed yellow on the door and then the door flew open. The two men, boy and cat proceeded onwards into the empty room. "I should get a tower someday. I really love the decor." Klarion declared with a wide smile on his face. "It would suit you perfectly." Abracadabra offered only for the cat on Klarion''s shoulders to swipe it''s paws at him. "Settle down Teekl! And Abra, I was being sarcastic. Look at this place. Who would want to live in a place saturated by so much disgusting Order mystic energy? Personally I think a little anarchy is needed. I''ll make sure to destroy this thing once we get the helmet." "You will do no such thing. I won''t let¡­" Kent Nelson was suddenly silenced by a collar device that attached to his neck, cutting off his words. "That should shut you up." Abracadabra said smugly before pushing the old man forward again. The wall infront of them shifted into columns that withdrew to the sides, revealing an office on the other side. They walked through and the columns closed behind them. A projection of the Tower in the form of Kent Nelson appeared before them. "Kent I don''t believe I have ever see you accommodate guests before." Unfortunately Kent wasn''t the one who responded to the Tower''s subtle question. The collar on the old man''s neck flashed red and Kent''s prerecorded message played. "My friends come to help me." Kent clenched his jaw in anger and frustration at his helplessness. He held out hope however that he would be rescued. He only needed a chance to put on the helmet and with Fate''s power, driving off Klarion would be an easy task. The Tower''s projection faded and the door infront of them opened up to reveal a row of staircases going in every direction. Klarion buzzed with excitement. "Oh I can almost feel it. World domination at my fingertips." A sudden blast of air impacted Abracadabra and rag-dolled him to smash onto the steps of a staircase just above their heads. The Fake magician''s mouth widened in pain as he instantly passed out and begun to fall. An air tornado gently lowered him to the ground while his wand clattered next to him. Blood was dripping from a cut on the back of his head. Kent''s eyes widened in shock. That attack had been so unexpected. Who could it be? Red Tornado? Martian Manhunter? Beside him, even Klarion was surprised. Usually the heroes were not that brutal. Teekl''s fur rose up as it stared in a certain direction towards a staircase just below them. Someone was there! Klarion''s senses warned him of the order-like nature of this person''s power and he took a step back. "Theres something to be said about counting your chicks before they hatch. Don''t." A smooth voice addressed them all. The owner of the voice jumped from the staircase below them and landed right where they were. He aimed a finger right at them and released a small wind bullet that hit the collar on Kent''s neck. The device sparked and fell off him. "Thank you" Kent rubbed his neck while still leering in shock and awe. A kid had taken down Abracadabra with a single blow. "What are they feeding children these days?" "You?!" Klarion shouted and threw his hands forward. Red lightning bolts shot forward towards the Kid. Kent''s eyes widened. He was too late to stop it! "Nooo." Before his very eyes however. Something shocking happened. The kid waved his hand. A hand that Kent noticed held his walking stick and a yellow barrier manifested between him and The Lord of Chaos attacks. Klarion''s chaos bolts washed over the barrier and ran along it''s whole form. Despite the lethality of the power, the boy didn''t seem to feel the strain. He spread out his hands and the shield bubble enlarged in magnitudes. Klarion brought both of his hands together and poured more of his power into the beams he was throwing. The red and black energy manifested into spikes of rotating weapon constructs and slammed onto the boy''s clearly mystical barrier. The spikes bounced off the shield and speared into the surroundings. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "No! How can this be? What are you? What are you?!!" Klarion screamed out in panic. Kent had never thought he could share anything with the Lord of Chaos but he was also wondering the same thing. What was going on? This wasn''t how a fight between an untrained and a Lord of Chaos should go! The yellow light pushed everything away and Klarion quickly covered himself and Teekl in a red shield. Kent was unharmed by the light and when it died down, he found his cane hovering before him. There was a soft breeze that blew the dust from Klarion''s deflected attacks revealing the boy who had matched up against the Lord Of Chaos, calmly floating in the air. He pointed his finger at Klarion who was seething in anger. "I''m not really a magic wielder and I still clapped your ass. So to make it fair, I''m coming at you with my own powers. Let''s do this!" He said flying forward towards Klarion. "I''ll destroy you brat!" Klarion shouted and started brimming with his full power. Kent thought about intervening but a slight shake of the boy''s head towards him, told him that his attention was needed elsewhere. The boy would occupy Klarion''s attention for now and Kent could use that time to get to the Helmet. One last run as Dr.Fate was welcome especially in the current situation. ( Aden''s P.O.V) (A While Ago) The air surrounding us jumped at my slightest beaconing and held everyone afloat. "Oh thank God one of us has an ability well suited for this. Death by sizzling hot lava wasn''t on my agenda for today." Wally quipped, staring at the red glowing liquid below us. "This is all your fault! Your ''impress Megan at all costs'' shenanigans almost cost us our lives. You don''t even believe in magic!" Artemis finally blew up at him. "What?" Wally looked surprised at being caught red handed. "Wally you don''t believe?" M''gann asked him in a little surprise. "Fine! Magic is a sham. Everything can be explained by science because the idea of a ''miraculous'' potent force with its own impractical whims and applications is preposterous. Early man used to think that fire is magic. Fire! Sorry but I choose to have some common sense." Wally finished his rant. Meanwhile I had been thinking of a way to get out of the situation we''d found ourselves in. We couldn''t go out because the floor had closed above us. I didn''t know if we could use brute force to smash our way through but I highly doubted it. The Tower was brimming with power after all. How had they escaped in canon? Gah! I feel like I''m missing something! I watched the show back on my world but despite my memories getting clearer due to the mental exercises I had been doing, it couldn''t replace anything I hadn''t memorized. I hadn''t paid that much attention to the show so my knowledge was not perfect. "Guys this is not the time. It doesn''t look like it but you people are heavy." Artemis who was next to me punched me on the arm. I looked at her with my eyebrows raised. She had the grace to look sheepish. "Sorry force of habit. You don''t comment on a lady''s weight or age." "Lady? You? I''ve heard you curse like a sailor." Kid Flash countered. "Oh bite me you piece of¡­" "Artemis!" M''gann uncharacteristically shouted, cutting off the Archer''s next unsavory words.They actually made M''gann raise her voice in something else other than giddy excitement. I would have laughed if I didn''t know it wasn''t the time for it. "Ok. I''m going to drop you two if you don''t play nice." I warned them and released them from my hold a little. Wally started waving his hands in fear. "I''ll play nice! I''ll play nice!" "Yeah what he said! just don''t drop us!" Artemis added. "Good. Now does anyone have an idea? Kaldur you and M''gann are the ones with the most experience when it comes to magic." Kaldur who was slightly sweating shook his head. "No¡­ Atlantean magic is different enough from what you have here that I can''t think of a way." "Shit." "What if we try to break the floor above us?just get me up there and I''ll get it done." Connor offered banging his fist on his palm. "Not going to work. The whole structure of the tower is saturated with magic power. It''s not going to go down that easy especially given the fact that Kryptonians are susceptible to magic just like normal humans." I told him, quickly killing that idea. "Hello Megan! We never really answered the question!" M''gann suddenly said. My eyes lit up. "Holy crap. You''re right!" That''s how they did it! M''gann looked around at the walls of the tower. "Red Tornado sent us to make sure that Mr. Nelson and the Helmet of Fate were safe." Upon her words, a brick floor appeared below us, covering the Lava pit. Instantly, the temperature almost cooking us alive disappeared. I breathed out a sigh of relief and controlled the wind to gently land us on the now stable and cool floor. "Whew! That was close. For a minute there I thought we were done for. Thanks for saving us beautiful." Wally blitzed over to M''gann and tried to place his hand on her shoulder. "No." Artemis came in between them and shoved Wally off. "What? I was just saying thanks." "You don''t get to act so cavalier when we almost got deep fried because of you!" Wally sighed loudly. "Fine. I''m sorry about that." Artemis nodded. "Aaaand¡­" "I still think magic is a lie." "Goddamit Wally." Artemis threw her hands up. Kaldur and I started inspecting the area for a way to leave as Wally and Artemis kept on arguing. After the whole ordeal, I remembered something. There was a latch on the floor somewhere around¡­there! My hand grasped the metal and pulled. Instead of the back-draft from the lava that would roast us alive, a cold breeze permeated the whole room after revealing the hole on the floor. I looked over towards Wally. "Still don''t believe in magic Wall-man?" The Formidable Air Bender part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) I was the first one across the hole. Midway through the jump, space aligned weirdly and I landed on my feet upright. I moved to the side and watched the others emerge one after the other. I connected with the air in the space we found ourselves in and tried to get a sense of it. I frowned. Something was actively messing with my ability because¡­ everything overlapped. I could feel exactly 1 centimeter away from me but everything further than that was just a haze of unrecognizable feedback. "Ok. This I wasn''t expecting." Wally commented. "You ready to admit that it''s magic?" Artemis asked. In response Wally crossed his hands on his chest. "In your dreams. Besides I have a perfect explanation for this." "Really?" M''gann perked up. "Ok this I''ve got to hear." I said under my breath. "Ever heard of string theory? What we''re looking at is a stable pocket dimension." He lectured spreading his hands out. Huh. Actually that''s not too out of left field. But he was still wrong. The whole frozen space was chock full of mystic energy. Maybe it was a pocket dimension but one constructed through magic. "Guys, leaving aside Wally''s insistence that Magic does not exist, we have a mission to carry out so let''s move." We started walking for a few minutes. Despite it being cold enough to freeze the shit out of anyone, none of us was really shivering that much. An effect of the Tower no doubt. Especially after we had told it our true intentions. The hostility from before had changed into something more or less amicable. The ice below us scrunched under my boots as we kept on walking. "Hey guys what''s that?" Wally pointed towards a yellow glinting object. My eyes widened. That was Kent''s magical cane! We increased our speed and surrounded the walking stick. "It''s a bit early for a souvenir but don''t mind if I do." Wally said and reached out his hands to grab it. "Yeah¡­no." I controlled the wind to push the Magical Cane above him and made it float towards me. "Dude what the hell?" Wally stormed towards me looking annoyed. "I saw it first!" I raised my eyebrows at his aggrieved words and almost barked out a laugh. "Wally your recklessness caused us trouble today. We almost died because of your skepticism towards the mystic arts. For this mission I think you should watch yourself. We can''t afford another close shave like before." My words had the effect I wanted. He stopped and looked guilty. "Yeah¡­I guess you''re right." "So what do you guys think this is?" Connor wondered out loud. "The magical energy pouring out of this thing¡­is phenomenal. I believe it is a foci just as the inscriptions on my skin help me to channel magic for my electric blasts and water manipulation." Kaldur informed us. "Maybe it belongs to Mr. Nelson? It''s a walking stick and not to sound rude but the guy is over 90. It makes a lot of sense." Artemis added. "Yeah let''s take it with us, when we find him we''ll give it back." "And when we don''t, I get to keep it as a souvenir, you know up until he needs it." Wally suggested which made Artemis punch him on the arm. I chuckled a bit and allowed the magical cane to fall into my hands. I should not have done that. Instantly, upon contact with my skin, light started pouring out of me in waves. I felt something latch onto me and floated upwards. "Aden!" M''gann''s voice cut through the bubble of light as they tried to reach me. With a sudden pop, I disappeared from the frozen space to an area with bright yellow light. In the middle of the space, a huge face appeared. My face. The eyes were glowing white and my expression was neutral. "Where the fuck am I?" The Avatar state opened it''s mouth wide and I found myself getting pulled in. I could do nothing as I was sucked into a black hole at the center. My body landed on a hard floor and I caught myself, quickly looking around with a million questions running around my head. Kent''s walking stick was still firmly in my grip as I stared at the new space I''d found myself in. There were criss crossing staircases moving up and down and in every other direction in a confusing maze. Oh. Now I remember. Wally was also teleported here in canon after he''d grabbed the cane. But because this time I was the one who had come into contact with it, the magical cane had teleported me instead. Which meant, in a few seconds, Klarion and Abracadabra would arrive with a bound up Kent Nelson. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Excitement and a little bit of fear coursed through me. The smart thing to do would be to wait for the others and fight to free Kent as a whole. But¡­I needed this. I needed to see how far I could be pushed and someone as powerful as Klarion could do that. Plus, I looked at the walking stick in my hand. Kaldur had said this was a magical foci. Like a wand. And I had felt it latch onto the same energy I used for my bending. Maybe I wasn''t as outmatched before Klarion as I thought. I stared at the cane intently. The grooves carved onto it''s entirety and the way it seemed to pulse with a tsunami of energy. My awareness dug inside it and I widened my eyes in shock. The core of the cane was humming as it tried to contain the energy waves coming from me and straining. I couldn''t use the stick that much because in the end something told me it would shatter apart. It was also turning the processed energy and changing it''s alignment into Order, the same as the powers the Helmet of Fate gave to Kent Nelson. The door opened and in walked my opponents. I gulped and firmed my resolve. It''s now or never! I didn''t waste time and instantly attacked Abracadabra. The blast of wind knocked him out without a chance for retaliation and I took a second to enjoy the shocked looks on Klarion''s and Kent''s faces. Then the fight begun. I tapped into the foci and used the processed energy to form constructs that could withstand the Lord of Chaos attacks. Although I was winning the altercation, my body was starting to burn up in pain and that was because I wasn''t using my powers the way I was supposed to. I had no training in using a magic foci and I was paying for my brashness. It got too unbearable, so I let loose most of the processed energy in a wave of order magic and released the cane. Instantly, the magical artifact flew over to hover before Kent Nelson by some unseen force. I nodded at Kent and he left for the helmet, understanding that I could handle or at least occupy Klarion long enough for Dr.Fate to make a timely appearance. Meanwhile my flight threw me towards Klarion with my hand pulled back in a punch. Klarion''s face changed into a rictus grin, eyes burning with fury as a red shield appeared between us. I yelled out in exertion while putting my full strength behind the blow as well as the left over energy from my contact with Kent''s mystical cane. Cracks appeared on the shield and with a shattering sound, I broke through and landed the punch on Klarion''s face. His body was lifted up and thrown away to smash onto the sides of a staircase. The feeling of glee at landing such a satisfying blow quickly disappeared when his body broke apart into dozens of bats that flew away to coalesce into the Lord of Chaos'' emo form on another staircase. "Damn you! damn you!" Klarion shouted as he threw his hands forward in a barrage of red chaos energy attacks. I flew away from staircase to staircase trying my best to avoid a direct hit. The attacks sent showers stones and dust flying away to pelt the surroundings. I jumped from a stair case that was blown apart and grabbed hold of the pieces of stones through aerokinesis. A wave of my hand and they flew forward to collide with Klarion''s shield. The projectiles did nothing except for making him even angrier. Normally I would taunt my opponent but I was well aware who I was facing. He swiped his hands through the air and slashes of the same red energy manifested and sped towards me. A slightly glowing yellow tornado appeared infront of the attacks and sucked them in and then threw them to the sides. They destroyed a few more staircases revealing more of the maze like structure. I idly wondered how this space could fair against a full out serious assault from the Lord of Chaos and shuddered. For all of his faults Klarion had some serious firepower backing him up. I upped my speed and used the brief cover of the tornado to pull in close to him. He might be a powerful caster but the universal rule about casters is that they are relatively weak at close range. His eyes widened when I suddenly appeared infront of him. A drill slammed onto the shield and broke it again for the second time. I followed it up with an axe kick to Klarion''s head, sending him down to faceplant on the floor. His body broke once more into bats but I was ready for that. A whirlwind appeared around me and pulled all the bats back to the middle of the vortex. I opened my mouth and aimed at the creatures trying to escape. "Fus Ro Dah!!!" The air rippled and screeched as it broke apart in a concussive wave of destruction. The whirlwind was instantly destabilized as the sonic attack landed on the bats and destroyed them. The bats screeched and dissolved into an inky and shadowy substance that disappeared. Cracks appeared on the floor below me as I looked on, shocked when the whole platform broke apart into pieces, taking with it the staircase leading down. That attack had been an uncontrolled blast of sonic power. Something that I had never tried before because of just how dangerous it was to my opponent and also to me. I coughed out and blood appeared on the sleeve of my hoodie. My throat felt raw and in pain. I flew down towards another stair case and took a slow breath while massaging my throat. ''Ok, I don''t know if I''ll be able to speak for a mome...'' that thought was cut off when everything suddenly got darker. Shadows and an oily substance flowed up the stairs leading to the platform I was standing on and combined into Klarion. He stared at me coldly. The immature childishness surrounding him from before was now nowhere to be seen. "That''s it! I''m not having fun anymore. Die!" Klarion waved his hands and chaos energy exploded out of his body in an all encompassing wave. I flew back to avoid most of the quickly approaching spreading of power. The staircases nearest to him were instantly destroyed and the wave quickly reached me. The Formidable Air Bender Final Part (Aden''s P.O.V) Sometimes an obvious thing hits you and you''re left wondering how you never saw it before. You''re left wondering if you were blind or just dumb that you missed it. Where am I going with this? That same thing happened to me. I had never gone all out before. Not really. In every mission or altercation, my strength had had to be kept in check so as to not hurt someone else. The only fight that had even brought me close to that, had been against Solomon Grundy and I had had to put him down quickly so as to not risk civilian lives. The fight with Mister Twister, I had been unsure, not really familiar with my powers. But against Klarion? There wasn''t a problem with hitting him too hard. He could take it. He was immortal after all. The Lord of Chaos unleashed a wave of power that disintegrated everything it touched while heading towards me. I flew backwards while thinking of a plan. Infront of me I could see the walls of the tower and knew that there was no escaping the reddish black energy wave. So I decided not to. "Let''s do this!" I increased my flight speed leaving a sonic boom behind me. Right before I smashed into the wall, I shifted my body so that my feet were pointed towards it and let loose a point blank wind blast on the wall through my legs. Cracks impossibly appeared on the magical wall as my legs bent. My eyes made contact with Klarion''s body and the energy wave bearing down on me. Wisps of all the leftover yellow order energy from my contact with Kent''s mystical cane appeared around my form. Then I pushed. My body shot off from the wall, leaving behind a crater and flying pieces of brick. A compressed drill made up of the most violent winds I had ever created before, formed around my body as I twisted in the air, the order energy covering it''s form and turning it into a yellow tornado. My flight speed was on a whole other level. I hadn''t just surpassed the speed of sound, I had totally fucked it over. There was barely a resistance as my drill speared through Klarion''s own attack and all too soon arrived before him. His eyes widened in fear. "Who are..." My hand speared through his chest and came out the other side. The flight speed I was under, carried him towards the wall of the tower and slammed him on it. Klarion coughed out a black liquid and struggled to lift his head up at me. His eyes were red with rage and fear. "I will..." He started but I slammed a fist onto his face, breaking his nose with my left hand. Klarion groaned and tried to prime his energy and failed. The right hand was still inside his chest, having delivered a blow filled with Order energy. The energy was like poison to him, simultaneously ensuring he couldn''t do anything while also hurting him. Just to be sure, my left hand shot out and immobilized him further through chi-blocking. I heard an angry roar on the platform Klarion had been standing on before and turned my face towards Klarion''s Familiar. My eyes were cold as I made contact with the oversized cat. "Shut the fuck up. Try anything and I''ll make him suffer the most unimaginable pain possible." I punctuated my statement by twisting my hand inside Klarion''s chest. Klarion groaned in pain. "Got it?" The cat bristled but stood down. I pulled up closer to Klarion''s ear. If this was going to work, I needed to show him, I was completely different from other heroes. "Lemme guess. You want to torture me, kill me, devour my soul and all that jazz, right?" I asked him softly, a small smile on my face with my eyes halfway closed, looking nonchalant about the whole situation. "I don''t blame you. You''ve probably never been in this position before Klari. Content to play your little games with the Lords of Order for centuries on end. Normally a little chaos is like spice. You know, it takes away the boring factor from life. And you don''t know this but I hate boring shit. It''s just...like no for me. You know what I mean?" I twisted my hand inside him like before and his face twisted even more in pain. "But then you had to go and ally yourself with that misguided selfish group of fools, giving them the courage and confidence to start pulling shit. My hobbies are playing video games, making music and talking to sexy girls but I can''t. Why? Because of you and the light. Stupid name by the way. If you''re the light, why the fuck do you hide in the shadows? So here''s the deal." At that point, the smile dropped and my face went blank with no emotion. Klarion gulped in terror at the lifeless look I had on. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Get out while you can, Klari. Coz I''ll tell you a little secret." I brought my face closer to his ears. "I am planning your deaths." Klarion''s breath hitched. "No...no... you''re a hero. One of the...goodie... goodie two shoes! Heroes... heroes don''t kill!" I chuckled. "Now what gave you the impression that I was good? Does a superhero have to be good to save people from danger? It''s all really subjective you see. Is Batman a hero to his rogues gallery? No Is Doctor Fate, your hero? Definitely not. Infact the way I see it, they suck at it. You know what a good hero does Klarion?" He shook his head. "He ensures that anyone with the guts to murder people en masse is six feet under. I''d rather be the villain if it stops the Joker from causing mass murder. But that''s besides the point." A menacing smile appeared on my face while my eyes widened. "This is a warning Klari boy. The next time I see you? I''ll end you and don''t think I don''t know about how you manifest here." I pointed a finger at Teekl. "Bam." A wind bullet escaped my finger and dug a hole through Teekl''s eye ball. The Tiger familiar fell down, dead. "Nooo Teekl!!!" A drill appeared around my palm and eviscerated Klarion. His head hang down his chest and his body lost its pulse. Despite that I knew he was far from dead. Klarion was immortal. All I had done was deal him a heavy blow. Mostly due to the leftover Order energy I had smartly utilized. His body turned into an oily shadow and disappeared along with his familiar. I looked around at us. At the destruction caused. Abracadabra was still passed out on the same platform Klarion had stood on, saved by the Lord Of Chaos probably. Huh, so villains don''t mind helping each other out when it''s little trouble to them. I flew over to another Platform and took some deep breaths while looking at my blood soaked hands. ''What...what had I done?'' ''What needed to be done.'' My conviction answered. I didn''t fear Klarion''s revenge because I knew his type better than most. They would whine and only go into a fight that they knew they would win. Klarion had just lost spectacularly and I knew I had put in the fear of god in him. He wouldn''t dare come for me directly because he was afraid of the Order power he thought I had access to. This effectively removed the Lord of Chaos from the running for a while. That said, I wouldn''t be surprised if he tried to take revenge on me indirectly. However, as long as it wasn''t a direct confrontation, anything he could throw at me would be manageable. I tightened my fist. This was the road I had chosen. There wasn''t any backing out now. The team was going to no doubt arrive soon though and I couldn''t let them see me like this. I opened my mouth and released a small sonic attack that vibrated the blood out of my hoodie and body. (General P.O.V) ( The Watchtower- 22 hours after The Tower Of Fate Mission) "This is the Yellowstone national park, as all of you are quite aware. It''s also the base of T.O. Morrow, the scientist behind Red Tornado''s creation. I have Intel that he''s planning something. Something that might prove catastrophic if he''s not stopped." Batman swiped his hand and the image of the national park changed to an image of a middle-aged man with a moustache. Most of the Leaguers with the exception of Green Lantern, Superman who had a Toymaker situation to deal with in Metropolis and Green Arrow and Black Canary who were following up a lead on some League of Shadow''s deal, were present. "What exactly is he planning?" Shazam asked. "Apart from World domination, revenge at us and probably the JSA( Justice Society of America) and a million other selfish reasons that supervillains get a kick out of?" The Flash listed off. "Yeah I get that but I meant what is the plan. How is he going to do that?" "I am not sure. Which is why the League will be on standby while the Junior Team does recon." Batman said. "So I''m guessing that means, you managed to recover data from the remains of the Mister Twister android that attacked the team?" Captain Atom inquired. Normally the man was usually silent but when he spoke, his voice was commanding, perfectly suitable for the former us soldier. Batman was silent for a while before offering a curt nod. "Affirmative. Although it was difficult to decipher the data, I was able to recover the location of the Android''s maker." "Is it really necessary to send the kids there?" The Flash asked. "I could go in and be out in minutes, saving us time." "Normally you''d be right but the situation is manageable for now. The team has proved more than capable of handling these types of reconnaissance missions. They need even more experience and that is something that will happen only in the field." Everyone nodded. "As informative as that was Batman, I don''t think that''s the reason you called us here today." Zatara spoke up. Every turned to Batman, curious. "It''s not. Have any of you ever had of Intergang?" After the meeting, Martian Manhunter stayed behind and approached Batman, who was busy typing something on the huge Watchtower computer. "Why did you lie?" He asked the Dark Knight who paused in his action and turned back to face the resident Telepath. "It was necessary. I am still wary to inform the others about Maelstrom''s meta-knowledge." "Yet you finally decided to use it. I know for a fact that the Android was too damaged to recover anything. That information about T.O. Morrow is from Aden''s docket of information." Batman narrowed his eyes. "You think I did a mistake." Martian Manhunter nodded. "I do. You should have atleast consulted me about going on ahead with this, my friend." Batman was silent before giving Manhunter a brief nod. "You''re right. I simply did not see the need because the T.O. Morrow mission is a simple recon task. I have not confirmed any sightings as of yet. The whole thing hinges on whether the team finds anything there or not." "I am sure Red Tornado was briefed beforehand?" "Yes. He was the first person I talked to." Batman turned to the computer and begun using it once more. Manhunter pulled up close next to him. "So we''re finally using it. Aden''s information." Batman''s fingers never stopped. "Yes. We can''t wait anymore for you to verify whether he''s telling the truth through accessing his core memories. We have to use every advantage we can get while we can." The Mission Ends (General P.O.V) "Guys look!" Artemis pointed towards a glowing door that was just a few hundred meters away from them. The team had been searching for Aden after his sudden disappearance but no matter how much they looked, no tracks could be found. After 10 minutes of this, Kaldur had instructed them to get moving so as to find a way out of the frozen wasteland. Kid Flash blitzed fast across the ice and snow, then up the stairs and plunged in without so much as a warning to the rest. Completely forgetting he was under instruction to stand back due to his previous mishap. "Wally!" Kaldur shouted a little too late. "Why am I not surprised. Let''s catch up before the idiot gets himself killed." Artemis told the others and they sped up the stairs. The first thing that Artemis saw was Wally''s back. Kid was standing on a platform while looking around in surprise. A second later, Artemis understood why. "What the hell happened here?" The platform they were standing on was barely holding on. Everywhere she looked was a dust filled environment with broken and smashed staircases. There was a massive crater on the wall to their right and a hole in the middle space of the tower with destroyed stairs at the edges. Luckily they were near the wall otherwise they would have died as soon as they walked through, falling from such a high distance. "What in God''s name happened here?" Connor''s voice brought Artemis'' attention to the others who had arrived. The door behind them flashed and disappeared into the wall. Suddenly the platform they were all standing on became crowded and started creaking dangerously. "Guys¡­ something tells me we don''t want to be here in the next couple of seconds or else we''ll end up as pancakes." Wally said referencing to the platform that was swaying under them. "Look! We can make it there." M''gann said, pointing towards the other end of the room. "Wait¡­is that¡­ something''s coming!" Connor shouted at them and they quickly raised their guard. "Oh stand down it''s¡­" "Aden?" Artemis asked out loud. Right at that minute, the platform under them gave way and Wally let out an unflattering scream as they fell only for the wind to gently hold all the non-flying members of the team aloft. "Huh¡­I had something stuck in my throat." Wally lamely stated at Artemis'' stare. "That''s a load of bullshit and you know it." Artemis quipped with an upturn of her lips. "Does Robin know Wally screams like a girl?" Aden asked when he was close enough, making the others laugh. "Dude don''t you dare!" While they all laughed Connor narrowed his eyes at Aden''s direction. A scent of rotten blood clung to his body and the hood was tattered in some places. Connor looked into Aden''s eyes and saw none of the humor he tried to project. Something was... different about him. Aden saw his look and they stared at each other for a while. As if the displaced teen was challenging Connor to call him out infront of everybody and look like a fool for making a big issue out of nothing. Connor looked away. This wasn''t the time or place. "Aden, it is good to see you''re alright. Could you take to us to a more stable ground?" Kaldur spoke up, reminding the teen team that they still weren''t out of danger. "Cool. I know just the place." The draft carrying them picked up and they cut through the air towards the direction Aden had just come from. "Hey you alright?" M''gann asked Connor. "You''re acting a bit...off." Connor debated telling her of his observations but then decided not to. Although they had gotten closer in the course of his time with the team, Connor didn''t trust her enough with something that might have been just baseless suspicions. Connor nodded his head at her and decided to cut off his train of thought and focus on where they were going. "Holy shit. Is that Abracadabra? Dude you captured Abracadabra all by yourself? Even Flash has problems with him from time to time!" Wally couldn''t believe it. Infact all of them couldn''t believe it because it was like Wally said, Abracadabra was not a 2 bit supervillain. He was one of the more competent villains in The Flash''s rogue gallery. Connor''s eyes snapped to Aden again in question. The clone knew that Aden was probably the third strongest member of the team. Behind M''gann and himself of course but...he too would have had trouble fighting Abracadabra due to the mobility issue that plagued Connor. Superboy was the heavy hitter of the team but what most of the others had him beat at was agility. He wouldn''t have evaded Abracadabra''s attacks as easily as the others. So based on the fact that Aden had managed to beat him all by himself...he would have evaluate his closest friend. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Aden threw them an easy smile. "I caught him off guard. In a straight fight, it wouldn''t have been as easy taking him down." ''But not hard.'' Connor thought. "What happened here Aden? This was a simple search mission but from the way things are...it looks anything but." Kaldur questioned. Aden sighed heavily. "A lord of..." "Chaos had intruded." A new, older voice stated. Before their eyes, a superhero dressed in a black and yellow costume flew out of a yellow glowing Ankh in the air. Everyone instantly went on guard. Connor placed himself before M''gann to shield her slightly. An action that wasn''t missed by her and despite the situation, she blushed a little. "Calm down everybody. He''s not an enemy. This is Dr. Fate." "So Kent is alive?" Artemis questioned lowering her bow slightly. "That''s what I was trying to tell you. The old man is alright. A bit banged up but he''ll live." "Indeed. Kent Nelson is alive and well. He appreciates the concern." Saying that Dr. Fate swept his hands out at the wrecked sections of the room and a bright yellow light washed through the surroundings. Everyone shut their eyes and when they opened them, it was like time had reversed. The staircases were whole again and all the craters on the wall were fixed. "Ok thats cool." Wally admitted in fascination. "Does that mean you believe in magic now?" Against her better judgement, Artemis asked. Wally surprised them however when he didn''t outright refuse. "You know...with everything that has happened. I''m, let''s say 0.0006% there." Kaldur went forward and patted his shoulder while smiling. "It''s a start." "Thank you again for your assistance children. Send my regards to Tornado." Saying that, Dr. Fate spread out his hands and a magic circle appeared on the ground before them. With a flash, Connor and the others disappeared. Connor opened his eyes and found himself right where the Tower of Fate had revealed itself. However now there was nothing but an empty space. He looked at the others and frowned. Abracadabra was lying on the ground still passed out, having been teleported with the team as well, but they were missing one person. "Guys, where''s Aden?" M''gann wondered. (Aden''s P.O.V) The Lord of Order and I stared off for a few seconds. I had noticed that although the magic circle had spread out evenly to account for all of us, the space under me was left blank. Nabu most likely wanted to talk to me. "The Tower registers that Klarion disappeared after facing defeat. I believe that was your doing?" Standing close to the guy showed me just how outmatched I was. Dr. Fate was brimming with energy despite the prodigious control he had under his belt. My body seemed to have adapted to sensing out energy and he was almost blinding to my magic sense. I shut off that ability and decided to stay cautious. Beating Klarion had been due to the unique advantage I had had over him at that moment. But now...at my current level of power? I stood no chance against Fate. "Yes. I used Kent''s mystical cane as a foci to shift the energy that powers my abilities into Order magical energy. After a brief scuffle, Klarion decided to leave, citing that he had wasted too much time and that you were probably on your way." I looked down while shaking. "That''s...that''s probably the only reason I''m even still alive sir. He seemed...scared of you." Dr. Fate stared at me for a few seconds while I tried my best to project the image of a teen who had been way in over his head but had luckily come out relatively unharmed. "I see. What''s your name?" I looked up a bit surprised. "Aden Strong sir." Fate hummed and flew down towards me. "You possess exceptional talent for the mystic arts. Tell me, Aden Strong, do you want to learn magic?" Ok. Now I was actually shocked. And I didn''t try to hide it. "Not to sound rude but why me? Despite my talent...I don''t think it''s that easy for you to offer just anyone something like this." Fate went silent while staring off into space. I cocked my head to the side. He must be talking to Kent. I took that moment to think about the offer. Learning magic would be ideal and welcome. Who doesn''t want to diversify their skill set? Can you imagine getting an avatar who could teleport? Or who could amplify the strength of the elements? Or combine magic with the elements to take down opponents like Superman who were practically invulnerable to everything else apart from a few exceptions, magic being one? That said, I didn''t want to stretch myself out too thin and something else told me that there was more to Fate''s offer than met the eye. "I sense...light in you. Your whole being is attuned with Order energy and that would make you a powerful practitioner of that branch of mystics." Fate''s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I took a second to register his words before I finally understood what he was aiming at. That conniving piece of scrap metal! My face did not reveal the unflattering thoughts I had about the Lord Of Order. He was trying to secure a future host in me! Kent was obviously too old and was simply waiting to pass on and reconcile with his wife in the afterlife and Nabu knew that. So once he saw I could channel Order magic so easily, he thought he could trick me into learning from him and then later pitching the whole for the greater good speech and convince me to wear the Helmet. Fuck him. Seriously, whoever thinks that Lords Of Order are good is dead wrong. My face showed indecision. As if I wanted to take him up on his offer but wasn''t sure. Denying him outright would probably make him react badly. I knew my own worth you see. Finally I sighed. Well let''s try and keep up the act. "I''m sorry but I can''t. I haven''t mastered my current abilities. Adding more to the roster would be irresponsible and make me less effective. Maybe after I''ve mastered what I currently have, I will consider your offer." I bowed for added measure. Fate stared at me for a few seconds and said nothing. He waved his hand and my body tensed, ready to fight. The magic circle from before flashed under me and when I opened my eyes, I found myself near the others who were standing on the Bio-ship. The Tower of Fate was nowhere to be found. With that, the mission was complete. "Hey guys. What do you say we get out of here?" Damaged Bonds (Aden''s P.O.V) Our feet made synchronized steps through the hallway. M''gann had been left behind with the Bio-ship to carry out some maintenance on her. Due to the fact that I personally knew nothing about the structure and make up of a Martian bio-ship, I proceeded to my room. Connor also decided to do the same. Luckily, we had gotten some take out before arriving at the base so I wasn''t feeling hungry. "Goodnight." I said while turning the knob to my door. Connor''s hand grabbed my arm before I could push the door open. I stared at him over my shoulder and raised an eyebrow in question. Connor''s blue eyes were stern as he looked at me. "We need to talk." His tone was clipped and hard. "Okay. I don''t know what I did to get the Batman treatment but I''m down for a quick chat." He pulled back his hand and looked apologetic. "I''m¡­sorry. I just have a few questions." I hadn''t missed the way he had looked at me in the Tower. His nose had scrunched up and I had instantly felt like slapping myself for forgetting the clone had superior senses. Which meant he more than likely smelled the acrid scent of Klarion''s blood that stubbornly clung to my hoodie. I was burning the thing by the way. That had left me grinding my teeth and readying an excuse but luckily he hadn''t called me out infront of everybody. Especially after the talk between Aqualad, Kid Flash, Robin and I. The suspicion would be back and that would set me back by a lot. I wasn''t sure this was much better though. Him confronting me while we were just us two meant, he would be keen to read my heart rate and with no one else around, the chances of misdirecting his pointed questions were less. All that said though, I didn''t like his attitude. I''m a pretty easy-going guy, all things considered. But letting Connor come onto me like that rubbed me the wrong way. I forced myself to calm down though. Superboy was still in essence, a child. Which meant his emotional range was still growing. More times than not, taking the high road when it came to him was easier than winning an argument. "Ask your questions. Don''t expect me to answer them all though." His jaw clenched and he crossed his hands on his chest. "Why did I smell blood on you? I find it suspicious that apart from Abracadabra, who was knocked out at the very start of the fight, this Klarion guy you told us about was conveniently gone before we arrived. What did you Aden?" "You''re thinking I killed him huh?" I went straight to the heart of the matter. Connor looked thrown off by my straightforwardness. "Look Connor, we''ve had a rough evening. So I''m only going to say this once, I didn''t kill Klarion." He looked unsure bit still didn''t back down. "Infact I couldn''t kill Klarion and I had to result to some very lethal attacks just to stay alive. That''s why the scent of his blood is stuck to my hoodie. Otherwise if I had held back against someone on Dr.Fate''s level - I wouldn''t be standing here. you guys would have come across my dead corpse, instead." Connor looked away and frowned. "Right. Why did Fate hold you back then? When we teleported, you didn''t teleport out with us. What was the deal with that? You told the rest that he messed up the incantation but I don''t buy it." I sighed. This was going to drag out and I needed a shower. "Ok we''re done here. Let''s talk more in the morning, Superboy." I made to leave but he gripped my shoulder. "What are you hiding Aden?" Ok I was now pissed. I rounded up on the half Kryptonian. "You know what, I can''t believe that you out of all people has the nerve to suspect me of anything. When you came out of the pod, who was the one person who didn''t judge you for your fucking attitude? Who was it that had your back the most? Me. That''s who! But I guess that respect and care goes one way doesn''t it Connor? At least the big guy is considerate to his friends." That struck a nerve. His face scrunched up in anger and he punched the wall next to me. "Don''t fucking talk to me like you know everything about me. You know nothing!" He roared. I looked at him unimpressed. The hand inside my hoodie was tightened into a fist and I wanted nothing more than to bury it on Connor''s face. There was a gentle whoosh as M''gann rounded up the Connor and stared at us. "Ummh guys, is everything ok?" She timidly asked. The tension between Connor and I was palpable. "We''re done here." I swallowed the anger, turned and opened the door to my room. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon."Aden-" Connor started but I cut him off. I had had enough of his bullshit. "Goodnight. To both of you." I closed the door behind me and let out a sigh at how dramatic my life had recently gotten. I hate drama. It all feels so unnecessary. My first thought if I was in Connor''s shoes would have been to exercise the policy of ''minding my own fucking business.'' If the issue had been too delicate to just leave as it was, my approach would not have been as aggressive and out of line. Connor had damaged our friendship a little and the problem with me, is that I''m rarely the first to reach out and patch things first. I sighed, things would definitely be awkward in the cave for a few days. In a way, I could understand where he was coming from with all the suspicion. This Connor was different from the one on the screen. Due to Superman appropriately taking him under his wing, some of the Big Blue''s principles were rubbing off him. Chief among them being the no killing rule. And had Superman gotten the same scent of blood, his first move would have been to confront me about it. Connor was just emulating his new mentor. But just because I understood where he was coming from did not mean, it wasn''t any less annoying. So fuck him and everyone else. What I needed was to keep my eyes on the objective. I wouldn''t be sticking around here that long anyway. I took a much needed shower and come back feeling fresh and with an organized mentality. If Conner''s attitude was an indication, most of the team would get angsty and start investigating me upon the slightest slip up. Which meant I had to move out the ''things'' I had hidden in my room to somewhere else secure. Unfortunately the list of contacts I had decided to make in the underworld were painfully short. Meaning I had no reputation to help me broker deals with these nefarious characters. That meant I couldn''t contact The Calculator, if it was actually him, just yet. Which left me with only one other choice. Lucifer. I could stash my things with him for the time being while also carrying out the missions he wanted to give me, which I could use to build a reputation in the underworld. But something told me not to leave the Meta-trigger or Kobra-venom with anyone else but me. So I needed another idea. The tasks he wanted me to do for him were beneficial to me however so I wouldn''t bail on that. Luckily, Batman wouldn''t be too suspicious about my L.A outings as opposed to going anywhere else. But first, before I made contact with the Devil, I needed to ensure that I could survive anything he could throw at me. And I also needed to have another identity separate from my Maelstrom one. Which meant I couldn''t use my air bending because Batman would simply compare my outings with the time the incidences took place and figure out that it was me. It was time to learn Fire bending. Which meant, I needed to complete the advancement into Air bending Grandmaster. Time to grind the shit out of my Sonic Subskill and get it to the level it needed to be. In the meantime, in one of the documents from Galiel''s safe, there was a storage unit where he kept his relics from his numerous world travel that I could use to hide the Meta-trigger and the vial of Kobra-venom. The jewelry, I would leave for the time being and sell in Metropolis. The cash would have to stay in my room. It was easier explaining it away than the rest of the stuff. (General P.O.V) "Klarion lost? That is¡­ unexpected." One of the members of the light spoke up. "Yes. It seems we underestimated the children." Another added. "Particularly this¡­aerokinetic boy. Could he be a protege of Red Tornado? Their abilities are similar." This time, it was a woman''s voice. "Doubtful, " a deeper voice countered. "Red Tornado has never had a Protege all these years. The chances of him deciding to pick one now are slim." "Maybe or maybe not. One thing that is clear, is that the boy poses a threat to us." Another voice spoke up, his tone was crisp, concise and oozing with charm. "I never pegged you for a coward Luthor. Surely he is but a child. Although his abilities are impressive. He is no Kryptonian to warrant this level of caution." The woman said. The deeper voice from earlier chuckled. "Bold of you to insult Luthor. However, I''d advise you to exercise some level of grace as befitting your station, Your Majesty. Luthor, is no fool and he certainly is not a coward. He must have a point. Let''s hear him out first." Luthor cleared his throat. "As I was saying, the boy seems to know of us. By now, Batman and by extension the League suspect the existence of an anti-thesis to The Justice League so he could have acquired the information that way. What concerns me the most was how he knew Klarion was a member." There was a brief silence. "That is a course for concern." The Deeper voice from earlier added. He seemed to hold a position as the head of the meeting. "The boy¡­he had a run in with a few of my¡­operatives during the Roquette mission. This is one more time, he has stood against our goals. I propose we deal with him." "No!" Suddenly, in response to Ra''s Al Ghul''s words, Klarion refused. His voice was dripping with acid and a manic hate. Despite none of the members of the Light actually being present in the same room, a grim foreboding feeling came upon everyone. "He''s mine! You hear that? Miiiine! I will make that little shit suffer for the insult he gave to me!! If any of you touch him before I do, you shall know despair!" There was a roar from Klarion''s screen and with a click the screen went off. "Well that was as productive a talk as any." Luthor added as an afterthought. The Advancement Trial part 1 (Aden''s P.O.V) The next morning I woke up as usual and left for the training room. Last night''s events had left me itching for some action so the first thing I did was go through the obstacle course several times. Each time increasing my speed until I had worked up a little sweat. I then went on to lift weights. The Kobra-venom had not really given me that much of an increase. Only adding 10 tonnes to my previous limit. Making it so that I could now lift 80 tons. The speed increase was even less noticeable. I was clocking at an impressive 105 mph. Which wasn''t much but at least my reflexes seemed to have been heightened slightly more. For a bender like me, that was much more welcome than a direct increase in movement speed. Mid way through my workout, Connor entered the room. He stopped at the entrance looking unsure but then came forward and stopped before me, silent. I finished my set and sat up, using the towel to soak up the slight sheen of sweat covering my forehead. "I want to apologize." He finally said, breaking the silence. I stared up at him and nodded. I wasn''t one to hold a grudge anyway. "It''s fine. Let''s just leave it in the past." With that we dropped the matter and I finished up with the workout. Then I left for my favorite spot after nodding to Connor. Things weren''t completely okay with us but the subject of our brief but heated argument was hopefully behind us. M''gann must have talked some sense into him. Which meant she would try the same with me. Oh boy. I stepped into the beach and breathed in the morning air. I crossed my legs and meditated first. It was an art that airbenders used to feel more in tune with the world and I found that it helped calm my mind whenever I was feeling weighed on by situations. My breath fogged as I breathed in and out, slowly emptying my mind of all thoughts and focusing on the rhythm. I continued the cycle for half an hour or so and then reached out into the world. My touch was tentative. I was asking permission from the air to wield it. With my current level, such a thing was not a must anymore. Just like how the bending moves had become redundant but I always felt the need to humble myself before this force of nature. Forcing the connection would result in domineering power but for finesse and better control, understanding the movements, the essence and the core of the element was the way to go. And this time I felt it¡­an urge to stop forcing it. To simply let go and trust¡­trust in that something would hold me afloat even without my control¡­.so I let¡­ "Morning Aden!" M''gann''s chipper voice completely broke my concentration and made me lose it. My heart instantly sunk. I had been so close to¡­I frowned. I had been so close to- something. "Hope I didn''t interrupt anything." Too late for that. I closed my eyes and breathed out before plastering a smile and turning to the ever excitable girl. "No, it''s good. How was your night?" "Great. Sooo Connor told me what happened last night." She begun softly, unsure of how I would react. This again? I connected with the air once more and started creating wind constructs. "Mmmh" I hummed. "He didn''t really tell me the specifics but he felt sorry for anything bad he might have said." "Mmmh." She flew closer to me while I struggled to maintain a twisting Pole arm in the air. "And you guys are really close friends so I didn''t like that you were fighting." The Pole arm shot off towards the ocean and unravelled upon contact with the water. A blast of air exploded up, sending the water splashing up in a wave. "And I told him to come to you and apologize." "And lemme guess you promised him you would talk to me too if he did it, huh?" "What?..no..it''s not like that!" The Martian instantly flushed red and started denying. "Look Megan, it''s not your job to try and make us reconcile. I appreciate it though and don''t worry, Connor and I are good." The Martian bit her lip. "Trust me. We''re good." I assured her. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it."Great. Hello Megan! I know exactly what you guys need to put this whole thing behind you. Cookies!" My eyes followed her as she flew quickly back into the cave. I shook my head and sighed. "Let''s see if I can get that feeling again. Something tells me it''s very important." I tried to fall back into meditation which was easy. But the trance from before¡­ where my whole spirit had been on the verge of freedom wasn''t accessible. M''gann''s interruption had thrown me completely off my game. So for the rest of the morning I decided to focus on my sonic abilities. The fight with Klarion had shown me that Black Canary could be devastating if she wanted to. A fully powered Sonic blast from her could even take down Superman if he was caught off guard. I wanted to reach that level or barring that at least expert level to unlock the next element which was fire. I massaged my throat softly. The shout I had blasted Klarion with had done a number on my voice but luckily it seemed like the serums had given me enhanced healing. My voice was a bit rough for the time being though. And not to mention, currently I couldn''t create a sufficiently powered Sonic blast. However, I didn''t need to. I focused on maintaining a low but still debilitating sonic wave aimed towards the water. There were slight ripples in the air and an irritating sound produced. Just enough to cause some pain to a normal human being though. I alternated from making the sonic attacks wide and narrow and then tried to practice shooting them out in quick succession. At 10, M''gann arrived with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk, that she left on a beach chair and left without a word. I was grateful that she was considerate enough to not disrupt me seeing as I was making some progress. I took a quick break, devoured the freshly baked goodies and then it was back to training again. My intense focus saw me shirtless at noon with the sun beating down on my dark skin and a light sheen of sweat covering it. The sonic attacks had become easier and easier to the point where all I had to do was to keep up with the practice to make the skill a part of my fighting style. And just before 2, a text box appeared in my vision. I sat down while breathing a bit heavily. Gulping the water M''gann had thoughtfully brought me, I ran a hand through my hair. Despite my Stamina being incredible, non stop power practice under the hot rays of the sun was enough to leave me feeling tired. Especially when you consider that although I didn''t run out of the energy to bend, my endurance was still drained as my body did it''s best to channel that energy into controlling the elements. But it was not all for nothing. I looked at the panel and after making sure I was all alone, clicked on it. Air Element ( Master) -Flight. (Unlocked) -Sound. (Unlocked) Both of the sub skills were unlocked. My proficiency level had not changed though, which made me frown. As if sensing my confusion, another panel replaced the one showing my Air-bending skills. (Congratulations! You are now at the precipice of attaining Grandmaster level in the Air Element. To complete the process you must go through an... Advancement trial! Yes. No one said that things would be easy for you. As an ambassador it is your job to be powerful. That is non-negotiable. And for that to happen, you must be tested fully. But don''t say we are completely merciless. If you succeed in passing the trial, A New System function will be unlocked. ) P.S: Whenever you''re ready, tap on the minimized system display at the corner of your vision for you to be transported to the trial ground. P.P.S: The trial will happen only once for every Element. So don''t fail this attempt or else your Air bending will be stuck at Master Level. P.P.P.S: This goes without saying but the trial will be taken alone with no outside help or weapons. To that end, your other abilities will be restrained for you to showcase pure Air-bending mastery. P.P.P.P.S: Success will be determined through submission, knockout or death. I sucked in a deep breath. This...this was unexpected. It just went to show that although the Avatar System was based from the Animated series, it wasn''t an accurate copy. This seemed more like a power progression, where I would be rewarded as long as I hit checkpoints or completed certain objectives. I smiled. That meant the issue of an Avatar''s low fire power when compared to people like Superman or wonder woman didn''t apply to me. Though even that was debatable seeing that some Avatar''s like Avatar Szeto were fucking scary. Szeto could induce the eruption of four Volcanoes which was a feat that at estimate would require around 40 megatons of TNT. For perspective the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated by the human race, the Tsar Bomba, is around 50¨C58 megatons of TNT. So Szeto was able to scale up to nuclear weapons. Then there''s Avatar Kyoshi, who created the island named after her by separating a land mass from the continent and pushing it out into the ocean. At the upper levels, an Avatar was easily continental level. The problem was that this was the DC verse. Superman at the lowest was Planetary. Not to mention the sheer number of people close to his level like Shazam, Manhunter, Wonder woman, Captain Atom, The Lanterns and in my opinion the scariest of them all, The Flash. Sooner or later in the future, The Justice League and I will collide due to my ideals and when that day comes, I need to be powerful enough not to lose. I spared a look at the icon at the edge of my sight. And that is how I would do it. The Advancement Trial part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) A few hours later after my practice, shower and dinner, Batman called us for a debrief on what went down at the Tower of Fate. Due to the fact that I was the most involved, I ended up recounting the whole thing from top to bottom. Batman''s question ranged from my decisions to a detailed description of Klarion. I answered all of his questions and held nothing back. When he was satisfied, he released the others and requested for me to stay back. I caught the tail end of Wally''s ''He''s so busted'' and sighed. Staring at the Dark Knight, I couldn''t come up with a counterargument to Wally''s statement. "Fate offered you a chance to learn magic but you turned him down. Why?" Batman glared at me and questioned. "Wow. You went straight for the jugular. Can''t say I''m surprised though." "Answer me." If it was possible, the glare increased in intensity. I held up a hand and chuckled. "Got it, no more jokes." My face turned serious. "The Lords of Order seek to maintain the status quo. They are not inherently good. They are just the opposing side to chaos. Remove chaos from the equation completely and you get an Overpowered prick like Nabu who doesn''t need to conform to the moral rules and boundaries we ''mortals'' abide by." Batman tightened his hands into fists. "You''re suggesting that Dr. fate is only on our side for convenience sake and not out of an obligation to help. Need I remind you that he was part of the Justice Society?" I shook my head. "No, what I''m saying is that you cannot treat Nabu as a human. His duty to counter Klarion and other Lords of Chaos comes first and foremost before everything else. Good and bad are just two extreme ends of values that we as emotional creatures give meaning to. If to Nabu order means the death of a million people¡­" I left that part unsaid. Batman gave a curt nod. "You still haven''t explained why you refused to learn magic from him." I snorted, giving him a knowing look. Oh Bruce if there''s someone who understands you it''s me. Someone who has seen almost every iteration of your character. I shuddered in fear, briefly thinking of The Batman Who Laughs. "True but that''s because you already know the answer to that. You probably already did even before I walked in for the debriefing." I said while leaning back, confident in my assumption. Batman stapled his fingers together. "Enlighten me." Ok. So he wants to verify his suspicions through me. "Nabu seeks a host. He knows that Kent is way past his prime and will soon pass on, leaving Nabu without a way to interact with the outside world." The whole thing still bothered me due to how close I''d come to losing my body. "It is to my understanding that Kent Nelson gave his word to Nabu that he would find him a host before that happens." Batman replied. I shook my head. "That was probably the plan, until I showed up. Nabu sensed that I possess an affinity for his brand of magic and now¡­" "He wants to groom you into his future host." Batman cut me off. "If what you say is true then proper measures will need to be taken regarding the Helmet." "One thing I can tell you is that under no circumstances should you let Zatanna wear it. If that happens, Zatara will give himself over to Nabu willingly and without fail and the Justice League will lose its expert on magic. One might argue that the trade off is worth it because you''d be getting Dr.Fate but after everything I''ve told you, would you take that chance?" Our eyes met and Batman gave an intimidating, ''hn'' that would have made an Uchiha jealous. "This matter is no longer your concern. The League will handle it from here." With that, I got up, understanding I was being dismissed. "Send Aqualad in." Batman added before I closed the door behind me. (A while later) "Hey, you up for a spar?" Connor asked me as we waited for Aqualad to come and brief us on our next mission. To be honest I was feeling a bit angsty. I wanted to do nothing more than lock myself in my room and do the advancement trial but now we had another mission on the horizon. Not to mention...Superboy wanted to spar. Knowing his anger issues; although they''d been lessened and our previous clash, this wouldn''t turn out so well so... "Maybe later, Connor. I''m still feeling tapped out from exercise." I gently refused. No need for him to feel like I curved him. Even though I totally did. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident."Cool." He clenched his jaw and turned away, crossing his hands on his chest. I ignored him and looked around at the others, Kid Flash was busy flirting with an unsuspecting Megan. A Megan who had his attention on Connor, looking worried and yearning at the same time. Robin and Artemis both looked our way upon hearing Connor''s words. I narrowed my eyes at the Boy Wonder as he watched on with interest. His gaze jumping from Connor to me rapidly. He could no doubt sense the tension between us, comes with being a mini-Batman, I guess. That might make him curious, leading to him questioning Connor on what went down between us, leading to Connor telling him about his suspicions, leading to The Boy Wonder investigating me leading to...Gah! Why can''t anything just be simple? Fortunately, Aqualad arrived with Batman in tow. "We have our new task. We''re deploying at 1800 hrs tomorrow for a recon mission at the Yellowstone national park." Aqualad started while pointing at the holomap displayed by the projector. ''Yellowstone National park? That sounds like- I looked at the Dark Knight and met his eyes. A brief nod and I understood. Batman had finally decided to use some of the information I''d given him. Which admittedly wasn''t a lot but the Red Volcano threat couldn''t be left to chance. It had been the very first thing I had warned him about because of how serious the threat was. T.O. Morrow could destroy the whole world without anyone knowing by simply activating Red Volcano. His stupidity in trying to get Red Tornado back was the only reason the team had had a chance to destroy the Overpowered Android. "... We''re going to do a full sweep of the place. Leaving no stone unturned until we find out T.O. Morrow''s hideout. Got it?" Aqualad finished. I nodded along with the others but my mind was on something else. Completing the Advancement trial tonight had just become all the more crucial. I needed to be Grandmaster level if we were going to go up against, Red Torpedo, Red Inferno and god forbid Red Volcano. The worst part? They all had elemental based powers on the level of Red Tornado. (General P.O.V) (Dick Grayson) (An hour after The Brief) "His behavioral pattern indicates a power hungry mindset. Probably as a need to feel secure after ___________. He obsesses over power. More often than not training to perfect the abilities he has access to while seeking to gain more. An introvert, opinionated yet content to keep silent just as much he speaks his mind, keenly observant, follows orders as long as they are reasonable and holds a slight derision for others, probably a side effect of learning about ____________and it''s parallels from..." "Why are there redacted words on his profile?" Dick asked while reading the information contained in Aden''s file. Suddenly the computer screen displayed a ''Not Authorized'' text box. "No no no..." Robin turned his sight back to his wrist mounted computer and tried to swipe through it quickly. He''d connected the device to the Batcomputer''s database after hacking it to get information on Aden. "Please... please...tell me I got it..." Robin sighed in disappointment. "I didn''t get it." The elevator doors to the Bat-cave opened and Robin''s hands swiftly ran through the Batcomputer''s controls, the screen went black and Boy Wonder turned around with his heart pumping. How was Batman back so quickly? usually a League meeting took hours before it ended. "Master Grayson." Robin swallowed his sigh of relief. "Oh hey Alfred." "Playing games on the Batcomputer again?" Robin groaned. "That was one time Alfred and I was 10. You''re never going to let me live that down, are you." Alfred chuckled and walked in. "Unlikely." The aged butler went over to a table, placed away from the technology dotting most of the cave and placed down the tea set he was carrying. "Now Master Grayson. I believe it''s time we had a discussion on what privacy means." Dick widened his eyes slightly before doubling down on his stubbornness and deciding to play innocent. "I have no idea what you''re talking about Alfred. But... I would be willing to listen if it wasn''t for a prior engagement with Kid and Aqualad. Anyway, I''m open to rescheduling this talk for another time, I doubt that a-" Robin quickly caught himself and cleared his throat. "...Stalwart gentleman at the prime of your life gets out much and hence must seek other alternatives to entertain himself." "You can call me old, Master Grayson, I don''t mind." Despite saying that, a dangerous glint on Alfred''s eyes advised the young hero not to. Robin gulped and wished he was dealing with Killer Croc. None of his tricks were going to work on the former British soldiers. "Old? Surely you''re joking Alfred. Instead of disparaging yourself, my advice would be to stay paraged instead. Anyway see you later, I''m off to patrol." With that, Dick turned and went towards the elevator. "An alert came through to me that you were accessing files you were not authorized to." Alfred''s voice stopped him dead on his tracks. Dick closed his eyes and muttered ''dammit'' under his breath. ''welp, there goes rule number 46, don''t get caught.'' Robin thought, semi-joking, referring to the guidelines Batman had taught him to pay close attention to. "Now, you can go on your Patrol and come back later to deal with master Bruce or you can stay and have a cup of this freshly brewed tea I just made, with me. Either way, this is happening. Choose your poison, Master Grayson." Dick couldn''t stop the groan that came out of his mouth. He didn''t want to deal with Batman''s glare, so Alfred was obviously the better choice. "Fine, but let''s chess things up. I need atleast a win in something." With a sigh, Robin responded. Alfred''s smirk told Dick that he might have made another mistake. The older gentleman suddenly looked eager. "My thoughts exactly." The Advancement Trial Final Part (Aden''s P.O.V) My chest inflated with a deep breath, I held it for 30 seconds and then exhaled, staying like that for 30 more seconds. Then I repeated the cycle for 10 minutes, falling into a rhythm that helped calm my nerves for what I was about to do. I opened my eyes and maximized the text box for the Advancement Trial and¡­clicked Start. I didn''t feel my head hit the pillow. My surroundings had suddenly changed within the blink of an eye. I looked around, trying to get a sense of what was happening. All around me was a grayish mist that obscured the whole area. "Wwhaat Iss hhaappenning?" I wondered, frowning at the odd way my voice resonated and echoed all around me. Another text box blinked into being before my eyes. (You have initiated the start of your advancement trial to Grandmaster level in Air bending. If you''re still unsure of your current capabilities to complete this trial, this is your final chance to back out and retake the trial once you feel you''re ready. If you still wish to continue, click yes.) I hesitated. There was nothing cowardly about turning back. To be completely honest, I wasn''t a hundred percent confident that I could win this. However, I didn''t really have a choice. I had put a lot of expectations on myself. And I''d be damned if I turned back because of the risk. I clicked yes. Nothing happened except for another text box replacing the one I already had open. There were only two ominous words on the blue text box. (Good luck) I sucked in a deep breath. "Ok let''s do thi¡­" Instantly, I took a knee, my words getting cut off as I struggled to breath. My body felt so¡­ sluggish and heavy. I looked at the ground and saw it shift into a hard and rocky terrain. The whole gray space instantly changed into a very familiar battlefield. I was standing on a pillar of stone looking out towards the rocky landscape with a river running through it. My heart grew cold. I swallowed. I''m facing him? I mean it makes sense but him?! Of all people. Why couldn''t you give me some nondescript Airbending master like¡­like Gyatso or even that son of ''his'' that became an Air Bender after Korra and Unalaq''s battle. Why of all things, would you match me up with "THE" Avatar himself. Why Aang?! "Fucking hell." Another Text Box appeared in my vision. (Your opponent has similarly been restricted to only Air bending.) That was better. If it was only Air bending then I could win this. Somehow. I firmed up my will and gathered all the confidence I had. My eyes met his. Aang was in his younger years. The same age he was in canon when he defeated Fire Lord Ozai. I thanked god for that small mercy. Adult Aang would have been impossible to beat. Not only because of how fucking strong he had to be after mastering all the bending styles and refining them but also because of his mature mentality. Young Aang was unsure of himself, carried massive guilt, refused to kill and always doubted his strength. That meant I could use all that to my advantage. His face was blank with no emotion but I could see a glint of understanding as to what was about to happen. Meaning he had enough cognition to attack, defend, strategize and hopefully listen and process my words when I talked. That would probably come in handy. Aang was a big softie after all. That plan was shelved for the time being as a last resort. First I wanted to test myself and see if I could win this the right way. The combat trial way. Who knew when I could get another chance like this to go up against a veteran Air Bender. I settled into an stance. The air moved according to my urging, dancing through the open space as I controlled it to surround me. I shifted my leg and spinned, sending an air slash towards Aang. The Avatar pushed one foot forward and¡­did nothing as the air slash uselessly made contact with his body and dispelled. What? That brief moment of shock almost cost me. A whitish cone of concentrated wind left Aang''s fist and quickly arrived before me. I leaned back and watched as the attack flew over me, my eyes wide. The¡­power. The strength of his air attacks felt¡­ indomitable. I rose up and started sending barrages of wind attacks. Air kicks, air canons, cones of win and wind weapon constructs that would wreck the surroundings if it was the real world. But none of them did a thing. Aang danced out of the way of the attacks, looking completely at ease, evading and blocking. It was clear that he had much more experience. There was¡­ something he possessed that allowed him to trump the quality of my air bending no matter how much power I fed to it. "Fuck this." I reached outwards and created tornadoes all around him. I flew up high and sent the numerous whirlwinds his way. The pillars we had been standing on were promptly destroyed, with the pieces of rock breaking off and joining the windstorm. I grimly looked on down at Aang''s position. The Tornados decimated the surroundings, leaving behind a crater but in the middle of those turbulent winds, was a section that remained untouched. Aang calmly stood inside a bubble of wind. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. His hand came up with two fingers outstretched that he slowly lowered. Following this action, the cyclones destabilized. Then he waved his right hand in a swaying motion, seamlessly stretched his left leg to the side, pulled his hands to hips and then boom! Threw the palms forward. My eyes were entranced. His movements, his motions, they all flowed so naturally with the air. I finally understood what I was missing. Synchronization with the element. In comparison, my movements were crude, primal and stiff. Undeserving of the Master Title I had access to. It also made a lot of sense, why my flying was so different from Zaheer''s. Whatever this thing, Aang and Zaheer and probably every other bender who had to learn without the pre-programmed set of arts and motions the system fed me, I didn''t have it. I wasn''t as in tune with the air as I should have been. Which bugged the heck out of me and made me wonder why the system still graded me as a Master. Questions that were cut off by the unimpressive but efficiently deadly air attack that Avatar Aang threw forward. The large cone of air slammed into my air shield, throwing me further up into the air. I tried to wrest control of the air but failed. So I pushed back with my own attack. Putting everything I had behind it. There was an explosion of wind that pushed everything away, including me. The closest outcrops of rock and earth were detached forcefully, leaving behind dust that obscured the surroundings. I coughed and waved a hand, sending a burst of elemental power outwards, clearing my immediate vicinity of dust. I frowned as a large shape appeared below me, growing prominent by the second. A huge fucking rock. "Holy shit. I thought he was restricted to only air bending!" My hands came up and the fingers danced in the air, in a mimic of a puppeteer. One of my least used applications of Airbending because of how dangerous it was, activated. Invisible wind constructs of wires shot out in a deadly fashion. Unseen but heard, a whistling sound left behind. The constructs sliced apart the rock into smaller pieces that flew right by me. Aang suddenly leaped from one of the larger pieces flying away on my left. His leg kicked out and the pieces of rock projectiles were pushed towards me, answering the question of how he''d thrown the huge boulder at me in the first place. He was using air bending. Something that I could also do. I got out of my surprise quickly and a tornado formed around me, pulling the projectiles along it''s twisting motion and then releasing it back to the Avatar. The air bubble surrounding Aang disappeared for a second and with practiced ease, he stepped on the rocks meant to hit him. I felt frustration hit me along with anger. My better judgement won out and I studied him. Looking for an opening while also learning. Clearly a real Airbender had me trumped in understanding of what air bending was. It wasn''t just an art like I''d believed before, it was a lifestyle. A culture steeped in philosophy that these people learnt from childhood. My measly few weeks as an Airbender couldn''t compare. What I had was power and ingenuity on my side but the control I had hitherto thought was prodigious¡­was not even worth mentioning. I couldn''t win this. Not like this. Not now¡­Here goes the last resort. Forgive me Aang, but I need to throw you off your game. My right hand, which I had kept behind me suddenly stretched out. An air bomb, the same one I had used on Kobra exploded with the force of a real bomb. The shockwaves impacted Aang''s shield bubble and threw him downwards. Aang managed to dispel the attack in time before his body could hit the ground. Behind him, the attack continued, sending a large volume of water overflowing towards the banks of the river below us. The wind reached out gently like a mother holding her baby and carried him down to land on a lone outcrop of stone, the others having been destroyed during our fight. He was just about to jump back at me but I held up a hand. Here goes nothing. An expression of mockery appeared on my face. "It''s funny that out of all the possible Avatars I could face, I got the weakest. The worst. The one who abandoned his duty and left everyone to die. I mean talk about a loser." The words left a bitter taste in my mouth. This¡­this was wrong. But it''s just a projection hardwired into emulating Aang. Please¡­please don''t let it be the real him. The air was suddenly supercharged with something. Hurricanes picked up all around us and grew with intensity at every drop of my words. "I wonder what Gyatso thought and felt when the Firebenders got to him, did he shed tears, seeing the destruction they caused to your home? I wonder if he cursed your name as he died. Wondering why you were ever born as the Avatar." Aang''s body shook as the breeze from before grew in intensity. Forming sharp licks of winds. Breathing became a labour, prompting me to create a bubble around my body. He''s angry but I need him broken. "You abandoned the people who needed you the most. Frankly speaking, the world lost its Avatar way before you ran away from your duty, they lost the Avatar the day Rokku died." Aang''s eyes started to flash white as an animalistic shout of anger exploded out of his mouth. The Avatar state. My mouth dried up as I tightened my fingers. There was only one more sentence left¡­one more statement and I''d break him. Could I do it? "Your whole existence is meaningless because at the end of the day, all your struggles, your friends, the love of your life Katara¡­none of it is real. None of you are real, you''re just characters created to entertain people. All that death and suffering was simply for¡­my viewing pleasure." The wind died down. The Tornados unravelled and everything went calm. Aang lost the light in his eyes and knelt down. A river of tears fell down his now blank and emotionless face. Despite it being a copy of the real self, what I had done was... repugnant. I flew down gently towards him and flicked a finger. A wire construct slashed out from Aang''s right side and came out on the other side visible and colored red. I then opened my mouth and for added measure, a sonic attack rippled out, breaking his body apart. I never looked away. Turns out yes, I could do it. I could break someone''s Spirit. The Advancement Trial Final Part (Aden''s P.O.V) My chest inflated with a deep breath, I held it for 30 seconds and then exhaled, staying like that for 30 more seconds. Then I repeated the cycle for 10 minutes, falling into a rhythm that helped calm my nerves for what I was about to do. I opened my eyes and maximized the text box for the Advancement Trial and¡­clicked Start. I didn''t feel my head hit the pillow. My surroundings had suddenly changed within the blink of an eye. I looked around, trying to get a sense of what was happening. All around me was a grayish mist that obscured the whole area. "Wwhaat Iss hhaappenning?" I wondered, frowning at the odd way my voice resonated and echoed all around me. Another text box blinked into being before my eyes. (You have initiated the start of your advancement trial to Grandmaster level in Air bending. If you''re still unsure of your current capabilities to complete this trial, this is your final chance to back out and retake the trial once you feel you''re ready. If you still wish to continue, click yes.) I hesitated. There was nothing cowardly about turning back. To be completely honest, I wasn''t a hundred percent confident that I could win this. However, I didn''t really have a choice. I had put a lot of expectations on myself. And I''d be damned if I turned back because of the risk. I clicked yes. Nothing happened except for another text box replacing the one I already had open. There were only two ominous words on the blue text box. (Good luck) I sucked in a deep breath. "Ok let''s do thi¡­" Instantly, I took a knee, my words getting cut off as I struggled to breath. My body felt so¡­ sluggish and heavy. I looked at the ground and saw it shift into a hard and rocky terrain. The whole gray space instantly changed into a very familiar battlefield. I was standing on a pillar of stone looking out towards the rocky landscape with a river running through it. My heart grew cold. I swallowed. I''m facing him? I mean it makes sense but him?! Of all people. Why couldn''t you give me some nondescript Airbending master like¡­like Gyatso or even that son of ''his'' that became an Air Bender after Korra and Unalaq''s battle. Why of all things, would you match me up with "THE" Avatar himself. Why Aang?! "Fucking hell." Another Text Box appeared in my vision. (Your opponent has similarly been restricted to only Air bending.) That was better. If it was only Air bending then I could win this. Somehow. I firmed up my will and gathered all the confidence I had. My eyes met his. Aang was in his younger years. The same age he was in canon when he defeated Fire Lord Ozai. I thanked god for that small mercy. Adult Aang would have been impossible to beat. Not only because of how fucking strong he had to be after mastering all the bending styles and refining them but also because of his mature mentality. Young Aang was unsure of himself, carried massive guilt, refused to kill and always doubted his strength. That meant I could use all that to my advantage. His face was blank with no emotion but I could see a glint of understanding as to what was about to happen. Meaning he had enough cognition to attack, defend, strategize and hopefully listen and process my words when I talked. That would probably come in handy. Aang was a big softie after all. That plan was shelved for the time being as a last resort. First I wanted to test myself and see if I could win this the right way. The combat trial way. Who knew when I could get another chance like this to go up against a veteran Air Bender. I settled into an stance. The air moved according to my urging, dancing through the open space as I controlled it to surround me. I shifted my leg and spinned, sending an air slash towards Aang. The Avatar pushed one foot forward and¡­did nothing as the air slash uselessly made contact with his body and dispelled. What? That brief moment of shock almost cost me. A whitish cone of concentrated wind left Aang''s fist and quickly arrived before me. I leaned back and watched as the attack flew over me, my eyes wide. The¡­power. The strength of his air attacks felt¡­ indomitable. I rose up and started sending barrages of wind attacks. Air kicks, air canons, cones of win and wind weapon constructs that would wreck the surroundings if it was the real world. But none of them did a thing. Aang danced out of the way of the attacks, looking completely at ease, evading and blocking. It was clear that he had much more experience. There was¡­ something he possessed that allowed him to trump the quality of my air bending no matter how much power I fed to it. "Fuck this." I reached outwards and created tornadoes all around him. I flew up high and sent the numerous whirlwinds his way. The pillars we had been standing on were promptly destroyed, with the pieces of rock breaking off and joining the windstorm. I grimly looked on down at Aang''s position. The Tornados decimated the surroundings, leaving behind a crater but in the middle of those turbulent winds, was a section that remained untouched. Aang calmly stood inside a bubble of wind. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. His hand came up with two fingers outstretched that he slowly lowered. Following this action, the cyclones destabilized. Then he waved his right hand in a swaying motion, seamlessly stretched his left leg to the side, pulled his hands to hips and then boom! Threw the palms forward. My eyes were entranced. His movements, his motions, they all flowed so naturally with the air. I finally understood what I was missing. Synchronization with the element. In comparison, my movements were crude, primal and stiff. Undeserving of the Master Title I had access to. It also made a lot of sense, why my flying was so different from Zaheer''s. Whatever this thing, Aang and Zaheer and probably every other bender who had to learn without the pre-programmed set of arts and motions the system fed me, I didn''t have it. I wasn''t as in tune with the air as I should have been. Which bugged the heck out of me and made me wonder why the system still graded me as a Master. Questions that were cut off by the unimpressive but efficiently deadly air attack that Avatar Aang threw forward. The large cone of air slammed into my air shield, throwing me further up into the air. I tried to wrest control of the air but failed. So I pushed back with my own attack. Putting everything I had behind it. There was an explosion of wind that pushed everything away, including me. The closest outcrops of rock and earth were detached forcefully, leaving behind dust that obscured the surroundings. I coughed and waved a hand, sending a burst of elemental power outwards, clearing my immediate vicinity of dust. I frowned as a large shape appeared below me, growing prominent by the second. A huge fucking rock. "Holy shit. I thought he was restricted to only air bending!" My hands came up and the fingers danced in the air, in a mimic of a puppeteer. One of my least used applications of Airbending because of how dangerous it was, activated. Invisible wind constructs of wires shot out in a deadly fashion. Unseen but heard, a whistling sound left behind. The constructs sliced apart the rock into smaller pieces that flew right by me. Aang suddenly leaped from one of the larger pieces flying away on my left. His leg kicked out and the pieces of rock projectiles were pushed towards me, answering the question of how he''d thrown the huge boulder at me in the first place. He was using air bending. Something that I could also do. I got out of my surprise quickly and a tornado formed around me, pulling the projectiles along it''s twisting motion and then releasing it back to the Avatar. The air bubble surrounding Aang disappeared for a second and with practiced ease, he stepped on the rocks meant to hit him. I felt frustration hit me along with anger. My better judgement won out and I studied him. Looking for an opening while also learning. Clearly a real Airbender had me trumped in understanding of what air bending was. It wasn''t just an art like I''d believed before, it was a lifestyle. A culture steeped in philosophy that these people learnt from childhood. My measly few weeks as an Airbender couldn''t compare. What I had was power and ingenuity on my side but the control I had hitherto thought was prodigious¡­was not even worth mentioning. I couldn''t win this. Not like this. Not now¡­Here goes the last resort. Forgive me Aang, but I need to throw you off your game. My right hand, which I had kept behind me suddenly stretched out. An air bomb, the same one I had used on Kobra exploded with the force of a real bomb. The shockwaves impacted Aang''s shield bubble and threw him downwards. Aang managed to dispel the attack in time before his body could hit the ground. Behind him, the attack continued, sending a large volume of water overflowing towards the banks of the river below us. The wind reached out gently like a mother holding her baby and carried him down to land on a lone outcrop of stone, the others having been destroyed during our fight. He was just about to jump back at me but I held up a hand. Here goes nothing. An expression of mockery appeared on my face. "It''s funny that out of all the possible Avatars I could face, I got the weakest. The worst. The one who abandoned his duty and left everyone to die. I mean talk about a loser." The words left a bitter taste in my mouth. This¡­this was wrong. But it''s just a projection hardwired into emulating Aang. Please¡­please don''t let it be the real him. The air was suddenly supercharged with something. Hurricanes picked up all around us and grew with intensity at every drop of my words. "I wonder what Gyatso thought and felt when the Firebenders got to him, did he shed tears, seeing the destruction they caused to your home? I wonder if he cursed your name as he died. Wondering why you were ever born as the Avatar." Aang''s body shook as the breeze from before grew in intensity. Forming sharp licks of winds. Breathing became a labour, prompting me to create a bubble around my body. He''s angry but I need him broken. "You abandoned the people who needed you the most. Frankly speaking, the world lost its Avatar way before you ran away from your duty, they lost the Avatar the day Rokku died." Aang''s eyes started to flash white as an animalistic shout of anger exploded out of his mouth. The Avatar state. My mouth dried up as I tightened my fingers. There was only one more sentence left¡­one more statement and I''d break him. Could I do it? "Your whole existence is meaningless because at the end of the day, all your struggles, your friends, the love of your life Katara¡­none of it is real. None of you are real, you''re just characters created to entertain people. All that death and suffering was simply for¡­my viewing pleasure." The wind died down. The Tornados unravelled and everything went calm. Aang lost the light in his eyes and knelt down. A river of tears fell down his now blank and emotionless face. Despite it being a copy of the real self, what I had done was... repugnant. I flew down gently towards him and flicked a finger. A wire construct slashed out from Aang''s right side and came out on the other side visible and colored red. I then opened my mouth and for added measure, a sonic attack rippled out, breaking his body apart. I never looked away. Turns out yes, I could do it. I could break someone''s Spirit. Airbending Grandmaster (Aden ''s P.O.V) I closed my eyes and finally turned away. When I opened them, I found myself somewhere else. The rocky landscape had changed into a mist filled highland with mountain peaks, scattered trees growing out of the rocky lands and clouds that hung close to the earth, showing just how high I was. The sun shone brightly above the sky but even it''s rays could not trump the cold breeze that blew, ruffling my clothes. I looked around and felt the calmness of the whole area, wash over me. There was a shadow that hang above head. I turned to see what it was and a sigh at the majestic sight escaped my mouth. The Southern Air Temple. The place where Aang called his home. To reinforce that claim, there was a field on one of the peaks where a popular Airbending sport called, Air ball was played. The posts stuck out straight, looking untouched by time. Even thinking of Aang sent a pang of regret at how the whole trial had gone down. I took a deep breath to center myself. "I can''t change the past. For my ideals, I have to move forward." I repeated that statement for a few more times like a mantra. It helped to self hypnotize myself into adopting the right mindset. A mindset of understanding that I could not change what had already occurred and instead focus on seeing through my objectives. I breathed out, finally having calmed myself enough to wonder¡­where the hell was I? Or better yet, Why the hell was I at a place that closely resembled the Southern Air Temple from Avatar? I was supposed to receive a text box from the System telling me I had completed the Advancement Trial. I doubt I had to beat another Airbender to get to Grandmaster level. Aang seemed more than enough. Too much for me to bear even, seeing as I had to resort to¡­other ways. So this must be something else. And given the fact that I found myself here at the homeland of the Airbenders¡­I had a feeling on where exactly, I was supposed to go. My steps were light as I moved forward, steadily approaching the entrance of the Temple. The whole building felt grim, abandoned and sacred. Vines grew along it''s walls. And the path leading down the mountain was full of weeds, showing that it hadn''t been used for quite some time. I stepped through the entrance which emptied out into a courtyard. The architecture was impressive. The wall fence, keeping people from a deep dive into the unknown was constructed by a great craftsman. Showing no wear or tear despite the fighting that had occurred here, if this was actually an authentic copy of The Southern Air Temple. Which it was, given the fact that I spotted one or two fire bender helmets. In the middle of the courtyard was a statue of a monk in a cross-legged position. The resemblance to Aang was uncanny. His name was Monk Gyatso and he''d been a father figure/master to him. I looked at him and once more thought of Aang. This time however, I had fully accepted what had happened. So I walked forward and bowed in respect. My head rose up and I took the stairs, continuing along a hallway and arriving before a door constructed in a weird fashion. Two large megaphone like objects with tubes growing out of their ends and criss crossing each other in a maze like display were framed on the main entrance. I remembered Aang telling Katara and Sokka that only an Airbender could open this door. I feel into a stance and manipulated the air to shoot out of both of my palms at the same time and into the holes made like diameter horns. The doors were the entrance to the Air Temple Sanctuary. If there was a place I could get answers, this was it. The air made a deep groaning sound as I pushed it into the tubes, leading to two locks on the middle section of the door clicking down and aligning with a third one. With that, the door swung open. A smell of mildew and dust hit me as I stepped through. This room was supposedly more sacred than anything else in the temple. The atmosphere it gave off showed there was some truth in that. My feet stepped through the darkness and I belatedly realized I could have given anything for my serum powers to come back. Especially the senses. The darkness on my sides totally blinded me in a way I had never felt before. Even Adaptive Physiology was similarly suppressed. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The light from the outside fortunately allowed me to walk forwards unhindered. The Air Temple Sanctuary housed the statues of all the previous Avatars. My eyes swept through the whole area and I gaped. Instead of all the reincarnated Avatar''s, there was only one statue. Mine. I was dressed in my ideal Superhero Costume. The costume idea I had in my head and...and I looked older. Somehow, this statue was a representation of me as an Avatar. Did that mean that when I died I would reincarnate into another life? Better yet, what was my Avatar State if I didn''t have past lives to draw knowledge from? I''d always known I wasn''t a normal Avatar. But this...this confirmed I had no idea how deep the rabbit hole went. The statue itself was pristine and gleaming in the little light that reached the room. I gingerly advanced to it and stopped. As if I was in a trance, I reached out a hand and touched it. I opened my eyes and found myself on a peak of some sort. My body was sitting cross legged on the ground and everywhere I looked I saw clouds, beneath me. I was dressed in Air bending robes that felt warm and snug on my body. The sun was shining down at my head and a heavy wind assaulted me from all directions. My breathing came out hurried and fast. Where was I now? And what was the deal with showing me the Southern Air Temple? "I completed The Advancement Trial, stop playing games with me and-" My words were cut off by the sudden appearance of a text box. (Congratulations in completing The Advancement Trial. Your results have been tarried and the rewards promised will be given to you after you exit this space. Do you wish to exit?) Of cour- wait. My finger stopped in mid air before I could click on the exit key. What was I doing? I can''t believe I almost made such a big blunder. Such a mistake would have seen me regret everything. If I had learned anything from the System, it''s that it never did anything without a reason. So why would it decide to send my spirit here if it was just going to allow me to leave the very first minute I requested it? I waved the text box away. Maybe the Advancement Trial wasn''t done. Maybe this was the other portion of the trial. Relying on the System to magically, give me the power and experience of a Grandmaster Airbender, was incredibly shortsighted and foolish. This was something I had to do myself. What the system had done was provide me with the best place to do it. The peak I was sitting on was constantly buffeted with air from all sides. The best place for an Airbender to train. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out, falling into my usual rhythm. It was hard. Especially with the constant whistling the air made when it swayed by me. Difficult as it was, I doubled down on my stubbornness and after some time, I calmed down. The whistling sound of the air went from being annoying to comforting. The difficulty in breathing lessened, my chest exhaling and inhaling once every minute. My mind emptied of all distraction as I fell into the same trance that I had been in during the time M''gann had disrupted my training. A trance where every single part of me had grown connected to the air around me. And it was in that position, I confirmed all my previous conclusions. In comparison to a true Air bending master like Aang, I was merely an expert practitioner. The rankings in the system was not a clear representation of skill. instead it was a representation of power. Of how much damage I could do with Air bending because...in the DC verse what mattered most wasn''t Skill. Not really. Not when facing beings like Darkseid. Madam Shiva was the greatest Martial Arts along with Richard Dragon but they could never face off against someone like Sinestro head on and win. In that same train of thought, my flight was imperfect. It wasn''t backed by the true spirit of Air bending, instead it was because of my sufficient control and the amount of power I shoved into the Subskill. It was unrefined. I could have made it into something more. But I hadn''t seen past my immediate success. So the System measured my proficiency in terms of power and not skill. That''s why Aang had bested me in the same element. And the only way I could bridge that gap is by becoming more than Aang. It was more than mastering the required 36 Airbending moves or creating my own to earn my Air-bending tattoos and become a recognized Airbending Master. It was by becoming the air itself. "Let go your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty and become wind." I repeated Guru Laghima''s Mantra. Over and over again. Zaheer had achieved flight by merely letting go off his earthly attachments. Granted it was the death of his girlfriend that had been the final fuse he needed but...I had the same grief too. Within the blink of an eye, I had lost everyone I had ever known my entire life. My parents, my relatives, my friends and my real life. The pain was always there. Burning and cutting me deep inside, despite the picture I portrayed on the outside. I hadn''t really dealt with it. Believing that time would heal the wound in my heart and I''d forget the agony. However, I had to face it. I was probably never going back. Their faces ran through my mind on loop and I forced myself to remember all the good times and the memories filled with life. Bad and good. And then...I let go of all if it. The Rewards. (Aden''s P.O.V) The pain and agony faded away. The fear for the future and the regrets of the past followed right behind and for the first time in ever, I felt¡­ weightless. A whole new world opened up to me and I cursed myself for being so blind before. The air was alive. Not in the sense of sentience but something so¡­ authentic, free, temperamental and connected to everything couldn''t be anything less than alive. I floated serenely with barely a draft ruffling my clothes as compared to my previous Flight skill. The air carried me of its own volition. I was in the state of weightlessness, a form I maintained by detaching myself of all worries. This was what Zaheer had. The epitome of Air bending. The Grandmaster level. I flew over the Southern Air Temple and across the numerous tall mountain tops. My speed had increased but the best part to all this was the free movement. I could stop and accelerate to my full speed almost instantaneously. On top of that, all my air bending skills had become easier to use and more efficient. My control had really gone to Aang''s level. I spent hours learning about what I could now do, before I sat down, maximized the text box display and clicked Exit. My last sight of the place was the lone temple, abandoned but intact and majestic. I opened my eyes and found myself on my bed. I got up and stretched, waving away the numerous text boxes in my vision to the corner of my sight. I gulped down a glass of water and looked at the time. Only an hour had passed, showing that time was not relative while I was in the Advancement Trial grounds. Inside, it had felt like days. By all rights I should be exhausted but despite the arduous fight with Aang, I felt¡­fresh. Free and light. I waved a hand and a soft breeze followed the direction of my hand. I chuckled in glee at what I was feeling. I had never felt so in sync with air before. It was eager to jump to do my bidding. As if I wasn''t a separate component but a part of it. I snapped a finger and instantly all the air in the room was sucked into the form of a ball. It was the size of a basketball and swirled in my hand. I kept the vacuum up by restricting more air from flowing into the empty space. splitting my attention into two fronts, even that felt easy. A blinking icon at the corner of my eyes brought my attention back to something equally interesting as my new and improved airbending control. There would be more time to experiment but now I had something else to check. There was supposed to be a reward for completing the Advancement Mission as well as a new System Function. I went over to my bed and sat on it before maximizing the full system display to hover in my vision. (You have successfully completed the Advancement Trial. After comprehending the intricacies of Weightlessness, a high level understanding of air, your proficiency has gone up to Grandmaster Level. These efforts have been rewarded with a new Perk:-) Dragon Fist (Air Variation) - Combine Air Bending with Chi Blocking to send a small shockwave through a target''s body, successfully knocking them out. With each unlocked Element, Variations of the technique can be acquired upon completion of the Advancement Trial to Grandmaster Level. Wow. Excitement coursed through me as I read through the workings of the technique. This¡­this was good. Especially for disarming goons without the need for zip ties or hitting them on the head, which had a risk of head injury. The excitement wasn''t because of the technique per se, but the possibility of getting an even cooler variation of the technique. What would be a Water Dragon Fist Variation? I couldn''t wait to find out. The problem was how I would practice the technique. Truth be said, I was wary to test out a new move on my friends or anyone who didn''t deserve it. Luckily, the New System Function had the perfect solution for that. (A new System Function has been unlocked:-) Training Points:- Are you running into the trouble of finding appropriate opponents? Opponents with the same power system and skills that can help you push your bending to it''s pinnacle? Worry no more! After every successful mission you complete in the real world, you can get points that can be used to purchase Sparring partners from the Avatar System''s database. (P.S:- Only benders for unlocked elements can be purchased. Current unlocked elements include:- Air Element( Grandmaster) -Weightlessness Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. -Sound Fire Element (Beginner) (unlocked) LOCKED LOCKED P.P.S:- Avatars will only be available for access after unlocking all the 4 elements. P.P.P.S:- Upto one rank above your current element proficiency will be available for purchase. P.P.P.P.S:- Upon purchase of a character, your spirit will be transported into the training ground, a place that will match the elements being used where you will face off against your chosen opponent. ) I whistled in appreciation. The New Function was a godsend. My battle with Aang showed me that although I knew the general forms and stances of Airbending, I didn''t possess the battle knowledge or experience needed to seamlessly flow from one move to another. By purchasing different sparring partners I could atleast go up against other benders like me and perfect my battle forms. The way the Function was set was also in line with the Avatar System''s guidelines to not make it easy for me. I would still be the one risking my life to get the Training Points just to use them to buy sparring partners. Not to mention the limitations imposed upon the function. Wouldn''t it be easier if I just fought supervillains with elemental powers like the numerous Ice villains around? Not really. It wasn''t efficient as having your own opponent on call. Plus it also carried the threat of death. I looked at the bottom section of the display and felt my mood plummet a little. Training Points: 0. I''d hoped that the points from my previous missions had been accrued and stored but apparently not. No use in fretting over that though. On other matters, I jumped from my bed and settled in a basic horse stance. ''Think hot. Think combustion. A heat wave rising from the core of your being. My mouth opened and steam came out of it. Think of a blaze, consuming everything in its path. My body grew warm. Think of Fire. An unquenchable inferno. I stepped forward and threw my hand out. A few licks of flames escaped my palm and were quickly snuffed out. ''what?'' I looked on disbelief. That''s all I had? A few licks of flames not even enough to light a candle? When I started practicing Airbending, my first try was much more impressive than that! I sighed and straightened up. "What am I doing? I have a mission tomorrow for Chrissake. Though it''s thankfully in the evening, i should still get some sleep." I resolved to try out Fire bending in the morning and settled inside my sheets. Tomorrow the Team was going to fight T.O. Morrow and his androids. Earlier, I hadn''t known what to think of that except for the fear of Red Volcano but now? With my new proficiency along with Red Tornado coming along as an overseer, something the others were not particularly happy about, we could take them on. We could do this. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep. (Santa Prisca) A shadow sped through the thicket, undetectable to the men with guns patrolling around. The shadow took a leap, jumped of the bark of a tree, swung on the branch and in the same motion, an arrow with a cord was released towards the other side of the river. The arrow dug itself onto a branch and Red Arrow swung across. His landing was soft and silent. Just like it should have been. No wasted movements whatsoever. He allowed himself a brief smile upon catching glimpse of the factory that was supposed to be destroyed, looking whole and freshly rebuilt from the bushes he was hiding in. A chopper was parked out front before the building and Red Arrow''s eyes widened upon seeing who it was. Lex Luthor''s assistant. Which meant... Luthor was involved. Somehow. Red Arrow hid behind a tree as a patrol team of two, passed by his position, smoking while conversing in Spanish. He swallowed a scoff, so far Bane''s security was turning out to be child''s play. Especially considering how far they''d gone to keep the island itself inaccessible. Heat sensors, motion sensors, drones, hidden cameras, numerous patrols and active traps. So far, the Patrol teams were the failing part. Though Red Arrow couldn''t really blame them. He was good at his job. Really good. Good enough to notice the shadow creeping up behind him, just as undetectable as he was. Good enough to give no indication that he knew someone was behind him. A kunai came to rest on his neck but he already had an arrow clutched in his hand, above Cheshire''s Solar Plexus. "Drop it or we both die messy deaths." The Kunai was withdrawn and the Supervillainess flipped away. "Oh, you say the most romantic things." Cheshire replied while twirling a deadly Sai. Red Arrow would have never let anyone else get that close to him. However, he wanted to reinforce whatever notions Cheshire entertained about their relationship. Sooner or later she would slip up and then...he would strike. Normally Red Arrow was straightforward and direct but no one said he couldn''t be cunning if he wanted to. "Cheshire, At this point, I''m starting to think you''re stalking me." He said while on the lookout for her partner. Sportsmaster. They were usually seen together. Cheshire cocked her hip to the side. "Guilty as charged. What else is a girl supposed to do to get your attention?" Red Arrow jumped away in time to avoid a long metallic javelin from skewering through him. An arrow escaped his bow and dug itself on a tree, missing the intended target. Sportsmaster landed on the ground next to Cheshire and faced off against Red Arrow. "Do you always have to play with your food?" He asked Cheshire. "What do you expect? It''s in the name." She quipped smoothly. "Trust me, this is a meal you don''t want to play with Kitty Cat." Red Arrow interrupted while notching an Arrow but before he could release it, Sportsmaster spoke up. "Broken Arrow." Red Arrow stilled, going into a trance. His eyes grew blank and he lowered his weapon. From the shadows, a new individual appeared. "Excellent. I have so many questions I''m dying to ask our friend here." Lex Luthor said. Machinations. Volume 2: Fire (General P.O.V) The screen came on with a snap, showing a neatly dressed baldheaded handsome man. Luthor smiled lightly, revealing a neat set of teeth as he stared at the refined looking man in a doctor''s coat and a light moustache from the other end of the screen. "Luthor. What do you want? I told Anthony I want no part in whatever little games you''re involved in. My work comes first." T.O. Morrow said, barely waiting for Luthor to talk. Lex, swallowed the rude comment he had about the mad scientist with practiced ease. After all, he wasn''t the first annoying person he dealt with on a daily basis. There was 7 billion more on the planet even. "Professor, I suppose I caught you at a bad time. My apologies." Lex started off courteously, his voice smooth and not at all thrown off by the annoyance apparent on Morrow''s face. "Fine. I accept your apology. Now speak up. I have more pressing matters to deal with than entertaining you." Mercy who was behind Lex, tightened her fingers into fists. Luckily she had her hands clasped behind her, ensuring that Lex didn''t notice her slight anger at the way Morrow was addressing him. Lex smoothly reached out a hand and patted her on the arm. "Oh believe me Professor, you will want to listen to what I have to say. A glass of Go?t de Diamants, my dear." Mercy turned on her heel and left to do as ordered. Morrow''s eyes showed a trace of interest. "You''re not a man I take lightly Luthor. Don''t make me lose that respect for you, if this turns out to be nothing." Morrow warned. Luthor''s face turned serious. "It has recently come to my attention that a particular group of sidekicks are about to crash into your base Professor. They know of your whereabouts and I estimate you have less than a day before they arrive." Morrow''s eyes bulged out of their sockets. A panicked look crossed his face. He was so close! Red Volcano was complete but he hadn''t completed the upload. Volcano was going to be his greatest creation! His magnum Opus! How had the League''s daycare members, found out of his location?! His Teton county lab was supposed to be a secret. "How? How did they know? Was it Anthony? No, Anthony would never stoop so low. professional courtesy and his pride wouldn''t allow him. Was it you, Luthor? If it was¡­" "You insult me, Thomas. Can I call you Thomas?" Lex interrupted, he took a sip of his drink and looked back at the Premier Android maker in the world. "You need to calm down. I have a way we can both get what we want. " Lex''s voice was soft yet contained an undeniable charm in its tilt that forced you to listen. T.O. Morrow was not an exception. (10 minutes later) Lex, leaned back on his chair and stapled his fingers together. "Did you learn something from this conversation Mercy?" He asked his ever quiet assistant. "Yes." Luthor nodded at her answer. "Well out with it then." "Your purposefully downplayed the Junior Justice League''s Team strength." Mercy replied. "I did." "Why?" Lex''s smile changed into a cunning one. "One of the main reasons behind all this is to test ''his'' power, not to kill him. A child possessing control over all the classical elements, would no doubt rub Morrow the wrong way, causing him to respond accordingly with lethal violence and terminate him or study him. I''m leaning more towards the former. Morrow''s calling card his is androids and he seems to hold a derision towards our more¡­ traditional biological make-up." Lex said while holding up his hand towards the light. You could see the red coloring caused by the light shining through his skin. "This way, he gets to owe me a favor, I get to see the depths of Maelstrom''s full power, test out our ''benefactor''s more esoteric technology and if Morrow gets captured by the children, all the more better. It would make it easier to coerce him into providing his assistance at a crucial juncture in the future. Phase one has already began after all." "And the real reason?" Mercy asked after Lex''s long speech. He raised an eyebrow at the smartly dressed and beautiful young woman. "What makes you think there is one?" There was a brief silence between them before Mercy stared her boss straight in the eyes. "It''s you." The simple response made Lex chuckle. "Bravo my dear. Bravo." Mercy''s face remained blank. Only the slight and brief upturn of her lips, showing how proud she was of the compliment. "I''m a humanitarian at the core. If what Green Arrow told our little pet is true, it means Batman suspects what I already know to be a fact. Computer, pull up the data files on Yellowstone national park." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.He ordered and the console before him lit up. A map of the world appeared and Lex maximized it by a gesture, showing a red blinking zone situated in Northernwest Wyoming. "As you can see, there is a super volcano underneath the park, if Morrow''s frustration with Red Tornado''s¡­heroic inclinations grow, they could push him to the extreme and given by the League''s swift recon mission, this might very well be the case. Now factor in what we know about mad scientist types, they are like children throwing a tantrum when their plans fail. I don''t want a world covered with ash. Morrow has proven too dangerous to be left to his own devices. He needs to be kept in constant surveillance, whether that means by the league or under us, is trivial." Lex stood up and went to the window, staring out at the city, just as the first rays of the sun hit. "Giving you access to all his tech, one way or the other without doing much except for owing a few ''friends'' some favors." Mercy added. "You''d be right my dear, if it wasn''t for the fact you can''t see the bigger picture. It''s not about the technology. Not really. It''s about giving me access to Morrow himself. One way or the other." The smile that accompanied the words was less charming and more straight up devilish. (Aden''s P.O.V) I switched on the stove and a flame started burning. My hand stretched out, the palm hovering over the fire. My Adaptable Body might seem like a massive cheat but it actually wasn''t. Not really. Without regeneration, my enhanced healing was just that, enhanced. I could increase its level by hurting my body continuously then allowing it to heal before doing it again but that would be exhausting. Both mentally and physically. Not to mention, how slow the progress would become as a given skill increased in level. It wasn''t like the system to make it that easy on me. Otherwise I would much more powerful, if all it took was exposing myself to different substances, environments and harmful elements. That wasn''t to say there wasn''t a noticeable change in me. For instance, these days M''gann had to struggle to form a link with my mind if I blocked her. I doubt I could currently hold her off at her full Martian form power but it was becoming more and more clear that I was on the way to achieving¡­ something substantial. That aside, the training I was doing was mostly to trigger anything from my firebending. No matter how much power I tried to pull out from inside, the fire bending eluded me. That led to me deciding to get a sense for it in a more direct manner. Exposing my body to heat. I woke up and after my morning exercise, which was mostly coordination, stretching and reflexes training, I went out into the beach. Hoping that the sun''s rays would trigger something. Despite feeling the warmth hitting my skin, there wasn''t much to say on that. I had settled into a cross legged position, attempting to control my breath. The set of forms, stances and basic information I got from the system upon unlocking firebending, told me that firebending was energy and life. Traditional Firebenders draw their power from their inner drive. I had drive! Who could you say had more drive than me? Well except for Batman. That guy is relentless. Zuko faced a similar situation when he let go of his goal to hunt down the Avatar and instead decided to join the Gaang. His flames had grown weak because for so long he''d been using that as the drive for his firebending. He later accepted that his role was to help the Avatar with restoring the balance and thus was able to get it up again. Totally unrelated to my case though. At least he knew what was wrong. I had a massive case of Firebending ED and I didn''t even know why! Was it psychological? Biological? Hell maybe environmental? "Morning, Aden, What are you doing?" I cursed for being so distracted I hadn''t noticed my Martian teammate fly in. Then again, her version of flight was very silent. Couple that with her having access to phasing and invisibility and you have a very terrifying spy master race of aliens. Their only weakness was fire and their relatively low population. I think. Take that away¡­wait in the comics I remember there being a group of martians with no weakness to fire¡­ "M''gann, what''s up. I didn''t feel you come in." I greeted, turning my attention to the girl. There would be more time to figure out firebending in the future. I also didn''t want them to know I had access to it just yet. That secret wouldn''t stay hidden for long but downplaying how fast I was progressing in my abilities was a good idea. She landed and smiled. "That''s because you were distracted silly. I almost didn''t feel you too, you''re learning how to shield your mind and hide the surface thoughts very fast." I matched the smile. "Fast for a human you mean. I might as well be progressing at a snails pace in Martian standards." She laughed at my comment. The door to the kitchen opened and in walked Superboy amid her laughter. M''gann made a snort which quickly changed into embarrassment once she saw Connor. "Connor! How was¡­huh¡­your night?" Connor looked slightly uncomfortable. "It was fine." We stared at each other and I jumped off the counter before moving towards the door. Connor reached out a hand and lightly touched my shoulder. "I''m¡­huh¡­ I''m sorry. About everything." He told me sincerely. I looked back at M''gann and saw the slight surprise. I smiled. "I forgive you Connor. I was actually more mad about the fact that M''gann had to talk you into apologizing the first time around. This apology feels more sincere." Connor''s face lit up. "So we''re good?" I patted him on the back. "In the immortal words of Robin, we''re whelmed." Everybody groaned. I laughed because, that shit was actually growing on me. Yellowstone National Park (General P.O.V) T.O. Morrow''s hands caressed the rectangular box like object, fused to a large machine. A gift of sorts from Luthor. Morrow had been skeptical about the whole deal. His idea had been to pack things up and leave for another of his numerous labs but Luthor had presented another alternative. Abandoning his lab but leaving¡­ something behind. But never in Morrow''s mind, had he thought that what he was leaving behind was this¡­this thing. "What do you think Brom, this...incredible technology¡­it''s clearly not human in nature." The device seemed unassuming but Morrow had attempted to do some tests on it to sate his curiosity, however, the device was unhackable. It registered weirdly to any energy probes he tried. After countless hours along with a dwindling timeline, Morrow decided to put Luthor''s proposed plan in motion. He activated the machine and used the strange device as the core of the whole setup. There was a hum of energy as the whole thing lit up like a Christmas tree followed closely by a discharge of energy that was emitted from the machi¡­no, it was a technological miracle. Before their eyes, the metal framework and circuitry acting as an energy conduit realigned themselves into a streamlined unit that encased the whole device. Morrow took a few steps backwards and watched in wonder as the Fatherbox run Morrow''s own complex equations through it''s systems efficiently. "Do you¡­have any idea what this means, Brom?" The mad scientist asked his quiet assistant who was similarly watching the whole thing. Morrow took a few calming breaths while closing his eyes. He opened them and inside a new resolve shone through. "Get everything loaded up. The children will be here momentarily and if this thing will work the way I know it will, we do not want to be here." Brom nodded and left for a huge mechanized exosuit. The hatch to the bipedal vehicle opened and he jumped and strapped himself in. Brom controlled the exosuit to load out the bodies of the androids, leaving T.O. morrow behind, still looking starstruck at the machine he had co-created. "Forget Ivo, forget Luthor, forget the Justice League. All that seems so¡­far away now. unimportant to this raw potential." Talk of the devil. A prompt appeared on his screen and he pressed a key on his keyboard, accepting the call. Luthor''s face appeared. "Well professor, it''s time for the extraction. How goes our project?" The man asked while slightly smiling. ''The snide bastard, T.O. Morrow thought. He knew what Luthor had done. Luthor had him trapped, hook, line and sinker. It would be a simple matter for Morrow to disappear upon leaving here and there would be nothing Luthor could about it. But the man had given him a taste. A taste of how far he could advance his creations. Morrow''s eyes had been opened. He''d achieved so much while working with basic - at least on terms of what the device was - materials, if so what could he do with better technology, equipment, material and metal? This was why Morrow was cursing Luthor in his mind. He''d lured him in and there was no turning back. "The machine is up and running. Just like we agreed." Morrow kept his true thoughts quiet and instead answered the dangerous man. There was a reason why Lex Luthor was Superman''s greatest arch enemy. Despite possessing no powers himself, Luthor was one cunning man. "Good, get ready for departure Professor." Luthor advised. The screen went dark and Morrow begun to gather up his things. His eyes caught a glimpse of Brom pushing out his bed-ridden biological self and Morrow did nothing to hide his distate. If only his programming did not allow him to directly or indirectly cause harm to the real Morrow... He shook his head and consoled himself. Atleast he would get some satisfaction from knowing he''d paid back the league for their annoying interference in his work. (Aden''s P.O.V) The visor fell over my eyes as I got ready for the mission. I flew out of my room towards the bio-ship where everyone else was gathered. "Good. Maelstrom is here. Let''s deploy." Aqualad nodded at me. We all entered the Bio-ship and secured ourselves in our seats. "Computer, open the hangar doors. Authorization B - 06." Miss Martian requested. The ship flew through the mountain and out into the open space. Her eyes glowed as she steered the ship. "ETA in an hour." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more."Good. Just to remind you all, stay on task. Our mission is to do recon. Any signs of combat and we fall back and regroup. The League is backing us up." Aqualad informed all of us again. "It''s okay Kaldur. You''re stressing out. Stay whelmed." Boy Wonder spoke up. "Guys, Robin is right. And how cool is it that the League is our back up? Right? It''s our first team up." Wally looked excited at the prospect and his words sounded freshly optimistic. Hate to burst his bubble. "Not exactly right, Kid. We''re just the opening move. I doubt the league would allow us to fight alongside them. Otherwise, we wouldn''t be the first pick for scouting. That would be the Lanterns, Flash and Batman himself." Kid shook his head. "It''s definitely a team up dude." "Technically, Kid isn''t wrong. If you ask me, it''s a team up at best and an alliance at worst." Artemis added her own opinion. "Alliance? You make it seem as if we''re two diverse groups. We''re still heroes, just you know, in the shadows. That makes us nobler than the Justice League. They''re seen while doing it and get the credit whilst we never get recognized and still do the same thing. Some might even say, better." Robin countered. "Hell yeah dude. Up top." Wally high-fived him. "Until when? When are they going to stop coddling us and allow us to fight alongside them as true equals?" Connor''s question quickly killed the mood. We stayed like that for a few minutes before I asked a question that had been bugging me. "Guys where is Red Tornado?" The one who answered was M''gann. And the answer itself sent warning bells ringing in my mind. "Something came up and Tornado had to leave. We''re going to rendezvous with Captain Marvel at the sight. He''s our overseer for this mission." "Which begs the question of why need an Overseer in the first place. This is not the first recon mission we''ve been on." Connor ground out. "I had the same questions too. Which is why, I urge everyone to be cautious." I agreed with both Connor and Aqualad''s statements. The sentiments behind it mostly. Something was fishy about this whole deal. "We''re approaching Teton county." "Miss Martian, turn the bio-ship invisible. We''re taking no chance." Our leader ordered. "Affirmative. Going dark, energy readings masked. It''s done." "Thank you. Robin pull up a map of the area." "Already on it." Boy Wonder answered and a layout of the park appeared, hovering above us. Aqualad gestured and maximized the map, then flipped it to show the grid horizontally. "We''re going to focus our search in these key zones. Batman has already narrowed down the section for us. 3 teams will be deployed in each area and we''ll coordinate our movements while advancing inwards. There is reason to suspect that the base is underground but I still want us to do a wide sweep to make sure we don''t miss anything." He stopped to see if we were listening. "Miss Martian will be our eyes in the air. Morrow is a dangerous and brilliant scientist, he will definitely have some countermeasures to deal with anyone who gets close to the entrance of his base. To that effect, we will be linked telepathically. We don''t want him to hack our comm signals. Are we clear?" "Crystal." Kid Flash told him while the rest of us nodded. "Good. The first drop zone¡­" Before Kaldur could finish that thought, Miss Martian gasped and the Bio-ship tried to do a certain turn. We were violently lurched to the right but luckily the seatbelts kept us from getting thrown away. "What¡­" "Look!" Artemis shouted out at us. A huge energy wave was spreading out quickly. At that rate we would be swallowed by it unless we did a hasty retreat. "Miss M get us out of here now!" "On it." The bio-ship completed the loop and started flying away back to where we came from. M''gann kicked it up to gear but before we could leave the zone, the wave of red energy caught up to the bio-ship and washed through us. I screamed in pain as I felt my whole being become undone, cell by cell. The others were also suffering the same fate but all their distress and agonizing cries seemed so far away¡­darkness claimed me and my last thought was how I was the lamest Avatar in history. I had died even before mastering 2 elements. (Watchtower) Batman was quickly typing on the console of the computer. Most of the members of the Justice League barring some who were on other missions were behind him. "Something is actively interfering with the satellite feed. I cannot get any visual reading on the Yellowstone national park." Batman informed the rest. "What about Captain Marvel''s Comms, have you had any luck in reaching him?" Wonder Woman asked. "Negative. We lost contact with him, a few seconds before The Team went silent." "I don''t like this Bats. Especially considering that Red Tornado is missing." Flash looked serious as he spoke up. "You think they''re connected." Hal, one of the two Justice League green Lanterns enquired. "Without a shadow of the doubt. T. O. Morrow created Red Tornado. And just before we raided his base, Tornado goes missing without a word. It''s staring us right on our faces." Green Arrow gave voice to what Flash and a few others were thinking. "Stop it Ollie, Red Tornado is still a valuable member of not only the Justice League but the Justice Society. He pre-dates most of us. Let us not be quick to judge him." Black Canary reminded the rest. "She''s right. We will deal with Tornado once we find him. Right now we should focus on finding out what happened to The Team and Captain Marvel." Batman narrowed his eyes at the screen. The situation confirmed Batman''s suspicions. There was a mole on the team. "Team Alpha, get ready to move. Gamma hold down the fort and beta will be deployed to search for Red Tornado''s whereabouts." The God Equation part 1 (General P.O.V) "We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news. A section of the Yellowstone national park measuring about 41 square miles has mysteriously disappeared. The popular park covers a wide area of 3,472 square miles and the missing portion of it has left authorities in shock and scrambling for answers. Justice League members are on scene but are yet to offer any answers to this phenomenal that has left everyone surprised. Our reporter Cat Grant is on scene now to bring you more detailed information. Cat, can you tell us what is going on?" The screen shifted and displayed a beautiful blonde woman standing infront of a cordon. Behind her, there was a large bowl like depression that stretched out further than the eyes could clearly see. Police officers, suited individuals from other sections of Law enforcement and a few Leaguers could also be spotted around. "The residents around the large reserve reported a huge red explosion coming from the direction of the park. Minutes after, the authorities arrived to find a section closer to the middle of the park, shaved off in a half spherical shape. Investigations are still ongoing about what could have caused this and if the chances of it happening again are a concern. Green Lantern and Batman are scanning the area while Wonder woman and Captain Atom are on stand by with the authorities incase something happens." Dudley H. Dudley, Billy Batson''s uncle switched off the tv and placed the remote down with a sigh. Billy was missing. Whenever he got held up with a league mission he usually texted him or called him to say he would be running late. Tonight he hadn''t done that and with everything happening Dudley was worried. It was already approaching 1 a.m but he decided to stay up the whole night and wait for him. (Elsewhere) Kid Flash opened his heavy eyes slowly. "Robin hang on!" He heard Artemis voice from for away. "You better hurry, my Line Launcher''s core is fried. I can''t pull us up and Wally is surprisingly heavy for a speedster!" Robin shot back, his voice strained. "God my head...is killing me." Kid Flash blinked and swallowed. His mouth was dry and his body felt sluggish. The last thing he remembered was pain as his body was torn apart and then re-assembled together. It was worse than the first time he had tried to vibrate his molecules and phase through a wall, copying the Flash. Wally felt a sudden pull and then his body was placed on a hard and hot ground. He could feel the warmth even through his heat resistant costume. "Are you guys okay!" Artemis questioned while checking up on Robin, who waved her concerns away. "KF is up." She came over to Wally and patted him down. Normally Wally would have a quip for something like that but currently, he only felt drained of energy. He pressed a key on his gloves and a section on the wrist part of his costume opened up, revealing 3 bars of his calorie snacks. Artemis propped him up to lean on her, snatched one of the bars, removed the outer covering and offered it to him. "Here." Wally gobbled up the snack, while feeling touched at the gesture. Artemis and he usually clashed over the smallest things but it was great to see that each of his teammates had his back. "Miss Martian, Superboy, Maelstrom and Kaldur are still missing, those are all our heavy hitters, what are we going to do?" Artemis said, her voice shaking slightly. Wally rubbed his forehead as he felt the headache slightly abate, only catching the tail end of Robin''s response. "...not worry. I have trackers installed in each of their suits. If we get close enough for the signal to pick up, then we''ll find them." Wally slowly started to stand up. "Whoa dude take it easy. The forced teleportation must have been even harder on you. Your powers must have tried to reconstitute you while your cells were getting torn apart forcefully, leading to a lot energy being used and thus the weakness." Robin admonished him but Kid Flash stubbornly got up on his shaky legs. He could feel himself recovering his energy quickly. "I''m good. What happ..." His statement was cut off when he looked around. They were in a...world of Lava. The 3 of them were standing on a rock pillar in a sea of lava that stretched out for a few miles or so. The rock they were standing on was just one of the many islands dotting the place. Kid Flash looked up above them and saw a ceiling made of rock that had red glowing circuit lines cutting across it''s whole structure. Paired up with the red glowing magma, the underground Lava world was cast in a blood red tint on everything he looked at. Kid Flash stepped forward and his fought stepped on a fleshy object covered with a red metal on the ground. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. He closely studied where they were standing at and could see a few more pieces of the sane metal strewn about. The whole environment plus the remains of what seemed like a cyborg creature thing, made Wally shudder in revulsion and fear. "Ok... please tell me this is a nightmare." Kid Flash hoped. "Sorry Wall-man but this is very much real." Robin added while typing the keys on his holographic wrist computer. There was a cord running from his wrist that connected with the Torso of one of the destroyed creatures. Kid Flash could see how banged up he and Artemis looked but shelved his concerns for now. They had handled even worse. "What is that?" Kid Flash asked while stepping closer. "We don''t know, they are a cross between an android and a fleshy growth inside the torso that seems to be their core." "Are they... sentient?" "No. So far they seem to be animalistic and possess no indication of an rational reasoning or high thinking capacity. They''ve been attacking us in cycles, using portals." Robin answered, hurriedly continuing with his typing. "And even if they were...this doesn''t seem like a time to hold back on the lethal measures. More than half of us are missing. I''m especially worried for-" "Aqualad and Miss Martian. They must be feeling the blunt of this place. Yikes, even I can feel the heat." Kid Flash cut off Artemis'' statement. "And it''s about to get even worse." Artemis notched an arrow while pointing out into the distance. On one of the rock islands a few hundred meters away from them, a red glowing portal appeared. Kid Flash almost missed it. Though it wasn''t really his fault because of how it blended with the surroundings. And from inside, over a dozen red creatures, that looked a cross between Red Tornado and bugs with greenish? Wings started pouring out. They let out collective screeches and started flying towards the young heroes. "Whoa whoa whoa! You were taking on this many while still protecting me? No wonder you look worse than the Clayface mission from two years ago, Robin." Kid Flash lowered his goggles to his eyes and got ready. "Robin... I''m getting dangerously low on arrows and they are about to mob us." Artemis stressed, letting loose an arrow that flew through the air. Before it could make contact, the arrow split into two and both shifted their trajectory to dig into separate rock pillars that the Creatures flew in between of. An electric net appeared and the first of the creatures were electrocuted. 4 of them lost their flight and fell to the burning hot lava below while the electric net fizzled and died out. The rest advanced towards the team like a flood. Kid Flash whistled at the display and looked at Artemis differently. "Wow, what were you saying about the others being our heavy hitters? I didn''t know you had arrows like that!" Artemis shrugged. "It''s one of the few experimental. Bad for humans because of the lethal charge and useless on people like Superman because of the low charge. I''m just glad it seems to work for..." She cut of her next words and let loose another arrow as the creatures got closer. "Anytime now Rob!" "Aaaand done!" Robin said victoriously while pressing a key on his computer. A yellow portal appeared behind them. "Let''s go, come on!" Robin said to the others. Artemis stepped through, followed by Kid Flash and lastly Robin himself. They landed on another hard ground and breathed out a collective sigh. Robin looked around and found that the portal had sent them to a long hallway. Darkness covered both ends of the hallway but to Robin anything was better than their previous location. "Ok that was... incredible." Kid Flash stated, earning the ire of the resident archer. "I''m sorry what! What part of that was incredible? For you maybe, seeing as you were in dreamland while we fought our hardest to stay alive!" Kid raised up his hands to appease the others. "No, no thats not what I meant! I just think it''s cool that Robin was able to hack into alien tech and create a cross-dimensional portal without the need of Zeta tech technology. Think about it...if we can reconfigure it appropriately, we might be able to use the transmitter on Robin''s computer to source out the frequency of the tracking devices on the rest and teleport there!" "Kid, you''re a genius!" Robin said in excitement. The Boy Wonder started to type fast on the projected wrist display while muttering with Kid Flash hovering above him, occasionally giving out his own input. Meanwhile Artemis looked around the space they had found themselves at, curiously. Not once did she lower her guard. The ground was even. Too even to have been shaped by human standards. She caressed the walls of the hallway while looking out into the deep darkness ahead of her. The whole space was lit up by glowing red crystals which seemed to be on theme with the place. She tightened the hold on her bow. One movement, just one and she''d let loose the last of her explosive rounds. A red blinking light from one of the crystals started pulsing above them and Artemis blinked her eyes, as the light seemed to increase in intensity. A feeling of trepidation overcame her suddenly. "Guys get down!" Her words were however, too late as a red beam shot out of the crystal and impacted the device on Robin''s wrist. Both Robin and Kid Flash were thrown to the wall. The arrow on Artemis'' bow, shot out and hit the red crystal above them. The explosion sent pieces of the crystals and rock falling down. She rolled away before she was crushed and swiftly moved to cover both of her teammates. "Robin, Kid are you alright!" "Yes I''m fine but Rob is hurt. It''s bad." Artemis spared a glance at Robin and saw red burnt skin where his wrist computer had been. He winced in pain. "Forget me, we lost the one way we could have used to find the others. Dammit!" Artemis looked at the long dark hallway. Whoever was responsible for this wanted them to do it his way. They couldn''t try to escape again because that would mean something far worse happening. Artemis swallowed. "We have to keep moving forward." "And go where?" Kid Flash shot back. "Wherever this sick bastard doing this is leading us. We don''t have a choice!" They stared off at each other before Robin sighed and used a bandage from his utility belt to cover his wound. "She''s right KF. We have to move forward." (Elsewhere, with Aqualad, Superboy and Miss Martian) "Why?" Aqualad bit out venomously. He was lying on the floor along with Superboy and Miss Martian. They had fought the hardest battle Kaldur had ever been in and despite their valiant efforts, they''d lost. What Aqualad couldn''t wrap his mind around was the betrayal. He stared up at one of the most powerful League members and tried to understand what was going on. "All for my master." Captain Marvel stated with a red tint in his eyes. His face was blank and his costume had changed from red, white and yellow to red and black. He looked ominous. (Aden''s P.O.V) "Ok. Where the fuck am I?" I wondered out loud after finding myself in a flat desert, with the heat of the sun bearing down upon me. A section of the sandy ground rose up, revealing of all things, a tv screen. And on the screen were the words, ''Lets Play A Game.'' The God Equation Final Part There is a lot of things Luthor is hiding from the others. (Aden''s P.O.V) "Let''s Play a game huh?" I re-read the words staring at me on the screen. The text went on to say, ''Choose a number between 0 and 9.'' Who was responsible for this? Was it the Master of Games? A villain in the Teen Titan''s show who abducted heroes to fight in a gladiatorial setup. Despite the nature of our forced teleportation, it just didn''t fit his M.O. This felt more like¡­ugh. I couldn''t come up with any Supervillain who had powers or technology like this. And despite the fact that I knew some information about the Young Justice show, the truth was that I hadn''t even finished watching the first season. It was also the reason why the biggest threat I had known was the Morrow one. But just by telling Batman about it, things had derailed to the point where I had no idea what to expect anymore. A sharp desert wind blew past me, carrying sand with it and making me glad I had a visor on. My attention came back to the screen. The words seemed mocking. As if telling me I was trapped and the only way out was following it''s orders. Fuck that. This was some comic book bullshit. I don''t do comic book bullshit. My eyes closed and I took a deep breath. My new connection with the air was always there, muted because of the truly large information I would have to sieve through and process to get what I wanted. But I only needed a general scan of where I was. I connected with the air in the whole space and tried to get a better sense of my surroundings. A weird look crossed my face. 100 meters around me, the desert suddenly cut off and was replaced by an energy field of some sort. Above me the ceiling felt¡­hard and lacked the static feeling I got from the sides. That meant the desert itself was not real. Leaving it was not easy however. I couldn''t go through the energy field because something told me that was a bad idea. Maybe my body had adapted to acquire a danger sense of some sort, after all the dangerous missions I''d been in ever since joining the Team but something screamed at me not to take the chance. Either way, I went with my intuition. Which left, going up. I turned my attention to the TV screen and showed it the middle finger. Next my hands spread out, forming a tornado around me. Constructing it to cover my body in a drill like shape, I shot off towards the sky. The winds took on a pale grayish hue as I slammed onto it. Sparks appeared between my attack and the fake firmament which crackled with an airy cacophony. I increased the rotation of the winds and punctured through the ceiling, leaving behind pieces of rocks and red crystals, falling to the ground. There was a final resistance as I pierced through the earth ceiling and into water. I looked around me in wonder, unravelling the drill yet maintaining a bubble around my body. The water was relatively clean with strange fishes and plant. Both of which had red glowing lines along their bodies. Apart from that they acted normally. The sea floor was also strangely smooth besides the hole I''d speared through that was quickly getting fixed below me. Red lines flashed and the ground repaired itself. I paid that close attention, forming a grim picture of what this place was. My flight speed carried me out of the water, breaking through the surface, I found myself in the middle of nowhere above an ocean that stretched out far into the distance. I carried out the same move from before and sensed my surroundings. An energy field similarly covered the sides of the whole space and the sky above was fake as well. "Still going up I guess." Before I could prime the wind to carry me upwards, red portals appeared all around me. I counted over 20 of them and from those portals, creatures that looked like a cross between Para-demons and red Tornado flew out. Some of them breathed out fire, others wind attacks, earth spikes and even some displayed control over the water around us. "What in the hell?" What do you call Para-demons with elemental abilities? Para-mentals? And who in the fucking hell thought it was a good idea to mix apokaliptian technology with Morrow''s androids? The only people possessing that capability were¡­the light. There couldn''t be anyone else. But how did they do this? (General P.O.V) "Professor, we have a problem." Brom stated from the control panel he was sitting before. Morrow came up behind him and looked at the projected image. A red alert was displayed on the screen. "I seem to have been locked out of its systems." "This¡­this makes no sense. How is this happening?" A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.Morrow muttered while revealing a look of shock on his face. They were on a black site Cadmus facility, surrounded by top of the art technology, courtesy of Luthor. Said man was watching the whole thing happening while standing infront of a balcony. He could see the distress in Morrow''s face and instead of matching the look, a smile appeared on his face. "You seem glad." His companion who was standing in the shadows said. "As I should be. The plan worked just like I said it would. The Fatherbox paired with Morrow''s complex A.I code has given rise to true sentience." "A sentient being not bound to our will. We cannot control it. Something I expressed my concerns over Luthor. Remind me again, what was the point of all this? Trapping the children along with Captain Marvel was too hasty. We do not need the full wrath of the Justice League coming down on us before everything is ready. Batman''s already sniffing around. In my 50000 years of existence, never have I seen a more dedicated man." The speaker, Vandal Savage came out fully into the light. He was tall and imposing. 3 scars ran along his face and his hair was long, reaching to his shoulders. Vandal carried himself with a deadly grace and stood out while standing next to Luthor. This was the epitome of what humanity had to offer. So it was fitting that he be the one to lead them through an era of adversity and struggle, all so that humans as a whole would embrace evolution and reach their full potential. A sentiment he believed through his own experience. Vandal was the oldest human alive. "You mean stubborn." Lex answered, referring to Batman''s personality that made him a thorn on The Light''s side. Luthor took a final sip of his drink and placed the glass down on the table. "Follow me, I believe introductions are in order." Vandal stared at Luthor''s back and followed him down the stairs where Morrow was trying his best to regain control of the device he had co-created. "Professor, can I have a minute of your time?" Luthor''s voice stopped Morrow on his tracks. "Yes. What do you want Luthor? Better make it quick because we have a crisis on our hands. The machine has gone rogue." The billionaire Supervillain chuckled. "All within expectations." Morrow turned to stare at him fully, dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?" "Before any of that, why don''t you run my friend here through everything going on. And please put it in layman terms. " Morrow turned his attention to stare at Luthor''s companion. A spark of recognition flashed through Morrow''s eyes. He nodded at Savage and turned his attention back to the screen. "This is what happens when you combine alien technology with a genius mind. I call it The God Equation and it can do literally anything it''s instructed to by feeding the commands to it''s systems. Using my own personal code, that is used to give my androids elemental powers, The God Equation was able to construct a stable dimension with different sustainable environments, through following basic commands given to it by my assistant." The Professor grew animated. "It''s truly a marvel, because the commands given are basic. For example, if you tell it to create an ocean, it creates an ocean along with aquatic Flora and fauna. It fills in the blank spaces left without a need for a complex command chain input to account for every little thing." Morrow had a manic grin on his face as he completed his explanation. Vandal stepped forward while running a critical eye at the controls of the device. "Fascinating." "Indeed but there seems to be complications, Professor?" Luthor enquired from behind. Morrow clenched his jaw and bit out amid his grinding teeth. "The damn thing went rogue. Even when compared to my best creations, the God Equation is simply too advanced. It''s superior predictive software alone trumps anything I have ever created but that in there lies the problem. It has achieved sentience too early and is now purging everything alien from it''s systems. Brom''s control and¡­the heroes inside." "Can you bring it back under your control? We still have uses for the children. Furthermore letting go of Captain Marvel while he could still prove to be useful for the Light is such a waste." Vandal questioned Morrow. The professor in question looked as if he''d swallowed something bitter. "Negative...it''s become too alien. None of my earlier code persists and attempting to subvert it remotely would be like using a glass of water to put out a fire burning a mile away. Impossible. To bring it down would require destroying it from the inside and based on how we are locked out, getting inside would face even stronger opposition." "Mmmh." Luthor hummed. "There is no need for such drastic measures. Although The God Equation is out of our control, We wait and see what happens. After all Professor, you cannot tell me you don''t want to see your creation''s full potential." (Aden''s P.O.V) The Para-mentals beared down upon me like an insect horde. If I was facing this much opposition, then what of the others? My heart suddenly grew cold. The others¡­if some of them were trapped alone like I was, chances of them surviving were close to zero. Someone like Robin or Artemis depended on their tools and somehow I didn''t see them outlasting the same onslaught I was facing. I couldn''t afford to stall this fight. Time to go save my teammates. The good thing was that I was the only one around, otherwise the move I was about to pull off would not work due to how dangerous it was to friend and foe. This move was the epitome of my Grandmaster level in air bending. I spread out my hands, while staring at the force of hundreds making their way towards me and connected with every breeze, shred and draft of air I could sense, then I pulled. The Para-mentals exploded one by one as chaos manifested around me. I pulled more and more, painting the air with a greenish color that probably substituted for blood as bodies popped, metal screeched and remains fell from the air to the fast dwindling water below. Even the air in the water was not spared. Minute explosions occured as I pulled apart the oxygen and hydrogen into their own constituents parts until finally, I was the only one floating above the remains of my opponents while a mist hang above my head. I spared a look at the chaos in wonder, breathing heavily while marvelling at how dangerous my bending could become with the right or wrong thinking. "No time." My body speared through the ceiling above and this time, I found myself in a world of Magma. Blazing Conviction part 1 (General P.O.V) "Lantern Stewart to Batman." Batman narrowed his eyes and touched his earpiece to receive the call. "I read you loud and clear. What is the update on the satellite feed readings." Green Lantern did not delay in answering, "Nothing on the scene itself. That said, something did register on our scans. I''m sending over the satellite images now." Batman controlled the bat jet to land a ways off from the gathered investigation teams. The hatch to the jet opened and he glided downwards. "Team rendezvous on me." "Got it." "On my way." "Copied." Batman''s wrist computer lit up and the Dark Knight''s frown intensified. A few minutes later, Captain Atom, Lantern Jordan and Wonder Woman flew down to land before Batman. "The Watchtower found something." Batman started clicking on the hologram computer. Following his actions, a map of the moon was projected. A red blinking light pulsed on it''s surface. "That''s the dark side of the moon." Green Lantern stated. "Exactly. And the dimensions of whatever this structure is, match the same diameter as the missing portion of the park." Batman explained. Realization dawned on their faces. "Then what are we waiting for? Let us go and rescue them." Wonder Woman declared. (Elsewhere) "This is all your fault Artemis!" Wally said while leaping off the wall in quick succession and kicking one of the creatures on the torso. The speedster bounced off it''s metallic chest piece, getting pushed back. The only visible result was the creature getting thrown back a few inches. That brief respite was enough for two birdarangs to slice through the air and dig themselves on the aforementioned torso. They exploded destroying the Para-mental and two more of it''s kind, coming in from behind. "Me? Where do you even come up with these ideas?" Artemis asked, burying one of the arrows clutched in her hands inside a small space on the neck of one of the creatures. The head sparked as the Para-mental fell down, jerking uncontrollably. "You''re the one who suggested we go right!" Kid Flash shot back, forming a tornado with his body that cleared the creatures near them away, throwing them back over the mess of bodies belonging to the Para-mentals they''d already taken down. "Uughhh! I can''t even! You only said we go left because you like arguing with me!" Artemis responded in frustration, dodging a gout of fire and then kicking the creature on it''s chin, pointing the head up. The flames from it''s mouth spread through the air, burning through the wings of another Para-mental causing it to crash on another of it''s species. "Keep both your heads in the game. This is so not the time for this." Robin shouted at them, despite the fact that his right hand was injured, the young detective made sure to hit back harder than the enemy. And for a while it had been working. Using his superior acrobatic moves, Robin was the decoy, Wally the support and Artemis the one who finished them off. The roles cycled through them based on the situation. Luckily, taking them down was the easy part, mostly because of how untrained the creatures were. However their numbers were the problem. It was clear to Robin that the three of them were running on fumes. Boy Wonder had no idea how long they could keep this up for. (Aden''s P.O.V) My next environment/floor convinced me I was right. This place was built like a dungeon. And the thing about dungeons? They always have a final boss, dungeon core or a dungeon master. Defeat that and you''re free. Emboldened, I continued flying through the lava, increasing the speed of my ascent as the heat surrounding my tightly constructed air bubble became almost too much for me to handle. I really need to figure out firebending and preferably soon. Air was versatile but it''s main utility was escaping and redirecting confrontation. Fire on the other hand¡­was violent, straight up confrontational and had a wreck em all down and let god sort them out or something vibe, still can''t quite remember that expression. I broke through the surface of the lava only to find hundreds of Para-mentals covering the air. Still can''t believe someone was dumb enough to mix tech from Darkseid''s realm with Morrow''s. I was just glad that Morrow''s real Androids were missing from the equation or else the others would be in real danger. I wouldn''t count them out too quickly though. Looking at the Para-mentals, they had clearly been heavily influenced by the look of his Androids. Stolen story; please report. Speaking of which, the creatures spotted me almost immediately and flew down to attack me in a swarm. Good thing they were dumb because, friendly fire took out most of the first wave. A bubble of air formed under me as I flew up. "Sorry gotta run." The bubble held compressed air that violently exploded, pushing me up even faster than I could go. The surroundings blurred in my eyes and my visor was painted a visceral green as I speared through a section of the Para-mentals, no doubt killing most. The drill from before appeared around my body as I hit the ceiling and punctured through it. Damn, I can be great for construction work. Especially the part about destroying things. Maybe this was an alternative to making money through entertainment media? I had always asked myself if superpowers could be used in other ways and if they could sustain someone as a main source of income. The main problem with that would be the social discrimination and jealousy towards anyone who tried to use their abilities in that way. Not to mention just how many businesses would fail because of the cheaper alternative. You need your land cleared? Bring in the guy with the earth based powers and voila it''s done within a few hours. The world just wasn''t wired like that. If you had powers the only viable thing to do was a) Join the hero side, b) join the villain side or c) stay far away from both sides and hope they don''t notice you. The mercs with powers were the outliers on that front and the closest example of a world with pro-active superpower usage. In comparison to that ideal society, the Young Justice universe was relatively young. The presence of a meta-gene was not even that widely known to people despite the fact it had been there for a long time, giving people powers based on pre-existing factors in a person''s systems. I shook my head to get rid of the train of thought as I broke through the earthen surface to find myself in a long hallway. The walls of the hallway were made of earth and the weird red crystals from earlier that hung above my head, casting a grim scarlet light on everything. "So we have a desert, an ocean, a lava and now a tunnel. This suspiciously matches up with air to represent the violent winds present in the desert, water for the abundance found in the ocean, fire for the heat attribute in magma and earth which is self explanatory. All the four elements associated by their constituents environments. Self sustaining yet separate. Morrow what the fuck did you do?" Not just anything had the power to pull out something like this. It was less about the energy needed to power it but more like the complexity of creating it in the first place and stabilizing it. The implications scared me and a theory I had forming in my head was becoming more and more conceivable as time went on. I refused to give it voice because nothing good ever came whenever the things I was thinking of were concerned. I turned my attention back to the area and scanned it. The whole tunnel/ hallway felt ominous. Like a scene from a horror movie. This was probably the last floor before I got to where the core of this whole space was. That is if my theory was correct. I hadn''t been attacked yet but I kept out a constant vigilance. I closed my eyes and connected with the air, stretching out through both hallways. I felt a vibration along the hallway on the right that made me stiffen. I blinked my eyes and boom! A shockwave was left behind as I shot off through the tunnel. Behind me, the ground was left splintered due to my abrupt exit. My speed increased more and more as I called on the air to take me faster, taking turns left and right while following my senses. I had to get there quickly before it was too late! "Come on! Come on!!" (General P.O.V) Robin had taken a nasty blow that dislocated his shoulder while trying to protect Wally who had passed out a few seconds ago. The boy Wonder palmed the last of his explosive birdarangs while hiding behind a barricade made of the Para-mental''s remains, courtesy of their resident speedster last ditch effort to protect them before he had passed out due to exhaustion. He looked at Artemis who was breathing heavily beside him. Her uniform was dirty with grime and dried green blood, matching his. Her mask was torn apart and she had a nasty cut on her left arm. The battle was still going on but the creatures were smarter now. Somewhere along the way they''d learned to stop the ill advised diving attacks because of how easily they were dispatched. Not only that but they had stopped attacking individually, whoever was controlling them had started to strategize. For now, they looked content in waiting them out. Waiting until Robin and the others were too exhausted mentally and physically to put up a strong fight. And it seemed as if they''d waited long enough. Robin could feel them preparing something. He looked through a peep hole and saw a few Para-mentals step forward. His eyes widened as he saw the licks of flames and draft of air surrounding them. Robin stared at the wall then back at his explosive birdarang. Maybe if he could destroy the wall then perhaps...a hand touched his. "Maybe we...we should surrender." Artemis eyes brought him another suggestion that he hadn''t thought of ever entertaining. Normally, Robin would swallow his pride and agree but... "They don''t want to take us alive." Artemis sighed and looked down, tightening her hands on her arrows. Her hands were covered with dried green blood. "Then we take out with us as many of them as possible." It was good to see she still hadn''t lost her touch. Boy Wonder smiled. "My thoughts exactly." Blazing Conviction Final Part. (Aden''s P.O.V) My eyes widened once I laid my eyes on what was about to happen. "No!" I reached out with my hands at the fan of flames aimed at the barricade protecting Robin, Artemis and Kid Flash. I connected with the flames and forcefully dispersed them by creating a vacuum. The flames flashed a pale blue before disappearing. "Maelstrom!" Artemis shouted my name in relief. "Hey guys, missed me?" I asked projecting my voice outwards through the space while hovering above them. I frowned a little, noting that Superboy, Aqualad and Miss M were missing from the group. The horde of Para-mentals standing between us turned to face me fully. "Be careful they have elemental abilities!" Robin''s voice was almost lost through the screeches of the creatures. Due to my abilities however, it was like he was shouting in my ear. "I know. Gimme a second" I tightened my hands into fists. These things were really annoying to look. I did not appreciate the way they copied Red Tornado. The moment needed a cool catchphrase. I primed my abilities and exploded forwards. My right arm was outstretched in a Superman pose while the left was pulled back, a ball of wind gyrating inside the palm. I clenched my jaw as I stared down at the crowded hallway. Chock-full of Para-mentals all looking towards one thing. Me. Time to give them a taste of their own medicine. "Bitch, get out the way!" My left hand suddenly shot out and with it a sphere of rotating air, growing bigger and bigger as it flew towards the mass of bodies. "Boom." I snapped a finger and the sphere exploded, sending out a massive shockwave of tiny wind blades that tore apart the Para-mentals by slicing through them. My control over the air extended to form an air bubble around my teammates, keeping them safe from the attack. The walls making up the hallway were slashed and cleaved apart, leaving behind jagged edges. A cloud of dust exploded forth filling the whole space. I heard Artemis coughing as I flew down towards them. I pulled my arms apart and the air obeyed, every piece of Para-mental remain was thrown away from Robin and the others, undoing the makeshift barricade that was very obviously the work of our resident speedster. "Hey." I landed and a second later, a body tackled me. I hugged Artemis body for a few seconds before she withdrew from my arms. "You''re late." She stated, looking up at me. I was surprised for a split second before smiling and clasping her shoulders. "I''m here now." I extricated myself from her and bumped fists with Robin who was checking up on Wally. "Glad to see you''re okay, big guy." I nodded and knelt before the passed out speedster. "Is he okay?" "Mostly. He''s exhausted. The forceful teleportation did a number on him." I looked at Robin and Artemis. The state of their suits showed that Wally wasn''t the only one who had had it rough. "What about you two? Plus what happened to your arm?" I enquired. Judging from the way he cradled it near his body and the bandage on the wrist part, Robin was in pain. "I''ll be fine. Dislocated my arm, but now that you''re here, you can help me pop it back. Something tells me, we''ll need every bit of our power to survive this place." "And find the rest." Artemis added from behind us. "Right." I nodded, supporting his hand while I positioned the other on his bicep. The Boy Wonder looked at me and bit out. "Do it." I relocated his shoulder back and he swallowed the groan of pain. He wiggled his fingers and nodded in gratitude. "I also need to beat the shit out of the one responsible for this. I had to break through 3 ceilings just to get here." I informed them while standing up. "I feel you but that''s the second priority. Before anything else we need to find a way out of here. KF can''t fight in his condition. Especially if another group attacks us now." I groaned in resignation. I''d hoped Robin would have an alternative. "I''m breaking through another ceiling aren''t I?" Boy Wonder chuckled. "Yep. If I had my wrist computer, we could create a portal out but-", he held up his hand for me to see. A sighed escaped me. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"It''s fine. I went to stand a ways off from the others while priming my air bending. This felt like a crude way of using my new control but beggars can''t be choosers. A funnel of air sprang up around me before coalescing into a drill that rippled around my form, I crouched slightly and jumped. The floor below me cratered. The sound made by the action was loud and left another wake of dust behind. I really am a demolition expert. My hand pulled back and - I felt a blow connect with my chin before I could even make contact with the ceiling. The attack had passed through my air drill like it was nothing. Too fast and too strong for me to either block or evade. My body rag-dolled through the air and I heard Artemis shout my name in shock and terror. I dug a groove through the earth before slamming onto the side of the wall and bouncing off. The air managed to arrest my momentum and I touched down on the ground unsteadily. I knelt down, feeling a wave of dizziness overtake me. "Artemis stay back! It''s not really him!" Robin shouted amid a scream of frustration. Then there was a dull thud. "Artemis!" "Snap out of it!" Robin ground out, the words seemed to not be aimed at me however. I shook my head and focused slightly. My eyes widened in surprise. Although the costume was different, reminiscent of Black Adam, I breathed out in relief when I noticed that it wasn''t him. Reality wasn''t much better though. Shazam had Robin clutched by the neck with Artemis lying on the ground. Her slight breathing assured me she was still alive. "Captain Marvel¡­" I exclaimed. The Leaguer who was actually just a kid called Billy Batson with the powers of the Greek gods, stared at me in the corner of his eye blankly. The slightly glowing red tint in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. It wasn''t him. Not really. I made contact with Robin''s eyes and saw the resolve and determination not to give up, all a cover for the fear in his gaze. That''s when I realized we¡­were essentially all children. This¡­this wasn''t something we were supposed to handle on our own. Not in an ideal world. The world I wanted to create. But the current one wasn''t fair. So fuck this whole thing. I got up while massaging my chin. The dizziness was still there, clouding my mind but luckily it was slightly abating. "Let him go." I rose up to my full height and took control of the air. Shazam turned his gaze fully from Robin to stare at me. I started walking towards him slowly and cautiously. The speed he''d attacked me with¡­wasnt something I could react to. Captain Marvel was Superman-lite. That meant his power was at Superman''s level. None of us, even when put together could beat him in a direct confrontation. But that didn''t mean, I couldn''t take him down with a few of my tricks. This was a fight I couldn''t flee from. If I did so then I was abandoning the ideals I was trying to forge within myself. A hero starts off by saving people and what better way to exercise that ideal by saving my teammates? No matter the insurmountable odds placed before me, my conviction would remain strong because I expected, no, I demanded nothing less than my best! I felt a warmth bloom inside my chest. Unseen to him, a gentle wind construct snaked out and grabbed Artemis from the ground, carrying her to where Wally was. My eyes maintained contact with Boy Wonder and I winked while slowly tapping my throat. Robin blinked two times to show he understood and then I exploded forward in rage. While in midair, I felt something suddenly click in place. Despite 50 meters or so separating us, it felt as if my speed had increased greatly. I spared a look at the walls by my side and saw them illuminated by a light coming off from my back. A scorching heat emanated from my shoulders going down to the small of my back. The sole of my boots cracked and melted away. I knew what this was. I grabbed on to the warmth blooming from above my groin and pulled on it. Shazam''s face suddenly appeared in my vision as I blitzed faster than I''d ever gone before. I wound my leg back and then kicked out. My foot made contact with his face, carrying a great of force aided by the jet like propulsion of red colored flames on the heel and bam! Shazam''s body shot back through the walls and into another hallway making up the maze like structure of this floor. Robin landed on the ground and coughed out. I winced as I also landed. Taking care to do so on my left leg, the right one was pulsing in pain due to how hard I had kicked Shazam and the slightly burnt skin on my heel. Dammit! I had wanted to hide Firebending from the others for a while but that light behind my back...was no doubt the manifestation of flames. Despite losing a potential card up my sleeve, a smile bloomed up on my face. I had achieved it. Fire-bending. "Dude, what was that? I thought you were about to let loose a Sonic attack. I even had my earplugs ready." Robin asked me in confusion. "I...me too. But I just...felt like kicking him in his perfectly sculpted jaw." Boy Wonder looked at me funny. "Anyway, I don''t think that attack is going to keep him down for long. It''s Captain Marvel we''re talking about." He told me while running towards Artemis and Wally, no doubt to check up on them after my devastating move. "Robin, I have an idea. I''ve studied this place and I think there''s only one more floor above us. We break through this..." "And we find a way out, the one responsible, the rest of the team or hopefully everything at once." He interrupted me, catching on quick. "Right, Captain Marvel and I will break through the ceiling and you follow us with our two sleeping beauties." I told him while stretching my body. I could hear heavy steps coming from inside the hole on the wall. The warmth on my belly felt uncompromising, Violent, unyielding, uncontrollable but most of all, blazing. Steam escaped my mouth. "Ok. Let''s finish this." Pushed To The Limits (General P.O.V) "Superman Rendezvous with Gamma team and make your way towards our position. We are going to need all hands on deck for this." Batman informed the Man of Steel who had been preoccupied with other matters, namely a flood in North Rhelasia when the junior team had gone dark. "Copied. What is the current situation?" "Green Lantern has identified the energy signature making up the shield around the structure to be of Apokaliptian origins." Batman answered while reading the report on the alien dome. "The same place Intergang have been getting their weapons from." Superman concluded grimly. "Batman, none of our attacks are doing anything. Physical blows and energy attacks are useless on this thing." The Batman frowned and controlled his bat-jet to hover above the structure. "What is that?" Green Lantern asked through the comms. "I see activity on the lower sections of the dome." Wonder woman reported, flying down. Batman clicked buttons on the ship''s computer and the holographic visual feed of the red dome enlarged. "It seems to be a type of alien creature. My god, Batman are you seeing this?" Hal''s voice sounded surprised, matching the moods of everyone present. "Yes. These creatures seem to share some similarities with Red tornado." (Aden''s P.O.V) I could fire-bend now. That however didn''t mean shit before a powerhouse like Captain Marvel. The dude had the strength and the speed of literal gods. Benching 80+ tons wasn''t exactly groundbreaking before a guy like that. Not to mention he had his own version of energy manipulation through the control of lightning. I reiterate, this wasn''t a fight I was going to win with my fists. Good thing I wasn''t going to try that. "Robin, you ready?" I inquired. "Yeah. I''m ready. I''ll have to make another trip, but I can repurpose my line Launcher for atleast one more jump. That is if you can guarantee a way through." He answered. Meanwhile my heart was pumping inside my chest like the drums of hallelujah. I chuckled to get rid of the tension while studying the roof. "Watch me. And I''ll even throw in a little surprise." I grabbed at the warmth in my belly. Flames for explosive power and air bending for body control, with that combination I turned into a human missile aimed at the hole my opponent had created with his body. I shot off at the first sight of Black Marvel. Oh shit, that''s actually a really cool name. Sorry Marvel, let me steal that name just this once. My opening move was the same as before, however this time it would serve as the distraction I needed to put down Shazam. Hot flames licked at my costume and the smell of singed material made its way to my nose. Shazam stared at me with that same blank look in his eyes and I thanked god I wasn''t fighting the whole him. My leg kicked out and planted itself into - the only thing that saved me was the rebound effect of the air shield surrounding my body and a hasty cross guard. Otherwise, I would have been turned into a bloody mist by his fist. Nevertheless the fast attack threw me back a little and Shazam took the chance to follow me. The speed of mercury was impressive. I couldn''t react to any of his numerous and thunderous blows, Fortunately, I didn''t need to. I read the trajectory of his movements by the vibrations caused through the air and then evaded them with the skin of my teeth, fully employing the philosophy of Air bending, redirecting energy away. The sudden barrage advised me not to underestimate him just because he was being controlled. I was careful not to lead the fight towards Robin but that was all I could do, even the aftershocks from his blows sent a ripple through my body that was only negated due to my air bending. I flew up and my opponent followed me. He smashed the ceiling, aiming at me and I took the chance. My mouth opened up and I let loose a point blank sonic attack at the hole in the roof above us. Shazam had almost gone through it on his own so the 10 percent left was taken out by my own attack. The roof started caving in but I grabbed hold of the pieces of rock and arranged them into a makeshift stairs/ ramp to make it easier for Robin to transport our two passed out teammates to the roof. I expelled the dust from our closest vicinity and gave Dick a thumbs up before flying through to the next floor. "Hope you like the surprise." I flew out of the hole and touched down on the ground before an immobile Captain Marvel. I studied him for a few seconds and once I was sure he wasn''t going to attack me, I turned my attention to my new location.This floor was different from the others. For starters, the rest of the team were placed in status pods, covered with a red energy and constructed on the left side of the walls. Behind Shazam, was a huge screen showing the Justice League trying to break the whole structure and failing. Below the screen was a a sleek machine placed above a platform. The device was a black and red color about the size of a jukebox. It had a marble like ball the size of a soccer ball placed on the top that glowed a deep red. Circuit lines spread from the device to cover the floor and walls of the whole room. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The vibrations of energy emanating from that thing was immense. Enough to send me on edge even more than fighting Shazam. The energy fluctuations registered as sinister in my senses. Maybe if I destroy it then I can get a chance to free Aqualad, Miss martian and Superboy, together we can¡­no, the mountain of a man standing before me killed off that first plan. Ok second plan, "Miss Martian can you hear me?" I tried to telepathically connect with her but got no response. Had it been successful, she could have broken whatever mental control Shazam was under. Second an is a no go then. Third plan, I distract Shazam while Robin tries to finagle a way in his tech oriented brain to free the others. That plan all revolved around me successfully keeping Captain Marvel busy while ensuring that the core of the structure did not send more Para-mentals to attack us. "I believe you''re wondering why I have not attacked you." A robotic voice stated from through out the chamber. I looked over at the device and saw it pulsing. Now that he mentioned it¡­ "My upgraded processing suggests I wait for the rest of your team. It''s more efficient to take you all down at once. Tell me, are all humans so annoying." Fuck this dude. "Just the ones you mess with. Unfortunately for you, I''m on that list as well." The whole chamber flashed red a couple of times while I was speaking. The unexplained phenomena made me jump back closer to the hole. That lined up perfectly with Boy Wonder''s Line Launcher digging itself onto the roof of the floor I was on. He pulled on the line and shot out of the hole, landing next to me with Wally and Artemis on his shoulders. One look at the scene and Robin fell to his usual stance. "What''s the situation? Thanks for the ramp by the way." "The machine behind Shazam seems to be the one responsible. You''re welcome." I answered, while priming my powers. "Are you thinking what I''m thinking?" Robin asked me, sparing a brief glance towards the pods keeping our teammates captive. "Definitely." "On 3,2,1. Move." I had wanted to question the machine some more and find out about it''s origins but rescuing the rest was the first priority. We could really use some Kryptonian strength right about now. A smoke bomb exploded from my position covering Boy Wonder. The signature chuckle he usually did when doing the disappearing trick left echos in it''s wake. I spread out the smoke to cover him better and then sprang forward. Captain Marvel was still essentially human and that meant he required the same biological needs as the rest of us. That gave me options. My body glided on the floor as I came up before him from the sides, I flicked my finger and a multitude of wind constructs sped forward from all around to assault Shazam. The wind buffetted his position and the Avatar of the gods covered his face with his hands to spare himself the blunt of it all. Now! I flew above him and let loose a concetrated sonic attack on his body. He tried to cover his ears to block it out but the shockwaves were too concetrated and unexpected. He knelt down and I moved in for the killer blow. A wind bubble appeared around his head and sucked out all the oxygen inside his lungs. Marvel widened his eyes and tried to break the bubble. Flashes of lightning escaped his form while he suffocated. Finally, his body slumped to the ground, unconscious. I breathed out a sigh and turned my attention to the machine. "You''ve lost. Stand down or else I''ll turn you to scrap metal." I hit my fist on the palm of my hand. "Abilities Analysis complete. Creating counter measures." Above us on the ceiling of the chamber, huge round plates of metal were created. They turned on and sent a pulse resonating through the air. Instantly felt the difference in how I wielded air. My eyes widened and I sprang forward to attack The Machine. I felt something grab my leg from behind and slam me onto the ground. Breath was knocked out of me and my body thrown away to smash onto the walls of the chamber. An imprint of my body appeared on the wall. I fell down to my knees, breathing heavily. Something¡­ something was in the air. The damn metal plates were funneling something inside the chamber. "Voice Module upgraded." The robotic voice came again. "I see that the counter-agent to your powers was successful." I looked up. His voice had changed from it''s robotic tone to a normal man with undertones of a Brit accent. Not only that but Shazam was up once more, looking no worse for wear. "Get the other boy." The device beeped and Shazam blitzed off towards Robin''s position. I reached out a hand to send a wind construct that would obstruct him but the air felt unwieldy. Robin tried to flip away but Captain Marvel was not playing anymore. A quick chop on the neck and Boy Wonder was sent to dreamland. A place I would soon be following him to. "What did you do?" I slurred out the words. "Easy, I simply analysed your abilities, then used a unique frequency to disrupt your control over them. I will admit I could not completely cut off your connection to your aerokinesis but this is more than enough to ensure that my pet takes you down, then I can start the process to turn you all into my agents." "Why? What''s your endgame? The Justice League will take you down even if you succeed in beating us." "The Justice League will get the same treatment the rest of you did and due to the data I have received from this altercation, I will upgrade my repertoire in preparation for their¡­incursion. I wonder how they will react once they find themselves facing off against their own Proteges. As for endgame? Plan? What do I need that for? I do what I want because it is what I want. Aren''t you humans the same? Don''t you chase desire and satisfaction? Now goodbye little pet. I''ll see you on the other side." He finished, ominously. Shazam stepped forward menacingly. I didn''t pay him any mind however. My attention was somewhere else. Somewhere inside my psyche where ''it'' was locked up. I stared at Shazam, my teammates then the surroundings and finally addressed the machine with a chuckle. "I''ll admit it. You''ve pushed my limits more than anyone ever has before. But this ends now. I hate letting it take over but if I don''t do it, then we''re all probably going to die here." I opened the door to the Avatar state and promptly blacked out. Mental State (General P.O.V) Aden blinked his eyes and when he opened them, they were completely glowing white. The enthralled Marvel stopped in his tracks. "Interesting, analysing data." The God Equation beeped. As a response to his words, an energy field extended a few inches from Aden''s body before disappearing. The boy turned his eyes to stare at the machine. A blank soulless gaze that left The intelligent mechanic life wary for the first time. "Impossible. How did you suddenly counter my analysis? That field of energy should not have the capability to block out my scans!" Aden stood up and looked around at where he was. His vision ran over everything and a firm determined gaze appeared on his blank face. Despite the fact that the real Aden was not aware of any of his actions, the Avatar State employed steps to carry out his last priority. Save the lives of his friends and teammates. To do that, these two had to go. The Avatar state could sense the malevolence inside the Machine but the other one was simply misguided. The fight would be difficult due to how powerful this opponent was. However, that was in terms of Aden fighting at his base power level. What Aden didn''t understand was how deep his conjecture that his powers were completely different from their fictional counterpart was. What he had access to was a completely complex alien entity that was The Avatar of The Elements. All the elements. Take into account the high processing abilities of the Avatar System and you have something which no scope of measurement could classify. The floor started shaking. "Kill him!" Shazam shot off like a bullet, slamming a fist in between Aden''s chest. The boy hidden away deep in the psyche of Captain Marvel shouted at himself to stop. To stop his actions. The only thing he had succeeded at was holding back slightly while fighting the team. The best he''d done was stop himself from using his deadlier attacks. But now, an order had come through the control link. An order that Billy Batson could refuse but not Captain Marvel. It was only due to the mystic element in his powers that he was even able to see what he was doing. Billy closed his eyes while imagining the resulting sprouting blood, eviscerated organs and broken bones that would be left behind once his attack landed. His fist speared through Aden''s chest and came out on the other side. A shockwave blew the walls behind Aden to smithereens, sending pieces of earth and crystal debris flying away. A red energy field was revealed. "You imbecile!" The Machine shouted in anger. Billy''s attention however was on Aden. The blank white glowing eyes never changed. His hand was still inside his chest but instead of blood, Billy was shocked when Aden''s body broke into a liquid form and flowed out of his reach. Shazam was just about to attack, when he found his legs immobile. Looking down, he noticed a crystal like material holding his foot captive. It spread across his body quickly and left the veteran hero encased in its crystalline form. No matter how much strength he employed the material was too strong to blast through. The Avatar reformed a distance away, standing before The God Equation. "How? My scans indicate that what you did should be impossible! How did you shift from your biological form to one composed entirely of water?! And how is it possible that you can construct numerous carbon nano-threads strong enough to hold down my enforcer from attacking you?! What are you?" The God Equation was surprised. None of this was going the way his predictive software had predicted. The boy had pulled out a card that The God Equation couldn''t counter against. "No matter! I still have contingencies in place. If anything happens to¡­" With the same blank look as before, The Avatar raised up his hand and when he brought it down, gravity increased around the vicinity of The God Equation. The ground cratered as the Machine responsible for all their problems was broken down into pieces, keeping in line with Aden''s promise to turn it into scrap metal. The Avatar cocked it''s head to the side once he noticed a suspicious looking device lying in the middle of the wrecked pieces of metal. He touched the malevolent device and nodded, coming to a decision. This was an opportunity. A wave of energy escaped his body and the Father box was cleansed of any if it''s sinister influence, leaving behind a featureless yellow box lying in his hands. A slight gesture from his hands and a crystal platform rose up from the ground. He placed the Box on the pedestal and the construct withdrew back into the earth. The Avatar turned his attention to his team and calmly flew towards them. The energy fields of the pods holding them captive shut off before his power and a slight static shock woke them all up barring Artemis and Kid Flash. Stolen novel; please report. "Ugh¡­what happened?" Miss Martian asked while stumbling up. She sucked in a deep breath and widened her eyes as she remembered the fight with Captain Marvel. "Superboy! Aqualad! Are you both alright?" She turned to look for them but her attention was overtaken by Aden who was floating above them all, with white glowing eyes and an expressionless look on his face. "¡­ Maelstrom?" She tried to reach out telepathically but hit a wall on his mind. Instantly, Miss Martian felt the mood change. An aura of derision escaped Aden who was now staring down at her like a god about to pass judgement. A heavy feeling settled down upon her body and Miss M found it hard to breathe. A feeling of pain and weakness overcame her as heat increased. Miss Martian groaned while falling to the ground. What¡­what was happening? "Miss Martian stand back!" Robin quickly appeared between the two, his hands raised up in an appeasing gesture. "She didn''t mean to do the mental probe. It wasn''t an attack." The Avatar''s gaze did not change but the feeling of heaviness and heat that had been slowly permeating the area eased up somewhat. "Nobody make any sudden moves.." Robin ordered. Most of the team barring Wally and Artemis were up. "What is wrong with him?" Superboy wondered, his sight on one of his closest friend who was now flying down towards Captain Marvel. "That is not my secret to share. What I can tell you is that whatever that thing is¡­we absolutely do not want to antagonize it." Robin informed them as he searched for a way to leave to place. His gaze landed on the platform the God Equation had been on and noted it''s destroyed pieces. Aden had done all this. Immobilized Captain Marvel and destroyed the thing responsible. Batman would have revise his information on their teammate''s power level. Dick''s investigation on Aden was now even more important than before. "M''gann are you okay?" Superboy rubbed the young Martian''s back in comfort. "I''m fine Connor. Aden¡­his mental state feels so weird. It''s like the real one is asleep but still awake. Whatever we''re seeing is not an entity taking over his mind. It''s an extension of him yet not a split personality." Aqualad finished checking up on the others and turned to his team. "We will figure everything out after we''ve left this place. For now, keep your guard up against Maelstrom. He seems to recognize us but this is a side of him we have never seen before." Everybody awake nodded. The Avatar on the other hand brought his hands on Shazam''s forehead and placed the other one on his chest. A surge of blue ethereal energy along with flakes of golden power, very similar to Doctor Fate''s escaped him and washed over everything present in the room. Robin instantly felt his injuries stop hurting and his mind regained it''s clarity. The physical exhaustion that had plagued him disappeared and he shared a brief look with the rest. Kid Flash and Artemis came to with a groan. Before they could say anything else however, the light of a boom tube covered each and everyone of them and teleported them out. The last glimpse Robin got of the chamber was Aden''s raised hand. The team stumbled out into the Watchtower, greatly surprising Lantern Stewart. He stood down, seconds away from attacking them and brought his fingers to the ear piece. "Stewart to all teams, we found them. We found the Junior Team." (Elsewhere) The footage came to an end when Maelstrom cleansed the Fatherbox, removing Lex''s control over it. "I stand corrected Luthor. This plan was not without it''s merit. We might have lost the Fatherbox but we gained something more valuable in the process." Vandal Savage stated while smiling. "I agree. Though, I was not expecting this level of power from him. He has been a person of interest to me for quite some time." "Mmmh." Vandal hummed. "With this new information, phase one will need to be revised accordingly. We need to take advantage of this." "As always my friend, we think alike." Vandal Savage''s words trailed off as he blended into the shadows. Luthor rose up and walked down the stairs to where T.O. Morrow and his assistant were busy trying to regain control of the device. "I have some bad news Luthor, I''ve lost the signal. That can only happen if the device is out of range or if it''s been destroyed." The Professor told the Philanthropist. "On the contrary doctor, everything worked out splendidly." Morrow turned to face him and was met with a smile on Lex''s face. "What are you talking about Luthor?" Lex snapped a finger instead of answering and the door to the lab opened. From the outside, Mercy pushed forward a hospital stretcher into the room, bringing it close to the pair before stopping. Luthor stepped away and motioned to the Professor. "A gesture of good will. To let you know that I treat my friends with the utmost appreciation." Morrow stared at Luthor warily but nonetheless stepped forward and removed the sheet covering the contents of the stretcher. His eyes widened. "How?" Lying on the stretcher were the parts of Red Tornado. Luthor wasn''t the one to answer Morrow''s question. "Come on Thomas, if there is one person who can figure out the workings of your creations, it''s me obviously." An elderly gentleman wearing a prison uniform appeared on the holographic projection. "Anthony. I should have known." Morrow said. His words lacked their usual mocking tone however. "Gentlemen, It''s time you let go of your past... disagreements and focused on the future. With your software Morrow, Ivo''s hardware and my specialized... technology, the future is limitless." Luthor stated, his words sugary sweet. A Subtle Shift part 1 (General P.O.V) "This seems like a bad idea." M''gann said while floating in the air. The rest of the team was gathered around Robin who was busy trying to break into Aden''s room. "It is." Kaldur agreed. "A huge breach of trust infact. But M''gann, we need answers, especially considering what we saw inside that place. Aden hiding such a huge secret from the rest of us not only put us in a lot of danger but also compromised the trust between allies." "That doesn''t make it okay. No matter how any of us try to justify it. It''s still going behind his back." Artemis said while crossing her hands. Out of everyone around, she felt the most uncomfortable. Not only because of her apparent like for the dark skinned hunk but because of her own secret. A secret only Aden knew and had decided to keep quiet about. What she was allowing felt like a betrayal. "She''s right. We''re going too far. Aden still deserves a right to his secrets. He hasn''t done anything bad to deserve us breaking into his room to investigate him." Connor backed the two girls. "I''m sorry but personally I want to know who I''m working with. Who is watching my back and¡­Aden hasn''t exactly been forthcoming about himself." Wally countered while shrugging. "That''s what secret identities are for Wally. None of you know about my civilian life because I try my best to separate it from the hero thing. That''s not a crime in our line of work." Artemis shook her head. "I think we should just turn back while we can. What if one of the league¡­" M''gann''s words were cut off by the sudden swing of Aden''s room door. Robin turned to look at them while smirking. "Too late to turn back now. Plus, you''re all forgetting one thing. This investigation might give us a lead on where we can find our missing teammate." Kaldur sighed and looked at the others. "I will not force any of you to do this if you don''t want to. If we do go through with it and Aden finds out, it might have irreparable damage to all our relationships. This is your last chance to turn around and walk away." "Sheesh Kaldur you make it sound as if we''re planning a murder." Wally spoke up only to have Artemis bonk him on the head. "Ow." He looked at her aggrieved but the blonde simply waved her hand threateningly. "I have a question Kaldur. What if we do find something. Something bad?" Robin''s tone suddenly turned serious and subdued. Before answering Kaldur took a deep breath. "Let''s just do this." Connor beat him to the punch and shoved the door completely open. Kaldur couldn''t help but feel relieved. Robin sighed and put away his kit. "So not feeling the aster." (Aden''s P.O.V) The second time I woke up was to a soft knock on the door. I ran a hand through my face and got out of the soft bed. Clearly the League had not spared any expense to make all their stuff the best quality. My steps carried me to the door and once it opened, I came face to face with the Dark Knight himself. The glare was still there, somehow even more intense. "Batman." I nodded after looking around him and not noticing any other Leaguer. Oh wait. There! A hazy form rose up from the ground. "Manhunter." "It''s good to see you''re doing alright Aden." He replied, a small smile on his face. "Thanks J''onn. Although the mission had a few hiccups here and there...it wasn''t something we haven''t dealt with before. At this point, it''s obvious that 90% of our missions will go wrong." I opened the door wide after answering, to allow them to come in. "You''re welcome inside." "No need. This won''t take long. We''re here to talk to you about something of grave importance, Aden." My eyes widened minutely at the grim tone. (A few hours Later) I stood before the full roster of the Justice League. A chair had been set apart for me but I hadn''t sat on it. The second I''d been called into the hall, I''d come in expecting confrontation. I could barely contain my anger. Batman''s words kept on running inside my head with no sign of stopping. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I was being suspended from the team. There wasn''t even a concrete reason for this! I hadn''t hurt anyone. If it wasn''t for me, none of the team would be alright. If it wasn''t for me, Captain Marvel would still be an agent of the Light. Let''s not kid ourselves, it''s clear that only they had the ability to acquire such tech. "Maelstrom do you know why you''re here?" Even Black Canary''s usually caring tone sounded pretentious to me. "I was thinking you could tell me. It''s not usually that one gets to stand before the full League. Whatever it is, must be important." I told them, slight confusion marring my features. Just like planned. Batman spoke up next. "In light of recent events, the League has decided to question you regarding a few incidents that occured during the Yellowstone national park recon mission." "A mission that went completely off the rails." The Flash added. "From the rest of your team''s account you were all teleported away forcefully to a structure hidden in the dark side of the moon, where you were constantly attacked by alien creatures and Captain Marvel who was being controlled." John Stewart recounted. Black Canary picked up where he left off. "During the fight your...other side came out." I breathed out. "Things got too dire. I couldn''t fight Captain Marvel one on one. So when I blacked out, The Avatar State came out as a means for me to protect myself. To be fair, I don''t recall anything that occured afterwards. It''s not something I can control yet." I could see a lot of negative expressions on the faces of some of the heroes. Distrust and dissatisfaction mostly. "I''m... curious as to the true nature of this Avatar State." Aquaman started off. Instantly, I felt a subtle shift happen in the room. I shrugged. "It''s not something I can explain very well because I don''t have all the details. Think of it has a supercharged version of myself whose only purpose is to protect me and eliminate those seeking to do harm upon my person." "An apt description from someone claiming to not have all the details." I narrowed my eyes at Aquaman after he replied. "I''m concerned. If this version of you is only after your protection and retaliation against your enemies, would you be able to prioritize civilian lives in the middle of the fight or would they be meaningless to you during your vendetta." Green Arrow someone who''s never liked me raised his ''concerns''. "That''s not entirely fair Arrow. Your concerns while warranted are also unrealistic. He cannot control himself while he''s in that state. Asking him to account for anything other than his own conscious actions is too much." Surprisingly Hal Jordan spoke up in my defence. "They are his actions! What does it say to the public when one of our own puts people at risk because he''s not ''himself''? The Justice League would suffer a PR disaster. Such a thing would snowball into more stringent measures by the UN and other nation''s governments. We already have places we cannot go to because of that." Green Arrow shot back, heated. Wow. I really don''t have a fan in that guy. My hands tightened as I carefully put a blank look on my face. No I wasn''t planning a murder on modern day Robin hood, I swear. "Except you''re wrong Arrow, he''s part of a black ops team. Their current role is not entirely about saving lives. That would defeat the purpose of what a black ops team is all about, a stealth group acting in the shadows. There isn''t a visible link from him to us, so expecting any of them to act the exact way we do is as Hal said, unrealistic." Stewart said his piece which brought out arguments from across the table. Only Captain Atom seemed unconcerned about everything that was going on. Dude was always pretty chill. "Silence. We are getting nowhere with this discussion. Only delaying the inevitable." Wonder woman stood up and announced. "We are not here to interrogate him. Maelstrom has done nothing wrong during his tenure with the Junior Team. He has been responsible barring a few instances that were excused due to his inexperience in our line of work and today''s aim was to try and understand his situation better and seek out a way to help him." Help me? Really? I couldn''t take it any longer, I started laughing. They all turned to stare at me, unamused. My laughter increased at the expressions on their faces. "What is so funny boy?" Hawkman demanded from his seat. The mask on his face made him look more cartoonish than vicious. That didn''t help me. "Maelstrom, I believe I don''t need to remind you where you are at the moment. This is a serious matter." The advise from Black Canary helped me regain my self control. "I''m sorry... I''m sorry it''s just that...I can''t get over the hypocrisy some of you have." There was stunned silence after my words. "And to me it''s really funny that someone like Green Arrow, a vigilante who used to leave people broken and dead before he joined the League can stand there and lecture me about prioritizing civilian lives." There was a collective intake of breath. Arrow stood up with anger marring his features. "Watch it. You know nothing..." "Right. But you do? So it''s right for you to pass judgement you color as ''concerns'' about me but wrong if I do the same about your bloody past. Like I said before, hypocrisy." Most of the members hadn''t gotten out of their surprise yet. Back Canary actually had her mouth wide open in shock. Arrow looked unsure of what to do. The hostility in his eyes however, showed me where Red Arrow got his arrogance from. "Stand down Maelstrom. Green Arrow is a member of the Justice League and will be accorded the same respect everyone on this table deserves." Batman ordered me with a steely gaze in his eyes. I looked around the room and saw no allies. Not even Black Canary who I had grown closer to or the Lanterns who had come to my rescue. "This was a trial. No matter what I would have said, it''s clear that it was a charade. You''ve already decided to remove me from the team. Let me make it easier on all of you, I Quit." I turned on my feet and walked out. A Subtle Shift Final Part (General P.O.V) "Remember, we give him a chance to explain first. The benefit of doubt. I expect all of you , especially you Wally to not be antagonistic towards Aden." Kaldur ordered. The mood at the cave was at an all time low. "Explain? What is there to explain?! Kaldur we all saw the things he had hidden in his room. As far as I''m concerned, anything that he says will just be an extension to the lies he''s been feeding us. Ugh, why can''t any of you see it?! Aden is not who he says he is!" Wally shouted while waving his hands. "And this has nothing to do with your dislike and jealousy? You think we haven''t noticed it but it''s clear as day. You don''t hate Maelstrom because he''s been hiding things from us, you hate him because he''s better than you in. Every. Possible. Way." Silence dominated the room. Artemis words seemed to cut deep into Wally. "Thats¡­thats not true. Rob tell her¡­" Robin looked away. The hurt expression on Wally''s face turned to anger. "Keep on defending the guy if you want to but I''m telling it as it is. Aden is a fucking traitor." Seeing that no one was speaking up to his defense, Wally looked away. "A traitor that saved you. You can atleast acknowledge that in your mission to discredit him." Wally ignored Connor''s response and zeroed in on the Whiskey bottle they''d found in Aden''s room. "What was it you said you felt from this thing Kaldur?" He asked while shaking the bottle. "Careful with that Wally. We still don''t know what it is." Wally ignored the warning. "I remember, you said you felt negative mystic energy emanating from it right?" He got no response. "How can we trust someone who hides such¡­stuff in his room. Where did he even get it from? The vial of Kobra-venom can be explained away but what about the money? The jewelry? Call it hate or dislike or whatever you want but deep inside you all know I''m right." He looked at the others. "Kaldur¡­Dick. This is not us. This is not what we stand for or what we''ve learned from our mentors. You think Batman or Flash would allow anything like this to exist? Heck I don''t believe in magic but even I can feel the¡­ despair and hate coming off it in waves. If Aden''s intentions were pure, this thing would be locked away in a super vault somewhere secure or destroyed. Not in his room hidden under the bed." Saying that Wally opened the lid and poured the contents out into the sink before anyone else could stop him. (Aden''s P.O.V) I spared a long final look at the view of the earth from the watchtower then sighed. I didn''t know if I would ever see this magical sight again. If there was one thing I would miss, it was going to be the food and the view. I turned around and walked to the Zeta tube. "Recognized Maelstrom B04." The first instance I stepped out into the hall of Mount Justice, I felt a certain vibe grip the whole room. Gathered around the Zeta tube was the team, looking at me with a wide range of emotions. M''gann broke off from the rest and hugged me tightly. "I''m sorry." She told me before withdrawing and flying back to the others. "Aden¡­ you''re okay. I''m glad." Artemis said before looking away sadly. "Great to see you too Artemis. What is going on though? Some of you don''t look too happy with my arrival." I stated, establishing eye contact with Wally. A look of distaste crossed his face. "You''re wrong. We were of course glad to hear from Batman that you were back and unharmed." Kaldur stepped forward and spoke up. I scoffed. Batman huh? That means¡­ "And I''m sure he also informed you about my resignation from the team?" "Yes." Kaldur nodded. "Which is less than you deserve. You should be headed straight for Belle Reve if you ask me." Wally barked. "Wait Kid. He deserves to explain himself." Kaldur shot him down with a glare. I looked at Connor and raised an eyebrow. The clone had no outward reaction and was completely unreadable so I moved on to our resident detective. Robin was the one acting weird the most. He stepped forward with a determined look on his face. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road."What the fuck is going on? Wally''s hostility is understandable seeing as he''s always an ignorant immature little brat¡­" Kaldur held the speedster back while I continued with my statement. "¡­but the rest of you. You''re all acting strange. So I''ll ask again. What. Is. Going. On?" They all shared a look and turned to me. "Maybe you can tell us?" Boy Wonder sighed, pressing a key on his utility belt to reveal¡­the vial of Kobra-venom I had stashed in my room as well as a small bag. The jewelry. Which meant they also found the money, the documents and the Meta-trigger I kept in the whiskey bottle. My heart sank. If only I''d been faster to relocate those things to the storage space I''d found from Galiel''s documents. I''d just kept putting it off because of my busy schedule. I closed my eyes and promised myself to never be so complacent again. I opened my eyes to try and salvage whatever I could of my things. "Where''s the rest?" I asked no one in particular. "Oh you mean this incriminating big bag of cash" Wally held up the duffel bag containing the money I''d gotten from Lucifer after my fight with Galiel. "Incriminating? What are you talking about? Do you think I stole it?" ''Calm down Aden. Calm down.'' I reminded myself. "No I don''t think you stole it. I know you did." Kid was quick to respond. I just needed to be calm to ask them about the other stuff. "You broke into my room without permission. You are even so inconsiderate of the fact that I almost fucking died who knows how many times trying to save all of you that you judge me without giving me the benefit of doubt, or allowing me the chance to come clean all by myself." They all looked down in shame. Even Wally looked unsure, all except for the youngest member. "Where did you get all of this Aden?" Robin''s voice cut through the silence. Boy Wonder narrowed his eyes at me and I knew he knew, I was trying to guilt trip them into dropping the subject. I hate to do this. I really do...but they left me no choice. I just need to know where the Meta-trigger essence is. "It was a gift." I smoothly responded. "A gift?" Boy Wonder''s tone was incredulous. He spared a look at Superboy who shook his head. "He''s not lying." Artemis heaved out a sigh of relief. "See, I told you guys that Aden had a perfectly good explanation for all of this!" Her face was hopeful but from the whitened knuckles gripping her bow, Artemis did not seem to buy what she was saying. "From who?" Kaldur asked. "Trust me...you don''t want to know. The only thing I can tell you is that he is no way involved with the Supervillains or the Justice League. He''s more of a neutral party. I helped him out with something and all that was the payment. Now...where is the last item? Where is the Whiskey bottle?" Boy Wonder subtly glimpsed at Wally who stubbornly refused to look at me straight in the eyes. Oh no. What the fuck did they do? "Where is it?" My tone took on a harder edge. Boy Wonder shifted his stance into a wary one and the mood that was already at an all time low- dived off the fucking cliff. No one was saying anything. "M''gann...you have something to tell me?" So I went for the softest one in the group. The one trying to please everyone so as to get a sense of belonging. It was fucking manipulative and I hated using my meta-knowledge about their characters this way but...if it works it works. Connor stepped into my line of sight blocking her from my view. I raised an eyebrow. Should have accounted for that. He''s already started showing feelings towards her. "The bottle was destroyed. I poured out all the black liquid and smashed it to pieces. The team agreed that it was too evil. Which begs the question of why you had it in the first place." I brought a hand to my forehead and pinched the space between my eyes. This...this was bad. My anger was getting the better of me. I''d stuck it out with these people for the last few months or so. Thinking I was building a camaraderie with them. Then they go and do this. My face turned ugly. I''d come here expecting a tearful farewell. Seems like I''ll get it but not the way I wanted. "What...what gave you the right? Do you even comprehend what you have done?" "Calm down Aden. Your secrets..." I cut off Kaldur harshly. "My secrets! You think I''m the only one with secrets in this fucking place! Holy shit, I can''t believe the naivety and immaturity I''ve been a part of for the last few months. Have none of you not learned to never judge a book by its cover! I thought you all trusted me to atleast not go behind my back..." I looked at Artemis while saying that. Tears started dropping down her cheeks. "I..." "Shut it Kaldur. I''ve heard enough. You forced me to do this. Knowing you... asking nicely for my property won''t work." The air lifted me up to hover above them all. "So as I tender my resignation, for old times sake, I''ll give you one warning. Step aside from my shit or I will hurt you." Outnumbered But Not Outmatched (General P.O.V) "I won''t say it again Kaldur." I held out a hand and a miniature tornado formed around in my palm. "Don''t make me do it the hard way." Kaldur''s water bearers appeared in his hands. "I believe we outnumber you 6 to 1. You''re the one who needs to stand down Maelstrom." His tone was serious and his stance showed no signs of backing down. "Outnumbered yes, but you''re outmatched." I told them while increasing the intensity of the whirlwind. The others were on edge, ready to react or in some cases like Wally, act. The only three who looked unsure were Connor, Artemis and M''gann. The blonde who I knew had a crush on me decided to be the voice of reason. "Wait! Everybody please calm down. Can we just talk this out?" She implored while looking around. "Tell that to your boyfriend. He''s the one threatening the rest of us." Wally responded, dropping the googles resting on his forehead to his eyes. "He''s not my boyfriend¡­" "Don''t bother Artemis. One way or the other, I''m getting what I want. It doesn''t matter if I have to go through all of you for that. I''m done with this bullshit." I got why she was trying to appease everyone but bridges were already burned. This had been brewing for quite some time. The peaceful and mature way wasn''t going to work out anymore. Not for me at least. "Aden¡­. you''re not acting like yourself. This isn''t you." I cocked my head to the side. Did she really just say that? "Would you blame me? I just got from a meeting with the Justice League, where they suspended me from the team for no concrete reason other than disappearing to God knows where for ten hours. After saving all your collective asses by the way and the first thing I get from all of you¡­is another fucking trial. So yes, Artemis, I am not acting like myself. This is how I get when someone stabs me on the back. Where I come from, loyalty matters." I waved a hand and sent a wind ruffling through their clothes. "This talk is getting boring. And you''re out of warnings." I made to move forwards for the bag in Wally''s hands when I felt an impact on my mental walls. The intrusive touch bounced off and then returned even stronger. A crack appeared on it''s structure and I felt a mental link form. "Please Aden. Stop this. Fighting will get us nowhere." "Get out of my head M''gann. I''ll forget that you just forced your way through my mental barriers." "We''re like a family. Families don''t fight." "I said get out of my head!" I shot back in anger. The Martian''s face paled in real life and she stumbled back once I pushed out my own mental energy. A wind blast knocked her to the wall, completely cutting off her next words. "M''gann!" Connor shouted out her name in panic. Everyone gasped at the unexpected move. Good, this will show them I''m not playing anymore. "I''m fine¡­I''m alright just¡­ everyone please stop." Miss Martian floated back up but Connor was already too far gone to listen. "You bastard! You took it too far!" Saying that, Connor jumped up to attack me. A sudden whirlwind manifested and pulled him into it''s spinning motion. I waved a hand and the Superman clone was thrown back towards the ground. With that, I knew the time for talking was over. (General P.O.V) Kaldur felt a shiver run across his skin in a way he had only once felt before. Captain Marvel. That''s who Aden reminded him off. The sheer difference in power was shocking as it was terrifying. Last time any of them checked¡­Aden was the third strongest but even that was debatable due to the experience Kaldur, Robin and Kid Flash had over him. Standing before him however, Kaldur realized something. Experience didn''t matter for shit if your opponent had overwhelming power on his side. Which meant¡­ "Robin, KF manuever 0." Kaldur ordered just as Superboy roared and jumped at Aden. "Fuck that! We can take him on Kaldur!" Superboy dug a groove on the cave''s floor with his body right after Kid Flash''s words. "Yeah Rob. Manuever 0." Kid Flash suddenly changed his mind after witnessing their heavy hitter get taken down with only one move. "What''s Manuever 0?" Artemis asked but no one answered her. Robin reached into his utility belt and came out with smoke bombs that he smashed onto the ground before Aden. Kid Flash blitzed through the area, running around and forming a tornado made of the smoke bombs below Aden. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Aden curiously looked on in disbelief as the tornado covered him. Didn''t they know what his powers were? He reached out to the whirlwind and unravelled it, flying down to the floor. "That was the lamest attack sequence I have ever seen." I looked at the three most experienced sidekicks and commented on their efforts. "I thought you would say that." Robin smiled. "I wouldn''t look down at us though. Else you might find yourself in a¡­ sticky situation." Wait. I studied my clothes and not a second later, a few balls I hadn''t noticed attached to me exploded, covering me completely in containment foam that hardened within seconds. Only my head was left visible. "You used the tornado to lower my guard and then threw the containment foam balls at me. Well played Boy Wonder. I should have expected something like this." "Move!" Connor''s aggressive words announced he was back into the fray. With a hand cocked back, his fist was headed directly for my head. I can''t get knocked out. It''s time to show them what true power actually is. I searched for that familiar heat lying at the bottom of my belly and pulled. My mouth opened and I let loose a huge flame breath that melted the containment form down into a magma like liquid slag. My fist came up just in time to intercept Connor''s own. A blast of force escaped out into the surroundings, pushing us both back. I controlled the air present at his back and pulled him towards me. My fist tightened while I deployed the first use of Dragon Fist since getting it from the Advancement Trial. The snarl on his face disappeared once my strikes landed on his body. Dull thuds escaped the strike zone while my blows landed. Connor''s eyes rolled back to the back of his eyes as he went unconscious. I grabbed his body by the neck and threw him at an unsuspecting Kaldur, who was so shocked that he failed to react on time . The Atlantean was pulled from his feet upon contact with the Kryptonian and they both slammed through the holographic projector above the hall. The device sparked dangerously, while parts of it fell to the floor. An arrow was intercepted by the air bubble I kept around my body, redirected and shot towards a blitzing Kid Flash. The resulting explosion slammed KF off his feet into a tangle of his limbs, which resulted in him groaning on the floor and then passing out. "Kid!" Artemis called out in panic after her attack. "Ouch Artemis. Always pegged you for a Femme Fatale but damn." My words turned her attention back to the fight and she pulled back the string on her bow while notching another arrow. "I won''t miss a second time." She warned. An invisible air construct rope, suddenly wrenched her hands back, constricting her body in a tight hold. Not enough to hurt her, but enough that she was out of the fight. She tried to shimmy her way out but my control over the element was grandmaster level now. "I don''t want to hurt you. So stay down Artemis." The wind bindings holding her captive were suddenly undone by a telekinetic force, ripping through them. M''gann. I sighed. She was hiding. Invisible to my normal senses but not the telepathic sense I was slowly but surely developing. I found her near the wall where Kaldur and Connor had fell after slamming into each other. The two teens were knocked out. One of them due to Dragon Fist while the other due to colliding with a Kryptonian going at max speed. I reapplied the bindings on Artemis and shot out towards the Martian, dodging pieces of stone that had broken off from the walls easily. Normally fighting M''gann would be a headache due to her numerous abilities like density shifting, shape shifting, telekinesis etc but I had an effective skill to take her down apart from fire. I got within range of her and released a sonic blast point blank at her body. M''gann cried out in pain and once she was incapacitated, I used Dragon Fist to send shockwaves inside her body, making her pass out. This skill was incredibly useful. I also used it on Artemis. I didn''t want her slipping away and contacting someone. This fight was so boring. Now that I wasn''t playing at their level anymore, it felt more like a chore I was doing. With most of the team down. Wally included, due to the friendly fire that left only...Robin. Birdarangs shot through the air and dug themselves around me, the explosion did nothing to my air bubble. I blew the dust away while on the lookout for more of Boy Wonder''s tricks. His signature laugh sounded out and I noticed he''d disappeared off to somewhere. With the duffel bag. Goddamit. This game of cat and mouse needed to end or else a Leaguer might arrive if he''s allowed to make a distress call. I slammed my leg down and a shockwave exploded out into the surroundings, not enough to hurt anyone but enough that I could detect where the young Detective was hiding. I found him on the side of the hologram projector. How did he even get there? No time. An air bubble appeared around his head, cutting off his air supply. Boy Wonder tried to use a rebreather but his hand bounced off the rotating wind sphere and a few minutes later his body fell from above. I used the wind to slow the descent of his body along with the Duffel bag. I slowly sent Robin''s body to the ground and turned to inspect the duffel bag. Galiel''s documents were inside with the cash and now more than ever, I needed his contacts. I pulled back the zip and opened the bag. Instantly my heart sank. Above the money and the documents was Robin''s exploding birdarangs. "Oh you little shi.." The birdarangs timed out and exploded, destroying the contents of the bag. My air shield kept me safe but the explosion left behind burning papers that I couldn''t even salvage. I looked at Robin and decided that if he was going to be petty then I would be petty too. He wasn''t getting out of this without a broken finger atleast. "Recognized Red Arrow B06." Oh fuck me. This guy? Seriously? It Gets Worse (Aden''s P.O.V) "I would probably say this is not what it looks like but¡­it''s exactly what it looks like. So what''s your opening move?" An arrow was what I got for my trouble. Oh wait, the arrow split into two. Neat trick. Two arrows with a net in the middle which had sparks of electric current running through it''s whole length. A finger flick and a wind blade slashed the net apart. I stepped forward in a quick burst and buried a fist on Red Arrow''s stomach. Breath escaped his mouth along with spit. He clutched his belly and hacked out with wide eyes, taking a knee. "Where''s all that bravado you had? The arrogance you wear while walking around. Hate to break it to you Speedy, but to those who are actually strong, pride comes easy. It''s casual and displayed by actions, not by seeing who can bark the loudest." The hateful glare he sent my way made me chuckle a little. "But you will never learn that, will you." I backhanded him and he slumped to the ground in a faint. It was time to leave. I went towards Boy Wonder and pocketed the vial of Kobra-venom along with the small bag holding the jewelry. I was still very much angry at losing the Meta-trigger, the cash and Galiel''s documents. That whole debacle was on me. On my complacent attitude. I had to understand that this wasn''t like my previous world. I can only thank God that this lesson came this early. Although it came with a big cost it was still better than potentially losing my life by taking things easy. Fuck, where will I get another Meta-trigger essence? That thing had enabled Galiel to create metahumans by targeting the ones with a meta-gene present in their bodies. Then again the presence of people like Black Canary showed there was more than one way to awaken it. I didn''t know if I had a meta-gene or not but after tensions within the group I''d realized that having my own team, one of my very making would be advantageous in the long run as opposed to using the Meta-trigger on myself. I already had a clear path to power. Adding more abilities upon the ones I was slated to get would be splitting my attention too much. A jack of all trades. I wanted to be a grandmaster at only two things...bending and combat prowess. Luckily the Kobra-venom vial was still intact. If I could perfect it or find someone to do it, I could streamline the process into something efficient and harmless. If I remember correctly, Slade Wilson in DC had used mirakuru, DC''s version of the super soldier serum to give himself enhanced physical parameters which coupled with his deadly skills made him the perfect Merc. If I could get a sample of his blood¡­ I shook my head. This isn''t the time to get sidetracked. Before I could do any of that, I needed Galiel''s contacts to the underworld. That would help me to set myself up in a way that the League or the Team wouldn''t track me. I looked around at my fallen ex-comrades and sighed. "This is not how I wanted this to go down." Going over to Kid Flash, I kicked him on the nuts. He groaned in pain which appeased my anger a little. This was mostly all his fault. While Robin''s suspicions were warranted, he wasn''t led by jealousy or hate. We all know who probably fanned the flames. "I can''t believe you used to be top 5 of my favorite speedsters." I huffed and sped off towards my room to gather the rest of my things. I couldn''t leave my laptop but the guitar and other stuff would only slow me down. So the plan? I was going to use the Zeta tube and go to L.A. Specifically Lux. Lucifer''s nightclub. Oh goodie. But you might wonder why. Why go towards the Devil while others would be running far away to the opposite direction? Here''s the thing. I''m a 100% sure that Galiel being the devious demon, would have kept a digital copy of all his connections and information incase the place was ever raided. It makes perfect sense. Being millenia old, who knew how much secrets, dirt and information he had? Storing all that info in physical formats was inefficient and dumb. So Lucifer was my only lead. The plan b to that would be to go to Gotham, try and find Penguin''s hide out- he hadn''t been seen for quite a while after the whole enhanced cocaine thing- and then strike up a deal with him or if that fails, Two-face if he was around. Those were the two villains I knew who had a semblance of honor. They were of course selfish and untrustworthy. Unreliable in Two Face''s case and both wouldn''t hesitate to betray me if they were offered a better deal. The reason that was Plan b was because¡­Gotham was Batman''s backyard. So yeah¡­not sure the Dark Knight would appreciate what I''d done here. Though I''m not sure he would make a big deal out of it, seeing as this was in line with what he and Manhunter had propo¡­ This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Access denied! Access denied! Zeta Tube Privileges revoked. Designation downgraded to Maelstrom A03." The computer alerted me, displaying a red text box on it''s screen. My mood plummeted. I was trying to use the Zeta tube to take me to the nearest zeta node in L.A but it seems that I was already locked out from the system. Gee I wonder who could have done it? (Read Batman) Speaking of the devil¡­ "Recognized Batman 02. Wonder Woman 03. Flash 04. Martian Manhunter 07. Black Canary 14." Oh shit. This couldn''t get any worse. "Recognized Superman 01." Would you look at that. It just did. (General P.O.V) "One of our drone outposts reported a massive beacon of energy wave in the outskirts of the milky way Galaxy." An agent of the Reach informed The scientist charged with study of the alien species in the sector. The scientists turned to the agent, a low level assistant charged with monitoring the sector for any anomalies. "And this concerns us why?" The scientist asked impatiently. The assistant looked nervous and hurried to explain. "The energy signature bears resemblance with Apokaliptian technology." The Reach scientist hummed in interest. "Truly? That is quite curious. Have you pinpointed the correct location?" "I have traced the signature to a star system which has 8 recognized planets revolving around a small star. Two of those planets are occupied with intelligent alien life." The Scientist pulled up the files on the subject to the computer screen and hummed. "This complicates things. The sector is under the Green Lantern corp jurisdiction. A fully equipped herald ship would be breaking the terms of the treaty." "We have an infiltrator Scarab on the fourth planet from the sun. Maybe we can utilize his unique position..." The scientist shook his head. "Negative. That would put him at risk of being discovered by other parties. This matter requires a...delicate touch." The assistant obediently kept silent as the Scientist thought. "Send a request to High Command for the possibility of a scout ship excursion to do a loose search on the Star system. We will feed The Lantern corps should they ask, about it being a resource hunt or a ship with a warp malfunction stumbling into the sector. That should keep them off our backs until we can decide what to do next." "Will they buy that?" The assistant decided to ask. The question brought a smile onto The Scientist''s face. "They don''t have to. The peace treaty outlines that we don''t subjugate or conquer an alien species without their own consent. Thats why we use diplomacy as our main weapon. As long as we don''t touch down on the planet or get noticed then it should be fine. Plus we do have contingencies incase we leave traces of our presence behind." The assistant nodded his head and left. "Wait." The Scientist called out. "Phase shift the drone outpost for the time being. If we detected the massive surge of energy it stands to reason others did as well. We''re not the only ones on the look out for New God technology." (Aden''s P.O.V) The light from the Zeta tube died out, revealing some of the most powerful members the Justice League had. Silence dominated the room as they looked around. Batman surveyed the scene in one brief sweep and turned his eyes, narrowed, at me. "What did you do?" Following his words, The Flash blitzed off in a fast speed making me spring up to float above the ground with my heart pumping. I couldn''t even make out his form clearly. There wasn''t comparing him and Wally. One was a snail the other a jet. Fortunately he didn''t attack. He merely gathered the team one by one near the Zeta tube. Away from me, I realized. Incase a fight sprung up. Black Canary stepped forward with her hands raised. The rest of the Members looked shocked and surprised. Some of them like Batman and Wonder Woman were studying me with anger and seriousness respectively. "Aden what happened here?" Black Canary started off low but I could feel the undercurrents of worry. Worry for me, I guessed. If I wasn''t so done with everything, I would have felt gratitude at her understanding. As I was, my heart merely waved off the feeling of discomfort at the thought of disappointing one of my mentors. "They are fine. Banged up but they will survive. All of them are merely unconscious." Manhunter informed the rest. "They still need a check up. Get them to the medical facility of the Watchtower." Batman ordered without looking away from me. "We will handle things here Manhunter." "As you wish." Manhunter replied. He threw a glance at me and I got the brief sensation of a touch on my mental barriers. Regret. "I am Sorry Aden." I didn''t bother replying. What was done was done. This wasn''t something I could take back. The team and I had come to blows and I''d put them all down. The only question that remained was...could I do the same to their mentors? I knew the answer deep in my chest. And it was a resounding no. Still. If I wanted to get out of this situation...it was either go through them or go through them. There was nowhere to escape. "Recognized Martian Manhunter 07." Once J''onn left, the Man of Steel flew to hover in the air opposite me. Superman had a hard look on his face that I''d only ever seen once before. "Son, I''m going to need you to stand down." I sighed and firmed up my resolve. There was no way to win this but fuck it. "No." The Avatar Vs The Justice League (Aden''s P.O.V) The man of steel stared at me evenly without breaking eye contact. The house of El symbol lay prominent on his chest and up close he looked huge. Intimidating too given the situation. I''d just trounced my former team and added Red Arrow to the ass kicking. I doubt they had any favorable outlook on me as I currently was. "Think carefully about what you want to do next Aden. Don''t make this situation worse than it already is." Black Canary didn''t give up trying to make me surrender. And why would she? To anyone reasonable, that was the RIGHT move. The expected one at least. Given that I had been a part of the hero society for a few months, the assumption would be I was an altruistic individual like 90% of the Justice League. That I would always do the RIGHT thing. But here''s the thing, the RIGHT thing is not always the CORRECT one. And the League was the best example of this. I spared a glance at the gathered League members and instantly a feeling of sadness gripped me. This was just a fraction of the League but the power they had¡­the technology under their disposal as well as their own individual power and connections was tremendous. Yet, people like The Joker and Victor Szasz still walked around killing wantonly. What would it cost Batman to just break The Joker''s spine, crippling him for good? That''s not killing right? But no. They can''t do it. They can''t even ensure that the government comes up with severe measures to keep these mass murdering psychopaths from hurting anyone ever again. The death penalty or a strike rule. Where if you commit more than three acts intentionally endangering civilian lives, you''re lobotomized or sedated for life or something. I''m not a doctor but coming from a world where bullshit like this wouldn''t stand¡­it was a bitter pill to swallow. The sadness gave way to determination. I was going to change that. It might sound cliche and self righteous but the truth of the matter was that these people hadn''t been given another option by the League. It was either be good and stay on the right path or be bad and stay on the wrong one. I wonder what the League would do if the government suddenly decided that all supervillains were fair game and put out bounties on all their ends. Batman would probably try to save The Joker from Deadshot or a dozen other mercenaries. That''s the kind of hero DC idolized. The Avengers atleast did what needed to be done to save people. Enough exposition. I had to deal with this debacle first. I loudly sighed and made contact with Batman''s eyes. "Fine." My hands lowered and I started flying down closer to Superman. The Man of Steel smiled and nodded understandingly. Black Canary couldn''t hide the look of relief that crossed her face. Wonder Woman and Flash also eased up somewhat. On the hand, Batman clenched his jaw and I could feel him narrow his eyes through the whites of his mask. "Wait." He called out just as Superman placed a hand on my shoulder and said. "You made the right choice son." The battarang thrown to my position was taken out of the air by an air string and thrown back towards it''s source. Man I love air bending. Superman was just now noticing that something was off. Too bad he kept most of his abilities suppressed. His reaction speed was fast of course but he couldn''t do anything whilst he was still underestimating me. "Yes I did. FUS ROH DAH!" An astounding amount of shockwaves exploded out of my mouth. My throat instantly felt raw as the sonic shout impacted the man of steel at close range. Superman''s face turned into a pained grimace. I shrugged off the the loose grip he had on my shoulder while sensing movement through the vibrations in the air. That was following the explosive impact of Batman''s battarang, that I''d delivered back to him. I lazily observed how mentor and protege were so alike, that I knew Batman''s opening move just from sparring with Robin. My plan was close to succeeding. To win this I had to take the most dangerous foe out of the fight. And no it wasn''t Supes. A blur raced towards me faster than I could react. But Flash was distracted by The man of Steel''s pain. So distracted infact that he didn''t notice the invisible wall of air shield that appeared before him. The fastest man alive slammed into the construct in full force and bounced back with a bloody nose. The shield bubble closed around him and I lifted his body up. No traction baby. I continuously rotated the sphere with more thick and thin layers to stop him from vibrating his way out. An improvised tactic. I had no idea if it would work or not. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. "Gotcha." Before his fast healing could kick in place. A rotating sphere of wind covered Barry''s head and started sucking out all the air inside his lungs. And the most dangerous one was down. Holy shit I can''t believe all that worked! Superman was on his knees with a trail of blood running down his ears. Black Canary was checking if he was okay, Batman was in a stance looking¡­unsure. Holy fuck. Batma¡­no Bruce Wayne, was hesitant. He didn''t want to hurt me because Batman left his opponents broken more times than not. I could use this and actually succeed. Then everything went wrong. "Enough!" Wonder Woman shot forward and I felt my body slam into the metallic framework of the Computer. The chassis cracked under my back and breath left my chest. I couldn''t breath. I hacked as whole stars appeared at the corner of my vision. One attack¡­one attack had reduced me to this. I instantly realized what was going on. They had been taking it easy on me from the start. Just as Batman was wary to hurt a kid so was Superman, The Flash and Canary. Wonder Woman on the other hand was a warrior first and she knew the dangers of underestimating an opponent in the field. So she decided to get serious. I lost control of the air bubble holding the Flash afloat in the air and he escaped. Meanwhile I groaned while feeling as of my chest had caved in. A sudden motion and I felt a metallic collar lock itself around my neck. "Your resourcefulness always pays Batman. What else do you have in that utility belt?" The Flash wondered while breathing slight heavily. "Focus Flash." Batman merely grunted while checking to see if the inhibitor was working correctly. "I am more concerned about his powers. Are restricted or not? Aden''s abilities are¡­out of the norm even when compared to other super-powered beings." Black Canary questioned. Her words struck me and I realized I still had access to all my abilities despite the fact that I had a power dampening collar on my neck. So this type of device doesn''t work on me huh? But even if I was to attack them, I couldn''t win. Not yet. I wasn''t strong enough to take on all of them and come out victorious. But there was someone else who could at least help me escape. I hated doing this. And this time it would be the second time in 48 hours. My head rose up in difficulty and I smiled at Batman. "Don''t." He warned me grimly, already understanding what I was about to do. Still I felt like I owed him something. An apology of sorts because of what was going to follow. The cave would be destroyed. No doubt about that. "I''m sorry." I fell into the familiar haze of cloudy thoughtlessness. Sinking deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. My sense of self was instantly gripped before I could withdraw to the furthest recess of my mind. In a jarring move, I found myself facing the Justice League members who were present. ''What..what is going on?'' I thought. I could see but I couldn''t control any of my actions. This was new. All of them had shock written on their faces. "By Hera. This power¡­is overflowing." Wonder woman commented, one hand unconsciously going for the sword strapped to her back. "Seeing this up close¡­is very different. Bats, you got a plan?" The Flash wondered while moving backwards. An outburst of heat escaped out of my body in a close range heatwave shroud. A pale bluish mirage. The Power Dampening Collar on my neck melted and flowed off my body without touching my skin. The melted parts of the Inhibitor collar fell to the ground in a slag of red hot viscous liquid. The metal behind my back followed the same fate and before long, I was standing in the middle of a pool of magma. "Aden this isn''t you...you need to stop." Black Canary left Superman''s side and came up to me carefully. I couldn''t stop even if I wanted to. She was right, None of this was me. The Avatar State was an untameable beast that once unleashed, would only go back to it''s cage when it wanted to. "Canary stop. Maelstrom is not in his right mind. Once this state takes over even he is not aware of his own actions. Talking accomplishes nothing." Batman ordered. The blonde woman turned to the Dark Knight and asked harshly. "Then what do you propose we do? Take down a kid with lethal measures?" Batman narrowed his gaze. "We don''t have a choice." Wonder Woman unstrapped her Lasso of Truth. "Batman is right." She started off, addressing a stubborn Canary. "But we can also try something else. The Lasso of Truth might force the real Aden to awaken. I believe a fight with this other self would be catastrophic to the cave as well as Happy Harbor itself." The Flash sighed while watching the young boy with glowing white eyes watching them intently. Studying their every move. The Flash remembered the state Kid Flash and the other members of the Team had been in once they''d arrived. Aden had taken them all down. They couldn''t underestimate him anymore. He was a genuine threat. "I hate to do this but I agree. This is the only way we can ensure more people don''t get hurt." Canary seeing she was overruled tightened her hands. A pat on her shoulders made her look back to see Superman''s kind and understanding look. The Man of Steel was back in the fight. "We''ll make sure that Aden gets the help he needs. I promise." Broken Bonds (General P.O.V) No one moved. Then a loud screech sliced through the air, disorienting Superman who was still out of it. The sound was as a result of the violent winds that had quickly sprang up near Aden''s position. Keeping the rest of them back and shrouding him within a pale green ball of wind that concealed what he was doing.The Man of Steel frowned. "Batman. Tell me you have a plan for this." "Distract him enough that we can take him down. " The Flash looked at the detective in surprise. "Are you telling me you don''t have a countermeasure for him like you have for practically everyone else? Shocking!" "Something is happening inside that bubble of air." Canary commented, prompting Superman to turn on his X-ray vision. "He''s¡­somehow manipulating the metal to form a suit of armor around his body and a diamond like crystal material overlaid on his arms and legs." Superman explained. Batman grunted while using the scanning function of his wrist computer to penetrate through the gyrating wind sphere. "It''s diamond. Maelstrom knows that you''re practically invulnerable to everything. So using that information, the solution ''it'' has come up with is hitting you harder to find out how far the invulnerability goes. There is also a layer of viscous water in-between the armor and his body. An improvised shock absorber." Batman deduced. "In line with your previous deductions about this entity possessing some form of artificial intelligence. Still got your touch Bats." The Flash praised. "Let''s make sure he doesn''t complete what he''s doing. Otherwise knocking him out is going to be harder than it needs to be." At the last drop of his words, The Flash sped off towards Aden and started running in circles on the opposite direction of the rotation of the sphere. The aim was to unravel it enough that he could give the rest of the league an opening to attack. A whirlwind of his own making sprang up around The Flash, directly below Maelstrom''s air sphere. The tornado enlarged and slowed down the rotating mass of air covering Aden''s position. The sphere grew clearer as the violent momentum of the air was stolen and bled out by the new tornado created by the speedster. "It''s working." Canary commented. The air bubble finally fluctuated and taking advantage of that chance, Wonder Woman''s Lasso swiftly snaked out towards Aden. The Avatar spared a glance at the mystical object incoming, headed towards his torso and swiped out his left hand. The Tornado that had been firmly in The Flash''s control broke off and congealed into a mass of a greenish wind shield that pushed away the Lasso. Wonder Woman spinned it around and back in a whip like motion at their opponent again. But it was too late. The Avatar raised another hand and tightened it into a fist. The mass of winds that were now filling the whole cave with a heavy pressure, collapsed onto a much smaller and rounder shape. The size of a marble. The Avatar''s fingers closed over the compressed wind ball in his palm. Silence dominated for a single second. The only sound that could be heard was of the Lasso of Truth whistling through the air. The Flash who had been pushed away after his tornado had been taken over by Aden stared up at him and his fisted hand. Aden was planning something. All that air pressure compressed into such a small size¡­ "That can''t be good." The speedster muttered to himself. The earth cratered below Aden and a pillar rose up to block the Lasso. The earthen construct was sliced into two pieces barely offering resistance but that brief respite was more than enough for The Avatar to dodge the Lasso. Pieces of rocks were left on it''s wake upon making contact with the wall behind. Battarangs cut through the air, thrown at the Avatar who glided away from their trajectory. A brief motion from the latter and rock projectiles from the wrecked chamber, shot off to meet them in a clash that ensured the rocks won due to their numerous number. The projectiles pelted Batman''s position endlessly. Making the Dark Knight use a zip line to swing away. Superman came in between the rock bullets and Batman''s body blocking him from being turned into a sieve. The Avatar''s face twitched and the right hand came up, covered in a blue crystal that extended from the fingers all the way to the elbow. Crystal projectiles shot out of the palm and slammed onto the Man of Steel''s chest. Clark''s face changed as he felt pinpricks of pain emanating from the places the crystals landed. He started dodging the attacks while his heart grew a tad bit nervous. He studied his palms and saw scratches cut deep into his skin. Blood started welling up. "We have a problem. It seems like the crystals have a touch of magic energy in them. Which means¡­" "They can hurt you." Batman grunted while picking up a lone crystal shard from the ground and keeping it for analysis. "Can you get close enough to distract him?" "On it Batsy." The Flash replied blitzing off. His feet slapped on to the cold hard floor then up the wall behind The Avatar. The scarlet blur pushed off the wall, aiming himself at Aden whose attention was on Superman, trying to land a crystal attack on the man of steel. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The Flash twisted his body and aligned himself to kick Aden out of the air. The Avatar sensed the impeding attack and pulled back the hand that was shooting crystal shards closer to his body. The other hand had not moved once ever since he''d closed his left palm over the small ball of air. The right hand stretched out and a rumbling sound dominated the room. A huge section of the earthen floor broke out from below him and covered his back as a shield against the Speedster. The Flash widened his eyes. The boy had a way to detect his surroundings. The Speedster vibrated his molecules and phased through the huge rock only to find himself almost impaled by a huge crystal spike growing out of Aden''s back. The Kid knew about his ability and had even planned out countermeasures efficiently! A huge sonic blast sent pieces of the crystals flying away, saving Barry from getting gutted. But not from being blindsided. A piece of the rock from earlier slammed onto Barry left side. Causing him to fly away with a groan of pain following the crack of the bone on his left arm. Superman flew in close and caught his body before the Scarlet speedster could slam onto the walls of the room. A shield of air appeared on The Avatar''s left flank shielding him from Canary''s sonic scream. The shield rippled at the continued assault but her attacks couldn''t break through. Wonder Woman jumped in next, pulling her hand back in a fist. Another piece of rock came in between them, hiding Aden from her direct sight. Her sword unsheathed and she sliced the huge boulder into two separate pieces. Diana''s eyes widened when a shockwave exploded out of Aden''s mouth similar to Black Canary''s powers yet different at the same time. It was less refined, more uncontrolled and sought to destroy rather than Canary''s usual attacks which sought to destabilize an opponent, by targeting their auditory system, leaving them unbalanced. She pulled her hands back and slammed the wrists braces together, sending off her own shockwave attack at the quickly approaching sonic ripples. Time slowed for Barry Allen and Superman. Cracks appeared slowly over the walls of the whole room as Wonder Woman and Aden whole looked frozen in time, clashed in mid air. Their attacks met and the result left The Flash worried about the more squishier League members. "We need to get out of here or else risk a cave in." The Flash advised Superman in their fast perception mode. Fortunately, The Man of Steel could react almost as fast as Barry. So understanding him was easy. "I''ll get Batman, you get Canary." Superman nodded his head and off they were, a blue and red blur raced along with a fully scarlet one. The citizens of Happy harbor felt a deep rumbling emanate from below them and quickly took cover, thinking it was an earthquake. Some folks noticed Mount Justice which was off in the distance shake and break apart at the foundations. A huge cloud of dust exploded out of the cave as the rocky exterior broke off into pieces that fell into the water. The Flash coughed slightly while rubbing the dust in his eyes. "My god. Mount Justice¡­" Canary exclaimed. Even The Flash couldn''t believe it. Where the mountain had stood tall in defiance to all, now there was only pieces of rock and wrecked machinery left in place. The Flash swallowed the brief surge of pain. This was their first base. The place where they had created bonds that had seen them through everything. The Flash looked around and saw Superman and Batman near them, no worse for wear. Batman nodded his head at him. The Dark Knight''s way of asking if they were alright. The Flash returned the gesture half-heartedly and turned his attention back to the destroyed base. "This fight has gone on for too long. I thought J''onn would come back with reinforcements by now." Flash commented. Finding it weird that Batman hadn''t asked for some more League intervention. "Maelstrom destroyed the Zeta tube controls." He grunted. "What? How? When?" Everybody turned to stare at the Dark Knight. Batman narrowed his eyes at the dust covered direction of the destroyed base. "It was done in a way we wouldn''t notice. Subtly. During the time he was attacking Superman with the crystal shards, some of his attacks ''accidentally'' seemed to land on the Zeta tube system controls. I only noticed it when I asked you to keep him busy." "Wow." Everyone started thinking of Maelstrom differently. "That completely confirms it. Whatever that thing is...it''s undeniably intelligent." The Flash stated. "We can''t hold back anymore." Superman sighed. "Now that the fight is not confined to inside the cave, we might be putting civilian lives at risk. We need to take him down. Hard." Before the rest could reply, Superman held up a hand. Something was coming. A body cut through the dust covered air and slammed onto the ground, digging a groove on the earth to stop before them. Wonder Woman groaned and gingerly stood up. "His attacks are getting stronger." She told them seriously. The dust cloud cleared up suddenly and above the scene of destruction, The Avatar was fully revealed. His form was just as Superman had said, covered with metallic pieces on his torso and lower body. The lower portion of the four limbs was covered by a bluish crystal that glowed in the night sky. He looked down at them and for the first time, smiled creepily. The left hand that had been enclosed all this time opened. The marble of compressed air appeared but this time it was different. A red flame ring had manifested around the ball along with a ring of water, earth and inside the rotating marble sphere, sparks of electric energy could be seen dancing erratically. "What is that?" Wonder Woman asked while tightening her grip on her sword. "Seems like an amalgamation of all the elements compressed tightly into a very miniature size. An elemental bomb." Superman informed them grimly, after using his super vision. "This is what he was planning from the start." Batman realized. "If that thing explodes..." Black Canary started but went silent following what happened next. As if her words were the trigger, The Avatar dropped the rotating ball. "No. Aden...what have you done?" Pandemonium followed. Priority Target (Aden''s P.O.V) I could feel every single action my body made, yet¡­I had no control of it. My face stretched out into a wide, arrogant and sinister smirk. The grim looks on their faces reflected my turbulent emotions. A foreboding feeling gripped me. The left palm I had tightened into a fist opened and from within, a swirling mass of elemental chaos appeared. Held together solely by my will. Horror bloomed inside me. No¡­no don''t drop it here¡­even the town won''t be spared!!! I instantly realized my biggest blunder so far. Using my negative emotions as the trigger for The Avatar State. It now saw them as more than opponents or obstacles to overcome if I was to gain freedom. They were now enemies. And to the entity, the action to take against an enemy was to eliminate them, no matter the cost or to deter them from ever taking another harmful action towards me. This was more than just escaping. It was now about proving a point. The elemental bomb dropped from my palm. The control held true until it was near the ground at which point, the iron clad will holding it together unravelled¡­and the whole thing exploded. A massive shockwave rippled out, taking apart the wrecked debris of the destroyed base into tiny pieces that pelted the area. Superman and Wonder Woman stood infront of Batman and the others while The Flash ran off to save any civilians near the blast zone. The water was pushed away from the epicenter, turning into a wave that grew larger and larger the further it went. Following the Shockwave, a chaotic elemental energy wave burned, froze, shredded and crashed at everything near, leaving behind a huge crater on the ground and bearing down on the Leaguers, manifesting as a blooming dome of white energy. (General P.O.V) Superman''s hand, placed infront of his face started burning, he winced in pain realizing that the energy wave that was growing larger by the minute had the same touch of magic as Maelstrom''s attack from before. He had to do something before it was too late. Flying was out of the question because of how close the attack was and the town behind them. He took in a deep breath and released it in a huge blast of chilling wind. Steam rose up from the contact of his ice breath and the energy wave. His body started getting pushed back, the feet digging grooves in the air as his attack did little to stop the incoming attack. His heart started pumping erratically. The palpitations as a result of his worry and fear. Worry that due to their leniency and holding back, the people they were trying to protect would die. But Superman would never back down. No matter what it cost him, he held on¡­ roaring as his eyes lit up and heat beams, chock full of his body''s processed solar energy activated. The heat vision slammed onto the energy wave and fed to it. Having the opposite effect of Superman''s intentions. Before it could swallow them whole, emerald green light covered the whole thing. Halting it''s progress. Back up had arrived. Hal Jordan and John Stewart flew down with their rings stretched out towards the elemental wave of energy. A dome like green construct was covering the whole thing. Behind them was a construct attached to Stewart''s back, a platform carrying the non flying members of the League. Canary blinked in surprise while massaging her eyes. The screaming wind had died down as the thing Aden had dropped on them was dealt with by the others. She saw Captain Atom fly down towards the construct and following coordination with the Lanterns, the upper portion of the green shield opened up. He directed the energy upwards in a white glowing pillar that illuminated the night sky like the sun. It was¡­ beautiful and terrifying. To think that Aden could be capable of something like that. She wasn''t doubting his power. Not even in the slightest. What Canary found hard to believe were his actions. It wasn''t like him. No matter hard he''d been pushed - Canary looked behind them at the Happy Harbor community. The fire brigade and authorities had already arrived, forming a perimeter around the whole scene - Aden would never endanger innocent lives. The whole thing could be explained away by the fact that The Avatar State was a primal will of brashness that activated with the sole purpose of fighting those battles Aden himself couldn''t. Yet¡­no matter how much logic prevailed, Black Canary felt like something else was missing from the whole picture. She looked at The Dark Knight beside her and narrowed her eyes. If there was anyone who had the answers she was looking for¡­it was none other than Batman. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "I searched the whole place¡­ Maelstrom is gone." The Flash stopped before them. Batman grunted and turned on his wrist computer, narrowing his eyes at the projected data. "The trackers I put on him have been disabled. We''ve lost him." He rose up and started walking away towards the cordon being set up around the perimeter of the whole compound. Canary stared at his back and felt¡­felt as if Batman wasn''t trying too hard. Usually he''d be going crazy and bonkers at the fact that a 17 year old with the power to rival almost half the Justice League was out there in the world, unsupervised and volatile. Canary was right. Something was definitely off. "Dinah, are you alright?" Green Arrow asked, stepping off the green construct platform. He came up to her and lightly touched her shoulder in concern. She must have looked as bad as she felt, if Ollie was so worried. "Yes, I''m fine Ollie. Just had a long night." She answered, smiling slightly and leaning her body against his. To smell his scent was exactly what Dinah needed to make her forget about their massive blunder. Call it what you want but the reality was that they were to blame. Pushing Aden out off the team was not a wise decision. What frustrated her was how nobody else saw that. She spared a glance at Batman who was now talking to Manhunter in a low volume. Dinah frowned. No, not everyone. Batman knew something. He was smart enough to have foreseen all the possible outcomes. And whatever plan he had¡­ Manhunter was privy too as well. Just on the principle that Batman would find it a chore to hide the information from the mind reader. The Martian returned her stare and nodded at her. Canary simply looked away. The Robin Hood themed hero studied at their surroundings and chuckled without humor, unaware of his lover''s conflicting emotions. "Yeah believe me, we all saw it." He replied, referring to the massive upsurge of energy that had dwindled into sparks of falling embers that made the whole sky look¡­ "Its beautiful." Green Arrow said softly while hugging her body close to him. "Yeah it is." Black Canary found herself answering. Batman came back and called the rest of the League present to gather before him. "As of right now¡­ Maelstrom is a priority one target, just next to finding Red Tornado''s whereabouts. We will coordinate with League associates and try to pinpoint his location. I don''t need to tell you just how dangerous he is. Not just because of his incredible powers but because of his potential. He''s a resourceful and gifted strategist." "I can''t believe¡­Mount Justice got destroyed." Hal said in a heavy tone. A brief silence dominated among the gathered members. The base had meant a lot to them in the past and now¡­all that was left behind was an open space which the water flowed in and occupied. The beach now ended in a cliff that was overlooking the crater caused by Maelstrom''s attack. Superman stepped forward and cleared his throat. Canary noted how the palm of his hands was slightly burned and the scratches on his costume. It wasn''t common to see the Man Of Steel pushed to such a disarrayed state. Canary understood however, that if there was someone who had had it worse in that fight apart from her¡­it was Superman. Superman was the beacon of truth, hope and justice. All that translated to a nice guy who didn''t want to hurt anyone. Least of all a kid. He ran a hand through his face and sighed. "I''ll be frank. We fucked up." Everyone did a collective intake of breath. Clark had cussed. "Holy¡­cow. Is this the end of civilization as we know it?!" The Flash asked. Superman continued without caring for their surprise. "We could have handled the Maelstrom situation differently. Voting him out of the team would not have led to this. Him attacking his teammates¡­ "Ex teammates." Green Arrow interrupted. He hadn''t hidden how much he disliked Maelstrom. Dinah pulled back from him and looked at him in disbelief. "Are you serious right now?" Ollie stared at her stubbornly. "It''s the truth Dinah. Look around, this is the work of a crim¡­" "Misguided teenager." John Stewart interjected while crossing his hands. "The league is as much to blame for this as he is. And if I remember correctly, you were the most vocal about suspending him. Had we not listened to you, maybe none of this would have happened." "Or it would have, a different day or a different scenario. A day when we didn''t have our guard up. A scenario where the League''s fast response would have been slow. Let us not be quick to cast blame on each other. What is done is done. We should now focus on ways we can deal with the situation." Wonder Woman said her piece. "Diana is right. Maelstrom is the League''s responsibility now. Whatever actions he takes will be as a result of our failures. Let us learn from this." The Man of Steel implored. "Let us show the world that we are still a symbol of trust and dependability for everyone, despite the circumstances. We stand together in our successes and in our failures." Black Canary internalized the words and made a promise to herself. ''Never again. I will not let this happen ever again.'' (Aden''s P.O.V) I stood before him. It was like looking at a mirror. A mirror with cracks yet the cracks that did not detract from the image reflected. I could see the same curve to my jaw. A small scar on the corner of my eye from an injury during a bike accident when I was little. It was me. In all ways possible. It was me, despite the glowing white eyes. Yet¡­it didn''t feel like me. At all. The actions the entity had done. The measures it had taken and the boundaries it had not only pushed but blasted through made me feel horrified that I was looking at myself. "What are you?" I softly asked the Avatar State. Aftermath (General P.O.V) "There you have it again folks. A display of the ineptitude that is a stark reminder of why we don''t need these so called ''heroes'' to save us. If they can''t protect a simple town from losing a treasured landmark and a frankly beautiful beach, what hope does the earth as a whole have?" G Gordon Godfrey took a sip of water from his glass and stared intently at the screen. His face was stretched out into an expression of mockery. A scene of the destroyed Mount Justice base appeared on a tv screen behind him. The camera panned over the whole area, showing the devastation implicated on the banks of the Happy Harbor shore line. "But G Gordon the Justice League tried their best! No lives were lost thankfully but that does not excuse the fact that the Justice League failed in safeguarding their old base¡­gasp." His mocking expression turned into a forced surprised one. He held it for a few seconds before his face settled into the smug grin from before. "Surprised to hear that? Shocked? Exasperated?! That''s right folks, my earlier point stands, poor showing on the League''s part, exposing what they''re actually good for¡­ standing around and watching as another¡­freak wrecks havoc on our proud nations land. Ask yourself what they''ve actually¡­" The screen shut off with a click from the remote in Kaldur''s hands. "Hey, I was watching that." Connor complained. Kaldur sighed and threw the remote at Superboy''s direction. The clone caught it out of the air and turned the screen on, muting the sound in the process. "Ugh thanks for the silence. I couldn''t handle more of his trash talk. He''s making the Flash and the others look bad!" Wally said in anger. Robin threw a concerned gaze at his teammate and sighed. "I agree. Dude needs to stay whelmed." Boy Wonder offered. Kaldur got up from his seat and started walking towards the door. "Where are you going Kaldur?" M''gann asked. The five of them were in the Star Labs facility at Taos, which was coincidentally the site of the Erdel initiative into Zeta beam technology research and the future Meta-human youth center. They were resting in a private waiting room while Artemis completed getting a check up, just like the rest of them. "Out. I need¡­I need to think." Kaldur answered M''gann and proceeded to leave. The door opened before he could push it and in walked Artemis. She looked at Kaldur and sighed. "So the mood is no less depressing inside this room as it was outside huh?" She commented. "Some might even say its worse." Kaldur replied before looking at Wally''s direction. "Kaldur means Kid hasn''t touched any of the nachos they brought us. Shocking right?" Robin added. Artemis and the others chuckled slightly amidst Wally''s outcries of ''dude.'' The loud crack of a remote getting crushed in Connor''s hand drove everyone to silence. Connor rounded up on them. "How can you laugh at a time like this?! Have you already forgotten what happened 2 hours ago? You know, the fight with Maelstrom, our teammate who we found out has been hiding a lot of things from us? Or did we move past that between the time we were all passed out from the ass kicking we got?!" Connor finished with a shout. "Hey, none of us intended for things to happen the way they did." Artemis shot back while continuing to talk, "The whole situation was fucked up from the moment some of us decided to break into Aden''s room!" Robin flinched at the accusatory tone in Artemis tone. He knew she was talking about him, Kaldur and Wally. "That''s so hypocritical Artemis , you were also there, you followed us in." Wally responded getting up from his seat. "I did, but I never wanted to in the first place. And maybe if we''d approached him in a less hostile way, the fight wouldn''t have happened!" Artemis replied vehemently. "She''s right." M''gann sighed, silencing Wally''s next words. "Beautiful, that''s not..." Wally begun but trailed off upon M''gann shaking her head. "No Wally, let''s face it-" She studied everyone''s faces, " - We messed up. Badly. If we''d been more understanding and patient with Aden''s situation..." If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Connor snapped. "Fuck that. This is no one''s fault other than his. No one told him to do what he did. He betrayed our trust..." "And we betrayed his in return." Aqualad interjected, interrupting Connor''s statement. "Kaldur...you can''t be serious right now...he lied to us and destroyed the mountain. Our base. How can you justify trying to let him get away with that?" Wally hissed. Out of all of them, he felt the most conflicted about the whole situation. Wally disliked not seeing eye to eye with the others. It was not that he hated Aden. Not really. He just saw him for what he was. "No one is trying to justify anything. Gah! All he''s saying...all I am saying is that we could have handled it better." Artemis tried to convince the stubborn speedster. "I don''t see what that would have accomplished. He was already off the team by then. Had we just kept quiet and watched him leave the cave, we would have lost the chance to confront him, letting him get away with the lies." Wally remained insistent. Why couldn''t Artemis see his point of view? They were stressing out over someone who had not only betrayed their trust but even attacked them. Wally had woken up with his balls in pain. Aden had hit him while he was down, showing the kind of person he actually was. The Speedster and the archer gave each other ugly looks. Artemis tightened her hands into fists while contemplating if she was fast enough to land a blow on the speedster''s face. "That''s enough. Both of you stand down. We are not enemies." Kaldur came in between them. "Artemis, I understand where you''re coming from. Truly I do. As the leader, I failed all of you by acting brashly and allowing us to invade the privacy of one of our own. That said, I am glad we did." Artemis and the others looked at him in surprise. Kaldur''s face turned hard. "Everyone has secrets. But it''s not a secret anymore when it can put the rest of the team at risk." Artemis looked away after Kaldur''s statement. His words were like a gut punch to her. Kaldur rounded up to Wally. "And Wally while you have a point, you''re letting your dislike and suspicion get in the way of what actually matters, getting our friend back. We''ve fought together, laughed together and supported each other. That bond cannot be broken that easily. It''s clear what we need to do." Wally shook his head. He knew Kaldur was right yet...he didn''t want to admit that he might have let his personal feelings of envy take control, due to how everything came easily to Aden. Aden didn''t have problems with his powers like Wally did, M''gann and Artemis both liked him and the dude seemed to have an answer for everything. Wally wasn''t dumb however, he knew that he could make or break the team dynamic. It all depended on what his next words were going to be. He took in a deep breath, wincing at the slight pain in his balls and nodded. "You''re...not wrong Kaldur." The mood eased up somewhat and everyone calmed down. "Now what? Are we simply going to stay here until the League decides what to do with us?" Connor grumbled in annoyance. Kaldur on the other hand, turned to look at Boy Wonder, who had been suspiciously silent during the whole conversation. "Robin?" Boy Wonder looked up from his spare holographic wrist computer, while smirking. "While you guys have been in the real life equivalent of a sappy soap opera, I''ve... been busy. Aaaand done." The projected screen of the wrist computer changed to reveal a clear satellite feed above Happy Harbor. "I hacked into the Watchtower''s satellites, they are much better than the ones currently in the market. Outfitted with cloaking functions and a monitoring system that is leagues beyond anything other than the best tech companies can provide." The image showed it was Mount Justice, a few minutes before it was destroyed. With an inaudible blast, the whole mountain shook to it''s core and was left in shambles and pieces. The Justice League members were revealed along with Wonder Woman who was thrown towards the rest by a punch from Aden. Connor tightened his fists at the casual display of power. He still couldn''t believe how deceptively powerful Aden was. It was leagues above his own to the point where Connor felt undeserving of the S on his chest. He was made from power and for power. So why did he feel so weak... M''gann placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him in understanding. Connor looked down, allowing the comfort. "Thanks." He softly murmured to which the Martian smiled slightly. "By studying this, we can see which direction Maelstrom took and then I can use the feed to track his movements by enlarging the scope of the image." Robin explained to the others. "Good." Kaldur said in determination. Although Batman had given them express orders not to go after Aden, that''s exactly what they were gonna do. Aden was apart of their team not the Justice League. Hence, he was their responsibility. To get rid of the feeling of regret and guilt burning deep inside Kaldur, he would have to make sure Aden came back. One way or the other, they weren''t going to abandon one of their own. Everyone sucked in a breath when the screen showed the massive explosion that had happened, disintegrating the wrecked pieces of Mount Justice. Just before it could reach Superman and the others, Robin paused the clip. "There." He pointed at Aden, magnifying the video to show a clearer image of their wayward teammate. Aden surveyed the scene of his blooming attack and then suddenly his gaze turned to the sky. Robin''s heart nearly jumped up in surprise, thinking that he was looking at them, which would have been impossible. A second later, the action was explained when Aden was teleported out by a brief surge of light, undetectable due to the massive energy wave about to swallow the team''s mentors. "Whoa...You all saw that right? You all saw Aden get beamed up like a scene from Star Trek." Artemis asked. "Soooo...what does this mean? Was Aden abducted by aliens or something?" Wally replied, unsure. Robin ran a hand through his face. "I was so sure that this would work...now all we have is a dead end." The youngest member of the team said, disheartened. Kaldur closed his eyes and when he opened them, they were calm. "Do not worry. Just because we hit an obstacle does not mean we give up. We will find a way. A way to bring Aden back." What Kaldur didn''t tell the others was that he was afraid. Afraid of what would happen if the anti-thesis to the Justice League got their hands on someone like Aden. Neptune save them all if it came to that. Lex Luthors Ingenuity (General P.O.V) "Hats off to you old friend. Everything has gone on splendidly, just like you said." Vandal Savage inclined his head at the bald headed man walking beside him. Luthor accepted the compliment graciously while slightly smiling. "You give me too much credit, Savage. The chips were already in place, it was a simple matter of being the catalyst they needed to fall." Their feet were quiet on the floor. Both of them walking along a hallway inside the facility, headed to a sublevel that was off limits to the regular employee. Not that there were normal employees here. The facility was one set underneath the Sahara desert and apart from a few important scientists, the upkeep of the place was manned by drones. The security was top notch. The whole base was powered by alien energy reactors from their outer space connections as the main source of power, paired with LexCorp''s own upgraded solar panels for minimal tasks and the maintenance of a cloak around the upper section of the base. Whose sole purpose was to hide any activity from the satellites above. The only way to get in and out of the base was through a boom tube, with the Scientists hired residing in the premise all year round after Luthor ''convinced'' them it was better that way. The pair came upon a huge door and stopped. A light from the security panel scanned Luthor and granted him the access. The door opened with a hiss and they stepped through, arriving inside a chamber that was housing two pods and a middle-aged man, going over some files on the computer. "Doctor Heinz, how are our two subjects?" The scientist rounded up at Luthor nervously, "Mr. Luthor¡­you''re here." Luthor raised an eyebrow. "Come now doctor, how man times am I going to tell you to simply call me Lex." The doctor gulped loudly and threw a glance at the man standing beside Luthor. "Right¡­to answer your question sir, the boy has stabilized but the girl¡­ despite possessing the same physical parameters as her twin, the residue energy from the Fatherbox has rejected her. We are thinking of scrapping her from the project." Savage raised an eyebrow at the Doctor''s explanation. If what he said was actually true¡­then Luthor had clearly outdone himself. Savage tightened the hand behind his palm as he thought of one thing and one thing only. A question. How? How had Luthor done it? "Mmmh." Luthor hummed. "I see. How soon can he be made¡­field ready?" The aged doctor adjusted his glasses and licked his lips in nervousness. "I don''t think he can. We are not dealing with the soul of Tommy Terror alone anymore sir, whatever this¡­Fatherbox residue energy is¡­ it has eternally changed him into a vegetative state. The combined trauma of their minds fusing has left him comatose with no signs of awakening." Luthor stepped up closer to the pod and placed a hand on the metal while closing his eyes. Savage observed the action, content to stay silent, curious on what Luthor''s next move would be. Lex closed his eyes and a few seconds later opened them. He turned to the lead scientist, Doctor Heinz and smiled slightly. Just like Luthor thought, the doctor was wrong. "I believe that will be all doctor, could you excuse us for a minute?" Doctor Heinz thought about refusing but¡­ultimately chose to leave. Something told him he was expendable, no matter the cordiality Luthor treated him with. The door closed behind him, leaving Luthor and Savage alone inside the chamber. Any thoughts of eavesdropping were thrown out of the window when, Doctor Heinz upon leaving the room, came upon her. Mercy Graves. Lex Luthor''s personal assistant/bodyguard. He thought of telling her off. Saying all the things he couldn''t say to Luthor''s face. Telling her of how big a mistake Luthor had done. Heinz was a scientist. That meant he navigated life through logic and reasoning. Supernatural phenomenal were just instances of scientific anomalies that couldn''t be explained quickly due to insufficient data. However...that thing inside Tommy Terror. He shuddered. Whatever it was, was nothing good. It felt inky and malicious. God help them all if Luthor wasn''t stopped. Once they were alone, Luthor went towards a button and pressed it, the pod holding Tommy Terror started opening, revealing a shirtless blonde teen who had his eyes closed. Savage cleared his throat slightly. The action made Lex stop and look back at him. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings."How did you do it Luthor?" Savage enquired. Luthor smiled , the action would have sent a chill through anyone''s spine due to how sinister it was, but unfortunately or fortunately, he was dealing with Vandal Savage. Savage had simply seen more terrifying things. But he was wary, wary because Luthor''s smile seemed off putting and out of character for him. As if he''d already won. "The Fatherbox and I possess a¡­ mutual pact of understanding. So when the Maelstrom boy cleansed it, he was merely separating it''s core; the soul if you will, from it''s inner components." Luthor turned to Tommy and motioned at him. "He, was a failsafe incase the Heroes in their infinite wisdom, decided to try and destroy the Fatherbox, at which point, I could direct it here by using the limited control it granted me over it." Luthor explained, adjusting his tie. "That explains why you were not at all worried about losing the Fatherbox. You already had a back up plan just incase." Savage hummed. "What would have happened had they decided to secure the Fatherbox in the Watchtower instead of destroying it?" Luthor chuckled. "Nothing. That was the original plan at first. You see from inside, we could have remotely used it to access the Justice League''s database for information and security measures. Phase one would have been a breeze during that time. It would effectively be our very own Trojan horse." Savage smiled slightly. "I see you had accounted for almost everything." The older man said. Luthor leaned on the table while keeping an eye on Tommy''s condition. "You are wondering what would have happened, if the Justice League would have tasked someone else to study the Fatherbox. Logic and past actions dictates that they would have gone for Star Labs. The former due to the high level of scientific research and funding it gets and the latter due to the trust the League puts on them. Being a shareholder, I could extract the Fatherbox anytime I wanted." Vandal Savage was minutely impressed. Then again, Luthor was the most dangerous member of The Light after him. There was a reason, he had prevailed in a city with a being possessing the powers of a god. Prevailed and thrived even. Vandal knew that many of the plans they were going to carry out had been streamlined and made more efficient due to Luthor''s efforts. Savage was eager to see what would next come out of Lex''s ingenious mind. "With this, I believe we are ready to plead your case to the rest." Savage stated, making Lex frown a little. "Oh please, we both know the only problem is going to be Klarion. I am doubtful he can keep his hatred and resentment for the boy in check, enough to bring him into my fold. The others will see the opportunity presented, I am sure. In any case let''s go and get this over with." Savage turned to the side without commenting and inserted his hand in the pocket of his jacket. Withdrawing it, a Fatherbox was revealed. Instantly the living computer started going haywire. Savage looked at it curiously then turned his attention to Tommy Terror. "It says he''s an abomination." Luthor smiled and snapped his fingers. A purple aura covered Tommy''s body and he snapped his eyes open. The previous blue eyes were now a shade of menacing purple. "Well then, he''ll fit right in with us." The bald headed genius replied. A boom tube opened at Savage''s behest and they all walked in. The surroundings changed from the drab hallway of the Sahara Cadmus facility into an asian themed, classic environment. The buildings had an ancient feel to them, with statues that depicted mythical creatures like Dragons and phoenixes dotting the area. A man was seated on a platform constructed to overlook the courtyard. A courtyard that ended on a row of stairs and a bridge that connected the main buildings of the island and the route towards the beach. The man was light-skinned with white hair and dark brown eyes. He was completely bald on the top of his head, and the rest of his hair extended near his shoulders. His white mustache went to his cheeks and under his chin. He rose upon their arrival, cutting his meditation short and bowed slightly. "Welcome to Infinity island. The den of the demon''s head and sanctuary of those who have pledged their lives to his cause. Follow me, if you please." With that he turned around and started walking inside the establishment. "Time has not been kind to you, Sensei." Savage observed as a way of greeting. "Alas, such is the way of the world, Immortal. I have no regrets and have accepted my fate." Sensei replied calmly. Luthor chose to ignore the conversation as he was focused on another matter, the boy behind him, Tommy Terror was an opportunity. A chance. Already an idea was blooming inside his mind. The junior team had more times than not been a thorn on their side. Due to their young age and inexperience when compared to their mentors, some of the light underestimated them. They needed to even out the playing field. Luthor knew of how to do it, It was simply a matter of convincing the rest of the Light to see things his way...and when had he ever failed at that? New Horizons (General P.O.V) "I''ve called this meeting to order for one sole purpose." Ra''s Al Ghul, begun. All the members of The Light were in attendance. The light emphasized an equal partnership steeped in mutual cooperation towards a certain goal. The truth however was that there was a clear leader. The round table and unbiased layout of the arrangements, was more to spare the self-importance of some of the members, as the group was certainly not lacking in over inflated egos and pride. Despite the neutrality of the seating arrangement, the obvious unofficial leader was Vandal Savage. A perk that came with being the oldest original member. To his right was Lex Luthor, Queenbee, The Brain, Ra''s Al Ghul, Ocean master and lastly Klarion. Ra''s Al Ghul swept his gaze over the others and cleared his throat, a grim look on his face. He finally settled on Savage. "A complication has risen concerning a deal with a new associate of ours. Galiel has¡­ disappeared into thin air and another party has taken over his base." The Demon''s Head informed. Savage suddenly looked serious upon the drop of Galiel''s name. "While I admit that that''s troubling news and a great blow to our interests, I''m more concerned about this¡­new party." Luthor spoke up. "We currently don''t have any detailed information about them. I have instructed my shadows to maintain a distance. Caution is highly recommended in this situation." "Why? With our capabilities and resources, I see no point in pussyfooting around those who stand before The Light and our interests. Surely you''re not afraid Ra''s." Ocean Master spoke up, a condescending look on his face. "Fool. You know nothing of what you speak of." Queenbee was quick to interject, mocking the Atlantean for his impatience. Ocean Master gritted his teeth and wisely settled down in his seat. Blowing up to the Queen of Bialya was an ill-advised action, not just because he would suffer reprimand from the others for disrupting the meeting but from Quuenbee herself. The woman was ruthless. "Well, out with it then. There must be a reason why you exercise such Caution Ra''s Al Ghul." The Brain spoke, trying to keep the whole thing moving, he had other matters to attend to. "All of you with the exception of Vandal Savage and I are not aware of who or rather what Galiel is. Allow me to explain. Galiel is a hell spawn. A true demon from the very pits of hell itself. He has been a central figure in most of humanities prolific tragedies and wars. In other words, a dangerous figure." Ra''s Al Ghul left the room shocked with a few exceptions. Savage stapled his fingers together and hummed. "Whoever has the capability to take out Galiel is someone we should take seriously." Ra''s Al Ghul concluded, making Klarion chuckle while petting his familiar. A glint of curiosity appeared in his eyes. "Interesting." Klarion murmured. Luthor smiled conspiratorially and proceeded to say, "This presents a chance for us to expand into new ventures and make new allies. When the time is right, we should make contact. Peacefully of course." "You confuse this for your many business deals Luthor. I doubt your honey flavored words can convince whoever this new party is. What we need, is a show of force. The Light is powerful. Let us indicate that. It will send a message not to take us lightly while giving us a strong position of bargaining if it comes to that." Queenbee countered. ''Spoken like a true dictator'', Luthor thought to himself. "Queenbee is right. Let me bring down the Tempest on their heads. If they still remain standing or make it out alive, then we can treat them equally." Ocean Master agreed, a manic thirst to prove himself shining in his eyes. Not that anyone could see it due to the mask he had on. "I love it! It would create so much chaos, right Teekl?" Klarion seemed the most excited out of anyone present. Luthor sighed loudly. "For starters, Ocean Master we have The Light''s enforcer for such matters as ''bringing down the Tempest on their heads'' and secondly you''re missing the point. We have an opportunity to form a good relationship with someone powerful enough to take out a millennia old demon. From there we can work to bring them under The Light''s influence." The bald headed man explained the advantage in his proposition. Ocean Master crossed his hands together . It didn''t take a genius to know that he wasn''t convinced. "While the table is divided in two, I am more worried about something else. What does this mean for the Meta creation research?" Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.The Brain inquired. To him, it didn''t matter if they formed an alliance with whoever this new player was or destroyed them, advancement was his main goal. The members around the table all looked towards Ra''s Al Ghul for answers. He was the one who had finalized the deal with Galiel, hence the matter was under his purview. "If we can acquire the research data from Galiel''s office, depending on whether it''s still there or not, it will help immensely into either perfecting Kobra-venom or creating a new, unique and stable serum for our forces to use against the fight with the heroes and those who might stand in our way." The Demon''s Head explained softly. His tone was one that brokered no argument. "Then it''s decided. We wait and observe. Learn this new Party''s pattern and behavior and when the time is right, we shall decide if they are worthy to meet us or the blade of The Light''s enforcer. This matter is closed." Savage finally spoke up after much contemplation. "Spoilsport." Klarion frowned a little and grumbled. The rest all nodded. Luthor stood up just as Ra''s took his seat. "Now moving on. We have a different matter entirely to discuss." (Aden''s P.O.V) I ran my fingers down the grooves of his face. My face. The Space I had found myself in was a representation of The Avatar State''s plane of consciousness or maybe it was my own¡­I had no idea. It was the southern air temper. Specifically the chamber housing the statues of all the Avatars. The difference from canon was two fold. One, my statue was not a statue but a real body and two, it was the only one in the whole room. That was not all, the link between us was making it hard to understand where I started and where he ended. All that meant was that if I kept on using The Avatar State without caution¡­next time I wouldn''t take back control. No matter how many questions I asked it, the body infront of me remained unresponsive. Content to stand inside the empty chamber, quiet and lonely. It was¡­ disconcerting. I could feel I had regained control over my body and could wake up any moment I wanted but I still wasn''t satisfied. I had questions. Why had he risked a whole fucking town? If the Green Lanterns weren''t there, Superman and the others would have failed to stop the massive elemental bomb. The other burning question I had was, how can I achieve control over the Avatar State. What was The Avatar State even? Maybe my theories were wrong because the power, the entity commanded was simply shocking. Was that the level I was building towards? And was there a shortcut to get there? Now that I didn''t have the resources and protection of the League, I needed to be strong enough to stand on my own two feet. And if I could gain control over the Avatar State, that would make it so much easier. I stared at my carbon copy once more. I had really changed from the Aden of my past world. The muscles, increased height and the air of danger that surrounded me¡­hit home more than seeing flying men, aliens and versatile rings that could do anything. I got up after an hour from the meditative position I had taken below The Avatar State and walked up to it. "I can''t let you out anymore. Not until I gain control of you or all the elements. Whichever comes first." Saying that I decided to leave. My surroundings had changed when I opened my eyes. Instead of the gray chamber in The Southern Air Temple, I found myself in a beach that overlooked a calm ocean. I was lying on the sandy beach wearing my Maelstrom suit. Something I didn''t remember having on during my fight with the Justice League and The Team. I patted myself down to ensure I was okay and breathed out a sigh of relief when I found out that Superman hadn''t blown a hole straight through my body. After doing that, I looked around at my surroundings. "Ok, where the fuck am I? Did The Avatar State decide to take me out on a much needed vacation or is this one of the many mystical shit that DC is known for." I knew that whatever I was seeing wasn''t fake however. The water, the ocean life, the breeze the swaying palm trees and slight salty taste in the wind¡­all that registered as real to me. Yet, something was slightly off about the whole setup. For instance¡­the air was too fresh. Too clean and the rays of the sun above head, hit my body with just the right temperature. It wasn''t as oppressive as you''d expect from a real beach. And if that wasn''t a clear indication that I wasn''t in Happy Harbor anymore, a tremor/vibration that was barely detectable to my senses ran up my feet from the ground in a rhythmic pulse. It was right at the tip of my tongue. Like I knew exactly where I was yet my brain refused to accept it due to how illogical the thought was. I controlled the air and flew up to the sky, staring down. "An island?" I was in an island. No cap. It was like the ones you saw on animation movies. A really clean beach with a beautiful shoreline, palm trees growing near the beach and behind them a jungle that was filled with lush trees all leading up to a mountain. Except this island didn''t have a mountain. The layout was very similar to everything else I''d listed however. There was a self sustaining ecosystem, filled with everything from insects to small animals like squirrels. And right in the middle of the island was an open section. I used my superior eyesight to look further and felt my heart jump in shock. "You''ve gotta be kidding me. I''m staring at a lion turtle?" *You can already guess that The Light is soon going to clash against Lucifer. Not even Klarion is aware of the massive mistake they are about to make. But will Lucifer entertain them? *Where is Aden? Is he in the Avatar world or what''s going on. See you tomorrow. A World Of My Own Making part 1 (Aden''s P.O.V) I wanted nothing more than to explore the lush jungle growing out of the Lion turtle''s back but my patience won out. There was something more urgent I needed to take care of. I flew down to the beach and settled into a meditation pose, legs crossed while my hands rested on my knees. I lifted a hand and tapped on the minimized icon of the system at the corner of my eyes. The display enlarged and instantly, my sight was assaulted with a prompt. (Congratulations!!!! You have unlocked a New Achievement:- Striking Out. Striking Out- After trying out the team thing and following a few unpleasant situations, you have finally decided to leave the nest and strike out on your own. Due to that, you have received a new perk, Blank Slate. Blank Slate:- Your abilities cannot be copied whether through scientific or magical means.) Perk List:- Adaptable Body:- Your body is susceptible to different exotic stimuli. As a result, it grows to adapt to different things without any drastic change of form. Chi-blocker:- Take down your enemies by targeting their chi points. Dragon Fist:-(Air Variation) - Combine Air Bending with Chi Blocking to send a small shockwave through a target''s body, successfully knocking them out. With each unlocked Element, Variations of the technique can be acquired upon completion of the Advancement Trial to Grandmaster Level. Blank Slate:- Your abilities cannot be copied or stolen, whether through scientific or magical means.) The new perk Blank Slate was a breath of fresh air. As I got stronger, there would no doubt be people like Lex Luthor who would try to copy my abilities or clone me. This perk would also allow me to deal with Supervillains like Parasyte who couldn''t steal my abilities anymore. I swiped away that window and looked at the training points I''d accumulated so far. Interestingly, the points had increased. A lot. Training Points:- 25 A smile appeared on my face. With this, I wouldn''t need to simply go through the stances and forms of Firebending. I could now spar against a Firebending opponent and acquire experience along with perfecting my bending. To do that efficiently, I decided I wouldn''t use air bending until I mastered Firebending to the Expert level. That way I didn''t fall back to airbending as often, giving me enough familiarity with Fire. Plus, I have to admit, fire was my favorite bending. There was just something fucking cool about blasting shit up. I wasn''t a pyromaniac by any means but damn, if I didn''t want to explode Klarion apart. Infact, knowing Klarion, that would happen sooner rather than later. Call it a gut feeling but just because I left the team, didn''t mean that it was the end of my feud with The Light. Taking into account the ''other'' thing, it was a definite that I was going to interact with them more than I was comfortable with. I clicked on the Training Points tab and a new window popped up in my vision. It was a list of characters names made up of notable airbenders from regular practitioners to grand masters like Aang, Tenzin and Zaheer. There was a section depicting a list of Firebender characters, but this one was incredibly sparse. The only notable name I saw was, Firebender soldier, which was 50 points. The rest were grayed out and I wouldn''t waste my points on a firebending beginner. They basically had the same starting line as I, hence I would probably learn nothing from them. Maybe for mob training, I could use them en masse. The prices set to buy each character was different. For beginner benders, it was 25 points, For experts it was 50 points, masters was 100 points and Grandmasters, the highest level, was a whooping 200 points per character. The points I had were only enough to get a trainee bender. I sighed and closed down the window. I ran a hand across my face in frustration. Seems like getting these points is not going to be easy. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it."We all have to start from somewhere." I told myself while getting up. I would hold on to my points for the time being and try to follow the basic Firebending stances and forms I got once I had unlocked the element. Sparring with a beginner was useless and to get an expert I needed 50 points. The way to get the Training Points was through doing missions however. How would that translate into real life though? I mean, I had left the team and struck out on my own so to speak. Would I get the Training Points based on missions I would give myself or missions that I would get from others? Lucifer probably had a lot of things he needed me to help him out with. Would that count as a mission? On the flip side, I realized the word mission was used very lightly here. The Training Points had jumped from 5 to 25, an increase of 20 points after my battle with the Team and The Justice League. That wasn''t a mission I''d been issued with. So maybe it meant, I could get the points simply by being proactive in the use of my powers. Though it had to be a combat setting. And not a spar, I doubt the Avatar System would allow that loophole. If my theories were correct, getting the points would not be as hard a task as I''d initially imagined. I looked at the points flashing at the corner of my eyes and smiled. Just you wait¡­ For the time being though, it was time to explore and hopefully get something to eat. The Avatar State always left me feeling drained. Maybe it was from the strain my body was under, bending all those elements and their Sub-skills at the same time but I needed to feed and sleep. The sleep thing could be delayed until I knew where I was though. Flying was too eye-catching, so I decided to use the trees, jumping from one to the other like a ninja. Plus, the self restrictions on the flying thing was also to make sure I stuck with the rule I had made for myself. No use of airbending unless it was an emergency. Despite that, the air itself helped me slow my descent onto a branch, as well as keep my movements silent, even without my urging. Perks of being a grandmaster, baby. The island was actually deceptively huge. From a bird''s eye view, it looked no bigger than two soccer fields. But walking on the ground or in my case, leaping from one tree to the other, I realized just how large the damn thing actually was. To get to the center of the island, which was where I was going, was taking longer than I thought it would. Wow, the humans from the Avatar world were fucking bold for hunting this thing to near extinction. Then again it''s a fine line between courage and stupidity so who knows. I delayed mostly to see if I could come across something to eat in the way of fruits. My efforts were eventually rewarded when I saw a purple mango like fruit on the tree to my left infront of me. I took a leap and landed on it''s branch. My hand reached out, plucked the strange fruit and studied it. "It''s not too late to go for the coconuts Aden. It''s not too late." I joked. What of this thing was poisoned? Then again, I had my adaptive physiology to help out with that. As long as the poison wasn''t too strong, I should adapt to it. Too strong and we would have a problem. I really needed to find a way to increase the strength of adaptive physiology or maybe even get regeneration as a perk. I do remember healing after being shot on the chest two times. Maybe I should look into that and figure out how it had happened. Did the Avatar have a high proficiency in water healing or was it something else? And the list of shit I need to do continues to grow longer and longer." I sighed while turning the fruit in my hands. I shrugged and decided to take the plunge. Biting into the fruit, my face lit up at the unexpected sweet flavor. It was a combination of the slight tanginess of grapes and the tasty quenching juiciness of mangos. "A Mangrape? No that sounds wrong. A Grapango? Manpe? Sounds like a disease. Grango? I guess Grango is fine. Man I suck at naming things." This was interesting. A fruit that was a fusion of two. Exactly in line with the animals in the world of Avatar. A perfect example would be the island I was standing on. A Lion Turtle had the claws and teeth of a lion but the body structure of a turtle, hence a Lion Turtle. Zoologist would go crazy for this island. I imagine it would be interesting for them to track the evolution process of the different animals here. Which increased my curiosity as to where I actually was. Was I in Avatar? I plucked another Grango and ate it, letting the purple juices flow down my throat and easing my thirst. I still needed water but this was a great substitute for it. Atleast for the time being. M''gann would go crazy for this, trying to find ways she could use the fruit to bake something. And Connor... I paused in my eating and sighed. I had been avoiding thinking about the team. The betrayal was still fresh in my mind. The worst part was that I missed some of them except Wally and Robin. Fuck those two little shits. Seeing a pattern there? One of them was a self righteous piece of shit who hated me because I was the object of his jealousy. The other was nosy and curious, playing detective not because he wanted answers but because he wanted to copy his mentor. The other ones I was mostly angry at and...hurt. I still couldn''t believe that they had all been apart of it. Even Artemis. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. There was nothing I could do now except move forward. It was time to come to terms with the fact that The Team and I were done. Even if things worked out in the future, I. Was. Not. Going. Back. It was time to start changing the world, just like I''d said I would. After eating my fill of Grango, I went back to leaping from one branch to the other, headed to the middle of the island. A World Of My Own Making Final Part. (Aden''s P.O.V) ''Finally.'' I thought, coming up on the center section of the island. There was an open space that looked like flattened ground, brown and made of earth. However, I knew I couldn''t bend it even if I had the earth element unlocked. The interesting thing about the empty space was the inscriptions carved onto it''s surface. The elements were depicted following a cycle and in the middle of them was an infinity sign. I frowned while flying down slowly. That infinity sign¡­ wasn''t canon. From what I knew, there were only 4 true elements and one ''source'' element. I call it source because it was through it, one could take away someone''s bending or restore it. The Lion Turtles could even grant it, though I wasn''t sure if any of the Avatars could. From what I knew, neither Aang nor Korra, the only two known Avatars who could use this bending could grant bending to a non-bender. I was of course talking about Energy bending. A bending style that granted you the ability to manipulate someone''s life energy, as shown through Aang taking away Fire Lord Ozai''s bending, thereby winning the fight without taking his life. Then Korra would later use it to restore Lin Beifong''s earth bending. It was the most versatile, powerful and unknown bending style out there. And seeing the way the four classical elements were represented around the infinity symbol, it didn''t take a genius to understand that it was the symbol representing energy bending. The fact that I was also standing on a branch that was growing on an island at the back of a Lion Turtle, the only creatures that could naturally energy bend, only added more merit to my conjecture. Could this be a chance granted to me by the Avatar System to learn energy bending? And if not the system, did the Avatar state have a power to cross dimensions to the Avatar world? I wouldn''t get answers merely by keeping my distance so I decided to fly down. Even then, my cautiousness was at an all time high. I didn''t know what to expect and this could be a trap,no matter how unlikely that seemed. The minute my feet touched down on the open space, a weird hum instantly spread out from the contact. I could instantly feel a connection slot itself deep into my soul. And then information started flowing into my mind. Pain assaulted senses as my nerves cried out. "Aargh!!!" I groaned while clutching my head. It felt like I was about to explode at the sheer mental strain my mind was being put through. I could simultaneously see every grain of sand, drop of water, chlorophyll tint of the leaves, life force of the animals in the whole dimension. Yes dimension. And it wasn''t just one. There was five of them. I lost my strength and fell down to the ground, shuddering in pain. "Sto¡­p¡­ please¡­.sto¡­" Despite my plea, the pouring of information continued. My whole being unravelled and I felt free of all constraints, flying through a vacuum and giving it meaning, screaming and humming. I burned into ashes and became living flames, eating through everything and switching to an excited form that left shock and explosions in my wake. Then I froze over and broke into tiny fragments of ice that melted into water, flowing freely, gently yet violent in a basin of earth that contained me in small quantities, bringing nourishment and healing. Then I hardened. Harder than the ice had been and stubborn, refusing to move or give way easily, burning when I was mad yet kind when I was calmed. I became all the elements, understood them in a way I could never have despite the training. In that moment, I understood clearly why I could never control the elements as I did without the Avatar System being the bridge. The load of it all was immense because, everything was connected into one massive super consciousness that defied all known understanding. It wasn''t something I could explain. The disappointing part was that it did little to increase my skill in Firebending but I still looked at it as a gift. A gift of intimate understanding into the scope of what I was dealing with. It was a gift because I now understood the kind of power I had at my fingertips. All of creation... That kind of power¡­I shivered, getting up painfully. The fist thing I noticed was the sweat that clung to my body and costume. I unclasped the visor and ran a hand through my hair. The Taper Fade would have to go. New beginnings and all that. But that''s besides the point. I was in shock. I now knew where I was and it was both surprising and...no that''s about it. It was very very surprising and unexpected. The icon of the minimized screen flashed golden, meaning I had a notification. I enlarged it, curious about what it was. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. (Congratulations!!! Yet again you have attained another achievement. How cool is that? How rad? How positively beaming you must be. Seems like someone is finally taking his job seriously. I mean, what ambassador doesn''t have their very own embassy? It took you a while to even get one but hey, at least you did it. This century. Moving on:- You don''t get a Perk because, this base is more than enough reward for your efforts.) Unnamed Five elemental dimensions:- Energy plane- Where you are currently standing. This plane is the nexus of all the four dimensions. You can access the other dimensions by simply wanting it, from here. You can also boom tube to earth and back whenever you want. This ability cannot be used to boom tube from one earth location to another, only earth and back. Air dimension- Tall mountain peaks, beautiful sunset and a never ending breeze that can turn violent within the blink of an eye. Known to be the home of the flying bisons, Arrowhawks and Pegasi. Wait...the last two are from somewhere else entirely. Bummer. The perfect place to attain enlightenment, due to the spiritual connection and communion it grants those who meditate in it. Fire dimension- The fantastical land of dragons, phoenixes and the golden crow...sike! The last two don''t exist here bruh but this dimension provides you with a suitable environment to practice Firebending. Stoke your heart''s flame and who knows, maybe you can meet a dragon on the way. Water dimension- Relaxing beaches as gentle water licks at your toes, a plethora of ocean life and unexpected sudden hurricanes, hails and frost. This dimension provides all life nourishment yet breaks those whose will is found wanting. The realm of...too many animals to list. Mermaids. yup, hope thats enough. Practice Water bending to great efficiency (Locked) Earth dimension- Ever wondered what people walk on, build on, plant on, work on? Earth is a pretty big deal dude. Trust me. This is the realm of the badger mole and basically every other living creature not confined to water. Provides an environment to master Earth bending and it''s sub-skills faster. (Locked) P.S- If you''re wondering how this was all possible, that''s easy to explain. In other words, find that out yourself. P.P.S- Just as a reminder, the boom tube only works for teleporting towards the earth or back to the unnamed Five elemental dimensions. Long name, would really help if someone gave it a better, preferably shorter one. P.P.P.S- None of the animals are really sapient. So don''t worry about intelligent creatures trying to outsmart you. Though I would be careful about Dragons, they''ve been known to breathe fire. P.P.P.P.S- The whole plane is autonomous and self sustaining. P.P.P.P.P.S- The dimensions related to the elements you have not unlocked are locked for your own good. Any other type of element is severely suppressed while on a different elemental dimension.) Is it just me or are the notifications getting more and more annoying each time. Must be a sub routine one of the beings, responsible for bringing me here made. I''m just lucky the System isn''t sentient, not in the truest sense, otherwise I would be like other MCs running around trying to accomplish it''s bidding. I dismissed the display to the corner of my vision and slightly slumped in my position. I took a few steady breaths to center myself, feeling the lingering pain from the forceful information feeding into my brain abate a little. Then a smile started forming on my face. The smile changed into chuckles before I started laughing like a madman. This...this was just crazy. "Finally, something to light up my day." I spread out my hands and looked up at the sky, taking a deep breath and murmuring a heartfelt, "Thank you." To whatever deity responsible, even if i already knew the culprit. To answer your question, the one culprit was me. Or well The Avatar State at least. It was through it''s machinations, the cleansed Fatherbox and Morrow''s distinct elemental code that this whole pocket dimension had been created. That''s what the 10 hours I had been missing were for. The Avatar State must have known that sooner or later, the team and I would clash and decided to create another option for me. A base. Here''s the crazy part, the whole pocket dimension was constructed from the salvaged dome that The God Equation had created. The Fatherbox''s essence was pulling energy from the source and then using Morrow''s code, translating that energy into powering the spatial walls around the Pocket Dimension. Then more of that energy would give meaning to the concepts of life and order imprinted upon all the five dimensions by The Avatar State...which was why I felt so connected to everything. Which was also why I knew that the pocket dimension was constructed in the middle of the moon. It hadn''t warped away to somewhere else as the Justice League had thought. The Avatar had simply moved it from the Dark Side of the moon deep into it''s core. How...how was that even possible? What the fuck couldn''t it do? Maybe I was right in deciding I wouldn''t use it anymore. The unpredictability of the State was it''s main failing factor. I couldn''t trust myself because it wasn''t really me. At least not yet. So I was keeping it under lock and key until I could get a handle on it. I looked around in excitement. A world of my own making. I wonder what I should call it. Naming The Dimension (Aden''s P.O.V) I was crap at naming things. That wasn''t an exaggeration. Despite my dad thinking about getting a dog, what convinced him not to was the frankly atrocious names I gave him. Fluffykiller doesn''t exactly roll of the tongue. And Mr.Tyson sounded like plagiarism at best, kinda. You know, like those parents who name their kids after famous people like Barack Obama. Which isn''t a crime but...no. Basically, I didn''t have that gift. So, faced with an amazing dimension full of limitless possibilities, I chose to keep it simple and straight to the point instead of complicating shit. An attempt to respect it. So the dimension was an elemental one. Apart from Pangaea, which was just too on the nose and Genesis that would run the risk of being associated with the gods of New Genesis, I only had a small list that was summarily dismissed due to one reason or the other. There was Wakanda, mostly as a shout out to my guy, Chadwick Boseman, The Embassy, that was in line with the whole Ambassador theme that the Avatar System was trying to sell and lastly Elemental Dimension. I went with Elemental Dimension. It was neutral, all encompassing and would probably not insult anyone while also keeping the spirit of the dimension. The naming itself needed a declaration. So I stepped to the middle of the open space and spread out my hands. My face was slightly blushing due to the theatrics. But if I''m doing it, I should go all in. Plus Ultra! 100%! "With the Power flowing deep within me and the unification of my body, mind and soul¡­I name this dimension of power¡­The Elemental Dimension!" I felt something suddenly change. As if the whole space was previously just a black and white drawing on the canvas that is reality. But now it was colored and vibrant. Full of life and the essence of existence. A soul. The notification prompt from the system flashed and I curiously maximized the display, hoping it was something good. (Congratulations!!! You certainly have a flare for the dramatic. Must be a hit with the theater folk. Maybe that will help you finally get a girlfriend. Ahem¡­ moving on. You have completed the final and hidden step to claiming the dimension as your own. Due to that, no one can enter or exit without your permission.) Wow. Now I''m suddenly glad that I named it. I can''t imagine Apokaliptian forces or even the light boom tubing inside my dimension and catching me off guard. I breathed out and decided on the next course of action. There was something I needed to check to know, if I would have the entire Apokaliptian forces after my ass. My consciousness delved into that familiar feeling above my groan, steam escaped my mouth as I jumped. Two twin flames appeared under my feet, jetting me off to the shore of the island. The flames were yellow and hot, almost melting my heat resistant boots. "Whoa." The flight itself was uncontrolled and erratic. I would suddenly lose control of the flames and spin before smashing into a tree and getting leaves in my mouth. I groaned more in embarrassment than pain while standing up, behind me a trail of broken trees and branches could be seen. This wasn''t as easy as I thought it would be. But If Ozai could do it so could I. I was the frigging Avatar for crying out loud. I tugged on the same warmth burning below my gut and sent it out in a tightly controlled stream towards my legs. That was my mistake. Fire, just like any other element could not really be ''controlled'' at my current stage. Only manipulated. Trying to dominate it was like trying to forcefully tame a wild lion, you would get slashed into ribbons for your effort. That''s why the blast that occured sent me careening to the side yet again. More trees suffered the same fate as their brethren. I was careful to put out any flames before they could burn the whole place down. Twigs, grass and leaves clung to my hair, annoying me even more. It was clear that I wasn''t going to get this skill down now, so I decided to bench it for the time being. I was getting impatient and frustrated. Those two feelings only made the flames produced harder to control, so I changed tactics to jumping from one tree to the other just like I had done before. A few minutes later, I arrived at the shore line of the island. I didn''t waste a single second and plunged into it''s salty depths, while holding my breath. I could go for five minutes without air, a skill that was easy to improve due to my increased lung capacity through practicing my sonic abilities and my physical parameters. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I swam down quickly, following the length of the island bed rock. A few hundred meters down, I came upon a massive humongous head. The sharp teeth and ferocious head, made my heart skipped a bit in surprise, as the Lion Turtle, containing an infinity sign on it''s head turned to look at me. The glint of intelligence I had been expecting was¡­missing. It was just an animal. Maybe it was too early in the Elemental Dimension''s development and the creatures inside would get smarter as the dimension grew along with me. Or maybe I''m just giving myself false hope. ''Who am I kidding, this must be a restriction to make sure I don''t convince the Lion Turtle to implant me with the knowledge of energy bending directly. The Avatar System seemed hell bent on me improving by myself. It would provide opportunities and only reward me when I put in the work. In some ways it was the best set up. Getting things easy would feel like such a cheat. This way, atleast I had something to feel proud about. Self made man yo. I swam closer to the Lion Turtle, which was staring at me unworried about my intentions. I suppose it had a right to feel that way. At my current level, it would take a lot of effort to kill it. Maybe if I could form the same Elemental bomb my Avatar State had, then yes. But that was a slippery slope into losing myself. I touched it''s head and dived into the same connection I felt with everything living in this whole dimension. Then I tried to dominate it''s will with my own. A click sounded in my head and I could sort of feel the mind of the Lion Turtle. I nudged on it and gave it an order. The front limb came up and provided me a platform I could step on as I was raised out of the water. We broke through the water sending it rolling around. I massaged my temple in discomfort and pressure. A pressure that was getting out of hand with each passing second, I tried to keep the Lion Turtle under my control. I sighed and cut off the link. Instantly, the pressure disappeared but I now had my answer. If Darkseid came to associate my control over the animals in my dimension with the Fatherbox''s essence used to keep it running¡­I would have more than a few problems. This dude made subjugating universes a side hustle. Universes. I couldn''t let anyone inside this dimension without getting strong enough to defend it should it come to that, or without trusting them enough to allow them entry. And so the fucking list of things to do continues to grow larger. The answer to all my troubles seemed to be more power. It would pay to be careful not to lose myself in search of it. With that done, I decided to check out the dimensions I had unlocked. The first one up was of course the air dimension. I closed my eyes and wished to portal there, a yellow boom tube portal appeared before me and I jumped in after waving bye to the Lion Turtle. Not that it could understand me. The very first thing I noticed was how calming everything felt. I was standing on a cliff. Below me were gently floating clouds, carried around by the breeze. Peaks of snow covered mountains and rocky out crops spread out as far as the eye could see. I could tell that this was what the dimension was made up of. Thousands upon thousands of highlands that had caves where Flying Bisons and other air elemental creatures lived in. I settled into a meditation pose and fell into a calming trance. I don''t know how long I sat there but given the fact that I could feel the tightened muscles and stiff joints in my legs, it must have been more than a few hours. My stomach also growled in hunger. I got up and stretched, feeling relaxed and calmer. I spared one last look at the calm surroundings and promised myself I would definitely come again for the peaceful atmosphere. Next, I portaled towards the Fire dimension and the difference between it and my previous one was suddenly very clear. It was hot, incredibly hot. The surroundings were active volcanoes with steam coming off of them and darkened clouds above head with continuous flashes of lightning bolts that slammed to the ground and left blackened soil and soot in their wake. It was harder to breathe and I hadn''t noticed it before in the air dimension due to how low a proficiency I had in fire bending but I could feel it now. Suppressing a bending I had beginner proficiency in wouldn''t have made a difference but inside the fire dimension, air bending was heavily restricted. And I could feel it. I could feel the shackles placed on it. I sank to my knees breathing heavily. A boom tube appeared on the ground and I sank through. Maybe I should hold off on coming here until I was back to 100%. Then spending a few hours would allow me to slowly adapt to the increased heat low oxygen. I found myself at the shoreline of the Lion Turtle. Mmmh¡­this place also needs a name. How about, Sanctuary? In a way it''s like my sanctuary. A place, separate from the other four dimensions yet connected. A place to unwind without worry. Sanctuary it is. To feed myself, this time I decided to have fish. It was really easy catching them when they weren''t afraid of me. I almost felt bad. Almost. After trying to roast them with my fire and ending up with charcoal remains, I reluctantly made a fire using some of the dry branches I had acquired from deep within the island. A few fruits, The Grango kind topped off the five star meal and I enjoyed myself while watching the setting sun. So far, only Sanctuary happened to have that function. The air and fire dimensions had been bright throughout with no discernible source, so I''m thinking that would be the same with the other other two as well. I gathered a few palm leaves before the fire burning and just chilled. Thinking about my plans. Tomorrow, I would be going back to earth. Back To Earth (General P.O.V) Dick Grayson controlled his breathing as he spread out his hands, which were tightly holding two gymnastics rings hanging from a bar. He coiled his lower body closer to his torso and swung, adding momentum the more times he did it before letting go, his body spun and twisted through the air before he landed on the mat gracefully, the Grayson way. He felt a brief surge of pride at completing the move, just like his dad had taught me, before the feeling was replaced by the pain of loss. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts and made to go back to his exercise routine before his Holographic computer beeped. Dick frowned and went towards the table. He clasped the device onto his wrist before turning it on and instantly taking a deep breath. The tracking chip he had discreetly placed in the small bag containing the diamonds that they''d found in Aden''s position, was active again. What made Robin frown was just how close it was. It was atop the building that had the bat signal, the roof of the headquarters of Gotham City Police Department. Which meant, Aden knew he had placed a tracking device on him and wanted to talk to him. Seems like Dick would finally get the answers he was looking for. It was really fortunate that Batman was with the League trying to find whereabouts on Maelstrom and Red Tornado, so no one would interrupt Robin. It was time for his patrol anyway. (Aden''s P.O.V) Gotham. Man, this place is dreary. My impression of the city under the vigilant purview of The Dark Knight was not a good one. The Supervillains, Batman''s Rogue Gallery in other words, was just one part of what was wrong with this place. Smog from the nearby industries that covered the light of stars from shining through, old buildings that looked as if soot was painted on the walls and the nervous and suspicious vibe that clung to everyone in a miasma that screamed hostility just added to the overall grim picture. And the gangs. Can''t forget those lowlifes. There was no doubt about it. This fucking place was cursed. And I hated every minute I was forced to be there. At least I knew where I would start my mission. Gah, that makes me sound like a fanatic psycho. But really, Batman was trying to treat a disease by easing the symptoms instead of finding a permanent cure. He was only delaying the inevitable, a bitter and resentful end when he looked back at his superhero career and saw that he''d made practically no difference. That was the flip side to his tenacious stubbornness. Batman was a man who had an almost unshakeable will. Even when abandoned by everyone else, his dedication to the ''mission.'' was frankly awe-inspiring. His refusal to kill because he feared compromising his ''ideals'' and ''principles'' was the trade off. It was therefore frankly funny, how he more than often compromised those ideals by using his enemies way of doing things to take them down. If you ask me¡­it was arrogance and pride. The way he was afraid of going off the deep end because he was terrified he wouldn''t stop, showed how much confidence he had in himself that none of the others not even Supes or Wonder Woman would stop him. Then again knowing the former¡­ maybe he was right. Superman was a big Softie after all. Cough injustice cough. I turned my attention from my musings when someone used a zip line and landed before me. The familiar form of Boy Wonder appeared. We stared at each other in silence before I cocked my head to the side in a small smile. "You know, I''ve always wondered something. Why is it that Batman''s costume is all grey and black, perfect for blending into the surroundings while your costume has never screamed¡­stealth. It''s almost as if he wants you to look like a walking target." I asked. Boy Wonder''s eyes narrowed beneath his mask. "You don''t know what you''re talking about. And I''m not here for idle chit chat." He crossed his hands, trying and miserably failing to look intimidating. Maybe if it was the Dick from five years from now, I would be suitably afraid but as he currently was? I swallowed a snicker. It was really hard to do so. "Then what are you here for?" I wondered out loud. "Answers." He replied without pause and then went on to say, "But I could ask you the same. You clearly knew I had put a tracker on you, so why show up here of all places, when you definitely know the League is after you. That I would be after you. Doesn''t seem too smart of you." I barked out a laugh at his words. "Ironic, Robin. Seeing as you came to apprehend me yourself. Are you sure you have the skill to take me in? Did you forget what happened last time? The smart thing to do would have been to bring the team along." I stepped up closer to him while still smiling. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation."Wouldn''t have made a difference either way but the effort would have been appreciated. Showing up to face me alone seems brash¡­like something Kid would do. How is he by the way, still limping from when I crushed his balls?" My tone was full of mockery as I addressed him. Robin took a step back while settling into a ready stance. He looked unsure and confused. "You don''t even sound remorseful. How can you be so nonchalant about this Aden. You fucking betrayed us all man!" He finally raised his voice, losing control over his emotions. Betrayed them? Did he forget who started it in the first place?. "Trust me, I am very Chalant about this. I am sooo Chalant about the fact that you decided to take it upon yourselves to invade my privacy. So kettle say hi to pot." The grinding of his teeth reached me. The fact that he had the nerve to get mad at me despite what they themselves had done was annoying. That''s when I realized he wasn''t here to make amends or ask me to come back to the team. Boy Wonder was here to punish me. To let out steam while simultaneously taking me down to soothe his wounded pride. I closed my eyes and sighed. I really have lost them¡­I don''t think any of us can come back from this. I had harboured a smidgen of hope that we could work through our differences, no matter how unlikely they seemed. The truth is, I had been lonely before joining the team and although fitting in had been a challenge, I had still looked at them as comrades. I had exercised patience and understanding. I had even bowed down my head during the Red Arrow situation, taking the high road and trying to be mature. But that relationship¡­that relationship that had forced me to compromise so much of myself had been toxic. To hell with making amends. My statement calling Dick out on his betrayal bullshit seemed to have thrown him off even more. So I capitalized on that, pettily. "What''s wrong¡­Dick, you don''t look too traught or whelmed or aster. You can''t take it, can you. The fact that you stand there judging me of my actions that were a result of you own move against me." Boy Wonder instantly stiffened in shock. He tried to hide it but the smile on my face, showed him just how confident I was about knowing who he really was. "How¡­how do you know that name? How do you know my secret identity!" He reached a hand into his utility belt and palmed his birdarangs threateningly. I raised an eyebrow. "You think the glasses you wear can hide your identity if someone actually wanted to find it out?" My words set him off. Two birdarangs shot out of his hands and stopped in mid air, their momentum instantly bled out of them by my air bending. Yes, yes I know I said I wouldn''t use it but you have to understand¡­he had arrived. The person I was actually here for. My control extended and a bubble of air appeared around Robin''s head, suffocating him. He tried his best to escape my hold, looking at me, eyes full of rage and fear, before he slumped in the air, unconscious. That would give me a few minutes to talk to ''him.'' The darkness on the wall shifted and The Dark Knight appeared, looking serious just like he always was. I whistled. "Wow, Batman, that was cold of you. You just stood there and watched me suffocate your protege." The Dark Knight gave the impression of narrowing his eyes. It didn''t take an empath like Raven for me to know that Batman was ticked off by my words. "I knew you wouldn''t have hurt him. That''s not you." He responded confidently. "Thanks for the vote of confidence on my character Batsy, but despite that what if I would have?" I shot back. The glare intensified and an aura of violence started emanating from him. "You would hunt me down to the ends of the earth, capture me and throw me to Belle Reve, where I would escape and we would begin our very own dance." I concluded for him, based on his sudden mood change. I shook my head and chuckled. "You know in some iterations, you lose a side kick to the Joker. Still might in this one, I don''t really know and you still do nothing. No matter how angry you get, how your horror at your own role in ensuring the Joker mass murdering ways have finally affected you personally, you still hold yourself back. Choosing to save your soul instead of the countless lives that have met their ends in his hands." Batman gave no indication that my words affected him. "That was not included in the information docket you handed over." I shrugged at him. "Gee, I wonder why. Maybe I didn''t trust you enough to share everything. Knowing that at the first chance you got, my life or anyone else''s wouldn''t matter in your efforts to carry out the ''mission.'' That''s your calling card Bruce. And call me selfish but I wouldn''t trust sensitive info to a man like that. Your misguided altruism is the true cause of all this¡­" I spread out my hand to show Gotham. "You''re killing Gotham through inaction Bruce." I sighed, hoping he would listen. I almost slapped myself at that unreasonable thought. That would never happen. Ever. If the people closest to him couldn''t make him change his stand, what made me think I could. Batman let the casual use of his true identity wash over him. He probably had countermeasures to me trying to out him publicly. "I am not here to have a discussion about whether my ways are right or wrong Maelstrom. You don''t get that right. Doesn''t matter if you''ve seen this planet in the pages of a comic book or a screen. This is reality and you better start realizing that your actions have consequences. No matter what you think you know, it doesn''t place you above everyone else." I was tongue-tied for a split second. That was the longest I had ever heard him speak. Without giving me a chance to respond, Batman walked up to me and used his height difference to stare down at me. "What I want to know, is what happened? Attacking the team was not part of the plan." Im Done. (Aden''s P.O.V) "That was before I arrived to a fucking trial. That wasn''t part of the plan either, Batman." I refused to back down. Despite the intimidating glare that was leagues above what Robin could pull off, I was done with giving way. "And why is that? I debriefed the Team and they had sufficient reason to call you out." The dark Knight growled out. I took note of the way he worded his statement and read between the lines. He had said, The Team, not your team or the rest of the group or your teammates. He knew I wouldn''t be coming back. No matter what. "You have not been upfront with us. With me, Aden." He continued. I cocked my head to the side. "Everyone is entitled to their own secrets Bruce. You know that more than most." "Not when that information puts¡­" "The rest of the team in danger. Trust me, I know that. I''ve heard it from our dear team leader." Anyone else would have been shaking in their boots at interrupting the Dark Knight but after the adrenaline fueled close shaves and the eventful few days, fear was far from my mind. Having the patience of the gods, Batman simply let the interruption wash over him with no reaction. "You almost compromised the mission. Would have had the situation turned out differently." Batman stated, his voice gaining a hard edge. I stared at his mask clad face and realization hit me like a ton of bricks. "You held back. During the fight at the cave. Not only that but you''ve been actively leading the rest of the League astray while following the real lead to find me. Not that you could have but¡­wow." A laugh of disbelief escaped me. I started pacing a little, while connecting the dots. "That''s why when I reviewed my memories, something was off with your performance. You weren''t trying too hard. I can think of a half a dozen ways you could have simply stopped me from destroying the Zeta Tube controls and that''s just me." I looked back at him, surprised. I don''t even know why I was. This was such a Batman thing to do. I should have expected nothing less from him. Yet...it was still strange. "Drastic measures." He casually waved me off. Giving me an excuse that we both knew wouldn''t satisfy the rest of the League. "You know better than me what we''re up against. The meta knowledge you possess is crucial only if we capitalize on it. And you were the only one in that unique position. I did what I had to do." I scoffed. "I don''t think that sentiment would be shared by Superman or any of the League for that matter. Besides J''onn of course. I wonder what they would say were they to learn that you steered the conversation to make the Justice League suspend me from the team just so that I could go undercover inside the Light." Batman''s jaw clenched in anger. "You think I manipulated them. You''re wrong." He countered, making me shrug. "Maybe I am. But you can''t deny you took advantage of the situation." A touch of skepticism colored my next words. "Is that really something a Superhero would do?" His fingers closed into a fist. "You tell me. You already seem to have all the answers." The bite in his words would have made me flinch had it been a few months ago. "I thought you understood what we were up against. An opponent who not only has a mole inside, feeding him information about our activities but the resources to counter the League. A good example would be the Yellowstone mission. That Intel came straight from you, yet nothing went according to plan." Batman responded, accusingly. "I had nothing to do with the mission parameters going off the rails and you know it." I shot back, angry at what he was insinuating. "I do. But eliminate all the emotional and mental impact it had on you and the team and leave behind the facts, had any of them been gravely harmed or killed the blame would have solely laid on me." I looked back at him, surprised. The blame would have been his? But I was the one feeding him all that information. What was he talking about...oh, I see. He''s talking about trust. "This relationship Aden, needs to work on a mutual give and take but fueled with respect. I chose to trust you. J''onn and I both did. But that is because I believe you can handle the monumental task ahead of you. That you can plunge into the darkness, that would consume anyone else and come out untainted at the end of it all." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. A strange feeling bloomed inside me. Was this Batman''s version of a pep talk? "Why do you have this much belief in me Bruce? You must know that, I''m now considered a Pariah to the rest of The League and the Team. This could cost you your position with the Justice League." I warned. "Because you know the stakes, better than I do. Better than J''onn, better than Superman whose senses can stretch out to cover miles, not missing a detail. There is much more you''re hiding from me. Information that would help immensely but ultimately the decision to share lies solely with you. And because I still believe that deep down, you just want to do good." He replied softly, completely changing his tune from before. I closed my eyes, going over everything he''d said. It was crazy to know just how much my perception of Batman was wrong. No not wrong. He was exactly the way I had him pegged but...he was also real. He was a person and people changed to accomodate their environment, Adaptation according to external stimuli. It''s basically human history, from fire making to making tools and weapons for defending ourselves from stronger animals. Normally Batman would be all up on my ass, he would try to take me in and stick me in an interrogation room, forcing me to tell him everything he knew I was hiding through sheer intimidation and psychological manipulation. That was the suspicion fueled Dark Knight I knew. Not the one staring back at me. This one was understanding (sort of) and was speaking to me in an even playing field. Sincerity colored his words. "Manhunter?" I made a wild guess, still in disbelief that this was Bruce Wayne I was talking to. Batman smiled. "No. It''s all me." He shook his head, his voice turning serious. "I just realized that you''re not someone I can treat the same way I do everyone else. You''re a key player in this Aden. Whether you want to or not." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "You messed up son. But it doesn''t have to stay that way. You can make this right Aden. Help me make this right." I couldn''t believe it. Then it finally started dawning on me why he was acting this way. Mother. Fucker. Manipulation. He needed me more than I needed them. I would know how to infiltrate The Light easily, without Batsy needing to intervene to make the transition seamless. The ''belief'' he had on me was just a way to emotionally bind me to the mission, to make sure I stuck it out without switching sides. This was a long term carrot. Anyone else would have been fooled by it. And that subtle manipulation was the last straw. I shrugged his hand off my shoulder in disappointment. "I''m done. I want nothing to do with the League or The Team." I stared back at the man who had helped me fit in. The Superhero who had shown great faith and belief in me. He had changed. And it was all my fault. You''d think that was impossible. That the vaunted Dark Knight, someone who had threatened Darkseid himself. Someone who had gone up against the monsters of hell and lived to tell the tale would not change so easily. But maybe lying awake at night, mulling over the possibilities that this world, his whole reality might be fake was more than he could handle. Maybe subconsciously, the Dark Knight was... terrified and that terror was showing in the way he was doing things differently. The wrong decisions he was making. I should have seen it before. Especially when he let me suffocate Robin just so we could talk. And the strange feeling I got when I found out he was actively sabotaging The League''s efforts to find me. And then there was the manipulation part. "You''ve changed Bruce. And I''m sorry that I played a role in it." I told him sadly. "Don''t." Batman responded. Likely hating the pity that was apparent in my tone. I ignored him and reached out mentally to form a link with the telepathic prob that had been trying to read my surface thoughts. Manhunter''s mental touch was different from M''gann''s. While M''gann gave you the sense of deep power and excitement, like a puppy that had the firepower to blast your mental self into smithereens, Manhunter''s was more like a cold breeze, a shiver that was barely noticeable but made goosebumps sprout on your skin. I felt the mental link establish. "Hello J''onn." I called out. "Aden, I apologize for the deception. I can feel you don''t approve of our methods and you''re right, this is not the way we do things. The... circumstances have blinded us." His tone was soothing, like always and remorseful. I rolled my eyes, mentally. "Already trying to salvage the situation huh? I don''t blame you J''onn. Not really. I can even understand where Batman is coming from." A mental sigh of relief escaped him and he responded with, "Then you understand the significance of our mission." I shook my head. "No J''onn. No mission is worth this. There''s Compromising your ideals and then there''s lying, trying to manipulate your allies. Those are two different things. When you do the former, you taint your soul to do what most be done to save others but when you do the latter, you''re turning your weapons against your friends. The ones who have your back. I know it sounds hypocritical coming from me, but the difference between us, is that you''re high profile. You have something to uphold. I''ve always felt that The League could do more good. Killing irredeemable monsters like Firefly, Szasz and The Joker being one of them without falling to using their methods and still be on the side of justice. True heroes. Willing to sacrifice everything except who they are for the sake of others. But what Batman just tried to do is the opposite. He''s sacrificing who he is for the sake of the mission. You have to stop him before he goes off the deep end completely J''onn." I went silent, cutting off the mental link. Batman was still staring at me, with an unreadable expression on his face. I had no doubt that J''onn would relay our entire conversation to him but I wanted him to hear it. I spared one look at Dick and smirked inwards. He''d already woken up and was just pretending to be passed out. I wonder how much of our conversation he heard. "Goodbye Batman." Saying that, I boom tubed back to The Elemental Dimension before he could do anything. We Meet Again part 1 (General P.O.V) "Maze, be honest. Red or Blue?" The King of Hell asked, holding up two ties in the air. Maze rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Does it even matter? You hate ties. Only thing I''ve seen you wear is a bowtie." She replied. Lucifer looked at her with a slight smirk. "Well can you blame me? I have to look my best. After all, tonight is a special occasion." Saying that, he threw both ties away and they unravelled into motes of light floating in the air before disappearing. Maze raised an eyebrow at the action from where she was lying on the couch. "For someone very interested in keeping a ''low profile'' you sure don''t. Flashing lights accompanied by disappearing fabric doesn''t exactly scream subtle." She bluntly said, emphasizing with air quotes. Lucifer ignored her and straightened his grey shirt. He adjusted the black tuxedo above the shirt and made a pose on the long mirror placed on the wall. The suit was form fitting and very flattering to the godly physique underneath. "So what do you think. I was going for a formal but casual look. The color of the Tux is certainly grim but the shade of the shirt steals away from that and emphasizes my eyes, right?" Mazikeen hummed in a sour tone while lightly caressing one of her daggers. Lucifer spared her a glance from the corner of his eyes and smirked. "You''re certainly a delight today." He observed, while his black hair shifted to blonde, then brown before settling back to black again. He was trying out different aesthetics to see what worked. The problem was that everything did. Maze stared at him and narrowed her eyes. "Despite your gaze being as sharp as your weapons my dear, I''m afraid it''s going to take more than that to hurt me." He turned to her and chuckled. "I certainly won''t stop you from trying though." He added, turning his attention back to the mirror. Maze growled. "I just don''t understand why you choose to do nothing and allow this insult to stand. I get your refusal to not intervene but why do you insist on my staying my hand." Her voice turned soft and deadly, leaning forward slightly as a bloodthirsty expression appeared on her beautiful face. "It would be so¡­ easy to take this League of Shadows apart, Lucifer. To show them the full scope of what they''re dealing with. To torture their leader until he begs me for death. Only to be denied. Time and time again." She got up and sensually walked to stand behind him, caressing his shoulders. Her face reflected on the mirror showed her licking her lips. "Come on, no effort would be required from my part and I''ve been cooped up for so long¡­" She whined. An amused look graced Lucifer''s face. "Seduction Maze? Did you by chance forget who taught you that?" He turned around to stare at her. A devilish smile spread out across his face while a golden glow flashed inside his eyes. An aura of sinful temptation surrounded his form, undetectable to anyone but the Lilim standing before him. Maze gulped as her knees started growing weak. She bit her lips while getting lost in his gaze. "I¡­I¡­" She stammered, unfocused and preoccupied by his charm. "Shh¡­" Lucifer brought a finger to her lips and silenced her. "Shush my dear. Don''t question my decisions, is that clear?" He ordered and Maze found herself nodding along to his words. "The boy will deal with our little spy problem. Think of it as a...small test to see if he is worth my time." The aura retracted and Lucifer turned his back on the demoness that would have terrorized cities with her beauty alone, back in the day. Maze unsteadily made her way to a table and poured herself a drink. The glass came up to her lips and she chugged down the content. She closed her eyes while enjoying the slight burn down her throat. Her insides felt warm and good. She looked at the glass and wondered, how many of these could she down to forget the massive female boner she was now sporting for the literal Devil. "Fucking Lucifer." She spat out softly. "Already did that, centuries ago Maze." The Angel in question pointed out smoothly. "Now be a dear and go welcome our guest. I''ll finish up here and meet you on the lounge." Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Oh well, at least she could have a little bit of fun with the boy. Lucifer cleared his throat to grab her attention. His gaze pierced through her own, giving the impression he knew what she was planning. "Strictly stick to the non-alcoholics side of refreshments. I don''t want you corrupting our little friend. Not yet anyway." He told her. Maze spared one last aggrieved look at Lucifer''s back and left to do his bidding. He was the boss after all. (Aden''s P.O.V) After boom tubing away, I decided to take off some time from running around to just unwind. I spent the day swimming in the water and just chilling on the beach as the heat of the sun, gently beat down on my body. I''m not ashamed to say I was lured to sleep for a while by the gentle tides, soft breeze and warm sunlight. When I woke up, I did some fishing and toured the island for a few more fruits. My efforts did not go unrewarded and I found other delightful fruit combinations. Though none of them were as good as Grango. Others just didn''t make sense. Like a Coconut and watermelon variant that had a hard green shell, watermelon''s flesh and a bland tasting liquid. The whole thing was just...ugh. I didn''t even waste time naming it. Others were notable. And my favorite right below Grango was a combination of Banana and Pawpaw. Yummy. The blend of flavor was simply amazing. Not as godly as a Grango but close enough. In true Aden fashion, I came up with a lame ass name for it, I called it...Banpaw. After that, I left the island and played around the water, trying to fly through fire manipulation. The grind never ends, yo. Respect it, honor it and most of all, do it. I was mostly running into the problem of control. Ozai''s fire burst carried him into the air and allowed him to change directions through a continuous and expertly controlled stream. My own control was severely lacking as compared to a veteran Firebender and the output was inconsistent and erratic. I was dealing with the notion of go big or go home. Steam rose up from the contact of the blaze of fire burning below my feet, right above the ocean water. Keeping still and steady allowed me a modicum of control, but didn''t help with the waste of power. Even an expert Firebender would be weakened in minutes if they tried to keep this up. I only had the system to thank for this but I could already feel the strain my body was under, trying to channel all that energy. The strain was thankfully minimal and Adaptive physiology was working it''s magic as well. I looked down at my feet and marveled at the way the flames seemed to seep out a few inches above my skin yet my heel was hot and lightly scorched. The heat was close to getting unbearable. I would have to stop soon if I wanted to be able to walk upright when confronting ''him.'' Something told me the meeting was not going to go as easy as I thought it would. Life never accorded me such small mercies, so why would it start now. Before stopping though, I decided to try off one last idea. The problem was that I was confining myself to an average Firebender skill set when I was so much more. If controlling the power output was the problem, why not eliminate that requirement completely? Coincidentally I knew of another character whose fire manipulation skills edged on large bursts for quick acceleration. Maybe I could find more inspiration from Shinra than Ozai. Granted Shinra could only use his fire through the feet but his fire manipulation was different from Ozai''s yet very similar to what I wanted to achieve. From then on, the practice only yielded fruits and although the progress was minimal, I was getting there. After that, I flew above the water using Air bending for that particular instant, to tour the other islands contained in the main dimension. Fun fact, the islands were numerous. Almost too many to count. Not too unbelievable given that Space was massively expanded. The largest one was the size of Madagascar and just like it''s counterpart, a lot of exotic animals and plant life lived there. The place was beautiful. It had burbling streams, green foliage covering the ground in a natural carpet, multicolored insects buzzing around and combinations of creatures that had shiny coats and healthy bodies. It was clear no human, due to our tendencies to destroy had ever stepped foot here. I felt jealous that my main island Sanctuary while beautiful wasn''t as exotic as this place. Then I remembered it had Grango and felt the trade off was worth it. I took a bath on the waterfall, washing away the ocean salt from the many times I had plunged into the ocean during my flying practice. My dirty costume had suffered the same fate as the rest of my body, so I cleaned it and hang it out to dry. It would be a few hours but hopefully it would dry up by the time I left for L.A. I sighed in appreciation as the water flowed down my skin. I had really needed that. The stream was also very clear, allowing me to see the fish swimming lazily about. I thought of catching some but decided I had had enough of fish. Luckily, there was a lot of game here. After a quick hunt, I had the first taste of meat in that dimension, roasting it above a fire while enjoying the nature. The meat was tender and delicious, the air was incredibly fresh, the water was also refreshing and the fruits...not as good as Grango but still... incredibly, incredibly close. Not really... A few hours later, I was ready to go. It was time to meet Lucifer. Throughout the day I had successfully managed to distract myself from that, but now that the time had come for me to meet up with the King of Hell again, my nervousness came back with a vengeance. We Meet Again Final part (Aden''s P.O.V) The sound of the boom tube suddenly disappeared along with the yellow portal. I still didn''t completely understand how the damn thing worked despite being connected so deeply with the dimension itself. I understood the bare facts which were, I had access to all the functions of the Fatherbox through the link between the Elemental Dimension and I. However, due to the Fatherbox being alien tech in nature, actually reverse engineering that tech or even intuiting the way it worked was beyond me. So I resolved to simply enjoy the benefits and cease the complaints. L.A, home sweet home. I looked around and found myself in an alley, behind Club Lux. I took a deep breath and immediately regretted as my nose was assaulted by the pungent smell of the trash and other¡­''paraphernalia'' making the alley their home. Though to be fair it was much cleaner when compared to last time. A change in management I suppose. Despite my current location, I smiled. It might not have been my L.A, but goddamn if I didn''t miss it. Maybe I could move here after I was done saving the world. Unfortunately or fortunately, L.A wasn''t prominent in the cape scene so I couldn''t set up a base of operations here. I started walking towards the back room, recalling the entrance I had used to access the building the first time. Aaah, things used to be so simple then. No drama, no team betrayals¡­I was almost optimistic about my stay here in the DC-verse. Then shit hit the fan. The fight with Klarion who I had no doubt was itching for some payback, The Yellowstone mission going off the rails so completely, the presence of a Fatherbox which derailed canon to the point I had no idea what would happen next¡­sigh. I wish I was in Marvel. At least there, the massive info I had about canon would let me make contingencies upon contingencies for anything going wrong. In comparison, I was almost stumbling in the dark here even with the meta-knowledge I had. My hand reached out to push open the door. At that instant, something registered in my passive air sense. I cocked my head to the side just in time to avoid a very familiar dagger from digging a hole at the back of my noggin. I narrowed my eyes as the dagger trembled and shot out of the hole going back to where it had come from initially. I turned around and deadpanned, "If that''s how you greet people then I''m scared for anyone who manages to grab your attention." A walking sin, stalked out of the shadows, looking so sexy, my heart almost skipped a beat. Maze smirked seeing the look of barely suppressed lust flash in my eyes before I steeled my will enough to cage the beast once more. Man, I need a girlfriend. "You survived." She observed. "I must be getting rusty." Maze added, stopping right before me. I had gained a few more inches on her, emphasizing the height difference between us even more. However, that didn''t mean shit with the the way that curved dagger gleamed in the moonlight. I doubt even my hardened skin could stop the dagger from slicing me. "Or maybe, I''m just getting better." I shot back playfully. Maze cocked her hip to the side and ran her eyes up and down my body. I felt a shiver across my spine as she observed me like a predator. "Maybe. I love the costume by the way. It screams '' I''m trying to be stealthy but miserably failing.'' " Ouch. That sarcastic tone. "Really?" I acted dumb. "Thanks. Although I''m thinking of trading up to something a bit more, colorful." My response was filled with forced cheer. It was clear I was overdoing it. Especially when she snorted and pushed past me, muttering, "Annoying." I smirked and followed her, my eyes falling down to her leather clad ass. Damn that ass was tight. "Eyes up, kid. That''s too R rated for you." She quipped while shooting me a look over the shoulder. The slight smile of pride on her lips, told me that she didn''t mind I was ogling her one bit. I shook my head and followed her. Maze pushed the door open and instantly loud music started playing from the club above. I looked at the door leading to the basement where Galiel had been hosting his own version of Fight club and winced. That place had been nasty. Even the aura surrounding it was too sinister. There was a plaque on the door saying ''undergoing renovations.'' I spared one last look at it and followed Maze to the elevator. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The elevator doors closed and we started going up. All things considered, it was a short ride. I was silent throughout, my heart hammering in my chest as I asked myself if it was too late to call it quits and just leave. There were more ways to get what I wanted. I sighed. Who am I kidding? Those ways would take up a lot more time and I would be grasping at straws. I needed Lucifer''s help and based on the fact that Maze had been waiting for me, it was apparent that he was eager to meet me. Ditching now would risk the wrath of a multiversal entity. The Elevator doors opened and I found myself in an opulent and grand nightclub. Maze and I were walking along the V.I.P lounge while staring down at the moving bodies down below. The music was loud, the ceiling was covered with flashing lights and the bar was full. "Seems like business is booming!" I shouted at Maze over the noise. "It is." She replied. "Come on. He''s waiting for you." She pointed out and increased the pace. We made our way towards a door at the end of the doorway that was suspiciously left alone by the partying crowd. The blur effect it left in my senses when I didn''t focus on it was probably the cause. Near the door was a staircase leading to the V.I.P section from below. At the foot of the staircase, 2 bouncers stood looking intimidating. I raised an eyebrow. From what I''d seen so far, this version of Lux was different from the glimpses of the one I''d seen on screen in Lucifer''s TV show. Then again, this Lucifer was more of a mashup between his comic counterpart and the TV one. There are bound to be differences. I caught up with Maze, just as she pushed the door open. "Hey, what''s up with this door. If you don''t focus on it, it seems to sort of blend in to the wall." "Glamour charm. Humans are too nosy for their own good." She explained in a slightly hard tone. There was more to that story than she was letting on. We took a stair case up and arrived before another door. Maze pushed it open and instantly, I felt a pressure wash over my skin. I took a few steadying deep breaths and made contact with Maze''s eyes. An amused look came onto her face. She gestured to the open door. "After you." I couldn''t muster an appropriate come back so I swallowed my nervousness and stepped through. I felt as if I was a lamb willingly going into a slaughter house. The Penthouse was massive and very well decorated. There was a wide window that showed the outside view of the L.A nightlife and soft jazz music was playing. Standing before the window, looking out into the city was Lucifer himself. There was a half empty glass of wine on his hand, while the other hand was inside his trouser pocket in a relaxed pose. "You know... there''s just something intriguing about seeing you humans go about your fleeting lives with such...zeal. You cheat, deceive, hate, love, help, comfort and although at the end of it all, you still feel the cold embrace of death, a mark is left on the world. As inconsequential, weak and ultimately worthless as you are, you have us beat in one thing...living." I soaked in the words. Mulling them inside my head and ultimately came to the conclusion that although there was merit to what he was saying, I didn''t really care. Not when I was standing before someone who could swat me like a fly. My mind was too preoccupied to discuss philosophy. My only thought was on one thing and one thing only. How could I convince the devil to help me? He seemed to like me but I wouldn''t allow myself to be fooled. No matter how charming and welcoming he looked, I couldn''t forget who I was dealing with. I couldn''t let my guard down. The King Of Hell turned to me. His eyes roamed up and down my body but the feeling I got out of him was assessment. He was assessing me for something. "Mmmh." He hummed. "You''re not quite there but I see you have grown stronger. Wouldn''t you say so Maze?" He addressed the sexy Lilim in the room with us. Maze snorted while making eye contact with me. "He''s alright." Saying that, she went back to cleaning her dagger with a cloth. Lucifer placed his wine glass on a table beside him and walked up to me. The easy smile on his face did NOT put me at ease. He placed his hand on my shoulder. "You haven''t said anything. Are you not happy to see me? I thought we were friends." His voice sounded aggrieved yet amused at the same time. Friends? Dude, you could destroy me with a sneeze. No scratch that...with a thought. The difference in power, especially now that I know the true reality of this world is skewed in your favor it''s not even funny. Still, it''s no reason to be rude. "Sorry...I was just out of it for a few seconds. So how are you and... how''s L.A treating you, Lucifer?" Somehow I managed to speak up, despite my mouth feeling dryer than sand paper. "It''s been fabulous, thank you. Where are my manners, please, have a seat." He motioned to one of the couches in the penthouse. I did as asked and allowed my body to sink onto the comfortable cushion. Lucifer took the couch opposite me and crossed his legs while looking at me with interest. "Can Maze get you anything?" I spared a glance at the Lilim in question, who was staring daggers in my direction and wisely shook my head. "No, I''m good thanks." I responded. A brief silence fell between us. Lucifer looked content to let me speak first. I tightened my hands into fists and looked at him dead in the eye. "I''ve... I''ve come to bargain." The smile on his face widened. "Delightful. But before we get to that, there''s something I need you to do for me first. A pest problem that I want dealt with." Aden Strong: Pest Control. (General P.O.V) "Still don''t get what''s so important about this guy. I bet we could take him. Hell, I bet you could take him out if you wanted to, Hook. Despite your superpower being¡­ you''re a good cosplayer?" Black spider whispered to his partner. The two were perched on the roof of the building across the one housing Club Lux. Black Spider was a man dressed in a fully black suit that was heavily inspired from a certain web slinging hero, popular from the studio next door (Spiderman). Even his powers were similar but the difference between the two was that Black Spider was a Merc and a Supervillain. His companion was someone who had had an encounter with Aden before. Both of them had actually. Hook was a Merc with a hook for a hand¡­that''s it. Granted, he was deadly, able to go up against the team and possessed some useful functions in his prosthetic hook arm. Useful functions that culminated into one ability. The huh¡­hook was attached to a chain and could be shot at enemies. Yeah. Super cool ability that one. Hook grunted, letting the insult wash over him and kept silent. His gaze was fully trained on the window of the Penthouse. Their job was to observe and report any developments while their last companion scouted the premise for entry points. Hook was regretting getting left behind with Black Spider. The guy didn''t shut up. "¡­And that''s why I think missions like these should be carried out by the grunts, y''know? We''re mid tier at worst but the Demon''s Head is using us as low tier assassins. It''s frankly insulting." A Sai appeared on Black Spider''s neck without warning. Cheshire''s familiar mask materialized out of the shadows behind the Spider Merc "Be very careful of what comes out of your mouth next." She said, menacingly. Hook tensed minutely while Black Spider shivered in fear. "Whoa whoa whoa Jade. Calm the fuck down¡­I¡­I was just messing around." The Sai in Jade''s hands stabbed a little into Black spider''s neck. The taller man''s heart hammered in his ears. This wasn''t the first time he''d been so close to death before but the bloodlust pouring off Cheshire in waves told him that one wrong move and he was off to meet his maker. "Sorry. I apologize for my disrespect of the Demon''s Head, Cheshire. Please spare my life." The words burned coming out of his mouth but luckily it was the right move as Cheshire simply shoved him away. "Count yourself lucky that this mission is so sensitive and we cannot afford to leave a trace of our presence." Cheshire pushed past him to crouch next to Hook. "Otherwise, your cold corpse would be left rotting on this roof." She told him and ignored him. "Any changes?" She asked Hook, while pressing a finger on the side of her mask. Her vision was magnified underneath it greatly allowing her to see their priority target''s form, staring out through the window. The man was otherworldly beautiful. And for the umpteenth time, Cheshire found herself tongue tied by his good looks. It was¡­ unnatural. "Negative." Hook grunted. Cheshire nodded and resolved to wait a few more hours before they moved in. As if sensing her gaze, the man she was observing made contact with her eyes and smiled. Cheshire hid her shock with practiced ease but the tension in her shoulders did not go unnoticed by the other two. "What happened boss?" Black Spider asked from his crouched position. Hook readied his hook while expecting trouble. Cheshire ignored both of them and switched to thermal imaging on her mask. Instantly, she could detect 2 more heat signatures inside the Penthouse, just out of view of the window. Her brows furrowed underneath the white mask and she tightened her hold on the Sais. "We''ve been made." She softly but clearly informed the two. "What? How?" Black Spider questioned in disbelief, his voice had changed from the lazy tone of before to a veteran professional''s. The distance between the Club and where they were positioned while not particularly large was nothing to scoff at. Especially due to the higher vantage point that made observing the Penthouse easy but vice versa hard. Plus, say what you will about their personal quirks but they were all trained professional assassins. If they did not want to be seen, they wouldn''t be seen. "We fall back. For the time being at least. A round sweep of the place and then we double back after confusing the enemies with false trails. Hook you take the south¡­" Cheshire''s words were cut off suddenly when the door on the roof of the building they were observing, opened. She held up her hand to silence her colleagues and magnified her vision. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Instantly, a sinking feeling made itself known inside her. "Oh crap." She muttered. The mission had just gone from a simple observe to a full on battle. And it was with this guy. The jacked aerokinetic in Artemis'' team. It really was time to fall back. They couldn''t take him down and still remain hidden, compromising the first of objective of the entire mission. What the fuck was he even doing here? Was the Kiddie team around too? "We''ve got company. Batman''s little black ops team. Though I''ve only got sights on Maelstrom. Keep a look out for the rest." She informed Hook and Black Spider. "Those little shits are here? What are they doing in L.A?" Black Spider inquired. He was still mad from the way they had failed the Roquette mission. The team had made them look bad. And disappointing the Light was not something smart. Especially if you had a repeat performance. In this game, rep was everything. Cheshire stared at Maelstrom for a few seconds as he watched his surroundings and then without warning, his visor turned to stare towards them. A yellow flame, exploded out of his feet as he shot off towards them in crazy speeds. The ground behind him was left cracked due to the heat and force generated from the move. Since when could he do that?! His abilities were supposed to be aerokinesis! "We''re outta here!" Three smoke bombs appeared in-between Cheshire''s fingers. She slammed them onto the roof and flipped over a static vent, headed towards the edge of the building. They had a good escape strategy; her using Black Spider''s web to hitch a ride with him while Hook would swing on his weapon. And then they would rendezvous and come up with a follow up plan. After giving an update to Ra''s Al Ghul of course. Cheshire knew he wouldn''t be pleased but for now, she elected to leave rather than get into a fight with the Junior Justice League team. An extended conflict would just lead to their target, getting more information on who was after him. Before the three of them could reach the edge of the building and jump over. Something landed right before them. She felt a brief surge of heat following the impact and ducked behind an air conditioning unit. Hook on the other hand shouted and sped forward to attack. The large Caucasian man''s right hand pulled back and thrust off towards Maelstrom. The hook left the former''s hand while attached to a chain, aimed at the latter. Maelstrom settled into a low position while staring at the incoming attack. His senses were hyper aware of his surroundings. Focused on the real threats. The ones that would attack from the shadows. He leaned his body to the side allowing the hook to miss and overextend. Maelstrom then reached out with his right hand and grabbed the chain. Using his superior strength, the young superpowered teen torqued in place, pulling an unsuspecting Hook towards him. A fist landed on the jaw of the older man, breaking it and slamming his body on the gravel covered roof of the building. Hook passed out within seconds. Maelstrom looked up and muttered, "Who''s next?" A hail of Kunai and shuriken shot out of the darkened roof towards him. He ducked and weaved through the metallic storm while running forwards, towards where they were coming from. He jumped and while in mid air, spinned and kicked out. A blast of fire jutted out of his foot. The flame blast destroyed the air conditioning units. Sending pieces of metal, burning plastic and flashing circuitry flying away. Cheshire rolled out of the way and strafed along Maelstrom''s left side, with her Sais in hand, looking for an opening. An opening she was soon enough given when red webbing grabbed on to the chassis of the destroyed air conditioning unit and threw it towards their opponent, courtesy of Black Spider. The lady assassin immediately ran forward using the cover of the metallic projectile to hide her actions. Cheshire had already figured out that Maelstrom was alone. So her hope that maybe they wouldn''t lose was ignited again. And then it was brutally shattered. Maelstrom took a step forward and slashed the Chassis apart using a swirling flame covering his palm and wrist. His palm snaked out quicker than Cheshire could react to and grabbed her neck. Jade, slammed her feet onto his chest, aiming to use the force and manuever out of the hold only to fail. ''Fuck.'' Her feet felt as if they had slammed onto a concrete wall and lost. Her vision started blurring around the edges as the hand on her neck tightened. Shock and fear warred inside her. How was he this strong? Not to mention, he was way brutal than their last encounter. The look on his face, from the little she could see, was calm if a bit sour. He didn''t like what he was doing but he would do it regardless. Cheshire refused to be taken in. Her eyes flashed with a cold light inside the mask as she twirled the Sais in her hands, before trying to stab them on his neck. "Stop." Cheshire closed her eyes and ears in pain as that one word disoriented her. Her brain started feeling sluggish and she couldn''t focus on what was happening. Maelstrom had used a sonic blast at close range to stop her actions. The latter then spun out of the way of a double kick and threw Cheshire''s body to collide with Black Spider who had swung towards him from the water tank above head. The two assassins rag-dolled on the ground full of pebbles before stopping right next to their other member, Hook who was still passed out. Black Spider tried to get up but Maelstrom slowly walked forward and slammed a fist on the back of his head. The spider themed mercenary passed out, slumping back to the ground. Maelstrom shrugged. "He''ll probably be fine." He muttered, thinking of how he would get back to the next building with all three captives in tow. His gaze lingered on Cheshire a bit before he shook his head in regret. There was nothing he could do about it. Wouldn''t pay to keep the devil waiting, though. I Had Hoped It Wouldnt Be You (Aden''s P.O.V) I bit the bullet and used my air-bending to construct an air platform to carry the three assassins back to Club Lux with me. I used the cover of the night to fly straight towards the window of the Penthouse as opposed to going in the way I came out. All those flight of stairs were annoying. I came upon the window and inside the room, saw Lucifer seating on the couch with closed eyes, hands spread out along the length of the purple couch, enjoying the slow rhythm of classical music. Maze on the other hand was nursing a drink on the private bar on the far end of the room. She saw me and what I was carrying and promptly gave me the middle finger. I raised an eyebrow at that. ''Pssh, Jealous bitch.'' Back to The Morningstar, a few minutes ago, jazz was playing and now it was classical music. Guess the Devil loves variety. I felt like chuckling at the image of Lucifer doing the Dougie at the back drop of Teach Me How To Dougie. I quickly sobered up after recalling who I was dealing with. "Dude can turn your skin inside out with a mere pinky wave, Aden. Pick your fights wisely." I advised myself. I reached out a hand to push open the panel when the glass making up the window rippled like a thin film of water, allowing the limb to plunge through the surface. I spared a glance at Luci who was still vibing to some Mozart and shrugged. ''Never look a gift horse in the mouth.'' I flew through the window and stepped onto the floor of the Penthouse. "Points for the unorthodox entry." Lucifer chuckled while sitting up straighter. His eyes ran over the League of Shadow''s agents I had floating behind me. "Thank you for allowing it. I come bearing¡­ gifts." The air construct carrying them, slowly pushed forward. Maze sprang from her seat and walked up to us while twirling her daggers in anticipation. The construct unravelled and Cheshire, Hook and Black Spider were unceremoniously dumped on the floor. "I''ll give it to you kid. You didn''t take too long so well done." Maze complimented, making me gasp in mock surprise, "Holy cow, did you just say something nice?" Lucifer laughed at the comment while the Lilim gave me a stink eye. She turned to Lucifer, ignoring me. "Looks like he got them all. These three are the ones I was sensing." Lucifer hummed in response and crouched to study them. He snapped a finger and the sound left echoes ringing for a few seconds throughout the room. I felt something spread out and in an eerie unison, the three assassins all got up. I took a step back, warily. Maze spared me a glance at the action but chose to keep quiet. I frowned at the unnerving way their bodies stayed motionless in place. Like statues carved standing ramrod straight and still. It was creepy. Lucifer walked around them in curiosity before he made it back to his previous position infront of Cheshire and the others. He turned to me, "You seem to be¡­ familiar with them." I nodded at his observation. "Yes. My team¡­" I paused and corrected myself. "Previous team and I, had an encounter with all three of them during a past mission. The girl is known as Cheshire, The guy with the Hook¡­Hook and the last one is Black Spider. They work for an organization called The League of Shadows." I explained. "Intriguing." Lucifer commented while stepping up closer to Cheshire. He reached out and lightly grabbed her chin, turning her gaze to lock onto him. "Tell me, what is it you desire?" His charming voice left goosebumps on my skin due to the subtle hint of power it contained. I leaned in, curious about what her answer would be while noting absentmindedly just how useful this ability was. Knowing your enemy''s deepest desire would give you a chance to come up with a good strategy to defeat them. Without pause, Cheshire answered. "To be the best at what I do. Better than my father ever could." Her voice was blank and neutral. Makes sense, I suppose. Cheshire''s dad was Sportsmaster, who also happened to be a strangely good Merc. His skills and equipments were sport themed, hence the Moniker, Sportsmaster. Upon giving her answer Maze snorted. "Oh look at that, someone else with Daddy issues." She laughed. Lucifer rolled his eyes at the slight jab and turned to Black Spider who was standing motionless on Cheshire''s left. "And what about you ''Spiderman''. What is your deepest desire?" My eyes widened a little at the nick name Lucifer had given Black Spider. Was it intentional or not? I immediately evaluated who I was dealing with again. This is a multiversal entity. Why am I still surprised at everything he does or says? Lucifer glanced over at me as if sensing my inner turmoil and winked. I blinked. My thoughts were thankfully interrupted by Black Spider''s predictable yet surprisingly fitting response. "I want to feel the rush of free fall while swinging from the city forever. To never be weak again. To forever be strong." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.A predatory smile made its way to the Devil''s face. "Is that all? I doubt it. What else do you desire?" Luci''s voice was tempting and silky smooth. Even I felt like telling him all my deepest desires. The words were just at the tip of my tongue, waiting for me to go over the edge. To give in. With a will belonging to the gods, I overcame the feeling. Maze smirked at me, a little happy at my discomfort. Sadistic bitch. "I¡­I¡­want to grab¡­ Talia Al Ghul''s sexy ass and eat¡­." Black Spider stammered out. For a minute I thought he was joking before realizing he possibly couldn''t have been, Lucifer''s power was absolute. Atleast on mortals. I think. "Ok that''s enough, Spidey. Keep it strictly PG-13, we have a child in the room." The Archangel in question, patted Black Spider''s shoulder, while I spared an ''Are you serious'' look at Maze who was dying of laughter. I looked at the dark skinned beauty and promised retribution with my eyes. My attention went back to the King of Hell. So far, everything had been very educational. An idea on a super powerful skill I could create was blooming inside my head and I wanted to see more of The Lightbringer''s desire exhibition power to form an outline of what I wanted. If I was successful, then most of my plans would go much more smoothly. However, Lucifer simply turned and went to sit back on his couch without asking what Hook''s deepest desire was. "Ummm¡­ aren''t you forgetting something?" I tentatively asked, motioning not so subtly at the tall Caucasian male on Cheshire''s right. Ok, I admit it. I was curious, scratch that. Very curious to know what motivated the Captain Hook rip off. Lucifer merely crossed his legs and leaned back while taking a sip from the drink on his half full glass. He shrugged while running a not so impressed look over Hook. "I know the type. It''s all standard fare. Money, Power and recognition. Nothing interesting or noteworthy. Just like 90% of everyday humans." Wow. I wonder where I belong. Is it with the normal 90% or the noteworthy 10%. "You''re wondering what your deepest desire is." Lucifer observed casually with a knowing look. Maze snorted absentmindedly while caressing her curved dagger. "Trust me Kid. That''s a slippery slope. You might find out, you''re not special at all and selfish just like the rest of us. Not worth it." She warned, already anticipating what my next statement would be. A request for Lucifer to use his Desire Exhibition on me. I knew what I needed to do of course. What I was working towards. I guess what I sought was validation from my inner most self that it was also what I desired. Hearing Maze''s warning however, put everything back to perspective. I didn''t know if I was ready to hear it. The woman in question managed to grab my attention when she started stalking towards Cheshire with¡­this bloodthirsty look on her face. My mouth opened as I found out what she wanted to do. Her specialty was torture. Of the Hell kind. Yikes. I doubt anyone would come out sane after a few sessions with her. And despite the fact that these guys were super annoying murderers, they weren''t the worst out there. Well except for Black Spider. The feeling I got from him was that of someone who enjoyed killing and fighting as part of the adrenaline rush he sought out. However, the other two while still everything wrong with the world, were comparatively less murder hobos than the Spider Merc. I had decided when I started out that I would have a code. No mercy for the scum of the world but no senseless killing either. Not when I didn''t give someone the chance to quit or stop before I took them down. Despite the fact it would be much easier to just kill them and be done with it¡­things would get much more complicated if I took the easier approach. Fuck. The truth was, I didn''t want Artemis to lose her sister. It was frustrating as hell to see I was still a selfish prick. Even after all that had gone down, I still cared for them. I closed my eyes and made a promise, never to let my emotions get in the way. Just¡­just this one time. I stepped between the three assassins and Maze. The latter did not look happy. "What are you doing boy? Offering yourself up as a substitute?" I barked out a laugh. "For these guys? They wouldn''t afford my services." I joked. Maze did not look to be in a kidding mood. I cleared my throat and a serious look appeared on my face. "Just hear me out. You can''t kill them. There''s a high possibility that they could be a big help in taking down the Shadows." She cocked her head to the side, looking at me as if I was an idiot. "I''m not going to kill them. Not before they tell me what they know. The information they give me will more than help you in taking them down if you want. I just need a few minutes with them. Now step out of my way." I winced. "See that''s what I''m afraid of. A few minutes with you¡­they will end up crazy and useless." Maze clenched her jaw. "Move." She ordered, looking ready to go through me if I didn''t. "No." I stubbornly said, getting ready for a fight. What the fuck am I doing? "Children. Settle down, will you? Besides their pick up is here." Maze and I turned to Lucifer in confusion. What¡­was he talking about¡­ A purple boom tube portal appeared inside the room. The energy felt eerily familiar to me. The Avatar State inside me stirred before settling down, as if reacting to something. From within the portal, a man stepped out. My eyes widened. This guy? Vandal Savage looked around before fully coming out of the portal. The next figure to step out was the one who caught my attention immediately. One of the Terror twins, Tommy who had disappeared suddenly with his sister after attempting to attack Metropolis followed behind Savage. But he was different. His eyes had a purple tint in them and his aura and general vibe felt off. He cocked his head to the side and stared intently at me. The answer came to me almost immediately, The Fatherbox. I gulped. What in the hell? "Fuck." Vandal Savage''s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. His gaze was stuck on Lucifer. It was clear he was hiding his fear pretty well. "I had hoped it wouldn''t be you." He said to the Archangel. Revelation (Aden''s P.O.V) "Vandal Savage." I spat out the words. The Mastermind behind all the shit happening in the Young Justice timeline. Atleast anything associated with The Light, that is. He was a merciless, power hungry mad man with intellect to match his ruthless nature. Savage spared me a glance then dismissed me just as quick. It stung. I comforted myself that soon that dismissal would turn to despair as I became the Light''s worst nightmare. I was not going to let their selfish agenda for power claim innocent lives if I could help it. Personally, I just looked forward to smashing his face in. "Oh, seems like you''re more popular these days as opposed to last time, Savage. Even the younger generation knows you." Lucifer chuckled in mirth while curiously studying Savage. The other man made no comment. I got the feeling that he was desperately trying to come up with a plan to account for Lucifer''s presence. Lucifer got up in a flourish and turned to Maze. "Maze dear, why don''t you show the boy around while I entertain our newest guest." I was about the refuse but the look on his face brokered no room for argument. Fuck. I wanted to stay and listen. To learn how the King of Hell knew Vandal Savage. Maze patted my shoulder and addressed me, "Come on kid. I got better shit to do so lets get this done with." I sighed and spared one final look at Tommy, standing beside Savage. Something was going on and I hated not having all the answers. I complied to Maze''s request and followed her out of the room. The way she stalked the hallway in ager however, comforted me that I wasn''t the only one annoyed at being left out. Luckily...I threw a critical look at the sexy Lilim walking infront of me and smiled... maybe I could get my answers to some of the questions that had been bothering me. Maze was probably the closest person to Lucifer. If anyone knew what he was planning for me...then it would definitely be her. (General P.O.V) Vandal''s face was set in stone. Serious. Fully aware of what and who he was was dealing with. His memories took him back to the past, where he had first encountered this being. It was in Nazareth during the crucifixion of Christ, the son of God. Vandal had been chasing a way to gain more power for the eventual clash with Klarion once more. The Lord of Chaos had already been the cause of the sinking of Atlantis and the battle between Babylon and the creature Starro. Two kingdoms¡­no empires, that Vandal had largely built with his own two hands. At this point it was inevitable that the Witch boy, Chaos incarnate would be back. Savage wanted payback. And so he had journeyed from Mesopotamia to Israel, following rumors of the presence of a prophet, the first true one in a while. Others touted him as the son of God and Savage was intrigued. Could this prophet be similar to him and his spawn? Could they have access to strange abilities granted to them through triumph over adversity just like his own rebirth? Or were they the same as the Witch boy, an elemental and fundamental aspect of all that is. Savage had had no idea. Just a hope. A hope that had been ruthlessly destroyed when he came upon the crucified body of the one they called, The Son of god. And Savage had been disheartened and disappointed. "What is the use of your power if you cannot save yourself?" He had muttered blasphemously, standing on a hill overlooking the three crosses. The weather that had been grey, violent and oppressive had instantly stilled for him. Time had stopped on that hill and Vandal had found everything frozen, unmoving. Even the droplets of rain falling down onto the ground had similarly stalled in midair. Savage had briefly thought it was Klarion. But then, the lack of chaos following the action, banished that reasoning. The Witch boy would revel in the death of everyone present first and foremost. Such were his ways. Then Vandal had briefly entertained the thought of it being the man who was crucified. Looking at his awful state however, Vandal understood that even that was incorrect. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! He blinked and beside him, a figure stood gazing down at the proceedings. Vandal had been momentarily shaken to his core by the aura exuded by this¡­being. The being was draped in a white robe that hid his sculpted physique, shining an iridescent light, with two shining, white wings connected to his back. He was hovering an inch above the ground while the wings gently flapped in the air. The wings disappeared into wisps of glowing flakes, leaving behind a shimmer in the air. The godly man gently stepped foot on the ground. Vandal took a few steps backwards, eyes wide at the impossibility of such a perfect being existing. It went contrary to all that nature was. To all that he knew and had seen. He wondered what could have created such perfection. For that is what this new stranger was. Perfect. "Bear witness to this absolute point in human history. The divergence of beliefs. The originality of passive violence. Where men will stop using swords to fight their battles but instead opt for words, lies and deception. Where that which was given freely will be tainted by the selfishness that is inherent in all of you. His precious children. The ones he puts before everything else. Before us. Before...my brothers and...I." The god''s voice, for that is what Vandal thought he was, was unlike anything he had ever heard before. It was enchanting, sad yet fulfilled. Content with his toll. And heavy, very heavy. Vandal briefly wondered what this entity had seen. Was it as much as he had? The rise and fall of humanity. death and life. Hate and love. shifting paradigms that had forced him to understand that nothing ever lasts yet everything was stuck in a cycle. A cycle that demanded humanity to adapt or disappear into the obscurity of the past. Just ruins with no discernible origin and bones with no history. There was no fighting him. No reasoning with him. No convincing him. For the first time, the immortal man, The first metahuman was completely and utterly stumped. "What are you?" Vandal finally found his voice, directing his question to the handsome man. The man had smiled mysteriously, although the action packed any cheerful emotion. Savage could read that at least. A feeling of comfort came upon him. This proved the stranger was not at all alien. They could emote. Meaning Vandal could understand what they were and learn to live with them just as he had adapted to Klarion. "That does not matter. For the sake of this conversation going smoothly however, call me Lucifer." The now named stranger turned his attention fully to stare at Vandal. Vandal gulped yet again. This presence...was overbearing. The light was too much! He took another step back and stopped. Anymore and he would fall off the edge of the cliff. Vandal contemplated, doing so and getting his body broken just to escape this...thing. "You are different from your kind Vandal Savage. Something sets you apart. I can feel how old your soul is. It''s quality. A sum of all your memories, knowledge and reasoning. Valuable." Vandal got the impression that despite the complimentary nature of the statement, Lucifer was disgusted by him. Anger bloomed inside him. Just like Klarion, this figure sought to dominate him as well. To disrespect and disregard him. Typical. "In all the important ways however, you are still the same. Arrogant, prideful, set in your ways, merciless to your own kind despite the bountiful nature of creation. You have lived for so long yet have nothing to show for it. Nothing to show for the greatest GIFT of all. Freedom. Free will. The ability to cast away choices given to you and make your own path. To escape the chains biding the rest. It''s frankly insulting." Lucifer''s face had changed at that. A feeling of melancholy washed over him. Over his face. "I will not ruin this day by unmaking you, human but I promise you this...the next time we meet will be your end." Vandal''s heart had skipped. His mind in disarray as he thought of the unfairness of it all. He remembered the same situation happening 10 millenia ago with Klarion. Rage unlike anything he had ever felt before set his face in a grimace. He hated being a pawn! He would not be a pawn any longer! He turned to address the being and found himself alone in the hill once again. Staring down at the masses as the son of god was dying. That gave him pause. His anger while still burning inside him, gave him the clarity to go over Lucifer''s words. He had said that Vandal had had access to the greatest gift of all. Freedom. Free will. The ability to cast away the given choices and make his own path. To escape the chains biding the rest. The rest like...Klarion. It all made sense now. A revelation had been made to him. The perfect example of that revelation happening infront of his eyes. Despite the son of god possessing untold power, he was bound by fate to his own duty. He wasn''t free. Not really. Despite Klarion having the capability to bring massive destruction and do what he wanted, he was bound to his inherent fundamental alignment, chaos. That would influence his every move. His every action. That meant he was also not free. Not really. And even Lucifer, the way he had spoken to Savage told him that he coveted that same spark of freedom. To exist solely for himself without being bound by anyone or anything. So Vandal stayed on that hill for 100 days, going over every one of Lucifer''s words until he finally understood it all. He had risen up, with a new found power. The power of revelation. All these beings were bound by something. It was all a matter of strategically finding out what it was and exploiting it. Vandal Savage would never be the same again. That brief talk with the second strongest being in all of existence had changed him. More Revelations. (Aden''s P.O.V) Maze led me to one of the guest rooms of the Penthouse. As soon as she opened the door and walked in, I entered the room and gently closed it behind me. The dark skinned beauty turned around and raised an eyebrow. "I don''t know what you think is gonna happen Kid, but I applaud your eagerness. Usually though, I like my men¡­", she paused giving me an once over from top to bottom, "grown." I rolled my eyes and walked to the bed to sit on it. I gestured to the lone chair near the nightstand. Maze simply crossed her hands and looked at me. Ok, here goes. "I wanted to ask you a few questions." I explained. "Please." I added while sighing. Seeing that she wasn''t budging, i decided to change tactics because clearly politeness wasn''t working. Ah! Look at me trying to appeal to a demon''s good nature. "Ok, how about this, I''m sure you''re also curious about me as well, so I propose we trade information." Her face lit up in a little interest. A smile worked it''s way onto my own. "Come on Maze, I''m not asking for a lot here, just a few questions and you can choose to not answer if you don''t want to." She thought it over before finally sighing, "Fuck it. I can spare a few seconds. Better make it quick though Kid." Saying that, she sank into the chair, propping her hand on her cheek and crossing her legs. "The Kid thing is getting old. Call me Aden." I told her, getting annoyed at the way she constantly pushed my buttons. I was going to turn 18 soon anyway, so fuck the Kid thing. "Sure thing¡­Kid." I swallowed the expletives about to come out of my mouth that a kid would never utter and decided to ignore the jab for more important stuff. See, not a child. I can be mature. "I was wondering, how does Lucifer know Vandal Savage?" I started off. Maze shrugged her shoulders while frowning a little. "No clue. You''ll have to ask him that yourself. Though I sense a great deal of blood has been shed by his hands." She added a little lost in thought. "Yeah, I''m not surprised." Maze turned to stare at me with a questioning look. I hurried to explain, "He''s immortal. Savage has had a hand in building most notable ancient civilizations like Babylon. It''s not inconceivable that during wars to conquer lands he''s killed and through 50000 years, that sort of thing adds up." I concluded. Maze looked surprised at that. Her brows furrowed and her hands started idly playing with the daggers she had on her at all times. "That might explain it. Lucifer has rarely left hell before. But on the instances he has, it was during times of great importance in the development of your species. Times when hell would be crowded by very many souls. If what you say about this Vandal Savage is true then they might have met during one of those times." Already, I''d learned more than I thought I could have from Maze. However there was one thing that bothered me. "Hey umm...do you think they are...friends?" It was a dumb question. I felt it the instance I said it and my face started burning from embarrassment. Maze who seemed hell bent on making my life miserable looked at me incredulously and started laughing. I ran a hand down my face, wishing the world would open up and swallow me. To be honest, that question was as valid as any. For starters I knew next to nothing about this Lucifer. He wasn''t anyone I was familiar with, so who knows. I knew his alignment was definitely not good. Just like 99% of all multiversal entities. You simply couldn''t collar them with molarity. The same virtues and vices that apply to humans would not work for them because just as a hurricane is not evil yet destroys, so too are conceptual beings. Understanding them would require processing abilities greater than any super computer humanity could ever create. Thus, I was really scared for the world if it turned out that Luci was Vandal Savage''s pal. They certainly seemed to have history and given the fact that Savage had survived his first encounter with the Fallen Archangel, well...sucks for the world if my fears came true. "Oh...that cracked me up." Maze said while making show of wiping away tears from her eyes. "You didn''t actually answer me. Doesn''t matter how stupid the question is. I need to hear your thoughts on it." I insisted in a serious tone. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "Lucifer doesn''t have ''friends'' at least not in the way you''re thinking of. And even if he did, it certainly wouldn''t be a mortal." She replied. "What do you mean he doesn''t have ''friends''?" Maze sighed and leaned back in her seat. "He''s the devil. The King of Hell. The Big Man''s most beautiful creation. Has been ruling hell for 10 billion years. His position and power is second to only the creator. Anyone who might want to form a close relationship with him can''t because, they are fearful of his power or jealous of it. So no, Lucifer doesn''t have ''friends''. Unless...you count Dream and the rest but those don''t apply in this context." I caught the tail end of the statement but instead of pushing it and learning even more shit than I wanted, I wisely clamped down on my curiosity. There''s a reason they say, ignorance is bliss. At least, Maze had assured me that Vandal Savage would not get an ally in the form of the Frigging devil in his crusade to fight the Justice League. If that happened, I''m finding a way to get the fuck outta dodge. At least the M.C.U''s problems can be solved by simply nuking Thanos from his ship. "My turn." Maze''s voice pulled me from my thoughts and I turned to her, waiting for the question. The Lilim smiled mischievously and leaned forward. My sight fell to her chest portion and I swallowed before my eyes darted back up to her face. Man, that cleavage though. "When are you planning to get a girlfriend?" She teased. Out of all the questions I was expecting...this was not it. I had thought she would ask about the origin of my powers or where I came from. Or how I seemed to know so much but...she had completely thrown me off. "I...I...is that...that''s not important." I was totally stumbling around with my words like an idiot. I thought this thing only happens in the movies. I''m Aden Strong for fucks sake. The Avatar, master of all the elements. I could get any girl I want. I''ll get a girlfriend when I want! I took a deep breath and coughed. "That''s frankly none of your business." I said, keeping my voice even and level. A smirk appeared on Maze''s face. "Aaaw, are you shy? Its alright. I have a couple of my sisters who I think would be open to..." I immediately cut her off, "No. No. No. For all that''s holy and good, let''s go back to your rude and sarcastic self. I can''t bear it if you start acting matchmaker." My words set her off to another laughing fit while I rolled my eyes at her antics. All things considered though, it wasn''t so bad. I noticed that she had a cute laugh. And the way her chest jiggled as she chuckled was sinfully ( simply) pleasant to see. Still a bitch though. "Hey Maze," I spoke up after her peals of laughter died down. "I know the task to capture Cheshire and the other two was a test but it got me thinking. Had Lucifer chose to intervene they would never had stood a chance. So here''s my question, How powerful is the devil?" All cheer escaped from Maze''s face and the vibe in the room completely changed. She leaned back and watched me as if contemplating whether to answer me or not. "Michael The Demiurge has the power to bring creation out of nothing...Lucifer can shape that creation to his own whim. Creation is nothing but putty in his hands. Everything that you see around you...all this is as a result of his will. The deep well that has no ending because it does not have a beginning. Lucifer is creation and his power is unfathomable." I gulped. Shit. I''m definitely dealing with the comic version then. At least in terms of power. Didn''t want to believe it but Maze more or less confirmed it for me. The only being who can actually take him down is his twin brother Michael and if they ever met in the battlefield, all of creation would be at risk. That means this guy has almost unrestricted power in the DC verse. I looked at the wall of the room towards where the living room was. ''And he''s less than 20 meters away from me.'' (General P.O.V) "Well, take a seat then." Lucifer offered Savage. The gruffer looking man narrowed his eyes and complied. There was nothing he could do if this being chose to kill him. Sitting or standing would not make a difference. His eyes made contact with Lucifer''s own and blinked. Since the boy and the woman had walked out, the whole atmosphere in the room had changed. Vandal knew that he probably wouldn''t be walking out of here. That is...if he didn''t have a plan. He allowed himself to spare a glance at the boy standing behind him vigilantly. "Many centuries have gone past yet... you''re still stuck playing puppeteer in the shadows. How Wasteful." The Devil commented softly. Vandal bristled in anger inside but showed no outward reaction on his face. "I have protected and preserved humanity from its own fallacy and stupidity along with external threats from the stars and the mystical side as well. Some of those threats being from your own dimension. I have been their guiding light." Despite the phenomenal control over his emotions, the comment came out defensive and biting. "Yet all I see is failure. The prime example being the boy sitting on a bed, the next room over and on a wider scope, the Justice League. People who are dedicated to stopping you, despite insisting you are humanity''s protector and their light. Is that how you treat someone who protects you? If you truly were their guiding light, they would adore you, love you, worship you or at the very least work with you. Yet all I see opposition." The Lightbringer pointed out while chuckling a little at the irony of the whole situation. Then he went on to say, "Granted, I don''t know a lot about humans from this era. And frankly any little interest I had has been swiftly killed by your presence. So answer me this Vandal Savage. Give me a good reason why I should not unmake you where you stand." Lucifer threatened. Broken Trust (General P.O.V) "All League members present and accounted for." Wonder woman announced to the gathered hall. She had on a serious look. Almost angry, Black Canary noted to herself. Everyone was sitting around the huge Justice League table with the exception of two notable members. Black Canary glanced at the seat next to J''onn and felt a pang of pain stab her on the chest with a red hot spiked metal rebar. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. There wasn''t anything she could personally do. That didn''t stop her from feeling bad for Tornado and Shazam¡­Billy. She still couldn''t believe that Batman had kept the secret of his relative young age from them. Relative meaning incredibly young. A child. It didn''t matter that the boy had powers on par with their strongest members. The battlefield¡­the league was no place for a child. "We convened this meeting to discuss a few matters of great import to the League. For starters, update on the search for Red Tornado, a league member and Maelstrom, a member of the black ops team that was initially under Batman''s purview." Wonder woman''s words had an effect on the rest. It was clear by reading between the lines that something was going on. She took a second to allow the commotion to settle down before continuing, "The other matter is more¡­" Wonder woman paused and threw a surreptitious look at the stoic Dark Knight sitting next to her. "¡­delicate and we''ll get to it, shortly after we''re done discussing about the continued efforts to locate both Red Tornado and Maelstrom." She finished. Batman acted as if he didn''t feel the numerous eye sights locked on him. His hands were placed above the table and he sat in a straighter posture than usual. The tension between him, Wonder woman and Superman could be felt by everyone. Finally, someone''s patience ran out. "I don''t see a point in keeping us in the dark, Diana. It''s clear something is going on among the three of you." It was no wonder that The Flash was the one to speak up first. Batman grunted and got up, casting a wide gaze at everyone around. "We''ll get to that in a bit. First, there is something I would like to propose. The re-induction of Captain Marvel into the Justice League." There was a brief silence before Green Arrow broke it. "You can''t be serious. He can''t be serious right?" Oliver looked around at the rest of the table and saw the same looks of surprise. "That is out of the question. Frankly speaking, I am still offended by the lack of trust you showed by not informing us he was a child in the first place." King Orion, popularly known as Aquaman banged the table with his fist, leaving behind a dent on the titanium metal reinforced furniture. Batman didn''t flinch from the King of Atlantis'' gaze. "It wasn''t my secret to tell. I evaluated that despite his age, Captain Marvel was more than capable of handling himself. As evidenced by the numerous missions he''s been on with the league. He is one of the best among us. And his age should not be a problem. If anything, his unique outlook and innocence is something that the League needs." His explanation was precise and clear. "Do you even hear yourself Batman? The audacity! What you''re asking is unethical and goes against all of our protective instincts. He. Is. A. Child!" Aquaman was fuming. Everyone was silently watching the pair. Batman''s eyes narrowed underneath the mask. "A child who carries the wisdom of Solomon. A child who we''ve all fought beside. If you discount him for his age then shouldn''t the same apply to Superboy who is only a few months old?" "Wisdom does not equal maturity. And despite Superboy''s age, he has shown to be mature enough to match the age he appears to be. " Manhunter spoke up in favor of Aquaman, as most of them were. By most of them, all of them. Batman spared a glance at one of his closest friends. It was clear he didn''t have J''onn''s support in this. Or anyone''s for that matter. He could make note of how they couldn''t see the bigger picture. Hell, he could even tell them of how unprogressive their thinking was. It was only a few centuries ago when women couldn''t be allowed on the battlefield, let alone pursue other avenues and career choices and now¡­the modern world had changed. Things had gotten better and career roles were not as defined by someone''s gender as they used to. Batman could make a lot of fair arguments that the League would have no choice but to listen to. However, Bruce Wayne was a different matter. There had always been a clear separation between both his identities. Bruce was the billionaire playboy and Batman was the symbol of fear and deterrence. But now the circumstances had forced Bruce Wayne to intervene in the life of his other persona. Batman knew why he was advocating for Billy to return. It was guilt and regret. His failure at saving Aden. He thought that if he could at the very least help Billy, maybe those negative emotions would abate a little. His thoughts went back to Aden and he allowed himself to briefly soak in regret and guilt at how everything had turned out. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Batman sighed. An action that had the others surprised. It wasn''t like him to act this¡­ exhausted. It was time to do the right thing. Time to stop himself from completely diving off the cliff. He looked around at the table. At his comrades. Those he had shed blood with. Fought with, to save the world numerous times. They deserved better. "It''s clear where you all stand on this issue. Very well, I respect your decision." Batman started off, his voice was missing the hard edge from before. If anything, he now sounded his usual self. Gruff, straight to the point and sardonic at times. The Flash couldn''t help but feel like something was off, however." "On another unrelated matter, I officially tender my resignation from the Justice League citing some personal issues." Shock was apparent on everyone''s faces. All except for Manhunter, Wonder woman and Superman. These three looked resigned. Everyone knew of Batman''s stubbornness. Wonder woman and Superman had both tried to convince him otherwise but he had refused. "What¡­why? Why would you ever do that, Batman?" Hal Jordan was speechless, as most of them were. "You''re not petty enough to leave just because you didn''t get your way, so what is the real reason for this." Captain Atom added, crossing his hands together on his metallic chest. Black Canary shared a look with Green Arrow. Ollie had been very vocal about Batman hiding things from the League as a whole so it was surprising for Canary to see how right he might have actually been. "Settle down please. Batman has his reasons and it''s only polite we listen without interrupting him." Superman told the rest. Batman cleared his throat and started speaking. "I have broken your trust..." (Aden''s P.O.V) Maze had already left an hour ago and Savage, a little over half of that. Despite wanting to listen in at Lucifer''s talk with the immortal bastard, I knew I wasn''t invited and the devil is hardly someone you can eavesdrop on without him knowing. So I chose to stuck it out and look around my room. It was¡­good, I guess. Not the best to be honest. It lacked that exotic feel of my last one that was constructed inside a frigging cave. I had grown so used to it''s earthy smell, it had taken a while for me to fall asleep in the Elemental Dimension. Well that and also because the ground there was hard and I was effectively sleeping outside but regardless, my earlier point stands. The room wasn''t the best. Unfortunately, I didn''t have a lot of options, so I wore my big boys pants and stopped complaining. Time waits for no one and now that Savage and I had met, I needed all the power I can get to play in the big leagues. To that effect, It was time for some training baby! But first, I maximized the display at the edge of my sight and whistled in appreciation. Just as I had expected, my training points had gone up. Infact they had more than doubled. With this I could finally purchase my first training partner. And this also assured me, my earlier theories about how the training points were awarded was not wrong. Combat situations. Or rather combat situations dependent on a given mission. Training Points - 55 I rose up from the bed and created a portal to the Elemental Dimension. Before I could purchase the Firebender soldier as an opponent, I had to bring over my clothes and other personal effects here. The way the room looked bare annoyed me. I entered the portal. (General P.O.V) A boom tube suddenly appeared inside Lex Luthor''s office at Lex Corp. Mercy who was standing vigilantly beside her boss as he studied something on the lap top screen, tensed a little, preparing to step in incase whoever it was decided to be a problem. "Stand down Mercy, we do not treat our own that way." Lex said, while getting up from his seat. From within the purple boom tube, Vandal Savage stepped out along with Lex''s newest toy. "Vandal." Luthor nodded in greeting, from the way Savage''s jaw was clenched and his fist tightened however, Lex could tell something was wrong. Very wrong. "I suppose the meeting didn''t go as planned?" Luthor stepped closer. "The meeting went as planned. I informed him about our...friends and their plan to conquer the earth once they were done with the galaxy and that The Light is the only form of deterrent capable of using any means to stop the...incursion. This has only bought us enough time to put our countermeasures in place." "Mmmh." Luthor hummed and poured a glance of wine for Savage. Handing him the glass, he made contact with Savage''s eyes. "Then what seems to be the problem?" He questioned the older man. Savage took a sip of his glass before holding up his palm, studying it in the light. "This...body has been rendered mortal. My immortality, taken away as price for crossing paths with him once more." Luthor''s eyes widened minutely. He instantly re evaluated the danger of this entity. For a man of science like him, the existence of the devil was something he had initially struggled to wrap his head around. He had thought the entity a charlatan but now... "Luckily we have a countermeasure for this as well." Luthor spoke up, prompting Savage to turn his attention to him. "Project Rebirth." Fire...Is... (Aden''s P.O.V) I forgot how alien it felt not having access to my air bending while I was in the fire plane. All around, I was surrounded by volcanos, pools of lava and an angry storm that spewed out lightning every second. The ground was as hard as ever and hot, especially to my bare feet. I was only dressed in training pants that I had folded up to my calves. My upper body was in display and a light sheen of sweat covered it. I had only been here for 20 minutes but I was already sweating, despite my physique. I held the horse pose. Hands tucked in near my hips, shoulders tense and straight, legs bent slightly with my toes facing opposite directions, the left leg to the left and the right leg to the right. I was going through the beginner forms of Firebending. Firebending comes from the breath not the muscles, then that breath is turned into energy which extends out from the body, therefore producing¡­flames. At least that was according to Uncle Iroh. Man, I wish I had an Uncle Iroh, most of this shit would be learnt in a week just by following his teachings. As it was, I had to form my own understanding through trial. My clothes were already packed away in my room at Lucifer''s Penthouse as well as stuff like the jewelry bag. That reminds me, I really need to sell it. Luckily, money was not an immediate problem, seeing as I was mooching off the devil. Wonder how he feels by that. He''s probably cool with it. Luci''s a chill dude, all things considered. After completing that task, I decided to start my training in earnest. The past few days had been crazy as fuck and I hadn''t had time to just grind. Hopefully, things had truly settled down and I would get a few uninterrupted days to just do my thing. My belly contracted as I exhaled slowly and heavily. In that same breath, I lifted my right leg, stretched it out and stepped forward. I inhaled and leaned back my upper body before throwing my left hand out to the front, fingers slightly bent to the underside of the knuckles in a palm strike. I exhaled and held the pose. My left hand swept to the right side and I pivoted on my right leg. The left leg alternated with the right, by going to the front while my right hand exploded forward in a swift but powerful fist. Just in time for me to exhale. Hot air escaped my lips as I slightly smiled. That had been¡­ awesome. Fire was¡­ incredible. Like a rush through my veins. It wanted to be used. Was eager to. But therein lies the problem. It was too eager. Without sufficient control it would rebel. Become unfocused and spread out to wherever it wanted to go. That''s why I was only going through the forms without actually manifesting the flames. And it was hard too. I could feel it blazing under my skin¡­ The Firebender forms were similar to Airbender forms in the context of having a real martial art as it''s building blocks. I didn''t know what Martial Art it was, but I could see it in my moves and reference some of the Shaolin monks in YouTube clips I''d seen when I had found out I was the Avatar. Unfortunately, the only copy of martial arts I''d gotten From Red Tornado was Ba ghua Zhang which was closely related to air bending and it felt like too much of a hassle to go and start looking for Firebending''s related martial art just to add more move-sets to the bending. Move sets that I would abandon as soon as I achieved Master level. So I kept up the practice, trying to understand the flow of breath as I danced. Trying to understand what fire was. The Firebenders in the show had traded spiritual synchronization with the element, for power and brutality. They had downgraded this art from a beautiful expression of one''s being to a tool used to destroy. But fire was much more¡­ I spent a week doing nothing but the moves and forms. By the third day, I could even feel I had a spectator. Due to my connection with the Elemental Dimension, I sensed a small dragon watching me while hiding behind a few rocks, studying me in curiosity. That didn''t stop me however. I kept dancing, my body becoming familiar with the moves. I danced until the oppressive heat of the dimension became comforting. I danced until the air above my skin heated up, becoming blurred and forming mirages. At the end of the week I finally understood it. I finally understood the reason I danced. I finally had the answer. Fire¡­Is¡­Life. Those profound words hit me with the force of a 12 wheeler truck. I jumped and spinned in the air. My hands sprayed out to the sides while my feet were aimed at the ground and then, I breathed out. Huge plumes of orange fire escaped all four of my limbs. Stronger flames than I had ever made before. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I understood a little more about control now. No more outbursts of flames as I tried to regulate the flame''s power. There was a strain as I fed more breath, more power into the pillars of flame coming out of my hands and feet though. Although I understood more about the beast of an element that fire is. Channeling that much power through my muscles was steadily becoming more and more painful. For reference, The pillars grew to 50 meters long, while fanning out. The smallest width was 10 meters at the base of where the element escaped my hands and over 30 meters at it''s end. It was exhilarating, invigorating, painful and oh so beautiful. The never ending stream of flames escaping out of my hands became too much when the ground below started heating up and melting into Lava. I took a deep breath and pulled back the energy. Deprived the life aiming to fly away and escape into the air. My feet touched the ground far away from the crater full of Lava where I had stood before. I blinked once then twice in disbelief. I was back to my senses. I looked at my hands in wonder and then at the crater, where boiling hot smoke rose up into the air, from the red hot liquid down below. That was so much destruction and only in the span of a few seconds. My progress with Firebending was faster than Airbending, I obversed. The only explanation I had for that was that I now knew the trick on how to go about bending any of the elements. Understanding them being key, first and foremost then building up my control by not forcing the element to work for me but instead with me. Fire was different though. Control was much more needed than with any other element yet not that recommended. I know, confusing. And that is because the purpose of life...is to live. Ergo fire is alive. Stone cannot move without an earth-bender due to its stubbornness. air cannot be directed without an Airbender because of its freedom and water cannot be contained in one shape without a Waterbender because it''s whole deal is being non-uniform, sporadic or in simpler terms, uneven. Fire on the other hand could grow and spread even without a Firebender. The duality comes into play, where control is both emphasized yet not. You can''t really control something alive. It as it''s own existence. Imposing on that can have adverse effects. Any more conjectures would have to be observed in a spar. A bright smile lit up my face. Oh, I had been waiting for this for a long time. I was just about to press on the tab to purchase a Firebender Soldier as a sparring partner when my belly loudly protested. That''s when I realized I had gone a week without food or water. I looked down at myself and marveled at how shredded I looked. I also couldn''t help but notice that, although I was hungry, I felt like I could go on without food for an even longer while. Was this a concequence of my powerful physique or was my theory about Fire being life, more than just a philosophical ideal to strengthen my understanding of the element? In any case, I resolved to first get something to eat before doing anything else. I spared a look at a few huge rock formations that had luckily escaped destruction and waved my hand at the red dragon youngling watching me while hidden. The small dragon ducked and I found myself chuckling as I teleported out and into Sanctuary. Where''s my Grango!! (Hall of Justice) The team were all gathered in the Library section of the Hall of Justice, waiting for the sudden brief they''d been called in for. Artemis hadn''t seen much of the others over the past few days after the destruction of Mount Justice and Aden''s disappearance. Wally was on a table tennis playing by himself, she had no idea how he''d gotten one into the Hall of Justice. Kaldur and Superboy were off to the corner speaking and Boy Wonder, she looked around and found him pouring over the Hall of Justice''s computer for hidden files. He''d been... acting different these past few days. Distant and distracted even more than everyone else. The only one missing was M''gann and being her ever excitable self, Artemis figured she was off somewhere, exploring the Hall of Justice. Luckily, today the Hall was closed in lieu of some important ''renovations'' being carried out. Or at least that was the excuse given to the public. Still, the past week''s circumstances were not ideal for team cohesion. She still didn''t know what to think of that whole situation. Hurt? Sure. Disappointed? Sure. Betrayed? Sure but that was as long as she understood that they were also to blame. "Hey Artie. How was your week?" M''gann flew down closer to her where she was sitting down on the couch trying to catch up on homework. Surprise surprise, being out every night to fight crime had an adverse affect to her school assignments, who knew. She looked up at the Martian girl and raised an eyebrow at the nick name. "Artie?" She asked, making the other girl blush. Artemis still didn''t get how that was possible. Your face is green dammit! "Uncle J''onn has been telling me to diversify my pop culture knowledge instead of learning everything from Hello Megan." Artemis was even more confused than usual. "Hello Megan?" She questioned, wondering what the bubbly girl was talking about. M''gann''s blush grew stronger and she hurriedly shook her hands and tried to change the subject. "Ne... nevermind! Anyway, you didn''t answer me. How was your..." Her statement was cut off when the door to the room opened and in walked, Superman, Wonder woman, Black Canary and Batman. Along with them were each of the team''s individual mentors. Artemis and the others quickly gathered before the Justice League. The meeting had begun. New Possibilities (General P.O.V) "Due to personal issues, I have decided that I''m unfit to work in a League Capacity as expected from my colleagues and hence, after careful deliberation, have resigned from the Justice League effective as of yesterday at 2100 hrs." Batman announced. He paused to let that information sink in. And sink in it did. Shock, surprise and in the case of one green, red and yellow themed superhero, anger populated the sidekick''s faces. "You''re joking." Wally spoke up first, his words mirroring the disbelief in everyone''s mind. It was a hard concept to wrap their minds around. Batman was after all, one of the big three! Superman, Wonder woman and he were quite literally, the face of the Justice League and now he was resigning. "This feels all too fast¡­" M''gann said while rubbing her hand in sadness. None of it was going to plan! She had thought that after finally joining a team, a family here on earth, things would go well for her. That they would face all obstacles and come out on the other side stronger to show for it. Just like how Megan seemed to solve all her problems in just under 30 minutes of episodic run. Why¡­why couldn''t it go like that? Wonder woman who was behind Batman glanced at her and gave M''gann a comforting nod. She understood her inner turmoil. At least someone did. Miss Martian nodded back. Telling the older woman she would be alright even without using words. "Is this about the Aden issue? Are you getting heat because of how the mission and subsequent actions led to his departure from the team? If so he''s our responsibility Batman. Not yours." Aqualad stepped forward and addressed the Dark Knight. His words made the other leaguers behind Batman share looks with each other. "No it''s not. My desire to leave the Justice League is not because of the events from the past few days. Maelstrom is also a Justice League issue. Not the Team''s. You have done all you can and the standing orders not to engage him still apply." Batman''s commanding tone left no room for discussion. Aqualad looked at the rest and saw the looks of stubbornness mirrored on their faces just like his. "I''m sorry but you are wrong. We''ve thought about it and come to a unanimous decision. Maelstrom was never a Leaguer. We have fought with him, bled with him, laughed with him. He is ours to bring in. And we will do it with or without the Justice League''s help." His response was firm. His words, hard and obstinate. Despite the circumstances, Aquaman felt proud of the man his protege was becoming. Batman and Aqualad locked gazes for a few uncomfortable seconds before the Dark Knight slightly smiled. They were taking charge. Standing up to them. Batman was glad and heartened that the team was in good hands. "Very well. I will leave the finer details for you and the new Overseer to discuss Aqualad." At that juncture, Wonder Woman stepped forward. "Following Batman''s resignation, we have decided that the Team needs a new overseer. Someone who will take over Batman''s responsibilities. And after a lengthy discussion, Captain Atom was chosen to replace him. He will be assigning you missions after The League has carefully vetted them to avoid as many¡­mishaps as we can." Wonder Woman raised her hand to silence the uproar that she knew was coming from Kid Flash and Superboy. "That is not to call your skills and abilities to question. We all feel like¡­it''s been an eventful month. A few relatively harmless missions to ease you into the new state of things is¡­not that bad." She finished gently. "They''re coddling us. Treating us like kids." Connor grumbled quietly. And Artemis had to agree. But¡­she didn''t feel like that was a bad thing. They were kids after all and taken everything that had recently happened, a few missions where things didn''t get derailed to the point where the ramifications would lead to a team member leaving as well as a Leaguer resigning from the Justice League was welcome to her. "Captain Atom will be over later to discuss the details of your new base of operations as well as¡­" Robin couldn''t listen anymore. He got up abruptly and left. Wonder Woman trailed off, staring at the Boy Wonder. Batman placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. He was going to talk to Boy Wonder himself. (Later that same night- Wayne Mansion) The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Bruce twirled the Eskrima sticks in his hands smoothly. The door to the training room opened and Dick, out of his Robin costume walked in. He made contact with Bruce''s eyes and wordlessly walked to the practice weapon rack, getting his own Eskrima sticks. Dick stepped forward onto the sparring mat and stretched his body, taking great care to keep his attention on his mentor, lest an attack came in while he was pre-occupied, he''d learned that the hard way. After completing the action, both Mentor and protege bowed to each other in a show of respect. Then, they straightened up and the bout unofficially begun. From sparring with Bruce all these years, Dick knew he was always at a disadvantage. Bruce was just stronger in every conceivable way. The only thing Dick had working for him was his small size, agility and skills. But to actively use them to his advantage, he was usually the one instigating the first move. To keep Bruce inside his rhythm instead of the other way around. "Before we start, let''s make a deal. If you win, I''ll tell you everything about what you''ve been searching the Bat-computer''s files for." Bruce stopped him before he could lunge forward. That was¡­a good deal. Dick wasn''t immediately happy though, there was always a catch. "And if you win?" He asked his Adopted Father. Bruce looked at him with a hard gaze on his face. "You''ll tell me why you felt the need to not only disrespect your teammates but the League and I for walking out during the briefing." Oh, so this was what it was all about. Despite the seriousness, Dick decided his teenage rebel phase had arrived. He aimed an Eskrima stick at Bruce and smiled like a little shit. "Bring it on, Old Man." (Aden''s P.O.V) After a good long shower under the waterfall, Grangos and roasted Boar meat along with a nap on a DIY hammock, I was ready to face the music. I hadn''t left the Elemental Dimension even once. It was¡­peaceful here. Down on earth everything was just too much. Too convulated and complicated. In comparison, the grind was simple and therapeutic. I knew that soon I wouldn''t keep off from interacting with Lucifer and planning out my next move but first, I wanted to get my firebending to a good enough level that I could protect myself in case things went to shit without overly relying on Airbending. I finished the last of my Grangos and teleported back to the Fire Plane. Instantly, the temperature changed from the cool breeze of the beach on Sanctuary to a blistering heat and heavy smoke filled atmosphere of the Flame Land. Ah, that''s actually not a bad name. Flame Land, I liked it. I shook my head to get rid of the distracting thoughts and brought out the display screen. I clicked on the training points which still read 55 and was taken to a database with four sections. 2 of which were grayed out. The ones that weren''t were the Bendings I had access to. One was of Airbending and contained anyone from Aang''s kid, Bumi who became an Airbender at his old age to Zaheer. The second section was of Firebending and contained only Expert ranked Fire-benders and Masters. Wait. My eyes widened.The list was not as sparse as before. I quickly dismissed that Window and pulled up my main Menu. Right there on the tab depicting my Firebending, something had changed. The rankings were, Beginner or Practitioner whichever you want to call it, Expert, Master and Grand Master. My ranking had changed from Practitioner to Expert all in the cause of one week. It was¡­crazy. Unexpected and totally made sense. For starters, Fire was my favorite bending because of just how cool it was l, so I was super into it and secondly, I had advantages while learning it that I didn''t when I was learning air bending. Firebending (Expert) -Locked. -Locked. So I now only had to unlock a Sub-skill to get my proficiency level to the next stage which is Master. After mastering both the Sub-skills, I would similarly go through an Advancement Trial for Fire to get my bending to Grand Master level. It was a bit confusing because the Ranking didn''t change for Master Level. Unlocking and Mastering one Subskill would elevate me to Master level immediately but even mastering two, I would still be stuck at Master Level without the Advancement Trial. Which brought up another question...what if I tried to master another Subskill before the Advancement Trial? I mean, thinking about it, the Avatar System had only placed the bare minimum requirements for me to go through the Advancement Trial but it is not said anywhere that I was restricted to only two Sub-skills. It would of course be a waste of time to be honest. I couldn''t think of any other Sub-skill of fire that stood out to me for the time being. Maybe Phoenix regeneration? But that was too out of left field. Or was it? I looked around the dimension I was in. There were dragons in it. Dragons had showed the capability of controlling different colored flames in canon. Maybe I was looking at this from a very shallow perspective. The bare bones of an idea were building inside my mind. The path to power is never easy but what I had working for me was creativity. I couldn''t lose that. I couldn''t allow it to be washed away by discounting things as impossible without trying them. I scrolled down the database of opponents. I now had more variety to pick from. There was General Zhao and a plethora of more Firebending masters like Zuko. I would have loved to pick one of them but ultimately my points decided it for me. I needed to see how good I actually was. I clicked on a Firebender soldier and got ready. Lets Negotiate Part 1. (Aden''s P.O.V) Here goes nothing. I clicked on the tab depicting the Firebender soldier. ''Feels like shopping.'' I mused, seeing the sudden drop of my Training Points from 55 to a measly 5. I endured the heartache. Just barely. The display screen disappeared from my vision and a few meters away from me, a white light appeared. I took a step back and settled into a ready stance as the ball of white light coalesced into a humanoid figure. The light disappeared and on it''s previous position, a man was revealed. I ran my eyes over his body. Top to bottom. He was dressed in a standard Fire Nation army uniform with the helmet covering most of his head, although the faceplate with huge eyes was missing. The uniform seemed to be a mix of different eras of the Fire Nation Army. The man was of average height, with an average face and a slightly intimidating aura around him. Comes with being a soldier, I guess. This guy was a veteran. The fight was not going to be easy. He fell into a standard Firebending pose. The same one I knew from the basic Firebending forms I got as a knowledge pack but this emphasized brutal efficiency. I had had to change it a little to fit my body and fighting style better. I mirrored his footing and established eye contact with the blank faced man. A copy of the real one most probably. The air between us got supercharged and on some undetectable signal, we both moved. I stepped the side and allowed the fire ball to pass harmlessly by my left. My opponent shuffled to the right with his hands on his hips and threw another fist forward, followed by a second one from his other hand. The two fireballs were aimed to box me in. I calmly stepped forward and pulled on my own energy. I felt a thin covering of thermal energy spread along my hands. The first fireball was now bearing down upon me. I slapped it out of the way sending it to blast the ground on my left and just wash away upon contact with the unyielding rocky terrain. The I stabbed both of my hands out at the one behind it, spreading them in a circular motion and unraveling it. The flames licked my sides and I barely felt the heat as they disappeared into the air. My opponent on the other hand took the opportunity of me being occupied to pull in closer to my body. His fist was inches away from landing on to my face, when I dodged it and jumped away, assisted by the fire rocketing out of my soles. The Firebender soldier spinned in place, stepped forward and pushed his hands out towards my body suspended in mid air. A torrential wave of flame, glowing yellow rose up to meet me. In response, I raised a hand up to the sky and swiftly brought it down like an axe. The wave of ocean parted upon contact with me and with that I had learned how he fought. Now it was time to go on the offensive. I leaned forward and pushed off the air with a flame burst. My trajectory brought me towards the Firebender soldier. The man was conscious enough of the battlefield that he jumped away before I could land on his body. It didn''t save him though. I slammed onto the ground and a wave of flames rose up from my contact with it. The fire was easily 6 feet long and the eruption beared down on the opponent mercilessly. With a barely audible scream, the Firebender soldier disappeared into white light. Cracks spread out under my my legs along the blackened ground. I smiled, getting up and bowing towards the Firebender soldier. Well, that fight had shown me how a veteran Firebender fought. The soldier''s movements had been stiff and stubborn. Something I would expect from an earth-bender. I sighed looking around, the Fire Nation had really forgotten the essence of Firebending. The fight had been unexpectedly too easy. I don''t think I was going to spar with this type of opponent again. If I must, I should go for the truly skilled Firebenders. The ones who understood the essence of the flame. I brought up my minimized screen and looked at the training points. Still stuck at 5. I''m so poor. Welp, it seems like I now needed lucifer even more. To ensure I didn''t slow down my practice, a few combat missions to earn more points were paramount. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I looked towards a few huge boulders and smiled. My little friend was back. I wanted to approach the little dragon but somehow it didn''t feel like the right time. I had a feeling that it would come to me when it was ready. So I just waved at it''s direction and disappeared out of the Flame Land. A few Grangos to ease my hunger later (bending was kinda energy intensive), I decided to go back to earth. I had been putting off talking to Luci but it couldn''t wait any longer. Time was moving and the Young Justice timeline was still mostly an enigma to me, past the Red Volcano mission. I knew a few things in passing but nothing concrete. For starters, I knew that Wally would die in season 2 but not because of what. I also knew that Speedy would become a Justice League member but that something would happen?...it was confusing. Just half clicked Reddit threads that I had dismissed entirely upon seeing the number of speculations and trolling going on. Ask me about Marvel and I assure you I''ll know shit that isn''t even mainstream. Ask me about DC and outside Batman Beyond, I was a complete novice. It was times like this that I regretted not paying more attention to the DC world. To be fair though, who woulda thunk I would be transmigrated here? Me, the guy who''s always too lost in his own world. The guy who finds it hard to make friends. The guy who has never had a girlfriend. Whose sick joke was it that thought, I would be appropriate as an ambassador? My personality was a complete opposite to that! Anyway, nothing to do about it now. I left sanctuary through a portal and stepped out into...Lucifer''s living room. I looked around strangely as the Portal disappeared "I was aiming for my room." I told him. Lucifer chuckled mysteriously, while also managing to look apologetic. "Sorry, I hijacked your landing. Why don''t you take a seat Aden. We haven''t seen much of each other and I wanted us to have a little chat." He was dressed in a dark silky kimono that covered him to just below his calves. His words made me raise an eyebrow. "You hijacked a dimensional warp gate and redirected it from where it was going to bring me to you?" And that maddening smile is back. I sighed and sank my body on the couch across from him. I groaned a little at the comfortable sensation. Although the grind was sacred, sleeping on a hammock or the ground is really not good for my back. I almost fell asleep just from leaning on the couch. "You sound surprised." My devilish host commented taking a sip of tea. He saw my eyes land on the cup and snapped a finger. A cup of steaming hot chocolate appeared on the table before me. "How did you...you know what? Nevermind. I keep on forgetting who I''m dealing with." I shook my head and took a sip of the hot chocolate, shuddering in appreciation. Thick and smooth just like my mom makes. Oh boy, now I miss her even more. "Ok I''m sorry but I actually gotta ask...how did you make it exactly the way I like it?" "Might be magic." He smirked with a small upturn of his lips. "In other words, you read my mind and found out what I like." I deadpaned. Lucifer chuckled. "I don''t need to read your mind for something as trivial as this." He leaned forward, "To tell you the truth, I can see what you desire when you desire it and how you desire it. Comes with being the all powerful scary devil. Desire came from me after all." Was he talking about those Powerful cosmic entities that presented an aspect of reality. The Endless, I think they were called. Still not a big DC fan guys. That hasn''t changed. Lucifer cocked his head to the side while leaning back. He studied me with something akin to curiosity. "You even know about them. Intriguing. And the answer is no. None of the Endless came from me. That''s preposterous." He waved a hand in dismissal of the notion. Then his serious gaze locked onto me. "That said, I would ask you to explain to me exactly where you come from or how you possess knowledge that should not be known to a mortal. Especially how you seemed to know Maze and I during our first meeting..." My breath hitched. Fuck, what was I expecting? Of course he would know about that. "...but it''s been forever since I didn''t know something. Forever since I have been so... interested. Count yourself lucky, you get to keep your secrets." I gulped and nodded in appreciation. "Umm...thanks." He could have simply taken it all if he wanted to, without asking. It was only much much later that I found out had he attempted to do so, my brain would have become a fighting ground as the Avatar State fended off any attempts to do a deep dive inside my mind. My surface thoughts were laid bare for a skilled enough Telepath like Martian Manhunter to read but not without sufficient effort. However, no matter how strong they were, no one could read my actual memories. No one. The Avatar System was fucking scary. Lets Negotiate Part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) "I think that''s enough of the idle chit-chat. Let''s get down to business." Upon the Devil''s words, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. I sat up straighter on the couch readying myself. It was a talk but it sure felt like a fight. I had to be careful not to let my guard down and get fucked over by whatever agreement we came to. "So, I have something or should I say a few things you need." He started off, I kept my face blank of all emotion and started singing Wellerman in my head to keep him from reading my surface thoughts. It was easier these days as my mind was much more flexible due to the mental lessons, I''d been going through with both Martian Superheroes. I didn''t want Lucifer to know just how desperate I actually was for any information Galiel had left behind. That would shift the odds in his favor and leave me at his mercy. He could ask me to do something incredibly dangerous and I would be inclined to. Lucifer stared at me in amusement. Of course he knew what I was up to but still, any shred of control I had over the situation, however illusionary made me feel at ease. "Yes, you''re right." I confirmed, taking a slow sip of my cup of hot chocolate and savoring it along with my little power play. The Devil patiently waited, staring at me in growing amusement. Now I felt like an idiot. I cleared my throat and moved to elaborate further. "I need any information Galiel left behind. Specifically, his contacts. I believe that he might have stored a digital copy of the files I had somewhere." Lucifer nodded and waved his hand for me to continue. "What else?" He questioned. This next part was what I was most nervous about. To tell you the truth, it was probably dumb, idiotic and ill-advised. "I also need the method he used to create the Meta-trigger essence." Lucifer''s gaze turned sharp at that. I hurried to explain before I set off the bloody Devil. "Just for reference! I know that the methods he used were cruel and inhumane and I''m not looking to follow in his footsteps, Ok?" I took a huge gulp of the chocolate to calm my nerves and gather my thoughts. "That guy sickened me. I hate people who hurt others for their own amusement and the vibe rolling off him told me, he was exactly the kind of person who likes doing that." I explained, somewhat calmer now. Lucifer''s eyes never left my own. Probably searching for deceit or trickery. Not that I could even try to cheat or trick the devil. The guy was known as the ultimate deceiver and although that title was ironic seeing as he never lied, it didn''t change the fact that I was dealing with a being that was over a billion years old. The shit he''s seen? The liars he''s encountered? Nothing could get past him. So the truth was the way to go. "Despite all that however, it doesn''t change the fact that what he did was borderline impossible for anyone else." I leaned forward. "That bastard was able to not only detect the meta-gene inside people but also awaken it and turn them into Meta-humans. I don''t know anyone else who can do that. Not even the light with their almost endless resources. The best thing they can do is make flawed body enhancement serums." I had thought it through some more after my encounter with the league of assassins trio. The fact that Cheshire and her two partners were observing Galiel''s previous base, meant that there was something valuable he had that the Light wanted. Too bad, Lucifer had taken over. Anyway, I could be wrong but something told me that the deceased Demon had been in a sort of partnership with The Light. What the partnership entailed, I had no idea. But my suspicions leaned on it having to do something with the Meta-trigger essence. Maybe a fusion of both it and Kobra-venom to see what the resulting serum would be. Then the devil ruined everything. Poetic justice at it''s finest. "Why?" Lucifer finally asked. His voice was soft with undertones of curiosity. "I find myself quite interested in your motives behind it. You are already so powerful and your potential is up there with the best. So why do you search for power with such fervour?" He wasn''t wrong. The abilities I had, had proved to me time and time again that I could be powerful. Was powerful. Within a few months of my arrival here, I was already strong enough to take on a few of the few Justice League members who had superpowers. If that growth isn''t phenomenal, then what is? And it wouldn''t stop. The grind was eternal. It was a grand dao. I took my time to gather my thoughts before answering. At that point, I had already drained the hot chocolate in the cup I held in my hands. I set the cup down and started talking. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "I realized something. With all my power and strength, I still need someone to watch my back. I can''t account for everything. That''s just impossible." I stared at him to gauge his reaction. "Although I''m loath to admit it, relying on others is a form of strength too. And if I am to achieve what I''ve set out to do, then I need a crew. A strong crew. A crew that won''t hold me back but instead cover my weaknesses. That is what the Meta-trigger essence is for. I need to study it and find a way I can replicate its effects without bringing harm or unwanted side effects to the subject." "Mmmmh." He hummed. "That was honestly very convincing. A mature outlook. One that many before you would have benefited from. Alas, such is human folly." He smirked a little. "To be incredibly shortsighted and arrogant of their own measly power. I commend you for realizing that early. The answer is still a resounding no, I''m afraid." Lucifer mercilessly shot me down. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temple. Ok. I was expecting that. His previous reaction to the thing had been borderline disgust. I almost thought he would have not only erased the Meta-trigger but also anything associated with it. The building, Galiel''s test subjects, even me just for touching it. "I am disappointed. I must have given you too much credit Aden." Huh. He called me by my name. That''s a first. Lucifer rose up from his seat and walked towards the window, looking out at the gentle morning sun. The blinds had already been drawn out before I came in. And after sitting down on the couch, the sun rays had buffeted me gently, easing me into a relaxed state. My eyes followed his back as he stopped before the window, looking out into the city. "There are many ways to get power. Some are not worth the price you pay to acquire them. Galiel''s method includes the use of refining life force from humans and then using that energy to induce an evolutionary process in a subject. However, the ratio is not 1:1. How many of your own species do you think it takes to refine one vial of the disgusting thing?" He spared me a look over the shoulder and asked. I didn''t have an answer but I dreaded his. "I will spare you the number." Saying that, he completely turned to face me. God, anyone else would have looked straight up campy wearing that Kimono but Luci rocked it. So unfair. "See I''m all for free will and following your ambitions. However, take it from someone who''s seen it all, no dream is worth sacrificing hundreds of people for. No matter what it is. It''s not worth it. That guilt and resentment is enough to break a man. Has broken countless men. Tainted souls and reduced them to ugly ugly things. All of whom are suffering down under still." He jokingly added, pointing to the ground. "At least according to where the experts say hell is located." He was right. Losing the Meta-trigger essence was a huge setback because of the opportunity it presented but it wasn''t the only way. Infact, reflecting upon Lucifer''s words about life force, there was another way I could empower those I chose. If that failed, I could go the least intensive way of recruiting already powered individuals instead of creating them. That was the last choice. The downside is I wouldn''t have their gratitude or loyalty from the start. "Alright. I''ll huh... I''ll listen to you. The Meta-trigger essence is off the table." I finally spoke up. Agreeing with his words and realizing just how shortsighted my desire had actually been. Besides, he''d already given me the method. I wouldn''t sacrifice hundreds of people to do so but still...I bet I could trigger someone with a powerful enough source of energy. Whether through magic or something I actually had an easy access to... Energy bending. More thoughts on that later. "So, here''s the deal. If you want the information you''re looking for, you''ll have to do something for me first. Equivalent exchange." The Morningstar declared, pulling me out of my thoughts. The door to the room opened and in walked Maze. She yawned and threw a few folders she had in her hands on the table between us. I raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what was going on. "Ah, Mazikeen, right on time." Lucifer nodded. She waved her hand dismissively and walked to the bar, pouring herself a drink. There were many jokes I could make about it being too early for a drink but...Devil in the vicinity, people. Say what you will, but I don''t think, I''d ever get completely comfortable with Lucifer''s presence. "As I was saying, this is a trade. If you want the copy of all his information then you will have to run a few errands for me " The smile he had on his face sent warning bells ringing inside my head. I reached a hand out to the folder and took a peek. The title on the cover instantly gave me a headache and I groaned. Now I knew why he was so amused. The title read, Aden Strong: Demon Hunter. "You''ll have to hunt down a few of Galiel''s associates and boot them back to where they belong. That folder contains all the information you need, courtesy of Maze." I was ready to refuse. Then and there. Dealing with hell''s denizens was something that was not on my to do list. That was John Constantine''s shtick not mine. But true to his moniker of being a tempter, Lucifer added something I could not say no to. "If you manage to do this successfully, you''ll not only get what you want but I''ll also give you a personal gift." A gift from the Second Strongest being of the DC-verse? Where do I sign up? Unexpected Surprise (Aden''s P.O.V) "What kind of gift?" My curiosity got the better of me and I immediately asked. "Nah huh. And ruin the surprise? Not on your life." He readily shot back. "Not sure that''s how the expression works Lucifer." Maze shouted from the bar. I was a little disappointed but figured I would eventually find out when I completed the tasks he had for me. Speaking of which¡­I started turning the pages and reading through the missions. Then something peculiar happened. "Says the woman getting intoxicated at 8 in the morning. Not sure you''re the voice of reason, love." Lucifer responded but I was too busy gaping st the text box that had appeared before me to pay attention to their little by play. (Conditions have been met!) (Congratulations! Due to the actions of an above 12th level entity, a new system function has been unlocked. You now have access to the Missions functions. You get different rewards depending on the difficulty of the mission. For reference:- Easy - 10 training points. Normal - 20 training points. Hard - 50 training points. Hell - 100 training points/ A New Perk. Nightmare- 200 training points/ 2 new perks/ One unique ability from the Avatar franchise. P.S - Missions can only be issued by others. P.P.S - Due to the Avatar System being predominantly combat oriented, only missions relating in one way or the other to battles can be issued. Rescue and support fall within this category. P.P.P.S - Only one mission can be active at once. The exception being Chain quests, where a number of related objectives can be carried out in a progressive manner. P.P.P.P.S- Some missions might have a time limit. If they expire, you get no rewards. P.P.P.P.P.S- Once in a while, the System might issue it''s own missions to aid the ambassador in better establishing himself.) Whoa. This¡­this was awesome. In a way, I think. There was the very apparent downside to hard capping my points to only five categories based on the effort required to complete a mission. It was efficient and laid out really well but that stole from any fight I found myself in if it wasn''t a mission issued by the system. For instance, if I was in the middle of carrying out a mission and was suddenly attacked, I probably wouldn''t get any rewards if I counterattacked and won. Suddenly, I noticed just how quiet the room had gotten. Looking away from the text box, my eyes found Lucifer''s, which were shining red and boring into me with a burning curiosity and hunger. It was enough to creep me out. The room started feeling hot and suffocating. I tightened my hands into fists and forced myself to remain calm. Subtly, I dismissed the display to the corner of my vision. No one knew about the existence of the system. And if it was up to me, they never would. "Fascinating. I detected a¡­surge. Something hidden even from my own vision. You grow more and more interesting by the minute." I broke contact with his intimidating eyes and looked away. Maze wasn''t any better. She was staring at me in this crazy intensity. As if she wanted to dissect me and find out how I worked. It was maddening and I quickly found myself wishing I was anywhere else but here. Fortunately, the claustrophobic vibe eased up somewhat and Lucifer rubbed his eyes and sighed. "My apologies Aden. I forgot myself and let a little aura leak out." He said, to which I nodded. "Huh¡­no problem. Say would you mind telling your scary sex on two legs of a friend to stop staring at me like a soccer mom looking into a store during black friday?" And of course my coping mechanism when I''m close to panicking is making lame jokes. The devil chuckled briefly. "Don''t worry about her, she''s just shocked that there''s something that can hide from my gaze. I see everything after all. Perks of being¡­how would you put it?" His eyes briefly flashed red. "Fuckin Scary." The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.I gulped and got up from the couch. Ok, this talk is fucking over. I don''t feel comfortable to go through the folder with the Halle Berry look alike watching me like a piece of meat. The less said about his Majesty, the bloody king of Hell, the better. "I''ll go and read through the files to decide which task I should start with." I kept my tone calm and light to hide my nervousness and gathered the folder into my hands. "Thank you for the hot chocolate. You gave me a piece of home, I so desperately needed." I sincerely told him. "Don''t mention it." Luci replied, going back to sipping his own tea from the cup. I absentmindedly noted that the tea never seemed to end. Devil shenanigans. I''m outta here. I passed by Maze and smirked at the looks she was giving me. Like a cat chasing after a laser point. I am soooo messing with her. "I thought you liked your men¡­grown?" I hurried out, leaving behind a growling Lilim and the devil reading a newspaper of all things. All in all just a normal day in my life. I passed through the hallway to my room, my heart pumping loudly in my ears. I could keenly remember where it was despite not staying there for more than one night. I opened the door and closed it behind me. Finally, a modicum of privacy. I could now panic about Lucifer coming close to discovering the system because of my stupidity. Fuck. I need to be more careful than that. The Avatar System was something from beyond the DC verse. Beyond the source wall, beyond Cosmic Superman, the entity that protects DC from well, practically everything. I had no way of knowing how Luci would react to finding out I had something that guaranteed limitless potential right here inside his Father''s pet project. That raised even more questions about me. Like, was I in the book of destiny? Was there a record of what I had done and would do just like every other being in existence in this cluster of the multiverse? Too many questions, not a lot of answers. All that showed me was that I couldn''t stay here for too long. The more we interacted the more I felt like trusting both Maze and Lucifer. And to be honest, I was starting to like them. Sooner or later however, I would let something slip that I shouldn''t and I don''t really know how they would take it. Not to mention, I wanted to be as far away from the angels and demon''s events about to happen soon. The timeline was following the Arrow-verse show canon. Going by Lucifer''s comic power level, the baddies he would soon face would be overpowered as well. I ran a palm through my face and sighed. The problem was that I was trying to control everything. And I couldn''t. No one can except maybe the Devil next Door and he was too much of a ''do-shit-your-own-way'' and ''I''m-superchill'' kinda entity to try that. I was burning myself out by worrying about what-ifs. The best thing I could do at that moment was deal with everything systematically. So I got up from my position and walked to the shower. Not that I was dirty or anything but the cold water helped me to cool my head and think things through. I came to a solution real quick. After a change of clothes, a portal to the Elemental Dimension opened inside my room and I stepped through. If I was worried about Maze or Lucifer finding out about the system then why not just do my thing somewhere that would drastically reduce the chances of that happening? I breathed in the fresh air of Sanctuary and one word came to my thoughts, tranquil. Sooner or later, I was going to build a house here, It would be my vacation spot. The place I came to think when I got tired of the Blue Planet. Earth was too¡­loud, I mused to myself, walking and sitting inside a poorly constructed Cabana. It was thatched from palm leaves, a sheared off wood platform that was my version of a table and the ground was covered with animal hide. It broke my heart to admit I was a poor at construction work. I propped my hands up on the table and read through the folder. 10 minutes later I was cursing Lucifer''s name. This guy really wants me dead. A prompt from the system caught my eye. (Chain Quest initiated.) (Destroy Galiel''s known associates 0/5) First mission:- Famine and drought! A trail of endless hunger. The demon Mnemoth is causing destruction in Africa, a cute little country called Kenya which is roughly the size of Texas. The big bad devil doesn''t like that a certain someone is disparaging his name and running his reputation even more to the ground than it already is. So he has dispatched you, Aden Strong: Demon Hunter to send this Foodie back to hell where he belongs! Objectives- 1. Kill Mnemoth or exorcise him. 2. Do so before he calls for some hellish back up and devours the shit out of you. 3. Do so before he crosses the boundary into Sudan, successfully triggering canon events. Time limit: 24 hours. Mission Difficulty: Hard.) First of all, why is the first mission''s difficulty put on Hard? Secondly how the fuck am I going to get to Africa within 24 hours and still get the time to locate Mnemoth? My boom tube only works for places I''ve been or know pretty well! I sighed loudly and felt like kicking something upon a sudden realization. I''m going to have to ask Lucifer to teleport me there aren''t I? The only other option I have is to ask the Justice League for passage through the Zeta tubes and that is never ever going to happen. I mean, they would probably allow it if I informed them it was a matter of life and death. But I didn''t want to take that chance. So it was back to the Devil again. Oh well, I could use the time left after Killing Mnemoth to actually tour the place. I hear Kenya is a beautiful country. Time to carry out my first demon hunter mission and hope I survive enough to reach 18. My birthday is only a few weeks away after all. Countermeasures Baby (Aden''s P.O.V) This time, I pictured the living room of Lucifer''s Penthouse. I eyed the boom tube ominously and decided to take the plunge. I stepped through and came face to face with Luci calmly watching me, hands clasped together and feet crossed. "We had a bet going on how long it would take you to realize, you had no way of getting to Africa and come back to ask for help." He told me in that amused tone I was starting to hate. I turned my attention to Maze. My eyebrows rose up when the Lilim in question, brought the glass in her hands to her mouth and swallowed the contents in one move. She slammed the glass back on the table and winced. "I lost." She informed me testily, glaring at me as if I was to blame. Explains why she''s still drinking though. "Not the best start if you want to make a good impression on your customers Aden." Lucifer innocently said. I narrowed my eyes. This bastard. Then again, I''m the one who left before reading through the mission first. "I actually thought you were already in Africa with that fancy portal ability. Speaking of which¡­" He continued. "Don''t ask me why I share that ability with Vandal Savage. Please." I cut him off. I didn''t feel ready to divulge the existence of the Elemental Dimension. If ever. Normally I would come up with an excuse or lie but that had zero chance of working on the "Deceiver". "Mmmh. More secrets. Fine I won''t push you, just as long you keep your end of the bargain and provide me with some fun enterta¡­" He coughed lightly. I looked at him in disbelief. "You were totally going to say entertainment, weren''t you? Holy crap, is that why you don''t want to get your ass up and deal with this demon problem by yourself? Because you''re bored?!" I asked him, gaping in surprise. Maze started laughing at the situation. Lucifer opened his mouth to talk and closed it upon the look on my face. "You can''t lie remember? That''s your whole deal." I reminded him while crossing my hands. "I¡­well, it wouldn''t be a lie to say, I find a measure of enjoyment in the absurd circumstances you''ll undoubtedly find yourself in, during your tenure as my¡­underling." My head buzzed and I clutched the frame of the couch tightly. Maze''s laughter increased. "Underling?¡­under¡­ling." I muttered lifelessly. Ouch. "You know what? I''m¡­ going to pretend I didn''t hear that. To me this is at the very least, a partnership. A partnership based on mutual benefits." I didn''t know who I was trying to convince more. Me or them. "Keep telling yourself that kid." Maze responded to my words from her seat. I breathed in and chose to let it go for more important things. The mission had a time limit and every minute I stood here trading barbs and joking with these two, was precious time I could be using to track down Mnemoth, finish my mission and 4 more tasks later, be out of Lucifer''s service. I just thank god, there were no binding contracts to sign or who knows if I''d be bound by a clause hidden in layers and layers of trickery. Lucifer doesn''t lie yes but that just means he found better alternatives to get his way. "Back to the mission. I''m going to need a few things." I told them seriously. The joking mood from before had abated somewhat. Luci motioned for me to continue and I obliged. I sat down and leaned forward, the folder in my hand. "Like you guessed, I need you to teleport me as close to Mnemoth''s last known location as possible." He thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging. "Seeing as this is your first task, I''ll allow it. However, moving forward, you''re on your own. The aim was to make you work for me not the other way around." He responded and I nodded in gratitude. "Thank you." I told him and turned to Maze. "The second thing is¡­I need a weapon. Preferably a long knife or sword. It needs to be durable. Really durable. Something tells me you''re the person to talk to." A slow smile worked it''s way onto Maze''s face. "I change my mind kid, you are fun." (General P.O.V) (A Nondescript Conservation Area, Kenya) Inside a cave covered with green glowing moss, a spectacle was about to unfold. An earthquake big enough to register as dangerous in the Ritcher scale shook the ground surrounding the cave. Some of the lichen covering the walls of the cave as well as pieces of rocks, detached and broke off, falling to the ground and further illuminating the cave. On the farthest end, a section of the cave cracked apart, revealing a sealed off tunnel. Inside the tunnel, a red light started pulsing. (The Watchtower, Temporary base for The Team) You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Aqualad was standing at the end of the Justice League table, while pointing to the holographic visual feed between them. Almost all League members were present barring The green Lanterns who were off world, Martian Manhunter who was... nobody actually knew where he was. Just that he had something he needed to take care of and lastly, Superman who was dealing with the fall out of an earthquake in East Africa. "3 missions this past week. All successfully completed with no unexpected developments." He said, carefully studying the faces of their new overseer and mentors. "Commendable work, Aqualad. You and your team have been exceptional." Captain Atom praised. The stoic Atlantean gave a sharp nod and replied, "Thank you Captain and although your praise is appreciated and welcome. We''re not without grievances." Aquaman sighed. He knew what was coming after hearing Kaldur''s words. "To put it in simpler terms, you''re limiting us. Giving us the safe bet options. Keeping us held up in the Watchtower thinking that the marvel of the trust and consideration you have shown us, will make us more amenable to whatever you want.That''s not going to cut it anymore." No one spoke up to interrupt him because they knew what he said was true. The Flash glanced at Captain Atom and wondered how he was going to handle this. Batman would usually narrow his eyes and tell them in a gruff voice, ''you''re ready when I say you''re ready.'' The speedster mused, finding himself missing the Dark Knight. "Mmmh." Captain Atom hummed in thought and then looked up. "You''re concerned that nothing substantial is being done to find your wayward Teammate." He stated, cutting right into the heart of the matter. Aqualad looked a little unbalanced at that. The Flash swallowed a chuckle. ''Ok, the army dude is sneaky.'' "Trust me when I say, that the League''s numerous resources are being directed to that directive. As soon as anything comes in, the League will keep you abd The Team in the fold son and then YOU can bring him in." Captain Atom concluded, stealing the wind from Aqualad''s sails. It was a move that was so unlike Batman that it worked just as effectively as any of The Dark Knight''s plans. "It''s not..." Aqualad tried to gather himself and failed. Any argument he tried to make would just be seen as a petulant and immature move, further harming his cause of trying to get, more ''serious missions''. Something that The Flash didn''t understand. Things were better when there were zero missions! That was the whole point of the Justice League. To keep the world safe. Serious missions stood in direct opposition to that. Don''t these kids get it? Aqualad stepped back and gave the customary salute to his king and nodded to the rest of the League. "Thank you for your time. I''ll excuse myself." The Flash watched him leave and immediately turned to Captain Atom. "You do know that excuse won''t work next time right?" The silver colored face of his colleague showed confusion at Flash''s words. "Excuse, what do you mean?" Captain Atom questioned. Barry and the others exchanged glances. "Wait. You mean, you will actually allow them access to any Intel we find on the whereabouts of Maelstrom knowing full well they will want to carry out that mission by themselves?" Green Arrow wondered from his seat. Atom took a few seconds to answer but when he did, his voice was calm, firm and brokered no argument. "Yes." ''Well good to see they share some character traits at least. The League just isn''t the same without Bats.'' The Flash thought. "Let''s get on with the meeting. Yesterday, a cache of alien technology was seized from Intergang during a face off with Superman and Batman ..." (Aden''s P.O.V) Finding a Catholic church in the City of Angels actually proved to be a bit difficult, further adding to how different this L.A was to my own. The vibe was the same but most buildings were constructed differently. This wasn''t an alternate timeline to my universe but instead a whole different dimension in a far off multiversal cluster from whichever mundane one my former planet was. After consulting google maps, I found one nearby, just 9 blocks from Lux. The walk there was awkward, and after a while I chose to stick to the rooftops after too many people stared at me like a weirdo. One of them even muttered something about ''fucking campy cosplayers.'' I didn''t blame them though. I had a new look after all. Not that new really. But the trench coat above my Maelstrom costume and the half mask that covered my neck and lower section of my face, made me out to be a completely different person. The Trench coat had a hood that covered my head and obscured a direct sight to my eyes. Why the trench coat? Two reasons. One, to obviously hide my identity. Being seen in my Maelstrom costume would be like a beacon calling the Team or even the Justice League down on my ass. Two, to hide the two long daggers I had strapped on my body. Why the long Knives? And also why the church? Good question, you see while I was having that cold shower, I thought of something. Galiel as a demon had gone down pretty easily due to me catching him off guard. I had no guarantee that Mnemoth on the other hand would also fall just as easy. Considering the fact that the mission itself had been rated as Hard in the mission parameters text box, then things weren''t so clear cut. I could very well be dealing with a demon who was impervious or could nullify my attacks. Before I left, Maze had one piece of advice to tell me, ''Not all demons are the same.'' I took that advice very seriously and the reason I was here was to see if the priest would bless my daggers and if I could get some holy water. Countermeasures baby, anything to make sure I reached 18. Something told me the system had something great planned for my birthday surprise. The Green Part 1 (General P.O.V) (One Week Before) Guy Lisbon was an accomplished archaeologist. A 2007 Archaeologist of the year winner. An expert on Sumerian and Egyptian pre-historic customs, artifacts and had overseen important dig sites that led to the discovery of some of the oldest and well kept relics from when civilization was just a nascent young thing. That was the Guy Lisbon the world knew. The Guy Lisbon who was a renowned scientific genius due to improving the current dating methods through his unique thinking, and discovered enigma forgotten by time by his out of the box approach. But just like any other human, Guy had layers. Guy had a sickness. A genetic curse persistent to the Lisbon family that he had spent his whole life trying to find a cure for and his time was running out. The sickness was a slow mutation that would cause, black scales to sprout and take over his body until in the end he was nothing but a raving creature with a taste for blood. He had seen his father get driven to the same fate and later committed suicide when he had hurt his wife, Guy''s mom. Science couldn''t help him, no matter how many best in the field doctors and specialist he consulted. But roughly a month ago, he had started getting visions. Dreams directing him to this relatively known country in Africa. A place with a magical cave in which inside was a pool that had healing properties. He had no idea where the visions were coming from. Emboldened and after extensive study into all he could get about this mysterious place, he had dedicated his remaining time to following this lead for a way to beat his unknown sickness. And his search had led him here, a nondescript village hidden between two valleys in the outskirts of the Hell''s Gate national park in Kenya. But that was when everything went wrong. They had trekked for 10 miles across the rocky terrain of the Northern part of the country. And when night had fallen, they had pitched tents in the woods, a fire burning bright between them. Guy had listened in skeptical interest as his guides, two locals spoke of the ''majini'', the close approximation being demons that made the forest their homes. The rest had not believed them. Had even laughed at them. Guy wished they''d listened and hightailed the fuck out of there. However, during the night, they''d been attacked by something that defied all logic. A monster. His men¡­all lay dead behind in the woods. Getting here had not been easy. Guy closed his eyes and winced while remembering the screams. The darkness encroaching closer and closer to him just like Freddie and Shanon, his friends and the mercenaries he had hired to accompany him in this expedition. He tightened his fists. If his saviours had only been a few seconds later¡­he would have been devoured as well. But luckily, these¡­ people had arrived, chanting in an unrecognizable language, with green energy glowing from their eyes and tattoos. A green fire had sprouted between Guy and the Creature, whatever it was. The villagers had saved him. The last thing Guy had seen was the Village Chief standing before him. Then he''d awoken in a hut, lying down on a mat with traditionally dressed people staring at him. Guy looked at his hand in panic, tightly garbed in a grey clothing that did nothing to hide the the black disfigured skin. His sickness. And it had now spread to his elbow. Dammit. Then he remembered all that had happened and his mood plummeted further down. All this was his fault¡­it was all his fault. He had to make it right. Somehow. Speaking of which¡­he looked up at the faces of the village Chieftain and elders. "Tunahatarisha maisha ya wenzetu kumkubali huyu¡­mzungu hapa!" ( We are putting the lives of our people in danger by accepting this white man here!) One of the elders said heatedly. Guy didn''t need to understand what he was saying to know that he was not welcome here. Fortunately he could understand Swahili. "Angalia mkono wake. Ata yeye akona Mashetani!" (Look at his hand, he carries demons with him!). Another village elder, dressed in animal skin just like the rest of them spoke up while pointing a finger towards him. The middle-aged archaeologist sat up, propping his back on the walls of the hut. Normally, Guy would be perfect for this. His sweet words and great sense of the African culture would grant him a modicum of hospitality from his hosts. However, he didn''t have time for that now. So he solidly looked at the Chieftain, the only one dressed in a ceremonial headdress designed from bones and animal feathers. Stolen story; please report. "Huyo alikuwa mnyama wa aina gani?" ( What sort of animal was that?) The Village Chief looked at him grimly. (Aden''s P.O.V) So the old priest had looked at me strangely when after I''d requested for holy water and gotten it, I''d shamelessly asked him to bless my daggers too. No amount of ''Its for a holy purpose, Father'' had worked. So I cut my losses and left, mulling over the words he''d told me, ''Go forth with the Lord, my son. Whatever is troubling you, I pray he delivers his divine wisdom to light your path.'' Oh and he''d also added, ''Don''t kill anyone.'' Like¡­did I look that much like a serial killer?! I was only dressed in a trench coat with two daggers strapped on my body for chrissa¡­oh¡­makes sense why he would say that. I made my way to an alley and after making sure that no one was around through my aerokinetic sense, I put a hand in my pocket and came out with a coin. A coin that had the number 666 imprinted on one side and the face of the devil with two horns on the other. Real original. This was a one time use teleportation item. Courtesy of the devil and his companion. I did as they had instructed me and held the coin tight in my hand, picturing where I wanted to go, with closed eyes. A second later, I felt my body suddenly get tugged somewhere. Opening my eyes, I found myself at least 50 meters in mid air, falling down towards a settlement surrounded by a forest from all sides. The surprise was so real, I didn''t have time to slow myself down and slammed onto the ground. I secretly cheered after sticking the superhero landing. Take that, Iron man. A wave of my hand and the dust that had rose up due to my landing was swept away, revealing the faces of scared women and kids hiding behind or close to the huts, all warily watching me. I raised up my hands and some of them flinched, making me feel bad for spooking them in the first place "So sorry guys. I''m¡­" A young guy came running from inside the huge hut in the middle of the village. One look at me and he snarled in hostility. He was dressed in a an animal skin skirt? With tattoos running up his arms, like Aqualad and built even more solidly than Superboy. "Stranger! You are not welcome here!" He told me while a dozen warriors in spears came from behind him. "Leave or face the wrath of He Who Illuminates the Garden." Ok, wahat? "Really sorry. This is a misunderstanding. I come in peace¡­" My words trailed off when he stepped forward and slammed his hands onto the ground. Instantly, my senses registered a unique energy that was teeming with life essence surround his form. A huge vine broke through the ground next to me and slammed down onto my position. I jumped away and watched as it smashed the earth in with a loud sound and left cracks. Dust rose up and a rumble spread out through the whole area as more vines and tree roots broke through the soil. "Ok¡­I wasn''t expecting that." The daggers appeared in my hands. (General P.O.V) Maze poured Lucifer a drink as he stared off into space. She took the glass off the table and handed it to him. "You didn''t lie to him but you didn''t tell him everything either." She told him. Lucifer waved a hand and the air before them shimmered before coalescing into a mirror, showing a clip of Aden fighting against vines. "Shamans mmhm? Didn''t think there were any more left on this earth." Maze hummed while taking a sip. "In many earths." Lucifer added. "About that¡­we could have literally gone to any other universe. Earth 666 was the initial plan infact. You know, keeping up with the whole symbolism thing but nooo, last minute and you decide to bring us here, earth 16." Maze told him with a smirk. "I don''t see you complaining, love. Admit it, you love it here." Lucifer shot back while enjoying his drink. Maze turned her eyes to the screen and smiled. "The boy is interesting." Lucifer nodded. "That he is." Maze frowned in thought. "But he doesn''t know what he''s about to face. You kept it vague enough to¡­" Lucifer finished off her sentence "¡­Keep him interested while still sufficiently cautious. It will be a real challenge for him but no worries, He will come out on top Maze. He is¡­special. Very special indeed." Maze brought a hand to her chest with a grimace. Her heart beat faster. Her emotions were all over the place¡­she was¡­worried. She was worried for Aden. The Lilim took a deep breath and resolved to wait. There wasn''t a need to intervene. This was the boy''s trial. "Let''s get this show on the road." Lucifer snapped a finger and a bowl of popcorn appeared on the table, replacing the vase of ambient roses, she had gone to the trouble of ordering. Maze stared at her boss in intimidation and very slowly, she reached out a hand and grabbed a handful of popcorn. Lucifer tried to ignore the death stare bit sighed and snapped his fingers again. The books lying on the corner of the table burst into light and in their place, the same flower vase from before appeared. "We good?" He wondered out loud. "We good." Maze nodded, happy the death stare worked just as usual. The Green Part 2 (General P.O.V) A conversation was going on in the penthouse. Lucifer''s to be exact. "He''s going to be much stronger." Maze commented. "You do know that right? And this times he''s going to be prepared. Aden might even lose." She further added. Lucifer rolled his eyes at the Lilim. "Maze we''ve been over this already. The boy needs this. Your incessant words of concern are not going to change my mind." The Devil told her firmly. A smile crossed his face. "Besides, he needs his own¡­what do the humans call it, Rogue''s gallery. It''s a custom in the cape business." Lucifer fully turned to stare at her incredulously, "I don''t think I''ve ever seen you worried about anyone else before, love. It''s¡­he grimaced trying to come up with a word, "¡­ disconcerting. Oddly endearing too but mostly disconcerting." Maze crossed her hands in annoyance. "I''m merely worried about my daggers. They''re precious after all. Not that you''d appreciate the workmanship done on them." She grumbled as Lucifer laughed. Meanwhile the subject of their talk was doing his best to avoid getting skewered by roots. (Aden''s P.O.V) "Could you stop attacking me for one second! I''m not here¡­For fuck''s sake." My words were cut off when another vine swiped at me. I brandished my daggers while side stepping the huge ass vine. The damn thing was easily 1 meter thick and long. And it wasn''t the only one or even the largest. I blocked it with my palm, firmly grasped it and pulled. The ground below me trembled as the whole thing broke at the base before I could pull it out completely. Thorns grew out of its length and tried to pierce me only to fail. I threw the whole thing to the side with a sigh. This was dumb. The dude wasn''t even letting me talk! I couldn''t use any of my flame attacks because of the close proximity to the huts and the villagers who were watching the altercation instead of running far away from the fight. Guess dumb civilians with a death wish are a common staple everywhere. I had resolved not to use Airbending but it was fast becoming the only quick solution to this. I could blitz towards him at high speed, (I doubt any of his attacks could actually hurt me) and before he knows it quickly send him to dreamland through a love tap to the head. But that carried the risk of hurting him badly. Black Canary had always warned us to avoid using those types of moves if there was an alternative. Damnit, guess that leaves Airbending. Oh well, just this one time. One of the daggers twirled in my hands, a minute draft getting produced by the action, while another vine slammed down on me. I sliced it apart like a Sushi chef, my hands dancing in the air with scary precision. Once Airbending came into play, this shit became too easy, especially given that I could sense the vibrations in the air as the vines shot towards me. The guy swiped his hands out and the tattoos running up his arms glowed green even more. He stomped his left leg to the front and slammed his palms together, a grimace on his dark face. The energy I was feeling before, started pulsing in intensity, showing just how much power he was putting in this. The next attack was more exaggerated than effective. The ground started sprouting vines shaped like thorns. Sharp pointy thorns. I flew up and surveyed the scene. I was now close to the tree line. I shook my head at this guy''s impulsiveness. His attack had even taken out some of the huts closest to me. Luckily no one was injured. The same bland attacks came at me. This time the vines rose up like a tidal wave from my front. Like a hundred Anacondas rising up to meet me, the vines sought to not only smack me out of the sky but to pierce through me like a pin cushion. I could fly even higher but the trees at my back extended their branches to box me in. Ok, gotta give some credit, that was a good strategy. The look on his face was smug satisfaction. That pissed me off. Oh oh, you have no idea who you''re messing with man. I leaned forward, a sheath of wind springing up to cover the blade, enhancing it''s already fearsome sharpness even further and then I slashed out. One of the reasons I was wary to use my aerokinetic abilities, was how the air itself seemed to get excited around me. That led to even my smallest of attacks getting blown out of proportion. A violent wind sprang up from my move, a keening sound wave following my intent, not only slicing the attack headed to me into little pieces but shredding and grinding those little pieces to dust. The vines disintegrated, the ground below was littered with cracks as the soil was unearthed. My eyes widened and I reigned in the air before I could kill everyone in the vicinity. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The massive winds of death were successfully contained. Luckily, the air was always ready to do my bidding. I released it into a gentle breeze that sent away all the dust hanging in the air and clouding the place. 3 huts were down. The thatched roof and wooden walls were just debris scattered about the battlefield. I looked around at the devastation and sighed in helplessness. I love fighting just like any other power obsessed maniac but destroying property has always left a bad taste inside my mouth. The occasional pyromaniac induced burn it all down aside, this was just wasteful. I heard coughing just as I stepped down onto the ground. The warriors from earlier who had been carrying spears and shields dragged themselves up from their strewn about positions warily. Looks of shock were apparent on their faces after my little show of power. They flinched when I raised my dagger, thinking I was about to attack. I made no sudden movements and slowly sheathed the blade inside my coat then raised my hands up to pacify them. "Please, can we just talk now? I have no ill intent towards you people. I am here to hunt a demon." For added measure, I removed the hood, covering most of my upper face and a collective gasp went through the warriors. Murmurs rose up and if anything the hostility gave way to confusion. One of the thatched roofs from the destroyed huts was violently hurled away, and the angry vine guy stood up, holding his hand close to his body. A trail of blood was running down from his bicep where a spike was stuck inside. Some of the warriors ran to his side but he shrugged them off, his eyesight never leaving mine. A hard look crossed my face as I prepared to suck the air out of him Incase he attacked me again. "Careful buddy, this time I''m not going to show you mercy." I warned him as he stepped closer, the grimace on his face showing both the pain he was under and the anger boiling underneath his face. What was this guy''s problem? I mean, I understand asking somebody to leave but he almost seemed murderous. As if he was just using that excuse to take revenge for something. The familiar green glow that I was quickly starting to form a theory about, manifested in his skin. "Look around you fool...this fight is hurting your people more than it is me." I implored. The warriors were now exchanging worried looks and some were talking to him, saying something along the lines of '' Wachana naye Mkuu wangu.'' (Please stop it my lord.) Before he could attack me again, an angry voice sounded out in the same language. "Unaifanya nini! Nini inaendelea hapa?! Masali Wacha hii mambo!" (What are you doing! What is going on here?! Masali stop this now!) Upon the name drop, everyone turned as a collective to stare at an elder gentlemen dressed in the same garb as the warriors. The only difference was how the same tattoos inscribed on the Vine guy I was now sure was named Masali, seemed to cover his whole body. Masali looked back at the older gentleman and blinked in surprise and guilt. "Mjomba..." (Uncle) I breathed out a sigh and relaxed a little. Looks like the fight was over. For now at least. Gosh, Lucifer is right, I suck at first impressions. The pair of Masali and the older gentleman got into a heated argument and the younger of the two seemed to deflate in himself as he lost. Masali threw me a disgusted look and stomped away, most of the warriors followed him and it was then I noticed how almost all of them were around Masali''s age if not younger, which meant around mine. That''s... unusual. I was pulled out of my musings by the older man who walked over to stand before me. He studied me for a few seconds which unnerved me more than I cared to admit. His eyes had a green glow that just seemed to see right through me. "Stranger, I apologize for my nephew''s brashness. These are troubling times you found my village in. Who are you?" I raised an eyebrow. The old man could speak English! It was heavily accented but still...a welcome surprise. "My name is Maelstrom. I mean no harm to your village. And I apologize for all the destruction my fight with your nephew caused." I bowed my head a little, as a sign of respect. "Are you the Leader?" The man hummed and closed his eyes a little. "I am not. The Village Chief is or rather was my brother...he has been missing along with most of our veteran warriors and a...white man for a week now." He stopped to gauge my reaction. I don''t know what he was expecting because although that particular news was interesting...I had no context to judge it from. "I''m sorry for that, but I''m not sure I understand." I replied. "So you were not together? Mmh... most curious. Follow me." He told me and abruptly turned to leave. I stepped up to follow behind him closely. We passed by more huts and villagers, all of whom looked at me warily. "I am the High Shaman of He Who Illuminates The Garden." He explained. "I''m sorry, what?" I didn''t really understand what he was talking about. The guy was suffering from the being cryptic desease. We diverged off the track towards a bigger hut set in the middle of the village and instead took one that went in between trees. A low hanging mist covered that direction and looked... ominous. "Tell me champion of The White. What is it you seek?" He enquired taking calm and measured steps towards the mist. "The White? What is that? I know about the green but what is the white?" He suddenly stopped and rounded up to stare at me. A look of surprise on his face. "You are not aware of where you draw your strength from? Interesting." He brought a hand to his chin and caressed it. A smile showing a surprisingly white set of teeth appeared on his face. "We have much to talk about." The look on his face told me I was about to get hit with some deep revelations. Dammit, this was supposed to be a fight with a demon. A simple affair. The Green Final Part. (Aden''s P.O.V) After the old Shaman said that, he turned and continued walking forward. I paused a little in place while mulling over his yet again cryptic words. His form grew hazy as the mist obscured my sight. Despite possessing enhanced senses, my eyesight could only clearly see a few meters ahead of me. That fact was further compounded by the fading evening sunset as well. That said, this mist was anything but natural. It would have been a simple matter to get rid of it through aero-kinesis but it almost felt¡­wrong. This whole place gave me a sacred vibe. Let''s not risk upsetting some gods. "Are you coming?" The Shaman asked from my front, his voice colored by amusement. Seeing no other choice, I shrugged and followed. My steps were also soft and measured. I was careful, unsure of what to expect next but ready for anything. The previous incident had shown me that these people were powerful and I had no idea if the Shaman was leading me to a trap or not. The mist started retracting slightly giving way to a green glow that lined up the path. The soil beneath me became even softer and wetter. Showing me that a source of water was nearby. I kept my eyes trained on the back of the elder Shaman and when he stopped, I quickly stepped forward to see what he was looking at. The mist suddenly pulled away from my vision and I gasped, coming to a stop right next to the aged Shaman. The moonlight was gently sending rays of light down on a beautiful garden. There was a circular open space that extended 20 meters from a massive tree in the middle of the garden to the tree line. A pool of glowing water which looked serene was before the tree, a small wooden bridge, clearly man made but very old seeing as vines had crept all along the structure, provided the way to cross over to the other side. Between the pool and the huge tree was a simple shrine with a statue of the same exact tree standing before an altar. "What the actual¡­fuck¡­" I muttered in shock. The energy inside this space was¡­ tremendous. It buzzed across my skin like a current, leaving me with goosebumps. I threw a glance at my tour guide who merely smiled while swiping a hand out to the whole area. "Welcome to the shrine of He Who Illuminates The Garden." (General P.O.V) "You''re being irrational." Two men sat at a table in Metropolis. A fairly popular pie shop, located near the docks called, Freddie''s Pie and Pizzeria Palace. A mouthful but damn if they didn''t make the best damn pie in Metropolis, Bruce Wayne mused, stabbing into a piece of the pie with a fork. "Are you even listening Bruce?" Clark Kent asked the billionaire playboy philanthropist. The former removed his glasses, a rare action when he wasn''t in his other persona and rubbed his eyes. The action got a raised eyebrow from the elite Gothamite. Clark sighed and wore his glasses once more. "I''m worried about you. It''s not the same anymore without your presence. And you''ve also been acting¡­" "I''m fine, Clark. There''s no need to worry about me. Just tell me if you got what I asked." Bruce was quick to interject. Instead of answering, the veteran journalist looked around at the restaurant. "I understand the need to meet here at Freddie''s. The pie is to die for after all, but Bruce¡­you do know that you''re always welcome. If not up there, then Lois and I would be happy if you could come for dinner sometime." Bruce narrowed his eyes at Clark. "You''re stalling." He told him, making the other man smile wryly. "Sorry, had to try." Clark reached into his briefcase and came out with a flash drive along with a folder containing a few pictures and documents. "All the images and information I took are in there. I was surprised when you called me during the rescue mission for a favor. So why the sudden interest Bruce? The location is near the border between Ethiopia and Kenya and while both countries have a peaceful relationship, they get anxious whenever a third party is spotted near the boundary. Especially considering the ongoing tensions between Kenya and Somalia. I flew above the location, trying to spot anything through a wide range of vision and came up with nothing." Clark''s tone changed to a serious one. Bruce opened the folder and started going through the pictures. A look of concentration on his face. The images showed a perfect valley, free of any local settlements for miles. So how and where would they have disappeared to¡­ could magic be involved? That was one of the only ways someone could hide from Superman''s vision. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere."¡­ruce¡­Bruce!" Clark added more forcefully, pulling the Wayne out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw Clark''s look of concern increase. "I didn''t want to say this but the dark circles around your eyes¡­You haven''t been getting enough sleep, have you?" Clark questioned. "I am fine." Bruce replied with a hard tone turning his attention back to the folder. Clark knew a lost cause when he saw one. He wasn''t going to get through to him, so he decided to speak to Alfred later and get him to stop Bruce from pushing himself too much. But that didn''t mean Clark was giving up, A huge hand belonging to the Journalist was laid above the files, stopping Bruce from perusing through any further. "Tell me what is going on. I have been more than patient with you Bruce. What are you looking for?" He refused to budge. Bruce looked him in the eyes and saw the Kent family stubbornness reflected there. A small smile worked it''s way onto his face. "Fine." In response Clark smiled and leaned back, crossing his hands and waiting for the billionaire to talk. "Guy Lisbon, world renowned archaeologist, a friend of mine¡­" (Aden''s P.O.V) It was peaceful. I breathed in and out. My chest filling with clean air, that was full of green life energy. We were seated, cross legged before the altar of He Who Illuminates The Garden. Which was the title of the tree standing tall, over us. The evening had given way to the darkness of the night. But even that, just added more beauty to the shrine and surrounding vegetation. The pool glowed and pinpricks of light shimmered on The Tree above us, like miniature stars captured and stored in the leaves. "Champion of The White, feel the deep calling of that which connects the whole planet. An interrelation that transcends all understanding. Feel it. Feel it and maybe you''ll understand your own link with the Parliament that grants you strength." I did as he asked, using my unique energy sense to dive in... exploring the bonds, the interconnections, the associations. The Tree was alive. As was every plant. My energy sense spread across Africa, travelling through green circuit lines, through the roots, branches, vines and leaves. I felt a deep pulse of the same green energy, a beacon from Louisiana back in the US before even that was drowned out by the entirety of it all. And It was a thrilling revelation that left me gasping at the beauty of what I had seen. Hidden from the common man''s eyesight. "Life Comes In Many Forms...Young Elemental." I felt the words, undecipherable to my ears yet the impact they left inside my spirit was undeniable and understandable. I wasn''t dealing with a mere god or entity. I was dealing with the spirit of all that the green was. It was overwhelming and I felt that if I was anyone else, my mind would have been reduced to nothing. "When you''re ready." My mind was catapulted back to the open space and I instantly felt blind. I grimaced and hugged myself, suddenly shivering. My emotions were all over the place. What...what was wrong with me? "Hahaha. Don''t worry about it. Some of the initiates even cry their first time upon connection with the hub. You get a simple glimpse and that glimpse stays with you for the rest of your life. Just take a few deep breaths and everything will be okay." I did as the Shaman instructed and took a few minutes to calm myself, going over everything I had seen. It was clear to see that my powers had been influenced by certain DC elements. This White in particular...I had a theory on what it was but fortunately there wasn''t a need to stress myself out when I had someone who could answer any questions I had. When I did relax, I figured it was time to start off with a question that had been bugging me. "What is your name?" I softly asked. "Mmmh" He hummed, taking a drag from a pipe that he had lit up amid my trippy ride across the network of vegetation. "I had a name once...I had a life outside this village. That is how I came to learn your language after all. But that was a long time ago. These days, I am called The High Shaman, and that is the name I''ll take to the eventual Communion." He explained in that cryptic way I was starting to associate with all old people. "Communion? You mean death?" I asked. In response the old man laughed. "Death? We do not die...we simply live on as a part of the whole. A different form. Look up," he instructed, pointing towards the pinpricks of light shining above us in the leaves of The Tree. "My ancestors watch over me and this land. He Who Illuminates The Garden is the collective consciousness of all of them. Chosen champions of the green tasked with protecting and safeguarding The Garden...the earth and more." His words brought about even more questions, questions I traded for more relevant ones. "What is the White?" The Shaman took a drag of his pipe and let out the smoke. It twirled in the air smoothly, floating up in a long winding line. He leaned forward and stared at me in deep concetration. "That...is not something I can tell you. You will have to find it out for yourself." Motherf... Prelude To The Hunt. (Aden''s P.O.V) The old man was stubborn, I''ll give you that. All I needed was confirmation. Just that. Following fictional comic book world settings, it was obvious to anyone that the White was the elemental force governing air, and maybe other various gases and airborne agents? Which meant for all my elements, there was a likely scenario that compatible parliaments existed. I could even see its influence in my air bending. As stated before, upon reaching Grandmastery, everything had just become easier to control, aerokinetic wise. Maybe that was the influence of the White in part with my own understanding of air bending? Who knows? What I knew however was that, any theories I had would have to be tested further at a later time because¡­I had a mission to complete. I looked at the countdown to the mission displayed on my upper vision. 5 hours had already gone by and I had 19 more left to kill Mnemoth. I internally shook my head. Even without my former team, none of my missions ever seemed to go according to plan. No point in stressing about it though. There was nothing I could do to change things and the good thing about all of it was that the harder shit got, the better, stronger and more experienced I would too. So I smiled and looked at the aged Shaman. "Fine. Keep your secrets. I like surprises anyway." He matched my smile and nodded. "Good. It is wise to learn patience when you''re young. A valuable lesson someone like you should take seriously. Especially since you have a very important role to play in all of this." I raised an eyebrow. "More cryptic statements old man? Trying to see if I''ll rise to the bait?" I asked him, already seeing through his act. The Shaman laughed. "No, nothing like that. I am being serious." He stopped and studied me in interest. "I have never seen anyone blessed by the World like you. The power radiating off your body and spirit¡­is awe-inspiring." I shook my head, feeling uncomfortable. What he was obviously perceiving was the elemental energy that the system processed for me to power my abilities. I wasn''t a traditional Avatar and sometimes while that had it''s own advantages, I had this¡­worry that I was losing out on the true essence of what truly made the Avatar, the Avatar. It was a fear, I always carried. What if one day, I lost the system? What if it found me unworthy and chose another replacement? What if I lost all my abilities? It was why I had been so obsessed with becoming a Metahuman before. A desire that had lessened over time but it was good to know I had options. "You''re weighed down by worries." The aged Shaman took another drag of his pipe and commented. I stared at him in surprise. Was I that easy to read? "Fear makes life worth living. It''s the catalyst, a tempering platform to forge your spirit into something fierce. So use it as a tool just like any but don''t let it overwhelm you." I was speechless for a few seconds. That¡­those words had hit deep. It had been long since someone had been so understanding with me. Lucifer and Maze were a different story because like it or not, our relationship was backed by mutual benefits. Plus theirs was a more tough love kind of thing. This guy didn''t share the same connection with me yet he tried to leave me with a valuable life lesson. I inclined my head in a nod. "Thank you. I won''t forget that." He hummed. "See that you don''t. Now tell me something, young man. What is it you seek?" He questioned, changing the subject of the conversation. Finally. "I am here on a hunt. A hunt for a demon called Mnemoth." His eyes widened a little upon my statement. A strange look crossed his face. "I...see. Everything makes a lot more sense now. Come, I have something I need to show you." He rose up, stretched his muscles and walked towards the bridge. I followed him. I looked over my shoulder at the huge tree we were leaving behind and once more marveled at the feeling it gave off. We crossed the bridge and I looked down at the glowing pond in curiosity. "There''s something different about this pool of water. What is it?" The Shaman was silent for a while before he finally answered. "That pool of water is known as the Waters of Rebirth (Maji ya Uzima) in Swahili and (Rujii Lwa Utharimo) in our true native language." This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Ok. Now I''m interested. "What does it do?" I wondered out loud. "Exactly what it says. Just remember, nothing ever comes free. There is always a price." He his words took on an ominous note. Normally he''d be right. However, my adaptable physique ensured that I remained the chocolate piece of hotness that I was, barring extreme conditions and stimuli. Things that were only actively meant to truly hurt me. If I could get just a single droplet into my Elemental Dimension, replicating it would have been possible and i would have the equivalent of magic water that did... something about rebirth? Maybe total healing no matter how hurt or injured someone was? Or true rebirth upon death? Like a maxed out Lazarus pit...oh shit what if this thing was just a Lazarus pit with make up on? Even if it was, I wasn''t going to pass up the opportunity to get a sample. The Shaman and I managed to pass through the misty boulevard leading to the Garden shrine and I hurried to keep up pace with him. We came upon the village and I saw a massive bonfire at the middle of the village, near the huge hut. A lot of the village women and children were seated there. They bowed in respect at The Shaman as we passed and threw looks of hatred and a slew of more negative emotions my way. Something had happened here. It wasn''t normal for everyone to hold such distaste for outsiders like this. "Why do the villagers look two seconds away from grabbing pitchforks and torches to lynch me?" I questioned my guide. "I''ll explain later. For now, keep quiet and follow me." He replied. Like that we left the village and came upon the boundaries of the settlement. There were four lookout towers, positioned in a box like formation along the edges of the village, each looking at one cardinal direction. 2 guards were on the one we passed by. They nodded at the Shaman respectfully and paid no heed to me. "Those towers had remained unused up until now." He said in a sad tone. I didn''t comment, understanding that silence worked better in this situation. We stepped onto a path that wound, taking us away from the village. Although it was dark, a few flaming torches lined up the path we were walking through. "The reason why the villagers abhor your presence is due to another outsider." Oh. I listened intently as he begun to speak. "A man by the name of Guy Lisbon. He claimed that he was a world renowned archaeologist, looking for the fabled waters of rebirth to heal his sickness. The chief of course refused. It is against our customs after all." He noticed my confusion after looking at me over his shoulder. "The ancestors inform us of the will of He Who Illuminates and as I was communing with them...they noticed the darkness hiding in the outsider''s soul. An inky blackness that if allowed to persist would infect The Garden. Alas, the man would convince the chief to take another alternative. A trade. The Waters of Rebirth for a chance to kill the demon that has been plaguing our lands the past month." Saying that, he motioned out to our front, the end of the path we had taken. Once my eyes adjusted, I balked at what I was seeing. A field, barren with black smudges and dirty stagnated pools of water, spread out over hundreds of meters. The trees at the edges looked sickly and everything smelled rotten. I almost felt like puking. "Sulphur." I murmured, remembering the brief crash course Maze had given me on demons. There was no denying it anymore. Mnemoth was here. Or had been at least. "Our entire field of crops, decimated and the soil our ancestors toiled destroyed and made unfertile." I turned to the Shaman. "Why didn''t you deal with this thing yourself? You possess a connection to the Green. Both you and your nephew. Had you worked together, killing it or at the very least driving it away would have been possible." He shook his head and sighed. "It is not as simple as that. The creature hides itself in a cave, a kilometer away from the village and the further we are from the Shrine of He Who Illuminates The Garden, the more that connection is diluted. We are not true champions, just guardians tasked with safeguarding the shrine. Not to mention, there were only 5 of us. 2 after the Chief decided to trust that man." I rubbed my forehead, getting a little more context of what was happening. Guy Lisbon. That name sounded familiar. "One last question...How was he able to convince the Chief?" I enquired. "Explosives that he and his team carried for dig sites excavation. The idea was to plant the explosions near the lair of the demon and then press on the trigger. So the Chief, eager to end this threat once and for all, mobilized our warriors in one all out attack..." He trailed off. "It didn''t work." I finished his sentence. Now it suddenly made sense why everyone was so hostile. He gave a curt nod. "None of them came back. Masali...was heartbroken and as the Chief''s son and a prodigy in his own right, he seeks revenge by all means. The only reasons he hasn''t mobilized the younger warriors is because he is waiting on me to complete communing with the Ancestors for a way forward. And that way...is you." My mouth opened in shock. "Me? How..." "Mkuu! Mkuu!" A voice interrupted us. We looked towards the source and saw an old man running as quick as he could towards us. He stumbled while near and I rushed to catch him before he could faceplant on the ground. Swahili was exchanged between the Shaman and the old man. The Shaman cursed and spit to the ground in anger. "Hey what happened! What''s going on!?" I asked him in urgency. The Shaman tightened his hands into fists and spat out in anger. "Seems like my dear nephew''s patience has ran out. Half an hour ago, he took the rest of the warriors to confront the demon on their own." I ran a hand through my hair. Oh fuck. They''re gonna get slaughtered. My body rose up, a breeze ruffling through my coat. "What''s the general direction to the cave?" The Shaman looked at me in the eyes and for a second I thought he was going to stop me. Fortunately he only nodded and pointed due east. "I''ll bring them back," I promised. "It''s time to finish this." The Hunt Part 1 (General P.O.V) (3 Hours Before) The holographic projector came on with a hum of energy, displaying a map of the African Continent, that was magnified to focus on East Africa in particular. Captain Atom pointed to a red blinking icon near the border of Kenya and Ethiopia. "This is known as the Valley of Ghosts. A 20 square mile stretch of jungle. The locals avoid it and any settlement near the Valley is at least half a mile away from the edge of the forest." The Team''s overseer, paused to see if they were listening and continued with a nod. A picture of an attractive blonde man with gray eyes and a scruffy beard appeared beside the map. "Hey, I know that guy. His book was on the recommendation list for a history project I had back in school. He''s a world renowned archaeologist. An expert on Ancient Egyptian customs and relics." Artemis explained. "He also helped Batman on a case involving Maxie Zeus. So we can add a deep understanding of the Greek Mythology as well." Robin added. His eyes widened right after his statement and he levelled a questioning glance at Captain Atom. "Which means this mission must have come straight from Batman." He connected the dots. This brought about surprise as the rest of the team looked confused. Everyone except Aqualad. "Wait, I thought The Dark Knight resigned from the League?" Miss Martian wondered out loud. "I didn''t buy it for a single second. Batman pretty much runs the whole thing." Connor commented while crossing his hands. "It was to my understanding that although Batman resigned, the League decided to keep him on as a close associate. He''s not involved with any of the decision making or entitled to a seat at the table but has taken on a new role as a consultant." Aqualad explained to the rest. It wasn''t surprising that he knew of this but some of the Team members were slightly turned off that he kept the information to himself. Robin spared Aqualad a brief glare. "Come on guys, Superboy is right. There is no way Batman would leave the Justice League." Kid Flash raised his voice. "The Dark Knight is all about contingencies upon contingencies, safeguarding the earth from any threat, external or¡­internal." Captain Atom narrowed his eyes slightly at the speedster. "The Justice League is made up of¡­ practically gods. There are only two leaguers without powers in the League. One now that Batman has ''left'' the league. He would never break ties with the League because someone needs to monitor them. To make sure that they use their powers for good. Batman was that check." Silence dominated the room. A thin trail of sweat fell down Robin''s back as the implications hit him like a speeding truck. The rest were also all speechless, save for Kid Flash who had no idea the impact his words had. "What¡­why is everyone so quiet all of a sudden?" Captain Atom cleared his throat and decided to prioritize the mission first. The insinuation of Batman having a countermeasure for each and every member of The League was a cause for concern but Atom could understand Batman''s intentions. This would be addressed later. "Moving on. Guy Lisbon is as some of you seem to know, a famous Archaeologist and a League associate who was last spotted with his team right here. A little center called Njoya." Saying that, Captain Atom pointed to a small market place a few miles away from the Valley of Ghosts. "¡­ And he was heading towards The Valley on one of his expeditions when all contact was lost with him and his team. The mission is simple. Get in, do a search and rescue. Upon finding him and his team, extract them and make it back to the Watchtower. Are we clear?" Atom''s words were clipped and firm with soldier like efficiency. "Yes sir." Aqualad stepped forward and nodded. "One more thing. I don''t need to remind you to stay in stealth mode. The Kenyan Government or even Ethiopia cannot know of your presence there." Atom gave another order and Aqualad nodded. "Ok Team. Let''s move out." (Aden''s P.O.V) I frowned as my body shot through the sky. I knew the general direction to take but even after flying for a few seconds I couldn''t spot anything that stood out. The layout of the valley was strangely similar in all directions. Two hills that were concealed by the mist and the darkness, providing no discernible features I could reference and the jungle itself was thick. I couldn''t see the floor of the forest. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I stopped in mid air. This wasn''t going to work. Looking back, my frown gave way to confusion. I couldn''t even spot the village back the way I came. Ok, something is definitely up. I closed my eyes and spread out my senses. There was a slight hum in the air¡­a hum that was meant to confuse someone''s senses. Perhaps a security measure by The Tree that was in the Shrine of He Who Illuminates The Garden? Makes sense I suppose. This meant I couldn''t trust my usual senses. Ah! Jokes on you¡­ security mechanism thingy. Telepathy for the win. I had used my budding Telepathic sense to find Miss Martian''s hiding place during the absolutely cake walk of a fight that was me vs them. I didn''t see why I couldn''t use it now to find Masali and the others. I doubt whatever was actively messing with my senses could account for mind POWAH!!! I cleared my throat and locked my inner weeb back in his cage. To concentrate better, I sat cross legged in mid air. The position was one I was most familiar with and made me relax. Without wasting more time, I flicked my switch on my mental awareness radar and tried to stretch it out as far as I could. Sweat started falling down my forehead after a minute, as I strained this power more than I ever had before. Unfortunately, nothing registered in my telepathy. The range was too small. About 70 meters or so. I massaged my forehead knowing that each time I spent trying to find the warriors was more time Masali''s stupid impulsive actions got more of them killed. I had to change tactics. What if¡­an idea came to me. I didn''t know if it would ould work or not but here we go. Instead of stretching my range out, I sent a pulse out. A sperm whale can locate prey up to 500 meters away. I used that same principle but applied it to my telepathy. A wave of psionic energy escaped my mind, spreading out across the whole space. Through this, my range was expanded exponentially because I wasn''t struggling to maintain the pulse, just to read whatever it bounced off of. I grinned. Gotcha. A little over 300 meters away to my right, over 20 minds registered in my telepathy. I changed course and shot off like a rocket. My brows scrunched up a little because before I had completely cut off my telepathic pulse sense, I caught the flavor of a few familiar minds. It was probably nothing. Maybe my inexperience with the skill. Just to be sure though, I sent another pulse out. Nothing unusual registered in my senses so I increased my speed towards Masali. (General P.O.V) "Guys¡­ Aden''s here." Miss Martian informed the others. The atmosphere in the ship suddenly changed. A sharp intake of breath from Artemis, Kid Flash narrowing his eyes and Superboy tightening his fingers into fists. "Should we call it in?" Artemis asked already knowing what the answer would be. Everybody looked towards Aqualad. There was a brief silence from the team leader. Aqualad closed his eyes and thought it through. Aden''s presence here showed that this mission had changed from a simple search to something else. Who could he be working for? Time and time again, Aqualad saw what being a leader actually was. While it was a noble position to have the team''s trust placed on him, he couldn''t help but see it as a burden. Protocol dictates they were supposed to report it but¡­this is what they had been waiting for. A chance to bring him back. In cuffs or not didn''t matter. "No. We continue the mission. A few adjustments are to be made however. Miss Martian and Artemis, you are to stay in the bio-ship. Do a scan of the whole valley and see if you can spot our target or any of his people. You will also be our eyes in the sky. The rest, we will be confronting our wayward teammate. There''s a high chance that Lisbon might be who Aden''s after. Or at the very least have information on his disappearance." Artemis looked ready to argue but instead settled for a curt nod. She would only be a liability. Superboy on the other hand was feeling the opposite. He was ready to prove once and for all that he wasn''t weak. He patted the noticable bulge in his pant''s pocket. A gift from his¡­other father. He had wanted to report it to Superman, to take the patches that suppressed his human d.n.a to grant him his full Kryptonian abilities to him and confess. What stopped him was the humiliation from before. He could remember getting swatted off the sky like an insignificant fly by Aden. His super strength made useless upon clashing with the other boy and finding him more than a match for Connor''s Kryptonian strength and durability. Aden had been playing with him during their sparring matches. Superboy had even gone as far as to review some of their sparring matches footage and what he saw made him even more sure that Aden had been hiding his true power. Maelstrom would barely be breathing hard while Connor would be on his last legs. The matches with Robin, Artemis and Black Canary revealed more of Aden''s hidden depths. He took to every match with a clinical and surgical approach. A glint on his eyes that showed you, even if you put him down now don''t expect the same thing to work next time. So Connor had come to the conclusion that there was no way he could beat Aden in pure skill. The guy was a monster in versatility. Instead, Connor decided to do so by overwhelming power. The D.N.A patches were staying with him. Just until they brought Aden back, he promised himself. The Hunt Part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) I get it. People are dumb sometimes. People are more often than not impulsive when caught in a sticky situation. That all makes sense. What doesn''t make sense is when you insist on being stubborn despite knowing you''re in the wrong. I flew down and touched down on a tree branch, looking down at Masali and close to 30 teens, the exact number being 28. The group had arrived very close to the cave. They were hiding in a thicket while looking up at the rocky path leading up to the cave which was only a few hundred meters away. Not too close and not too far out of earshot. Despite it being at nighttime, bones belonging to animals and...humans were scattered about. Along with patches of dried blood going up the path. I closed my eyes and said a little prayer to the ones who had lost their lives here. Then I refocused on the stupid entitled fool about to risk the lives of his friends for petty revenge. Revenge is not¡­bad but you only take vengeance when you know you have the power to see it through. Now back to my earlier point. Masali was staring down at one of the older teens, who seemed to be his second in command. I didn''t understand what they were saying but from the Older boy''s body language and expressions, it was clear he was hesitant about confronting Mnemoth in his lair. Smart. Unfortunately, Masali was too blinded by rage and revenge that he couldn''t see how bad his idea was. For now, I decided to stay hidden while keeping a lookout on the cave. If Masali chose to listen to common sense and turn back, all the better. I could then go inside the cave, murder the shit out of Mnemoth and then be outta here. (General P.O.V) They were elites. Sons of The Garden. In their veins flowed the blood of their brave ancestors who had never given up or failed in their sacred duty. It didn''t matter that they were young. It didn''t matter that they were inexperienced. All that mattered was survival and¡­revenge. Most of them gathered had lost family to this demon. All the premier warriors. The strongest the village had to offer¡­dead. They might have been lacking in strength but their hearts burned true. The flames of their spirits was inextinguishable. A raging inferno. At least that had been the case before they had arrived. The instant the group had made it within vicinity of the cave¡­all their courage had disappeared. The bones littered around and splotches of blood were just the tip of the iceberg. Nothing to the feeling the ground gave off. An air of despair, pain and blood thirst. Their eyes had widened and many had taken a step back, shivering in absolute terror. One of the warriors standing next to Masali, a tall stalwart young man tightened his hand on his weapon. He turned and addressed their leader. "Tunapaswa kugeuka turudi. Hii ilikuwa wazo mbaya." (We should turn and go back. This was a bad idea.) Masali turned and glared at the person who had made the suggestion. His second in command. He also looked behind him and noticed that almost everyone was of the same stance. Masali could feel it too. The knowledge that they were standing so close to death. Of course he knew the idea was bad. They should have waited for his uncle to finish communing with the Ancestors before moving out. Yet something had forced him to throw caution to the wind. Something he couldn''t explain. All he knew was that he couldn''t turn back. Turning back meant giving up after everything! Giving up on his father! Shaming his memory by not avenging him. ''Ancestors be with me.'' Masali turned to the others with cold eyes. "We are not retreating! That is an order." He informed them in their native language. The faces of some of the boys became ashen. "I¡­I¡­don''t want to die." One of the younger boys whimpered, letting his weapon fall down. He took a step back, fear coating his visage. Masali''s face contorted in a rictus of anger. "You coward! What do you think you''re doing?!! You shame our forefathers by letting go of your weapon!" He matched towards the kid and slapped him. The young boy fell down in a heap and curled on himself. Ntongai, Masali''s second in command became angry and pulled back their leader from further hurting the boy. The son of the Chieftain rounded up on the second in command in disbelief. "Insubordination?! You too!" Ntongai heedless of Masali''s anger came between him and the boy, the other warriors also walked behind him. Looking around, Masali was shocked to find himself all alone. "With all due respect, that''s not how you treat a comrade, Masali! We have always followed your lead. Hunting, training and carrying our duties. And you have never been this cruel. All of us lost our loved ones, just like you¡­so why? Instead of compassion and understanding you treat us as mere subordinates. Are you that eager to lead us to our deaths?" With each word that fell, Masali felt as if explosions were going off inside his brain. All this time¡­they were right. Why was he doing this? He loved his father but that did not justify leading his compatriots to the battle with a half baked plan. Doubts started appearing on his face. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation."I¡­ don''t¡­I¡­" His voice seized up as a voice sounded in his brain. "Now now, my young puppet. It''s not time for you to start rebelling yet. I still need the distraction. Plus¡­my pet needs a meal. Hahahahaha." A dark and sinister voice told him telepathically, laughing in glee at what was about to happen. A haze appeared on Masali''s face. He looked up and stared at the faces of his men impassively. He raised his hand slowly and pointed the palm towards them. Ntongai, seeing the look on Masali''s face had a bad feeling. ''Oh Ancestors!'' "Everybody get back!" He shouted as the ground started rumbling. "Traitors." Masali said and clenched a fist. Blackened vines exploded out of the ground, aimed to skewer everybody present. Ntongai couldn''t believe it¡­his friend, brother all but in blood¡­ ''Masali¡­'' was his last thought, knowing he couldn''t hope to escape this. ''slink!!'' The sharp whistle of a blade cutting through the air was heard. A few seconds later all the vines aimed to constrict or skewer through the others were promptly cut apart. A breeze blew out. A red and yellow blur moved through the ground carrying away the warriors out of Masali''s range. The son of the Chieftain looked on in anger as someone interrupted him. "Who dares!?!" He shouted to the forest. A familiar figure stepped out from the edge of the forest and stood before him, tall and imposing. Masali''s eyes widened and he stepped back. "You?" "Yes. Me. And if you know what''s good for you, you will surrender or better yet don''t. I have a lot of rage piling up and I need a way to unleash it." The figure said. (Aden''s P.O.V) My mind was buzzing with anger. That red and yellow blur¡­Kid Flash. The Teen Team were here. I felt it out with my air sense and located them hiding in the jungle. Waiting and watching as I approached Masali. Some of them shivering in nervous energy. Only one of them a true threat. Connor was registering as strong in my nascent energy sense. Strange. I could feel the fluctuations of telepathic communications going on among the three of them. Going by what I knew of Aqualad''s strategy, the three were probably, him, Superboy and Kid Flash. Robin was inching towards the cave on my left side, trying to move while undetected. Miss Martian and Artemis were most likely on the Bio-ship, providing air support. Par the course with Aqualad''s uninspired and cliche'' tactics. Well if it ain''t broken¡­ "Superboy wait¡­" I heard the order through the vibrations in the air. Of course, Connor wanted to jump in, like he always does. Did they follow me here? The nerve and not to mention the stupidity¡­I inhaled a shuddering breath, calming myself down. I had a mission I needed to carry out first. Once I was down beating the stupidity out of Masali, I would confront them. And this time¡­they better hope to God they don''t attack me first. I am out of mercies to give. I spread out my telepathic awareness, making myself a beacon of psionic energy in a way that any 2 bit telepath like me or a prodigy like Miss Martian could locate the transmission. After a few seconds, I felt a link establish between us. No one said anything for a few seconds then¡­ "Stay the fuck out of my way Aqualad. This time I''ll make sure the least injury you and your team gets will land you in the infirmary for a month." After giving the warning, I cut off the transmission and turned my attention back to the Chief''s son. Masali looked angry at my words. I narrowed my eyes when he started huffing. Sweat dripped down his forehead and his eyes looked unfocused. His hands shook as well. I spared a look at the blackened vines I had cut through with my long Knives and air bending. The vines were seeping with corruption and taint. Something was up. "You foreigners bring nothing but trouble! My father couldn''t see you outsiders for what you actually are¡­a threat that needs to be dealt with with extreme prejudice!" I raised my eyebrow. He could now talk in English? Communicating with him earlier had been a problem. That''s¡­ unexpected. Then again. He could have learnt it from his uncle. Yet, all these inconsistencies added up to paint a worrisome picture. Mnemoth was a demon and demons possess people. Could that be the case? I needed to get up close to find out. I hid the hand holding the long knife behind my back and sighed. "I get it. You''re angry, frustrated and you want to revenge on whatever killed your father. But this is not the way to go¡­" I stalled, walking closer. I could have easily used a number of techniques to take him down but I wanted to know if my suspicions were correct. Getting close to him, an overpowering stench of sulphur pervaded the air. I scrunched up my nose. Dark colored veins covered his hands and glowing yellow light flashed in his eyes. Fuck. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!!!!" Masali shouted. "I have heard enough! From you. From my uncle! From everybody. No one tells me what to do!" And with that final shout¡­the ground started trembling. I looked at the mouth of the cave. Stones started falling apart and rolling down the hill. Something was coming. My attention was briefly removed from the self entitled arrogant young master before me, to see what this new threat was. My eyes widened. "Whoa¡­this just went from comic book world to full on white walker and whits bullshit. I call foul." My blades ignited with fire. From the mouth of the cave, dead animals and¡­humans dressed the same as Masali and his warrior group came out¡­and trust me, they were very much dead. Their eyes were unfocused and even from there the smell of rot was overpowering. The misshapen forms of zombies stumbled aimlessly around. An animalistic roar sounded from behind them. The zombies instantly went on focus. Their heads turned towards us. Then with a rush/stampede that reminded me of World War Z they ran down the hill en masse. "Hooooly shit!" Kid Flash commented. Him, Aqualad and Superboy had come out of hiding. They kept a respectable distance between us. Smart, despite the circumstances I didn''t know if I could keep myself from punching Kid Flash''s lights out. Well, now I understand why the mission was rated as Hard. The Hunt Final Part (Aden''s P.O.V) Zombies. A staple in most fantasy fiction worlds. A reality in this very real and tangible world I was standing on. 300 meters was nothing to these creatures that were bearing down on us with the speed of Usain Bolt and the force of a bulldozer. I gave us 10 seconds at the most. Masali snarled and jumped at me in an animalistic rage. Blackened vines rose up from the ground to spear through me. I pulled on the heat inside me and exuded the flames from my skin, taking great care not to burn my clothes. The air near me started burning a pale blue. The black vines were reduced to ash a meter away from my body, leaving behind a nauseating stench. Masali or whatever the thing inside him was, s growled in rage and fear. My hand stretched out to grab him by the neck, then I slammed him onto the ground with considerable strength. He instantly lost consciousness. I could feel the judgemental eyes of my former team, glaring at me. When I reached into my trench coat pocket, I felt Aqualad hold back Kid Flash through my air sense. I snorted, withdrawing a bottle with holy water, blessed by the priest back in L.A. It seems like Kid forgot about his beating, I mused¡­ should I remind him? Yeah. I think I should. Soon. I opened the bottle of holy water and sprinkled some on Masali''s face. His body started thrashing about. His mouth opened and flying beetles escaped it, trying to fly to the mouth of the cave. A flame appeared in my palm. I swiped my hand towards the sky with a grunt. The bugs were fried by the fire and fell to the ground, smoking. The loud roar of anger and pain following the action made the zombies running towards us stop momentarily. Good to see my flames can hurt it. "What the fuck was that?" Kid Flash wondered loudly. I found it super easy, barely an inconvenience to ignore him. On the other hand, the Zombies/ Ghouls? renewed their mad rush towards us. This time in an even bigger frenzy, pulling closer and closer to my position. The only thing that slowed them down, being the boulders and the rocky terrain of the hill side. Already, many of the creatures had fallen and gotten taken out of the fight by the violent stampede. Leaving us with¡­200 or so? Damn. That is still a freakishly huge number. "ADEN! We need to work together!" Aqualad shouted at me. They had backed away slowly towards the edge of the trees. "What?! Aqualad you can''t be serious! This is the same guy¡­" "Shut up Kid! Now''s not the time!" Superboy growled out. He then turned towards me, "You can''t take all of them on by yourself and you know it!" He told me. I spared a look at the Kryptonian clone and snorted, "Watch me." Saying that, I stepped over Masali''s unconscious body and walked out of the thicket, closer to the edge of the foot of the hill. I settled into a firebending stance fluidly. Firebending is about breath control, I reminded myself. "Aden! Fall back, you''ll die!" Aqualad''s words made me want to vomit. Where was this concern when they were calling me out back at the Cave. I ignored them, using the anger to stoke the flame resting above my groin. "He has a death wish!" Kid Flash said while running back. My eyes hardened. Maybe I do. But what I do know is that a Firebender never gives in. My fire would keep burning so long as my spirit did. And spirit was something I had a lot of. I breathed in and felt the way the air filled my lungs and then imagined it interacting with the hot flames in my navel. Felt the way the air coaxed the flames out. My own body movements, helping to plot a course for the fire to dance. To move according to what I needed. I stepped forward, leaning my upper body slightly to the front. My hands suddenly spread out to the sides. I bent my legs, bringing the arms to my hips. I felt the fire get compressed inside my chest. A ferocious mass of swirling energy ready to destroy. Fire was life but there cannot be life without death, therefore fire could be used to deathify anything as well. Ah deathify. Cool word. I might keep on using it. Maybe. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I kept a tight hold on the fire and then spun. My hands both shot off from my hips in a quick motion. Large voluminous flames shot out of my fists. Unyielding and roaring like a tiger. Boom!!!! I timed the explosive beam like destruction wave of super hot flames with my exhalation. The first wave of monsters, the middle portion up until near the back, were fried by the massive yellow funnel of fire. Easily 100 feet long and covering a large surface area. The heat was oppressive. The light coming off of the attack lit up the night sky. I kept it up for one more split second, before my hands seized up in a burning sensation. Smoke covered the surroundings for a few more minutes, obscuring the view. That attack had been no joke. I winced while lowering my hands. My face made a frown at the red cracks covering my knuckles. I was actually¡­injured. Not debilitating or anything like that but damn. I thought Firebenders couldn''t be hurt by their own fire? Then again, I wasnt a regular Firebender. My elemental energy reserves were basically bottomless. The problem as I had seen, was my own body. There was a certain limit as to how much I could actually channel. "He''s grown stronger. Much stronger." I heard Aqualad comment and rose up from my position. The wind obeyed my command and banished all the smoke and dust away from the surroundings. The scene that met us, made me widen my eyes too. A huge groove fanning out from the foot of the hill to the cave at the top had appeared. Red magma from the melted rock had pooled inside the groove and was rapidly cooling. Of the 200 zombies¡­only stragglers remained. Probably 30 or 40 Zombies. My attack alone had taken out over 150 of them. "Hell yeah." I muttered while smiling. A loud roar rang out at that particular time. Leaving my ears ringing and my heart pumping. The fight was far from over. Looks like the boss is ready to reveal himself. The zombies on the outskirts of my attack stopped shambling about. A silence dominated the battlefield. Only broken by the silent steps coming out of the cave. I looked on in anticipation. This is where my mission ends. At 17 hours. Not bad. Finally the big bad revealed himself or rather itself. A huge Lion, easily the size of an African Elephant appeared out of the mouth of the cave. That''s one huge ass cat. "I call bullshit. I''ve seen lions on Nat-Geo and they don''t get as big as that." I didn''t even pay Kid Flash any attention. I just dealt with Zombies of all things, a huge Lion is where he draws the line? Fucking stupid. The lion was glorious and intimidating. We made eye contact through all that distance and I saw the derision in its eyes. This Lion was an apex predator and knew it. That means...it wasn''t afraid of my fire. Then again, demons come from hell. Hell is...hot obviously. To them it might feel like a cool shower. But my fire still afforded me an advantage over them in comparison to regular fire. For instance, I could burn their true essence. Their true forms when exposed to my flames along with them being on earth would leave the demons turned to crisp. Case in point, the flying beetles that had been possessing Masali. This brought about many questions. How was Mnemoth doing this? He was a gluttonous demon. His whole shtick was eat, eat and eat. Yet from what we''d seen he was apparently playing Necromancer and beast tamer. Something was up, I tells ya. Something stank and it wasn''t the sulphur. I bent down and removed my blades from my inner pocket, placing them on a rock. My hand reached inside again and this time, I came out with the bottle of holy water. Firebending would probably do little to that Lion''s shiny coat. But holy water? I whistled. This thing was Kryptonite to them. I sprinkled the water on the blades and wiped them down, hoping the effect I was trying to apply was a success and that I had two holy daggers in my possession. I twirled them in the air and pointed one towards the Lion. ''I''m coming for ya.'' The Lion held my gaze and I got the impression that the fucker saw me more of a hindrance than a threat. It roared again and the Zombies sprang up, running towards us once more. The Lion turned imperiously and moved back into the cave, it''s tail swishing in the air. I looked at Aqualad and his team. "I''ll take on the big bad himself. The lion controlling the rest of the Walking Dead. You handle the stragglers and make sure you get those boys back to the village. And Aqualad? You better hope we don''t meet again." I coldly explained. I saw well hidden fear in Wally''s eyes and smirked inwards. That just made my day. "This is far from over Aden. I will beat you." Superboy informed me before I could leave. And just to prove a point, the Fucker floated up with red flashing in his eyes. I widened my eyes a little. That explained why he was registering as strong in my senses. He now had access to the rest of Superman''s powers. I turned away. ''Show off and he couldn''t even get rid of the horde of Zombies that were coming at us earlier.'' The Mastermind Part 1 (General P.O.V) "Wait¡­" Aqualad was a little too late and before any of them could say anything, Aden blasted off. Two twin flames pushing him to the mouth of the cave at high speed. "Neptune''s beard!" Aqualad cursed, something he never did. Superboy and Kid Flash shared a look but wisely kept silent. For all of 2 seconds before Kid Flash reminded them of the zombies coming at them. "So¡­any exorcists around? Either that or someone get us Rick Grimes." The Speedster said. Aqualad sucked in a deep breath and refocused on the mission. They would deal with Aden later. First, they had lives to save. He reached out into their shared telepathic link. "Miss Martian, I need you to land the Bio ship. We need to evacuate these people. You can then use the directions they give you to find a safe place for them. Meanwhile, Kid Flash, Superboy and I will take down as many of these creatures as we can. Lastly Robin, your job is to¡­" "Go after Aden and the big scary Cat that would not look out of place in a Narnia setting, observe while hidden and if possible take them both down, effectively rendering the rest of the Zombies useless as they seem to be controlled by the aforementioned Narnia big Scary Cat?" Boy Wonder said all of that in one breath. Good thing, telepathic communication was much more flexible. Aqualad sighed. "I was thinking¡­observe and provide tactical support to Aden where you can. We might not like it but working together is the smart move." Superboy narrowed his eyes from his levitating position. "For now." He added quietly. Only audible to himself. "We will try to finish up quickly and come to your aid. The objective is to not allow any of these creatures to breach the edge of the jungle. Less chance of us missing one." Aqualad finished relaying his orders. "Not a problem fearless leader, since they seem to be pretty focused on us." Kid Flash stated while lowering the goggles strapped to his forehead to cover his eyes. A click on the side of the optic device, switched it to night vision. "I''ll give them something to focus on alright! Arrg!" Superboy shouted in anger and shot at an elephant that was stomping it''s way towards them. Aqualad looked on in suspicion. "Yeah Aqualad¡­I wanted to ask," Kid Flash called out to him in an unusually serious tone. "Since when can Superboy fly?" Aqualad shook his head. "He has not exhibited these¡­ abilities before. Perhaps they finally kicked in. He''s a Kryptonian after all. They get more powerful the longer they are exposed to the sun." He responded, his water bearers coming out of their holsters behind his back. A pair of Hyenas were rushing towards him. "Perhaps¡­or maybe¡­more secrets." Kid Flash responded grimly and sped off. ( General P.O.V) (Elsewhere) "It''s starting." Lucifer said in childish excitement. Maze spared him a look and rolled her eyes. "This is either going to turn out really well or really bad for Aden. My bet is on the latter. I don''t think he''s ready." She complained. "Oh come on now, love. Have some faith in the boy." "I do have faith. But going up against a Lord Of Hell is no joke. You should have sent me to deal with him instead." She responded. "And where would the fun in that be? This way we get to see an evolution. The beauty of humanity Mazekeen, lies in that stupid spark of courage that spurs their actions." He told her with an upturn of the corner of his lips. The Lilim shook her head. "That''s not outstanding or unique at all. Most aliens have that as well. Humanity is simply favored more by ''him''." She disagreed. Lucifer nodded, seeing her point but also slightly disappointed that she was entirely missing the bigger picture. "Maze dear, I have always taught you to see past the obvious. Ask yourself, why ''he'' favors them. When you have the answer, you''ll understand how it''s possible for individuals like John Constantine to exist." Lucifer admonished her. "Fuck that asshole." Maze stated upon hearing Constantine''s name. The devil chuckled at the hatred she possessed for Hell''s vacuum cleaner. "He''s in another universe entirely Maze. I see your dislike for him is still at an all time high." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. He commented. In response the beautiful demoness, simply poured herself a drink and downed it. "Well, he''s the reason I''m glad humans are not immortal or possess long life spans. I have a grudge with that bastard." She went silent before placing down the glass in her hand on the table. "Wait." Maze addressed Lucifer, as realization dawned on her face. "That''s why you''re doing this. Why you want the boy to get involved in the supernatural. This world lacks the experts. Well, apart from The Lord of Order and the Stage magician, Zatara but he is not a true demonologist or a hunter. In a way you''re shaping him up to take on that role." She paused in surprise and confusion. For the first time in a while, Maze couldn''t get a read on what Lucifer was planning. The proud smile on his face told her that he was happy she''d finally connected the dots, but if anything, Maze felt even more lost. One question remained. "Let''s cut the crap. Why? It''s not like you to be so interested in one human. You said you wanted to take a vacation but everything you''ve done so far has been contrary to that." She didn''t flinch from his gaze. Lucifer hummed and ran a finger along the length of the mouth of the glass he was holding. "That spark...I want to see it again. That which I desired but was denied. I want to see it bloom to it''s full potential. I asked you a question earlier. Why ''he'' favors them." He looked at Maze seriously. You''ll have your answer soon, love. This will be a true test of mettle for Aden. We will see his real self in the adversity that follows. Especially considering the fact that he won''t be able to rely on his other half." Lucifer said while grinning sinisterly. Maze narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?" She asked him. The devil simply shrugged with an innocent look on his face. "Me? I have no hand in that, Love." The innocent look was replaced with a manic smile that stretched out on his handsome face. It wasn''t a lie, but more like withholding information. "The only thing I can say is¡­strap in, this is going to be one heck of a ride." The clip displaying what was happening on the battlefield, showed the Teen Team fighting to take down the Zombies...then the feed changed to show a man, dressed in an adventurer''s attire, walk up towards the village guarding a hub of the green. A shield of vines and green energy appeared between them. With a swipe of his hand, the vines were destroyed by blackened flames. (Aden''s P.O.V) I shot off straight towards the mouth of the cave, heedless of the creatures on the sides of my self made cavern. The rocks were cooling down more and more, leaving behind blackened soil. I spared a look at the Zombies and ignored them. Those were canon fodder that Aqualad and the rest could handle. I was going after the final boss. Within seconds, I arrived at the entrance and spread out my air sense. It wouldn''t do to be ambushed by a 5 ton lion because I was too careless. I twirled the daggers in my hands and lit them up. Flames appeared along the edges of both weapons, lighting up my surroundings. I didn''t need the light to see because my vision was strong enough, so this was more to draw out the huge creature. I would sense it before it could attack and then retaliate when Mnemoth least expected it. My feet crunched on bones, like dried twigs. My nose scrunched up in disgust at the rotten stench present in the cave. It was to the point where I started cursing my enhanced sense of smell. There was nothing I could do other than quickly killing Mnemoth and leaving this place. I walked in while taking great measures to read anything registering in my senses. 20 meters in, I felt a movement come from my back. A miniature figure that shot a zip line to the ceiling of the cave and stuck to the sides of the walls. Robin. Typical. A few more seconds of carefully traversing the smelly and dark cave, I started hearing the drip of water. Looking at the walls of the cave, I could tell they were also starting to get slightly wet. The tunnel then enlarged the deeper I walked in until, I finally found myself staring at an open space inside the cave structure, the size of a soccer stadium. In the far back was an underground river, the water looked murky and disgusting even from the huge distance away. And lastly laying down on the barren and rocky ground was my target. The Final Boss himself. The big cat looked at home. It lazily observed me. A menacing look on it''s face. A mark showing a pentagram was branded into it''s forehead, sharp claws gleamed from its paws and a low growl informed me of what it thought of me. An annoying pest. Let''s change that shall we. I jumped off the cave opening and landed before Mnemoth. The instance I did, an overbearing might shook my bones and I took a knee from the aura it was exuding. The Lion rose up and started walking towards me. It''s steps were heavy and frightening. I struggled to move, aware of the death sentence walking towards me. Each second was agonizing. I looked up at it with a scared look on my face and the glee in its own eyes was magnified. It loved this. This feeling of domination and oppression. Drool escaped it''s mouth and the smell of sulphur made me feel as if I was going to pass out. A meter away from the huge behemoth, I felt the whistling sound of birdarangs and watched as the Lion jumped back in a swift move despite it''s huge size. The birdarangs it had dodged dug themselves on the floor of the cave and exploded, showering me with pieces of stones that bounced off my air shield. I sighed and got up without a problem, shrugging off the intimidating aura of the Lion with ease. I looked over my shoulder in anger. "Why did you interfere Robin?" Boy Wonder landed behind me and looked smug. "I think you meant thanks." I chuckled without humor. "Thanks? Thanks for what? For ruining my plan? I was pretending to be weak so that I wouldn''t have to waste anymore time dispatching this thing. I have a feeling that someone else is behind this whole scheme but now because of you, I''ll have to fight the damn Lion, giving the Mastermind more time to do carry out what''s he''s planning." Robin gave me an impassive look. A stubborn glare worthy of his mentor. Deep in his eyes however, I could tell he was embarrassed. A loud roar brought my attention back to my opponent. I sighed, brandishing my flaming weapons. "Ok now that the easy way is out, let''s do this the fun way." I smiled a bloodthirsty smirk. The Mastermind Final Part (Aden''s P.O.V) The lion roared once more, this time in rage. I spared a look at Boy Wonder. "Get to cover and don''t intervene." Surprisingly, he didn''t try to argue back and not unlike Batman he disappeared into the shadows of the cave. I heard his signature laugh echo through the cavern and rolled my eyes. "Well, it''s just you and me, kitty cat. I promise you, I''ll try to make this quick." The taunt worked and the Lion jumped at me, claws and teeth aimed to eviscerate me into meat ribbons. That was if it''s weight didn''t crush me instead. I rolled under it and sprung up to a hand stand. I spun my legs around, creating a scythe of flames that arched towards the Lion. The beast in that same astonishing agility it had previously displayed, turned around and roared. The huge blast of sound sent an air wave that put out my flames. I brought the winds to my control and created two massive tornados that almost reached the ceiling of the cave. The whirlwinds boxed in the Lion, briefly hiding me from it''s sight. I jumped up to the sky, falling towards it, both daggers held above my head. The lion roared pushing away my tornadoes through sheer sound shockwaves but not unravelling them. It looked up too late just as I was bearing down upon it. Flames sprang up along the knives, leaving behind a flash as I brought them swinging down. I smiled when I felt them connect with the Lion''s forehead. Then they cut through the creature''s skull like a hot knife through butter. That was too easy, I frowned. My feet landed on the ground, cracking the Cave''s floor with a dull thud. At the same time, the Lion dissolved into thousands of beetles made of shadows and pulled away to condense into it''s former body. The Lion shook it''s head. Two twin scars ran down from it''s eyes to the mouth. Black blood dripped down the injuries caused by my knives. The look in its eyes was disbelief warring with animalistic rage. "Human¡­" A deep voice rumbled from the Lion''s mouth. The voice shook the cave due to how deep and menacing it was. I stayed cautious. This could be a ploy to attack me by making me lose focus and awareness of my surroundings. "You are¡­not like the rest. Not like the other meatbags." Saying that, it started walking around me slowly. "And those knives¡­they are special. They hurt me. Nothing can hurt me except¡­holy power. Interesting." I promised myself to get the priest something once I was done with the mission. "I propose we come to an¡­agreement. Turn around and leave and in return, I''ll give you endless power and riches beyond your wildest dreams." It said. I listened intently while nodding along. A few seconds passed after it''s statement and I looked at the creature in disappointment. "That''s it? That''s all you got? Unlimited power and wealth?" I scratched my head feeling a bit weirded out by the whole situation. "Dude, you can''t give me something you don''t have." It growled menacingly. Heedless to it''s mounting anger I pushed on. "I mean, you live in a dark cave in the middle of nowhere. That doesn''t exactly scream riches beyond my wildest dreams. Man¡­I expected more from you. Aren''t demon''s supposed to be masters at temptation¡­" Mnemoth couldn''t handle it anymore and roared. I fell into a stance, ready for his next attack. This time something was different. The feeling it gave off was menacing. The demon was going all out. "You will suffer for that insult, lowly human!" A surge of shadows ran along the length of the whole cave covering everything and plunging us into darkness. I used my air sense, to locate Boy Wonder and pushed him out into the open mouth of the cave, away from the darkness encroaching closer. The last thing I saw dimly was Robin''s iconic rainbow costume before the world grew dark. I heard skittering from all around me. The whole space was a mass of beetles and bugs heading towards me from all directions. "Feast your eyes upon my true demonic form and feel despair. You will die human¡­eaten till nothing of your existence remains on this plane¡­and then I will harvest your soul and torture it for eternity." Mnemoth''s voice rang out from everywhere. It was distorted and would have made anyone else shit their pants. Unfortunately for him, I have stood in the presence of Lucifer himself. Someone who could unravel all that I was. In comparison, Mnemoth''s aura was¡­meh at best. I reached into my trench coat and brought out the bottle of holy water from the inner pocket. I held it up and flicked a light on top of my index finger. A quarter of it remained on the small bottle. I mentally sighed. Should''ve gotten a bigger container but oh well, hindsight is 20/20. "Give up boy. You have no hope of getting out of this alive. I, Mnemoth a demon lord of hell will devour you completely!" My opponent said. I snorted. "Demon lord? Oh please. Spare me the bullshit. Let''s see just how deserving you are of that title." I poured the holy water onto the palm of my hand, careful not to let any of it drip down. Now, the reason the holy water had such an adverse effect on demons was because of the touch of divine holy power contained in it. The essence of purity that dealt corrosion on the demons. My idea was to either burn away the water completely. Separating it from the essence of holiness and then supercharge that energy with my own fire, which was aligned with the attribute of order. Or simply mix them and hope the divine essence was potent enough to not get too diluted when spread out across the massive attack I was planning. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It was an idea that had no science backing it. But if it worked, I would take down Mnemoth once and for all by targeting his full mass, without sparing anything. I didn''t have any other way and I couldn''t keep on slashing him apart with the daggers because he would simply dissolve into his true form and slip away. Damn, I wanted a cool dagger fight scene. A blaze appeared in my hands. As if sensing the danger about to befall him, the whole mass of bags slammed onto me, only to bounce back upon colliding with an air force shield that I kept around my body. Sparks of blue electric energy appeared on my palm as I burned away the water. It tried to recombine itself from the fusion of Hydrogen and oxygen but my flames burned hot enough to halt that process. I was careful¡­ trying to get a feel for the holy essence in the water with my nascent energy sense. And fortunately¡­I could feel something. Something just out of reach¡­ "Stop! You have no idea what you''re doing! You''ll call down his wrath! You fool!" Mnemoth''s voice changed to a terrified squeak and tried to get away from me. I absentmindedly constructed another barrier inside the cave that covered any spots the demon could escape through and then compressed it. The demon''s full mass was now tightly held together in a massive ball of air and I was in the middle of it. The core. He started pleading but I was too entranced by something. My eyes glowed as I looked at the pinprick of light floating on my palm. It was the size of a grain of rice and was shining the purest golden light I had ever seen. This¡­this was more than I bargained for¡­It would be wrong to use as a simple attack. But I don''t have a choice. I wished I had another choice. As it was, my flames alone could not hope to defeat Mnemoth at his full power. Maybe of it was sections or pieces of him like when I burned the beetles that were controlling Masali, but in his full form¡­he was used to fire from hell. Fuck it. I crossed my palm on the small light and then breathed in. My fire poured into my palm and coaxed the light to grow. To combine with my flame and bring divine retribution against this creature of darkness. I tried to mentally keep up with that line of thinking. And crazily enough it worked. I opened my palm and a white, beautiful and lazily burning flame appeared. Despite being so diluted, Mnemoth''s screech of pain reached me as the nearest beetles were burned to nothing just from exposure to the White Flame''s light. I raised up a hand to the sky. The flame started rotating into the form of a ball of energy before exploding out into a voluminous tornado that covered my form. I brought my hands together. My right palm meeting my left fist and the flame grew larger. The air bubble on the outside pressed Mnemoth''s full mass into the flames and the Demon''s cries of mercies were drowned out¡­ having been completely destroyed by my attack in one simple move. Holy cow. When the flames ended, partly because it was getting too much for me too despite the fact that I had covered myself in the strongest layers of protection I could, I was surprised at what met me. Most of the cave had melted into lava. Steam and ash covered the whole place. The steam of course, from the water that had evaporated. I looked around in shock. Damn, those holy flames had not been a joke. Hotter than anything, I had ever felt before. My trench coat was also smoking slightly. A prompt appeared at the top of my vision but I waved it away with a curious glint in my eyes. Due to the cave half melting down, it had revealed something. A red blinking light deeper inside it. Near the mouth of the underground river. I waved the ash and steam away, flying over to inspect what this new thing was. Getting over there, I was surprised to find a¡­pod of some sort. A machine built similar to a beetle. Was it a coincidence? Maybe. I touched the metal expecting it to be hot to the touch but was surprised when it felt cool instead. My touch elicited a response from the clearly alien technology before him. A blue scanning light run over me from head to toe and a synthetic voice said, "Carbon based life form detected. Hello?" The red light from before changed to a light green one. It could talk. Meaning I was not dealing with ba simple machine at all. I looked around, carefully. No trace of Mnemoth or any other demon remained. Maybe this thing was unrelated to my mission. "Hi. Welcome to¡­earth I guess. My name is Aden. What should I call you?" The answer came in quickly. "I am designated as Miner #0234. Pleasure to meet you, Aden." The prompts at the edge of my vision were getting more urgent. That and I could feel the Team making it''s way towards me. "We will have to cut this meeting short Miner. How about I lead you to somewhere else you can safely run diagnostic tests and recuperate? As you can see, this place is a battlefield." I offered, hoping it wouldn''t say no. "Very well." The Miner said and rose up, levitating in the air. A boom tube appeared and it flew through. The boom tube had led it to an island far away from Sanctuary in the elemental dimension. I breathed out a sigh of relief at how smoothly that had gone. Miner was am unexpected find and I had a feeling, a very significant one. Back to more important matters, I enlarged the display box and was immediately hit by an urgent notification. I swept the rest of the notifications away and was left with a blinking text. "Oh crap. This shit just went from a generous 30 to a hundred real quick." I commented, hurrying out of the cave. Why? I had less than 5 minutes to stop the end of the world. (Urgent Mission!!!) (The Demon Mammon wants to use the access node of the Green and the souls of over a hundred humans to infect the world with a virus designed to turn the world into a hellish wasteland and the humans and creatures into demons subservient to him and him alone.) Mission Objectives: Stop him at all costs!! Save Swamp thing / Bec@$:;& Th-_##" Nfjhdd Cha@$"'''' Fo&_#'' The Green. Mission time limit: 5 minutes. Mission Difficulty: Hellish. Saving The World Aint Easy Part 1 (General P.O.V) The Bio-ship rose up under Miss Martian''s control. Some flying birds, chief among them being huge white-backed vultures tried to harass the Martian air craft only for two twin beams of red heat to spear through the flocks, making short work of the birds, courtesy of The Superboy. Miss Martian was confused for a second at how Connor seemed capable of heat vision. She shared a look with Artemis who shrugged. The Martian superhero decided to focus on her task and instead sent happy feelings of gratitude down the link at Superboy. She controlled the Bio-ship to move towards the village. The directions were conveyed to her by Ntongai, the second in command of the Warriors who was busy watching over the still passed out Masali. Parts of the grotesque creatures rained down from the air. A splatter of blood fell on Kid Flash''s face obscuring his vision and making him come to an abrupt stop. "Oh come on man! Do you really have to go all slasher on them?" The blood smelled rotten and a sickly undercooked stench. It made the speedster almost hurl right where he stood. He shook his head and shot off in anger, going through a group of warriors holding broken spears aimed to stab him. Kid Flash left a trail of broken bones. Luckily, Miss Martian had assured them that nothing of their minds remained. The bodies were just meat puppets that were not alive. They weren''t possessed either. Not like Masali had been. So for Kid Flash it had turned into a Zombie hunting season. Fortunately, all of them were respectful enough to leave the bodies intact for a proper funeral. Almost all of them, considering Superboy was re-enacting an omni-man scene from Invincible. Kid Flash looked behind him at the tangled bodies and smiled. There were broken limbs but only to impede their movements. "And that''s how you do it." Aqualad jumped over Kid Flash and kicked a baboon that had taken a leap at Kid Flash from a tree, before it could attack the speedster. He landed with the creature under his feet, destroying it''s head with his full Atlantean might. Aqualad looked at the blackened sludge of brain matter and blood and felt like vomiting. Both because of how disgusting it was and his actions. They were heroes, killing was not something they did. However, the circumstances were a bit different so¡­ ''it''s understandable. As Long as we don''t completely destroy them, we can find out what really caused this'', he told himself before turning to Kid Flash. "KF, keep your head in the game. We don''t know if these things can infect others and I don''t want to find out." Aqualad told him sternly. "Chill out Aqualad, we''re winning. Infact, ''Superman'' over there is basically dominating the battlefield." The Speedster pointed at Superboy who was carving a line among the creatures. He was unstoppable. His flight left shockwaves in the air as he accelerated, raining heat beams and ice breath down. The ground was destroyed, with craters and grooves. Aqualad felt his heart skip a beat at the viciousness with which Superboy was taking out the Zombies. A fire sprouted out in the forest due to a stray shot from the Kryptonian and Aqualad decided to caution Superboy to be careful right after directing Kid Flash to put it out. They couldn''t deal with a forest fire on top of what they had. He reached through the telepathic link. "Superboy you''re losing control. Be careful of your surroundings. You almost caused a forest fire." The clone didn''t respond. Superboy was having the best time of his life. He felt¡­he felt powerful. For the first time in ever. He finally felt strong. It came as a surprise for all of them when he cut off the telepathic link, to focus on going all out for the first time. "Damn. Did Superboy just hang up on all of us?" Kid Flash asked telepathically. Before, Aqualad could give Miss Martian the order to bring the Clone back to the link, the ground started rumbling. The noise reached a crescendo just as a figure leapt out of the mouth of the Cave. Robin. Aqualad''s concerns over the Kryptonian clone were momentarily forgotten as all the creatures in the field froze in place. Then in unison, a loud screech escaped their mouths and they turned to run towards the cave en masse. Robin would be cornered from all sides. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation."Let''s go!" Aqualad shouted at Kid Flash who blitzed at his fastest speed towards the mouth of the Cave. Birdarangs appeared in Robin''s hands as he watched the creatures ran towards the entrance of the cave. After being saved by Aden, he decided to not let any of these things enter and intervene in the other boy''s fight. He was the only chance they had at defeating these things. Boy Wonder might have disliked him but he never once doubted his strength. Not to mention¡­things had changed. Robin now knew some of the truth concerning their former teammate. It put a lot of things in perspective. "I am so not concerted, right now." He commented to himself, looking at the dozens of creatures advancing towards the entrance. 20 meters away and Robin was about to show them just how much of a badass he was. His hand reached into the utility belt for his special explosive birdarangs. They carried a bigger yield than his normal ones and ironically Robin had had them commissioned to deal with a certain former teammate¡­now the team and that person were working together to face a new threat. ''Just like old times.'' Boy Wonder thought. Then Superboy swooped in and grabbed him. Robin was speechless for a second. Superboy was flying. That shouldn''t be possible. Boy Wonder hadn''t been paying that much attention to the link and although he''d heard Wally wonder the same thing¡­ seeing it for himself was different. Either way, Robin was angry. "Why did you do that?" He hissed. "We need to keep them from breaching the cave. Aden is fighting that big scary Lion!" Superboy looked at the teen in his hands and snorted. "You''re welcome. And don''t worry about them. I''ll handle these things myself." He responded with a confident smirk. He was now getting used to his additional powers. The heat vision had been particularly interesting for the clone to play around with. But his favorite thing was flying. He could finally fly! He placed Robin near the peak of the hill which evened out into a plateau and flew back to stop the creatures from entering the cave. All this was done in seconds! That''s how fast he was in the air! His eyes turned red and heat beams exploded out of his ocular organs. Superboy created a groove infront of the cave. A sort of line that had super heated lava from the melted stones. The zombies fell in and had their bodies destroyed. The temporarily full Kryptonian touched down with pride coloring his eyes. He had done it¡­none of these creatures could now hope to enter the cave. He looked back at the aforementioned cave and briefly wondered if he should have gone inside to help Aden fight the Lion. Superboy''s hands tightened. That thing had looked downright menacing¡­ and powerful. Before he could though¡­two things happened almost simultaneously. For starters Aqualad, Kid Flash and Robin clutched their heads in pain and screamed. A telepathic attack! Someone had bested Miss Martian at her own specialty and as a result of being in the mind link with her¡­the rest of the team barring Superboy who had cut off the link and Aden who was not invited to the cool kids club felt as if a spike was being driven through their skulls. Superboy quickly flew towards Aqualad and Wally . "Aqualad! Kid Flash! Can you guys hear me! Take a deep breath!" Heedless to the clones worried questions, the three of them passed out. Then as if that wasn''t enough¡­all the remaining zombies dropped down onto the ground as if their strings had been cut. Superboy didn''t know what was going on. And calling out to Miss Martian or Artemis through the mind link didn''t seem to work. He looked at the cave. The only one who could possibly have an answer as to what was going on¡­was Aden. But first, Superboy grabbed the Speedster along with the Atlantean and flew them towards the hill where he had earlier deposited Robin. At least there they would be safe for the time being. Another rumble, this time bigger and with a shockwave of energy that felt¡­pure, the cave started spewing out ash and smoke. Superboy narrowed his eyes and activated his X-ray vision, inspecting what was happening inside the cave. His eyes widened a little when he saw a craft of some kind fly through a portal. That was all he saw. A feeling of that familiar weakness that was his reality hit him and he winced, losing attitude and the X-ray vision. The d.n.a suppressor that looked like shield patches had ran out of juice. He landed on the ground just as Aden speared through the mouth of the cave, urgently flying towards the direction the Bio ship had taken. Just like that, Superboy knew something was up. The fight was not over. And from the looks of it, something big was going down. His hand went to his side pockets and out with it came the compartment holding the Shield Patches. He slapped one on his upper arm and the rush of power was almost orgasmic. Superboy glanced at his teammates and wondered if he should bring them with him. ''No, they might slow me down. Not to mention they''re safer here anyway.'' His body shot off towards Aden. Saving The World Aint Easy Part 2 (General P.O.V) (A few minutes earlier) The steps were light. Not at all hurried or heavy. A blonde man dressed in a green shirt, jeans and boots stopped infront of a shield of green energy, pulsing with power. His smile stretched out into an arrogant smirk as his eyes speared through the last ditch effort at protection the Shaman had employed. The elderly Shaman was holding his cane tightly as he made eye contact with the Stranger¡­no. Not a stranger. The man was none other than the outsider that had arrived in the village a week before! The Shaman''s eyes widened in unmitigated surprise. "You?" He asked the man. Guy Lisbon''s smile widened some more. "Me." He stated, running his eyes along the bubble shield that extended to cover the whole village. Vines crept up along it''s surface, strengthening it even further. Lisbon sighed. "Is this how you treat your guests? To be honest, I am feeling very unwelcomed." The Archaeologist said, slowly walking around. The older Shaman swallowed his fear and stepped up. "I know what you are. A demon from the lowest pits of hell." The Shaman spit to the ground in disgust. "Touch the shield and you will feel the full wrath of nature strike back. No one¡­not even you can survive that." Lisbon raised his hands, pulling back. He laughed uneasily. "Trust me Old Chap, I am not that stupid to not heed your warnings." He sincerely said. His voice took on a sudden change. "So why not cut this game of cat and mouse and just pull down the Shield? I promise you no harm will come to you and your people. I just need to access the hub real quick and then I''ll be out of your hair. Mmmh? What do you say?" Lisbon offered. The Shaman looked behind him. He could see the faces of the gathered Villagers staring at him in hope. He was their only source of strength right now. Something he couldn''t be¡­The Shaman felt his heart break as he chose duty above family. Above clan. Above his own blood. Some of the older villagers understood his dillema and offered him looks of determination. It was a silent confirmation. One that he needed more than they knew. It was then decided. They weren''t backing down even if it meant forfeiting their lives. "Bite Me." The Old Shaman said testily. Lisbon''s eyes widened at being caught off guard by the answer. A laugh escaped his mouth. The archaeologist laughed for a few more seconds before rising up while wiping away tears from the corner of his eyes. "Bloody hell. That was very funny. That¡­that was something Old Chap." He straightened up, clearing his throat. "Tell me something¡­ you''re the anchor holding this shield together, right?" The Shaman refused to reply. He could only hope that the young warrior would be back to save them all before the Demon breached the protective dome. "Your silence is answer enough." Lisbon smirked. A bad feeling started blooming inside The Shaman''s heart. ''Where are you?'' he wondered in his head. "And so I''m thinking that if I take you down¡­then the Shield will naturally come down. There are no other guardians of the green among you." Lisbon Stated before adding, "I made sure of that." The Shaman felt his heart break again as the hope he harboured that maybe his brother and nephew were alive got shattered. He forced himself to put on a strong front. "You''ll pay for that Demon. That much I assure you." The Shaman bit out in gritted teeth. The demon rolled his eyes, "Oh please how many threats do you think I''ve heard over the millenia? Now where was I? Oh yes. If I were to¡­" Lisbon flicked a hand. The Shaman felt a sudden sensation of heat followed by mind numbing pain assault his chest. He looked down and saw a spearhead sticking out of his chest. He couldn''t believe it. What¡­what had just happened? He craned his neck behind him and saw the spear that had dealt him a mortal wound, held by one of the villagers, an old friend of his. His eyes¡­infact all of their eyes were unfocused¡­ The Green Shield shimmered before breaking apart into green motes of light. The Shaman couldn''t maintain the energy. Without an anchor all the energy fell apart. The Shaman lost control of his motor functions and fell to his knees, his hands grasped the spear. Blood escaped his mouth. If he could only remove the weapon¡­he could use the green to try and heal himself. There was a chance that it would turn him into something other than human but¡­ "Nah-uh. None of that, now¡­just close your eyes and fucking die okay?" The soft but sinister voice of the demon sounded, stepping closer to him. "You¡­" The Shaman wheezed out, giving the demon the most hateful glare he could muster. The Demon rolled his eyes. "Yes. Me. I took control of the minds of your people, none of them are naturally protected from telepathic intrusion by the green like you after all." The Demon crouched before him and sighed. "I warned you, this was how it would turn out." He patted the injured man on his shoulders, further causing more pain. It was a proof of the old man''s resilient life force that he hadn''t died yet. Blood was pouring out of his wound like a broken faucet. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "I feel like giving you something before you die though." Lisbon clapped his hands and jumped to his feet in a dramatic fashion. "I know! I''ll tell you how I accomplished all of this." He said in excitement before turning back to address the slowly dying man. The Shaman knew he had to do something and luckily it looked like the Demon was pre-occupied. The aged Shaman reached into the earth, touching the ground with a bloodied hand. He was sending a desperate plea. A plea to the real champion of the green. ''PLEASE!'' "You see, demons come in many variations. You humans don''t really know the difference. Can''t blame you," he shrugged, "though I''m very insulted that you confused a demon lord of my standing with your run of the mill Lilims." His black eyes turned more menacing as a cruel glint appeared on them. The Shaman felt a palm land on his shoulder and squeeze. His clavicle cracked and the pain he felt was hellish, though it was nothing compared to the spear through his chest. He groaned and tried to look up, establishing eye contact with his torturer. "That''s for your earlier disrespect and in case you haven''t figured it out... I''m the one keeping you alive. I like keeping things simple. So although you''re in my presence...none of that bowing crap. Call me Mammon." A cold shiver run down the aged man''s spine. That name... "About keeping you alive, I can''t have you dying on me before I tell you how I carried out my plans now can I? You see, I need an unbiased opinion." He chuckled waving his hand at the other villagers. " And There''s a short of that currently. And I know, I know... Monologuing is bad taste. I''m wasting precious time when I could be getting this over with. But this is needed..." The Shaman could feel himself slipping away only to be jerked back to reality every once in a while by Mammon. He never stopped calling for help. And in one instance, he felt something answer him. Something that felt massive. Something that had the same energy signature as the power running through generations of Shamans. '' LEND...STRENGTH.'' A slap pulled him out of his thoughts. "Hey, Old chap. I can''t keep on doing this... asking you to pay attention. If you drift off again into that little noggin if yours, I''ll start killing people." The statement was said in a way that showed he wasn''t lying. Mammon straightened up, clearing his throat in the process. "So there I was, chilling in my palace down under. Some bloke comes in and says...Luci''s gone. The big bad himself, mate. So everybody''s like...time to take over the kingdom now that the king as abondoned his castle. I laughed at their stupidity. The throne of hell has a huge spotlight being shown over it. Everybody''s clamoring to have a piece of it but they don''t realize just how high profile and dangerous to their health it is." Mammon suddenly went silent while looking off into one direction. Had Aden been there, he would have felt the telepathic fluctuations coming off the demon in waves. He was an even much stronger telepath than Miss Martian "Well hello, there. I can''t have you interfering so of to Dreamland with you bunch." A shockwave blasted out through the mental realm and Miss Martian quickly marshalled all her skills and power to keep her teammates and her from being turned into vegetables. The most she could do was block the worst of it, which still led to everybody in the link being rendered unconscious. A second later, a light appeared in the sky, roiling uncontrollably in the air before it slammed into the ground, creating a groove under it. The bio-ship had not been spared either. "Mmmh, interesting." Mammon, said parsing through the memories of the junior squad, casually. The mental walls put up by Miss Martian were nothing infront of his millenia of skill. He turned his attention to The Shaman. A large pool of blood was already under him and the old man felt cold. Darkness was creeping on the edge of his vision. He felt something pull him back from death. "Anyway, with no... supervision, I went off on a completely different direction. Why contest for a realm with so many greedy bastards, when I could take the opportunity and create my very own Kingdom? Luckily, I had foreseen this and ensured a countermeasure for when I got the chance to escape. You see, this body comes from a long line of half breeds. Suitable for possession with no chances of rejection. It truly feels like home. You can thank Solomon for that by the way...Bastard thought he could shackle me like he did the others forever but...millenia ago, I hatched this plan. And now the world is going to be mine." Mammon laughed cheerfully before continuing with his explanation, "I whispered words of hope to Lisbon on how to get his malady treated. He couldn''t understand that the changes his body was showing, was just his blood reacting to his hidden heritage. So he came here at my behest. Seizing control of a second rate demon like Mnemoth was child''s play. I simply pointed him to your village, promising an all you could eat buffet. Lisbon under my guidance led your village warriors and shamans to me, where I had set a trap. Fast forward to me taking their souls and turning them into undead that follow my every command...I knew I had to thin out the herd some more. So I reached out to your nephew, stoking his ego, hate and impatience, both to deliver a fresh meal to my underling for all the work he''d put in and to subtly steal another Shaman from you...you might not be powerful individually but having Nature act as your battery is bloody annoying. I''ve fought bastards like you before. The rest is history." A brief silence dominated the area. ''Now what?'' The old man wondered. ''TAKE REST.'' Suddenly he felt the ground rumble, a surge of vines, stronger than any he could create, broke through the earth, forming into the shape of a huge hulking humanoid figure. The champion...The Shaman realized, hope blooming inside him. Mammon cocked his head to the side with an easy smile on his face. "Well well well. I was thinking you wouldn''t show up, Champion of The Green." That''s when the Shaman realized...it had all been a plan to stall until Swamp Thing arrived. Saving The World Aint Easy Final Part Was listening to no diggity as I wrote this. (General P.O.V) A mad cackling rang out through the already strange scene of over a hundred people standing expressionless, one bleeding man, a green monster made up of vines and a man with all black eyes. The green behemoth with red eyes surveyed the scene, taking note of the bleeding Shaman who had been responsible for calling him, the villagers and the demon infront of him. After forming his own conclusions, Swamp Thing didn''t waste any time. His upper body grew taller, looming threateningly over the only white guy in the vicinity. He pulled his green hands back and shot them towards Mammon. The latter simply smiled, looking unworried at the attack bearing down on him. The vines snapped taught over his body, constricting him like dozens of pythons. Bones broke and flesh was mashed into a red paste. Blood sprayed out of his mouth but the smile never disappeared. If anything¡­he started laughing. "You are a vile creature. Your energy corrupts and nature abhors you. I shall enact my punishment!" A rumbling voice sounded out of the Swamp Thing, filling the area with the aura of power. With a bloody smile, Mammon''s eyes turned vicious, "So nice of you to join the party. I was wondering how long I would have to keep the Old Fellow from hitting the bucket. Now that you''re here we can¡­ FINALLY START!!" With a flex of power, black flames sprang out of his broken form, burning all the vines apart in one move. A shock wave exploded out of him, blasting away the other vines about to come into contact with his body. The villagers were also blown away, falling on top of each other like tumbling weeds. Vines formed into a cocoon around the aged Shaman who for some reason was yet to die. In response to Mammon''s attack, Swamp Thing anchored himself onto the ground. Mammon softly landed and raised a hand. Silence dominated the whole village, disturbed only by the Shaman''s wheezing. Swamp Thing tried to move and found himself immobilized. "What¡­what sort of power¡­" The Champion of The Green gasped in shock. He couldn''t feel¡­he couldn''t feel the connection he had with the green. A red light started shining on the ground, forming an intricate pentagram below Swamp Thing. Mammon smiled. As if time was rewinding, loud cracking noises sounded out of his body. The broken leg with a bone showing was fixed, along with every injury he had sustained from Swamp Thing''s attack. The blood disappeared and the clothes were fixed. Following the action, over a dozen villagers fell down with a gasp. Their bodies turned grey and aged infront of the Shaman and Swamp Thing''s eyes, turned to shrunken corpses in a macabre fashion. "Aaah" he moaned. "That feels good." He said, referring to the stolen life force he had used to heal himself. Although the man known as Alec Holland was no more¡­Swamp Thing still remembered his life as a human. So to see, the casual murdering of men, women and kids filled him with anger. He tried to access the green only to bounce off a wall. The Pentagram circle below him pulsed with light in response to his actions. "Trust me, that won''t work. What you''re looking at is a mystical locking field inspired by one of your greatest wizards, Solomon himself. You have no hope of breaking through it. Now, I suppose I have stalled long enough. Here''s the deal old pal, I need something you have." He stopped, closing his palm, upon opening it, a dark red colored ball of energy was floating above it. "This is a little¡­ experiment of mine. In simple times it''s like¡­the flag I need to plant to claim possession of this world. I thought I only needed the hub of green located here but then found out¡­it''s just one room! You could sense my virus trying to take control and simply cut it off from the rest of the house, which in this case is the planet but¡­I thought to myself, if I had the key, it would be much easier! Your connection to the green is ever present (usually) and all encompassing, meaning I can use you to infect the whole planet, remaking it in my own image. That''s some biblical stuff right there, mate! Now hold still¡­" Mammon reached out a hand towards Swamp Thing''s huge green chest. The vines started unravelling, revealing a pale body inside the Champion of the green. Swamp Thing''s mouth opened in a a wordless scream¡­he was being unmade¡­ A whistling sound rang out suddenly. Mammon leaned his head backwards, his eyes wide in shock and heart hammering by how fast he had come close to losing his head. A thin trail of blood ran down his scruffy beard. The ground broke apart to his right, under the figure that had appeared suddenly. "Tch, I was aiming for your neck." The figure rose up to his full height, twirling the blade in his hands with an uncanny skill. The Shaman on the ground struggled to open his eyes when he heard the voice. He was here. He had finally arrived! Now the old man could die happy. A smile appeared on his face and he let go¡­ Aden looked at the fallen Shaman and sighed, "Old man¡­ I''m sorry I was too late. But¡­" He turned his gaze towards the demon. A serious and determined look on his face. "I promise you, I''ll make him pay." He said, while thinking of a strategy. He couldn''t hold back any of his abilities right now. That meant he was using everything. His full power. Mammon was powerful. He would rate him Superman level. On his way here, he had felt the aura being wantonly released by the demon and it was¡­scary. Despite all his powers, Aden wasn''t sure he could take him down. But he knew he had no choice. It was either win this mismatched fight or the world would draw the short end of the stick. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Mammon''s eyes narrowed at the Daggers in Aden''s hands¡­they looked familiar, on top of being very threatening. "Where did you get those weapons, boy? Tell me and I assure you a quick and painful death." The demon offered. "I''m on a time limit. Plus, you''ll be dead long before I finish explaining that." Saying that, Aden pointed one of the weapons at Mammon. A red shield appeared before the demon, blocking the hundreds of air construct weapons shot at him. The wind whistled as it buffeted the surroundings around the experienced demon. Aden could see the constructs had no effect on Mammon, fortunately, he had anticipated this and the move had only been meant to serve as a distraction. He sneakily took advantage of the opportunity to use air construct ropes and carry the villagers away from the battlefield. Before they could get 50 meters between them and Mammon, Aden felt his whole body shiver in fear. A torrential wave of black fire emerged from Mammon''s body. A fire that sent the Avatar of the elements on edge. Hell Fire. Aden swung his hands to the side, his own flames, almost as big as Mammon''s responded to his call and slammed into the black wave, aiming to part the hell fire in the middle. Aden felt himself get pushed back. The hell fire devoured even his own flames. Changing tactics, Aden fell back on his strongest element, a wave of his hand and a tornado of violently rotating air was created, pulling Mammon''s flame into itself and redirecting it around his body then back to the black flame''s owner. Mammon looked on in contempt as the flame reached within vicinity. "Pitiful." Following the comment, the hell fire exploded out of the tornado causing the immediate surroundings to turn into an ash and smoke filled crater. Luckily, Aden had managed to pull all the villagers away through a remote boom tube while The Demon had been pre-occupied. But Aden hadn''t come out of it unscathed, he felt his body get thrown back, the heat from the black flames briefly coming into contact with his body before he could put up a shield and burning his trench coat to cinders. He coughed as he got up. The shockwave had packed quite a punch too but Aden wasn''t done. Silent steps rang out, slowly coming towards him. A figure could be seen walking out of the crater with an immobilized Swamp Thing floating beside him in the air. "You survived that? And also managed to save my puppets? Ok, I have officially promoted you from an ant to a slightly bigger ant." Mammon insulted. Aden made no comment. He stood up and studied the demon looking for a weakness. He had none. Well, except for his arrogance but that was par the course so, nothing new there. In that instant, The Grand Master air bender felt something cut through the air towards Mammon from the back. Aden made no indication of what was about to happen. The only thing he did was hold the daggers tighter, ready to attack. A massive blast of air shook the whole village as Superboy''s fist was intercepted by a red shield, 2 inches away from Mammon''s head. The Kryptonian slammed both hands on the shield, hoping to break through it and kick the ass of the man responsible for hurting M''gann, to no avail. Mammon back handed the clone, only for Superboy to lean back at the last minute, flying away. Mammon tightened his fingers and telekinetically pulled Connor back. ''Now!'' Aden thought. A blast of flames appeared behind his shoulders and feet, pushing him faster than he had ever gone before with the combination of air bending and fire bending. He wasn''t going to miss this time! He blitzed in between Superboy and Mammon, one of his daggers slicing through the air with a sharp sound and a brief flash of light. Then Aden came to an abrupt stop, creating a groove under his feet before spinning in place, in an almost exact move from before when he took out almost 80% of the zombies. He felt his body warm up to a level it never had before. The energy in his belly was compressed to a degree he had never tried and then, he released it in one burst, aimed at the demon''s head. Plus Ultra! The night gained another sun, Aden''s Maelstrom costume, turned to ash at the sleeves as the stream of red super hot flames never seized burning out of his palms, his face was dripping with sweat, the light from the flames showing it set into an animalistic snarl. Red heat beams also joined the contest, Superboy tapping into the solar energy inside him to blast the demon while roaring. Mammon started getting pushed back, the huts and nearest trees were destroyed by the stray attacks as the two boys put in all they had to fight back. Then suddenly, Aden cut off the stream, breathing heavily. Superboy flew down too, feeling as if he''d bench-pressed a million tons. "Did we get him?" He asked Aden. Instead of answering, the Elemental attuned teen, stretched out his hand and grabbed a dagger dripping with blood from the air. "Us? No but the dagger I controlled using my air bending to slice through his neck, successfully beheading him and then turning his head into ash? Yeah. Yeah, I think we did." Aden waved a hand, sweeping all the smoke and dust away. The soil was blackened at the point of contact where, a burnt corpse lay on the ground, headless. The teen narrowed his eyes, it might have looked like Mammon was dead but the lack of a text box from the System told him otherwise. A strange look appeared on Aden''s face. There were only three of them left alive. Him, Swamp Thing and Superboy. "We have to be careful, Mammon still isn''t dead. We should search the surroundings and see if we can find any traces of him." Aden suggested, rising up from his position. "Copy that." Superboy replied while also looking around warily. He started walking away to start the search, when a boom tube suddenly and with no warning, appeared under his next step. To push him inside, Aden waved both his hands to the ground, sending a massive platform of air bearing down on the Kryptonian. Then the boom tube disappeared. He sighed, removing the mask covering his lower face. "Fuck." Swamp Thing floated down to the ground, now that Mammon was out of range. "You betrayed your own? Humans never cease to disappoint." Aden rolled his eyes. "Mammon had possessed him and my chances of going up against a demon using a Kryptonian body are practically nil. Ask a certain New God, how that worked out for him. Look, when the team arrives, tell them I''ll bring back Superboy, unharmed." A boom tube appeared before him and Aden jumped in. He had an exorcism to perform. Justice League Interlude part 1 (General P.O.V) Green Arrow was on console duty. This part of the job was something that the billionaire both hated and loved with equal measure. Whenever Dinah decided to stick around, his shift seemed to go very fast but whenever he was alone or god forbid stuck with the more anti-social members of the League¡­the whole thing seemed to drag¡­ The veteran archer swept a gaze on the satellite feeds, along with the surveillance footage installed in the hall of justice. The whole Watchtower was monitored by an A.I but having on scene members to make sure the whole thing ran smoothly and to act as a first responder to unforeseen situations was mandatory. If any of their enemies accessed the Watchtower, with the sort of technology installed in the base¡­the League and the world would be in big trouble. Green Arrow sighed and leaned back on his chair, contemplating calling Black Canary. He was so bored he could even welcome a distraction from Barry. Green Arrow chuckled, especially Barry. They just understood each other better than most of the other leaguers. A beeping sound pulled Green Arrow from his thoughts. He sat up straighter, seeing it was a reminder, to expect a call up from the junior team. A new measure that had been implemented by Captain Atom, with the purpose of giving the league an update on how every mission went. In case of a situation requiring radio silence, for example during contact with the enemy, Aqualad and his team knew what guidelines to follow. 2 successive beeps to show they were pre occupied with an enemy, followed by 2 more to show they were done or 1 to show it was an enemy they couldn''t handle and were entertaining a withdrawal to come up with different strategies. Lastly was the less likely, press and hold to request for League Back-up. None of that happened. The designated time to make the call up passed and Green Arrow frowned. They could have forgotten about it but something told the Star city resident, things were not that simple. "Watchtower, pull up the current location of the bio-ship." Green Arrow got up, while ordering the A.I. A map of Africa appeared on the projected screen, the image was magnified to show a section in East Africa. A green blinking light appeared on a non-descript valley located in the northern part of Kenya. Green Arrow narrowed his eyes. "How long has it been there?" "30 minutes." Came the answer from the computer. Green Arrow hummed. Something was up. His hand went for the comms. "Watchtower to Aqualad¡­" He waited for a response but got silence instead. "Watchtower to Bio-ship. Can anyone hear me?" Arrow tried some of the other members and after receiving no response, he changed the call, "Watchtower to Captain Atom. We have a problem." (The Batcave) "Before you say anything, Alfred invited me to stay over for dinner." Superman announced, taking the stairs leading from the elevator down towards Batman. He glanced at the relics, memorabilia and souvenirs lining up the wall of the cave. Trophies from Batman''s numerous exploits. Batman hummed in annoyance. The Kryptonian''s unwelcome surprise, was well¡­ unwelcome but necessary. Batman had a lot of things to do but there was something he''d been putting off that needed to be addressed. "What do you want, Clark?" The Dark Knight grumbled. In response, Superman tilted his head curiously. "Alfred''s wondering if he should bring down some refreshments for us before dinner." The red and blue clad hero stated. Batman looked up from the files he was reading through and narrowed his eyes at Superman, through the reflection of the Bat-computer''s screen. The alien scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Super-hearing." He explained. "I know, Clark. And you''re stalling. What do you and J''onn want?" The Gothamite replied testily. A figure shimmered into being through the walls of the bat cave. Manhunter spared a look at Superman with something akin to satisfaction. "I told you he wouldn''t fall for it." The Martian pointed out to Superman who sighed and took a seat. "Yes. You''re right Bruce. I am stalling. But that''s only because I don''t know how to approach this issue with you." Supes admitted, making The Billionaire playboy philanthropist hum. "Speak your mind. Nothing has ever stopped you before." He responded seemingly going back to studying the files on his table. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Superman and Martian Manhunter shared a look. "You''re creating your own superhero team." The comment came from Manhunter. Batman paused mid way to flipping over the next page of the folder on the table. He turned his chair fully to face the two, a hard look on his face. "Seeing as I am not part of the Justice League anymore, none of my actions are answerable to you." He told them in that same hard tone that made him a delight to hang out with. "¡­But, I understand your concerns." In a rare moment of empathy, Batman decided to be¡­cordial. "To answer your question J''onn, no. I am not putting together a team. At least officially." He smiled. "Off the record however, we need a way to move unhindered. A way we can take down the Light without our every move being tracked by the mole on the team." Manhunter nodded at Batman''s words, "Indeed. Leaving the League offers you a certain level of autonomy and freedom the rest of us don''t have access to. It will even be more believable after the Press conference." Superman narrowed his eyes. "Wait, back up a little. A mole? I thought we had resolved that as a open and shut case? Did you not provide evidence on Aden being the spy? Having access to the money, files, Kobra venom and whatever that other bottle contained was in your own words, ''irrefutable evidence.''" Batman sighed and shared a look with Manhunter. "Am I missing something here?" Superman asked after witnessing the strange look his two friends threw at each other. "All that was a ploy. A lie to assure the real Mole that his cover was still intact." Superman took a few minutes to digest that information before crossing his hands over his chest. "So Aden is innocent of betrayal? You''re telling me, we not only put out an APB to all active Superheroes and League associates on a kid who''s not even 18 years old but that we also abandoned him in a world that is not his own for no goddamn reason but to further your mission of finding out who the spy is?" Superman clenched his fists in anger, staring at the greatest detective in the world. And that is why Clark''s presence was necessary. It was time to fess up and hope he would understand. "It''s not as simple as that Clark. Aden had a role in this and he understood the risk." Batman replied. "What are you talking about?" The Man of Steel asked. The one who answered was Manhunter. "It was a mistake, my friend. "J''onn started, coming closer to Superman. "We approached the boy in a misguided attempt to use him as a mole himself. To infiltrate the Light and work with us from the inside to take them all down." Supes couldn''t believe it. He was angered but most of all disappointed. He turned to walk away, needing to go somewhere else to think. "Clark...I made a mistake. And I''ll make this right, I promise." Batman admitted sincerely. "What you did was worse than lying Bruce. You sacrificed your ideals and stooped to the Light''s level, just to win. I can''t talk to you right now. Tell Alfred I won''t be staying for dinner." With that, the Man of Steel left. Bruce sighed, running his palm through his hair. He had had the cowl off for their interaction. "Well that went about as well as I told you it would." Manhunter commented. "They had to know sometime." Bruce replied. "You''re right. On to other matters, what have you found out? You called me here saying you had a lead." Manhunter stated. Bruce turned to the Bat-computer and waved a hand, controlling the projected screen to show an image of a human d.n.a sequence. "I found an extra gene in the d.n.a sequence of the samples we recovered from the bottle containing the strange liquid Maelstrom had in his possession." Bruce explained. "So what are you saying? Was the liquid made from..." Manhunter started speaking before Bruce cut him off, "Bio matter extracted from humans? Yes and no. The readings are not clear on that because something is actively messing with any device I try to use to understand it''s composition. Star Labs faced the same hurdle." Man hunter straightened up, finally catching on. "You think there''s mystical energy interference." He asked to which Batman nodded. "Yes." "Mmmh...I could acquire the services of Zatara on your behalf. He''s the only active mystical expert we can consult. Barring that, Atlantis might have some answers." Manhunter offered. "Thank you J''onn. There''s something else as well. I have narrowed down the list." Bruce''s words were delivered in the most serious tone The Martian had ever had from him. Serious, just like the statement itself. "Bruce are you sure? There is no coming back from this if you''re wrong." He warned the former leaguer. Bruce massaged his head and thought about it deeply. Manhunter was right. This would go further than just losing trust in someone... "I am not. But I don''t think we have a choice." Suddenly, a transmission came through Manhunter''s comms. The alien held up hand. "Understood. I''ll be there shortly." He then stood up in urgency. "What is going on?" Batman wondered. "The team were found catatonic during their recent mission. Most likely from a telepathic attack. Atom has requested my help." Manhunter explained, making Batman narrow his eyes. Their recent mission was investigating Guy Lisbon''s whereabouts. "We''ll take the bat-jet." The Dark Knight stated, leaving no room for arguments. "Superboy is missing too." J''onn added as the walked to the hangar. Justice League Interlude Final Part. (General P.O.V) The Batjet landed a distance away from the village. An open field that was cleared for cultivation due to it being the planting season. Martian Manhunter phased through the interior of the Dark Knight''s craft, landing on the soil with barely a sound. A minute later, Batman joined him and they both walked the rest of the way towards the village. Most of the others like Superman, Green Lantern and Flash had arrived by way of the Zeta tube installed in Africa. One for each section of the continent. One was in Cairo, another in Dar El Salaam, for the south there was one in Cape Town and the last was in West Africa, particularly C?te d''Ivoire in a city called Abdijan. It was part of a planetary safeguarding scheme in case of a worldwide crisis, like an alien incursion. A plan that had become necessary after the Justice League had faced off against the Appellaxians. A green beam scanned them once they arrived at the scene of where the bio-ship was located. There was a group of locals armed with shields and spears going around the village, fixing up the huts that remained intact from the clearly massive battle that had happened here. "Hey J''onn, Bats." The Flash said, appearing before them in a burst of speed. He spared a brief look at the pair due to the unexpected presence of the Dark Knight before shrugging, "You came right on time, we just managed to get the team out of the bio-ship, though they still remain unresponsive. We''re hoping you could work some of that martian magic and fix¡­ whatever this is." The group walked over to the temporary tent they had set up to house the unconscious teens. The general consensus was to wait for the resident Telepath to see what''s was wrong before taking them back to the watchtower for further treatment. The aforementioned Telepath stopped before the teens. Only five of whom were present. Superboy was missing and J''onn could feel the worry inside Superman''s mind. The Kryptonian, Wonder woman and Captain Atom landed next to Batman and the others but chose to keep quiet do as to not distract the Manhunter. The Martian''s eyes glowed with power, a green flash that disappeared after a few seconds. "Mmmh." J''onn hummed, calling interest to the rest. "I can feel their minds locked inside a mental loop, almost impossible for the victim to breakthrough by themselves." "Can you?" Batman asked, naturally taking command like he was used to. Superman and Wonder Woman glanced at each other. The Man of Steel shook his head. Despite the misgivings he had about Batman''s presence, caused by his earlier confession, the focus was on helping the team and finding the one responsible for the crater in the middle of the village. "I will need time. The procedure is delicate, else we risk trapping them inside the psyche¡­ forever." The Martian answered back. There was a wave of palpable concern as Wonder Woman ushered everyone away. "Take all the time you need J''onn. Meanwhile, we will follow up on anything we find." The tent flap fell behind the last Leaguer. Once outside, Wonder woman rounded up to face Batman. Hands crossed as she gave the impassive Dark Knight a death stare. "You have some explaining to do, Batman." Her tone had a noticeable hard edge on it. "I''ll¡­ I''ll just go around and see if we missed anything." The Flash announced and escaped from the brewing confrontation. Captain Atom similarly flew up without saying a word. He wasn''t escaping. Not really. If anything he was prioritizing. As The Flash said, they might have missed something. Plus, Green Lantern was surveying the scene all alone, maybe he needed some back up. "Don''t you have anything to say Bruce?" Diana was relentless. She had nothing against the detective. If anything a small part of her admired him. His will to never give up was something she had rarely seen in a mortal. In that, Batman was a step ahead many of the heroes Diana had come across. And she had come across a lot. But therein lies the problem. A willful man like Batman tended to keep his own counsel. It was¡­ annoying and frustrating how much he trusted himself. "I don''t think now is the time or the place, Diana. We have Superboy and missing villagers to find." Superman played mediator, coming in between them. "I''ll go see if I can pull up the logs from the bio-ship." Batman spoke up, making to leave. "This is not over." Wonder Woman informed him, laying a hand on his shoulder gently. The Dark Knight ignored her and left for the bio-ship. Lantern Stewart was scanning the ship and upon seeing Batman, he flew down to land next to him. The bio-ship was in its resting oval shape. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon."You know, typically when someone resigns it means they, you know¡­ actually resign. How are you doing Batman? The Green Lantern greeted him easily. "I''m good, John. What did you find out from your scans?" The Lantern shrugged. "Not much I''m afraid. The bio-ship is on lockdown. It''s a miracle we managed to extract the team. Maybe a subroutine? It changed forms after the extraction. And going by my scans, only a Martian or a Telepath can get through it''s security. Makes sense for such a mentally reliant piece of tech like it." He explained. "Her." Batman corrected, to which Stewart looked at him strangely. "Right¡­all that means is we don''t have as good a lead as I initially thought we did." The Green Lantern concluded his explanation. "What about the satellite feed from the Watchtower? Did it capture anything?" The Dark Knight wondered. In response to the question, Stewart''s ring shone with the light of a construct, displaying a green projected screen of the village seen from above. "Just this¡­a massive explosion of energy a few kilometers from here. Captured on the feed over 40 minutes ago. I was actually planning to head on over there and see if I can get a reading on what the energy was." "Mmh." Batman hummed. "Let''s go. In the meantime, the others can hold down the fort." A green platform appeared below Batman and they flew up, with Lantern Stewart giving an update to Wonder Woman. A short flight later, they came up on devastation. The landscape before them was destroyed. A massive groove had turned the hill leading up to a cave into a cavern with blackened walls and soil. "My god, what could have caused this?" Green Lantern wondered out loud. He''d only seen something like this caused by massive weapons under a watchlist of an intergalactic arms oversight board. Each world had a certain level of weapon access that was allowed. Of course like many organizations in space, the board was less than useless. Corrupt and inefficient. Batman narrowed his eyes. "Get us down and scan for any remnants of energy signature left behind. Then cross reference that with anything in the ring''s database." Stewart glanced at Batman from the corner of his eye. "Siryessir." He said jokingly, causing Batman to sigh a little. He didn''t think working with the League again would be this hard. Assuming command came natural to the Dark Knight but he knew he couldn''t keep on doing it. They landed near the cave and a horrible smell assaulted Batman''s nose, coming from the entrance. "Good God, smells as if something died in there." Batman didn''t say anything in response to Stewart''s words but he mentally agreed. A torch appeared in his left hand as he studied the walls of the cave. He ran his fingers down the tunnel and it broke off into blackened pieces of soot. Probably as a result of an intense heat. "Batman¡­you gotta see this." Stewart''s voice pulled him out of his own investigation. "It wasn''t a weapon as I had initially thought, instead the energy signature bears a strong resemblance to Aden Strong." (Back at the village) The Flash had combed through the place ten times already and it was only by luck that he managed to find a certain trail hidden behind two huts with 2 warriors standing guard. The speedster narrowed his eyes. Looking at their vigilant stances, they clearly didn''t want anyone accessing wherever the path led to. His hand went to his earpiece "Flash to Wonder Woman. I think I found something." Saying that, he disappeared, going so fast the two warriors saw nothing except for a short breeze that ruffled their clothes. They looked at each other and shrugged. The Flash came to a stop when the trail opened up to a beautiful garden. "Wow. Iris would fall in love with this place." He commented to himself. There was a bridge built over a pool that glowed beautifully in the night sky, lush grass on the edges of the empty space and a huge tree with glowing pods hanging from it''s branches. Before the tree, a shrine was elected. Barry had a feeling that this place¡­was sacred. He stepped forward to cross the bridge when a rumble sounded out from below. "Whoa!" The Flash shouted in surprise, jumping backwards as vines broke through the surface of the ground. The vines formed into the shape of a green hulking man with red eyes. "Leave!" The giant spoke up, his voice reverberating through the beautiful place. "So I''m guessing you''re the security, right?" The Flash quipped, his heart racing at speeds even he couldn''t hope to achieve. (Back With Batman) The pair crossed through the tunnel and found themselves inside a wide cavern. The stench was even worse in here. Batman''s mask glowed with a white light as he took note of the strange surroundings. Black walls all around. A layer of soot and ash that Batman wasn''t sure what it belonged to. He had a sample on his utility belt for further study. "I found something." Stewart said, pulling Bruce away from his thoughts. The former marine flew towards the further end of the cavern where an underground river, now just patches of black stagnant water was located. A flash of scanning light, escaped the ring on Stewart''s hands and a second later the results were in. "That''s... interesting." Not wanting to leave the Dark Knight in the dark, John sent the information packet to Batman''s holographic wrist computer. "Who are the Sconiads?" Batman asked, after promptly accessing the information. "40 millenia ago, before the guardians signed a peace treaty with an alien species called The Reach, the Sconiads were a race of bio-mechanic life forms who could intergrate with technology to a scary degree. It''s what the Reach based their Scarab tech on. Unfortunately, they were destroyed due to the ongoing conflict at the time and due to their inclination to pursue knowledge and keep a neutral stand. I''m getting two distinct energy signatures here. One of boom tube use and the other, Sconiad technology." One On One (Aden''s P.O.V) My surroundings changed as the boom tube spat me out into the fire elemental plane. Oppressive heat and warm air hit my lungs as I took a deep breath in. My Aerokinesis was immediately suppressed, leaving me with just my physical strength, skills and Firebending to call on. I looked around, sending my awareness of the plane out. The dragons inhabiting the dimension were circling around something a few hundred meters away over the closest mountain to me. Just out of sight. Superboy registered in my senses, leisurely sitting on a boulder while watching the fantastical creatures flying above him in a hypnotic dance. He was waiting. Waiting for me. My senses speared through the land of flames, giving me a general update on everything that was going on in the full elemental dimension. I had sent the villagers to the safest island I could think of, one close to Sanctuary but far enough that they couldn''t get there. The island was full of fresh fruits. Variations that they had never had before. And it looked like Mammon''s spell or whatever it was had ended. The able bodied elders had started forming shelter for the women and the children. A good strategy. The other thing I felt was a deep pulse that registered as foreign to the dimension, coming from a few thousand Miles away from Sanctuary. Further delving through my senses, showed me Miner, the Alien pod I had recovered from the cave after my fight with Mnemoth. Although I couldn''t understood what was happening, I could feel it. Feel as it''s inner mechanisms shifted in an effort to repair it''s systems. What made me frown in confusion was the tendrils it had sprouted from under it''s body. It was¡­ stealing energy straight from my dimension to heal itself. No, not stealing¡­ borrowing. I promised myself to look more into that later and added a mist surrounding the island and several more near it, to hide it from view. Who knows, someone could be scrying into my dimension. It was better to be safe than sorry. Meanwhile, I had a fight to get to. A fight that would take everything I had to win. I was so outmatched and outclassed it wasn''t even funny. And worse of all, he knew it. I felt him stare through the Mountain at me. Despite the fact that this shit was serious¡­it was also an opportunity. And that opportunity was the reason, I didn''t send Superboy to the Air Elemental Plane. I''m smart enough to realize that fire would not hinder Mammon at all. But this fight would give me the opportunity to fight at my absolute peak of physical strength and Firebending. I couldn''t pass that chance up. The first thing I did was mentally command all the dragons in the vicinity to leave. Now, due to the fact I was connected to everything in this pocket dimension, I could order any of the creatures native to the dimension to do anything. The fight was about to get messy and I didn''t want any of my creatures to get hurt. Not that I didn''t know what Dragons were capable of. In fact, I doubted I could take on a mature one in a straight Firebending fight. I had the power sure but they had everything else backing them up. Steam escaped my mouth in that familiar way I used to access my firebending. I took a deep breath and felt the fire get stoked, running rampant inside my body, flushing my skin. I tore off remnants of the trench coat, leaving me in my regular suit minus the visor. And then I bent my knees. A simple push off the ground and I was off like a speeding bullet, fire raging out of my feet like the tail end of a falling meteor. I flew over and above the mountain, headed straight towards the Kryptonian/Demonic opponent calmly waiting for me. A fight greater in proportion than I had ever been in was about to occur. My eyes shone with excitement as I could finally and properly go all out without a fear for destroying my surroundings. My moves down on earth had been confined to the most efficient attacks to get rid of Mammon due to the time limit but¡­the mission had ended in success. I could see numerous prompts minimized at the corner of eyes, just waiting for my perusal. Right after I was done handing this demon his ass. I screamed as I pushed myself faster, the flames growing larger and more violent. Superboy, his normal blue eyes now a black pool of light devouring organs smiled maniacally and jumped towards me as well, maintaining a collision course. We didn''t speak. Only Dragonball Z like shouts of effort escaped both our mouths, the second before we ploughed into each other. Our fists met in the air and a shockwave blasted out. I felt the impact of the fully charged Kryptonian punch and was thrown back towards the mountain, managing to catch my unsteady and uncontrallable fall through my legs. The Jet like fire propulsion skill working in tandem with my superior body control to reinforce my coordination. A split second later, another massive fist barreled straight through where my head had previously been. I dodged, then blocked a telegraphed strike that made my bones sing with pain. I withdrew, leaning away from a haymaker that sent a violent wind blowing away near my face. I slapped a fist to the side then planted a punch onto his neck. It felt like I had punched a wall. Superboy pulled away and kicked at me. I crossed my hands infront of me, taking the full force of the kick. My hands shook in pain as I grunted. Fire escaped my feet and shoulders throwing me forward faster than he had expected. I slipped through his guard and delivered mountain shaking strikes to his body. Targeting all the weak spots. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I was more skilled, but Superboy was more mobile in midair. A concequence of losing access to my air bending. We fought for a few minutes in close combat. A slug fest that left me with a broken nose, a cut above my eyebrow and numerous bruises. In comparison Superboy looked like he could go on for days. I was losing badly, something needed to change. There was the option to use chi-blocking on him but having tried it before on Connor to little success, I didn''t think it would work that well, now that he was juiced up on some Kryptonian bullshit. God there''s a reason they have such an effective weakness, otherwise Kryptonians would be hax. Resolved to shift the way the battle was going, I pulled in close, grabbed the offending limb and threw him down over my shoulder. He flipped in the air with more ease than I had and dashed against me once more only to eat my own fully strengthened punch to the face. I shouted, exerting all the force I could. I felt my knuckles crack painfully but held on. Another explosion of shockwaves was born from the contact and the mountain peak below us was dismantled, sending pieces of rocks raining down the mountain side. I was shocked. The punch had packed every ounce of strength I had, but had barely moved him. A smirk slowly appeared on his face. "I am liking this body¡­a lot." I grabbed his face in between my hands. My mouth opened and a stream of red hot fire poured out onto his face like a scene straight out of dragon movie. I kept the stream up for about a few minutes. Finally letting loose and allowing the fire to burn with wild abandon. I stopped a few seconds later. The T-shirt the Kryptonian clone was wearing was now reduced to ash, revealing his upper body to the world. He disengaged, grunting in pain as he covered his eyes with his palms. From what I could see, there wasn''t a single burn on him. But having light shoveled into your eyes like that, especially with superior eyesight might have hurt. I spun, reared my leg back and round kicked the boy on the side of his head. This time I sent him hurtling down through the mountain peak, breaking through it and permanently shaving off it''s height. His body dug a groove through the ground as I followed after him. Even that was barely enough to keep him down for long. I grabbed the huge piece of rock from the destroyed mountain peak and flew into the air, straining at the 100+ ton weight of the whole thing. Superboy looked up just in time to see a shadow appear above him. The huge rock smashed onto his body, leaving a cloud of dust rising up in the wake of the impact. Time to put him down for good. I landed on the ground and stepped forward with my right leg. Now that I was on a stable medium, going through the forms of Firebending was much easier than being in mid air. I wound my hands around my body, tightening the fingers into fists and bumped both hands into one another, I dragged my leg back closer to my body, before my hands, suddenly spread to the side, winding up in a circular motion that ended with both my palms facing the sky, one above the other, held closer to my solar plexus. I spread both hands to the sides again, palms still open and facing the sky. A variation to the normal forms of Firebending I had come up with to compress my flames for one devastating attack. It was a move that needed time to prepare. I took a deep breath, feeling the normally intangible and light energy turn viscous and run up from above my groin to my two hands. Twin rotating balls of fire appeared above the palms, easily over 20 meters wide in diameter. The heat around me picked up immensely to the point even I could feel it. I raised my palms up to the sky, feeling the strain of channelling so much energy through them. I hadn''t channeled this much before, wary of just how much destruction a single ball would cause, so the move had remained seen practical application. This was it''s debut. The ground rumbled aggressively below me. Uh oh. The rock I had slammed on top of Connor glowed red at one point, before a massive explosion rang out and pieces of stones pelted the area and dust covered the scene. My gaze speared through all that to establish eye contact with a red-eyed gaze. Superboy flew into the air effortlessly, staring down at me like a god. Oh shit! My technique wasn''t complete! The fuck was I going to do?! I absentmindedly took note of the fact, that the d.n.a suppressing patch on his upper arm was nowhere to be seen, which meant that Mammon was accessing all of Connor''s Kryptonian abilities. Most probably through mystical means. Scary. "My turn." He stated, the glow in his eyes intensifying. "Aaargh!!" The twin beams exploded out of his eyes, burning a path through the air towards me and my own attack. If the heat beams landed, I wound lose control of the only move that had a possibility of hurting this guy. ''Fuck'', I sighed. Finally understanding I wasn''t at the level of the elites. All this had been a test to see how I measured up currently and even with Airbending¡­I couldn''t see myself taking on Superman if this was how strong a normal Kryptonian was. Of course the comparison was not that accurate due to Mammon being a demon inside Connor but it was a clear indication I was still lacking in some ways. I guess this leaves me no choice but to cheat. Time instantly slowed down to a crawl. Using my full administrator privileges, I could basically control everything in the pocket dimension. I couldn''t interfere directly with the elemental alignment of each individual elemental plane due to the risk of destabilizing the whole dimension but anything else was fair game. Time and space meant nothing in here when I could shape existence like putty. It also guaranteed that anyone fighting me inside the dimension was fucked. But¡­not everything is good news. It was such an obvious function to take advantage of, that down the line, I was sure the Avatar System would find a way to restrict me from taking the easy way out in every fight. Judging from how it had acted so far, the system encouraged individual power progression, tackling my own shit head on. No shortcuts. Which meant I would only get so many free passes. But for now, I was going to enjoy this. I instantly combined the two balls of flames into one, a perfect rendition of ''Cruel Sun'' . The eye beams were slowly cutting through space, heading towards my position. The combined ball of heat energy shrunk down as I compressed it. Then compressed it some more, leaving it the size of a tennis ball. I took a leap and appeared before Connor, pushing my hand towards him as his reaction speeds finally caught him up to what was about to happen. The black eyes widened minutely just as I pushed the ball of fire on to his chest and whispered, "Boom." The sky shone with the light of the sun. Exorcism (General P.O.V) Superman touched down first, the rest following close on Green Lantern''s will construct. "Flash, what did you find out? You didn''t say much through the comms." Superman asked, stepping closer to the Speedster who would alternate between looking at them and at the entrance to the path leading to the shrine. The shrine he had been unceremoniously kicked out of by a living vine monster. A path that had been promptly blocked and covered by a wall of vines with sharp and pointy thorns along their lengths. It was clear to anyone that none of them were welcome inside. "I¡­so here''s the thing¡­there is a green guy with red eyes and an attitude worse than Bats over here. Seriously, this plant guy takes grouchy to another level¡­" The Flash started talking quickly without actually saying anything. "Flash, what are you talking about?" The Batman cut him off impatiently. Looking over to the faces of his colleagues, Barry felt a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat and pointed behind him, at the wall of vines blocking the path to the shrine. "There is¡­and I kid you not, a plant guy protecting a¡­garden of some sort that way. I had to get out of there quickly before he could turn me into a pin cushion. Seriously, the hospitality in this place¡­" Barry sighed, "Someone''s not getting 5 stars." He added the last part quietly. Seeing attention get thrown towards them, the two warriors guarding the path tensed, they glanced at each other and brandished their spears, pointing them at the League in anger and determination. Something had happened. The outsiders had clearly broken the rules and their trust! The nimble man covered in yellow light had ran out through the entrance to the Shrine. The path leading to the sacred grounds had then been blocked by vines, behind him. No doubt the work of the ancestors. They were making a clear statement. These Outsiders needed to leave. Batman narrowed his eyes at their stances. Just before he could address them in Swahili they froze in place as the Martian Manhunter made an appearance. J''onn''s hazy form grew corporeal through the walls of one of the huts facing the path to the Shrine. "J''onn¡­" Wonder Woman muttered in surprise. "That was...fast. Is the team okay?" The Martian merely nodded without answering and inclined his head towards the wall of vines. "The ancient Martian archives speak of beings tasked with being the voice, face and hand to each of the elemental parliaments. A link between Sapient creatures and the building blocks of all existence." The Martian flew forward and stopped between The League members gathered and the wall of vines. "It is an honor to make you acquittance, champion of the green." A brief silence dominated the area. That silence was broken by a deep rumbling from the ground. It cracked apart, vomiting out vines with a darker shade of green, that formed up into the shape of a huge man with red eyes. "See¡­ wasn''t lying¡­" The Speedster gulped, backtracking. While Barry had seen magic and mystic anomalies of all kinds and in addition, didn''t struggle to believe in it like his nephew, he was in essence, still a scientist at heart and mind. There was no way something like this should exist. A control mechanism acting as the inner core, holding the vines together through science, he might have believed. He could even think of a dozen ways that could happen. But the problem was¡­the visual scanner implanted in his suit, didn''t show anything like that. In fact it didn''t show anything! Just a walking, talking mass of sentient vines! "Humans¡­leave this place. None of you are welcome." The deep gravely voice that rang out of the creature''s mouth sent warning bells ringing for everybody. The league tensed. "Why do all bad guys sound like they just came from a hard metal concert where they were the lead singer?" The Flash commented. "Everybody stand down. This is not an enemy." J''onn cautioned then turned to address Swamp Thing. "We mean you and nature no harm. My companions and I are part of a global team tasked with protecting the planet from threats both external and internal that the normal law enforce cannot handle. We are the¡­" "Justice League." Swamp Thing cut in, surprising the Leaguers present. "You know of us?" Superman asked. "I was once¡­human." Another bomb was dropped. Fortunately, the earlier hostility had faded away. "I sense no falsehoods in you, for humans. Not to mention you¡­"he pointed at Captain Atom, "have a garden. It''s decided. I will answer any questions you have." "I only want to know one thing¡­Where is Connor!" A loud psychic communication emanated from a figure that had emerged from the bio-ship. Miss Martian''s eyes were glowing green and the look on her face¡­was a split between worry, sadness and rage. (General P.O.V) (L.A, Lucifer''s Penthouse) The light of a boom tube appeared suddenly and without any warning. The two blondes on Lucifer''s sides screamed out in fear, backing away to the edges of the couch, while using their clothes to cover their assets. Lucifer sighed in annoyance. Aden stepped out of the Boom tube with something or rather someone on his shoulders and looked around. Instantly, his face got a little flushed in embarrassment. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Lucifer''s eyes widened minutely before his face settled into it''s usual relaxed state. "You couldn''t wait for two hours?" Lucifer asked him with a raised eyebrow. Aden scratched his head, wanting to be anywhere other than there. "Sorry. I had no idea you were pre-occupied with something. Two at that." Aden quipped. Unsure of what else to do after cock blocking the devil. Lucifer glanced at his companions and addressed them. "Excuse me loves, I have something I need to take care of and then we can resume our¡­activities with no further interruptions." The women squealed in happiness and infatuation as Lucifer''s voice oozed with charm. He could have told them to jump off a cliff and they would have done it, no questions asked. "Right then, let''s get this over with." Aden blinked his eyes and instantly found his surroundings had changed. "Yo bro what the fuck!" He backed off suddenly. His eyes were focused on Lucifer in wariness. He''d barely felt the transition! A flex of his shoulders and black as night wings appeared behind the former Archangel''s back. The wings seemed to swallow all the light away. Lucifer held Connor by his neck. He placed his finger on the Kryptonian''s head and pulled. A shrieking being made entirely of black mist was forcefully exorcised from Superboy''s body. Terrified wails escaped the demon. Words of plea and mercy that Aden couldn''t understand were said by Mammon in Hellspeak. A being who had caused Aden problems just earlier. Mammon shrunk away, trying to escape Lucifer''s hands only to fail. Lucifer''s smile widened as he clenched his fingers, holding on to the demon lord tightly and then¡­threw him through the bubble shield separating Aden, Connor and him from what was outside. "Don''t stare through the barrier¡­oh you already did." Lucifer''s warning came too late. Billions and billions of souls getting burnt and crying out for¡­help! Mercy! HELP US! SAVE US!!!!! JUST A DROP OF WATER!!!! BuRnS WoNT StOP!!! WONT STOP!!! ETERNAL DAMNNNNAAATION!!!!" There was a finger snap and Aden found himself back on the floor of the Penthouse, breathing heavily. He wiped the sweat on his eyebrow and placed a hand on his chest to calm his wildly racing heart. What the fuck was that? All those people¡­not only people but creatures as well¡­ All calling for help. A cacophony of sound that broke through the layers of even his inexperienced telepathic awareness due to the sheer force of emotional, spiritual and mental anguish. He heard a liquid of some sort get poured in a glass and a second later, a cold glass of water was placed in his shaking hands. Aden brought the glass over to his lips and downed the whole thing like a man dying of thirst. Lucifer didn''t stop him, content to watch him with an undecipherable look on his face. Once he was done, Aden took a deep shuddering breath and got up shakily. "What¡­what was that place?" Even as he asked that question, he already knew the answer. Lucifer took a sip of his own glass of water. "The lowest pits of hell. Where the worst of the worst or rather those who piss me off, take a time out." He explained but this time, the usual cheer and easy going mindset he usually had was nowhere to be seen. Aden gulped as he felt a chill grip his heart. "Take a seat. We need to talk." Lucifer ordered, his robe shifting into a white suit that seemed to glow even in the light. Aden complied. He had always known that this being was dangerous just by virtue of being the second most powerful existence in all of creation. But sitting before him, recalling what had just occurred, Aden got to experience first hand what being prey felt like and it strengthened his resolve to get even more powerful. "You did something you shouldn''t be capable of. Mammon is a demon Lord." Despite saying that the devil rolled his eyes in mockery. "Unbelievably weak but he would have given Maze a good fight. Of course he''d lose but that''s not the point." He sat on the table before the couch and fixed him with an intense stare. "The point is¡­ you were not supposed to take him out that easily. I had foreseen it. You would have made it back with a broken arm, no left leg and a cracked sternum. You truly are an enigma Aden. " Aden was shocked to the core. He shook his head. Lucifer didn''t lie¡­but still. "It was anything but easy. He was strong. The only reason I made it out alive was because he underestimated me and I was able to hit him with an attack, powerful enough to take out his vessel. If the fight had gone on for long, a broken arm, no left leg and shattered sternum would have been the least of my worries." "Mmmh¡­ You still don''t get it. You changed your own fate. Something that should not have happened. Make me wonder if I''ve been stunting your growth..." Lucifer said in thought. "What do you mean?" The young Avatar questioned. Lucifer contemplated answering and shrugged. Things had already gotten to this stage so he didn''t see the benefit in keeping quiet. "I''ve been shielding you. Forces at play seek to¡­use you. Condemning you to a fate worse than death." Lucifer told him. "And before you say anything else, I am not your bodyguard. This is supposed to be my vacation. I can''t enjoy my vacation if I''m constantly watching you. Not anymore at least." Aden gripped the edge of his seat tightly. He''d suspected it. DC was a world of bullshit magical powers and Evil mystical assholes like Klarion seeking to do chaos¡­ someone must have noticed the power he could throw around. Especially after his fight with the league. Someone must have seen it and thought he would make the perfect weapon. "So here''s the deal. My protection ends after the next two missions. When that is done¡­" Lucifer''s face turned grave. "You''re on your own." Aden gulped. Alone. Alone against whatever was out there¡­ "Why?" He croaked out. His question made Lucifer chuckle. "Why? Have you not been listening?! You changed the outcome of something I had foreseen as absolute. That means any of the horrible shit that is supposed to happen to you might not. Depends on your own will to live and be free, really. So no pressure. And that means¡­ Great entertainment value! No more spoilers for me." The Devil smiled widely. "I believe¡­your full potential is exposed when you have nothing and no one else to fall upon except for yourself, Aden. That is where your true strength lies. You have shown it¡­now it''s time to live up to it." Handling Issues (Aden''s P.O.V) "Your¡­friend," Lucifer begun only for me to cut in with, "Ex teammate." He nodded, a skeptical tone evident in his next words. "Right. Anyway, he''s going to wake up precisely in about¡­" He cocked his head to the side, staring in mid air. "6 hours 30 minutes and 24 seconds¡­oh 23 now." I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Showoff." In response the devil chuckled while rising up from the table. I took that as a cue and got up as well, noting again just how comfortable these couches were. "And you''re just jealous. Now, I''m going to ask you to kindly leave." He informed me, his white suit changing into comfortable robes. He clapped his hands in theatrics and the room got dimmer, slow jazz music begun playing in the background. The volume was low enough to only set the mood. " I have unfinished business to take care of." Lucifer said in a devilish smirk. Ok. Fine. I''ll admit it¡­dude had style. A boom tube appeared inside the room and just as quickly, disappeared. "No. Nope. Nah huh. You will exit the room like a normal person." Lucifer wagged a finger at me. Really? My face betrayed my dejection. "No more portalling in and out of the living room. My penthouse, my rules. The next time you try to use a boom tube to portal in, don''t be surprised when you find yourself sunbathing next to Mammon." He told me, entering into a staring match with the all time undefeated champion, moi. Only 2 seconds in, I realized how dumb it was to provoke the literal master of hell and like the ant I currently was to him, I simply bowed my head and accepted. "Fine. Your Penthouse, your rules." I left the smug bastard for the door, just as he started dancing to the slow rhythm of Jazz. The door closed behind me, cutting off the noise of the music. I leaned on the wall and sighed. I needed a break. These past 24 hours had been exhausting. I was mentally and physically tapped out. I dragged my body down and sat on the floor, my back to the wall. I ran a hand down my face. I hadn''t even toured Africa like I''d planned. Footsteps sounded around the corner and Maze suddenly appeared. She raised an eyebrow and slowed down to a stop. "You look like you''ve been through hell." She commented, making me chuckle. "Kinda¡­" I replied with a shiver. That place had been... fucking terrifying. She narrowed her eyes. "Really wished I cared more to ask what you meant but¡­duty calls." She said, opening the door and walking in. Only to walk out almost immediately, the sound of giggling getting cut short by the door closing. "The blondes are back." I stated. "The blondes are back." She agreed. "I need a drink." She said and looked at me, running a critical eye all over my body. "And you need a shower. Badly. Come and find me after you''re done. We need to talk." She held out a hand for me to take. I stared at and finally gripped it, getting off the floor in one swift motion. Without another word, Maze left, her hips swaying hypnotically. "Oh and Aden¡­nice Job." She complimented me, most probably on the mission. I mean, I did take down a demon Lord after all. The surge of pride I felt inside, disappeared when Maze held up her hands to reveal two familiar daggers clutched in her palms. I patted myself down and cursed. "MotherFudger!" Her laughter trailed off as she rounded up on the corner. Shaking my head, I spared one last look at the door to the penthouse and left, making my way to my own room. 2 minutes later, I was standing close to my bed, looking down at a passed out Connor. To tell you the truth, I was still unbelievably angry at how things had gone down. To expound on that truth, the anger was mostly directed at me. I had been foolish to leave my possessions in Mount Justice. I hated that sometimes I made it easy for me to screw myself over. Most of my actions had turned impulsive after coming to this world. No...after taking the Kobra-venom. This needed further looking into... The funny thing was that I had known it was a dumb thing to do. Regret is a bitter pill to swallow but I couldn''t get stuck in the past anymore. I had to let go of the anger. Anger at them, Bats and mostly myself. Such a thing however, is easier said than done. I noticed a visible budge on the side pocket of his pants and frowned. The D.N.A suppressor patches. I remembered this. It had been a hot topic for discussion back at my earth. A reddit thread had someone wondering how they would work on somebody else. For example, Raven. Were the patches specifically designed for a human-Kryptonian hybrid or could they be used by any hybrid to suppress their weaker d.n.a? That warranted some investigating. There was also something else nagging me. A half remembered memory about Connor or maybe his situation. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Mmmmh, goes to show, I hadn''t recovered all the memories about canon that I thought I had. No surprise there, the mind is a complicated place. A few sessions with the telepathic duo, Manhunter and his niece couldn''t guarantee that I would have everything figured out. Fortunately, my telepathy had been gradually growing powerful. I could now sense minds. Like beacons of electric energy, they lit up in my senses and soon...I had a feeling I was about to ''level up'' that particular skill. "As payment for saving your ass, I''m taking two of these." I told the sleeping Connor and pocketed two of the Patches inside my suit. I looked at the time on the screen of my phone and winced. I needed to take Connor back to the team before M''gann freaked out and started brain blasting everyone for information. Talk about unhinged. A boom tube appeared in mid air as I hoisted Connor up. I jumped in, stepping out into Sanctuary before jumping inside another Boom tube and arriving inside the Watchtower''s infirmary. Instantly, alarms started going off. "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!" I rolled my eyes, placed Superboy on the bed and waved at the camera, before jumping inside the portal. This time, instead of appearing at Sanctuary, the boom tube emptied out at the Island housing all the villagers I had saved from Mammon. The first person to see me was a young girl who shrieked in fear. The villagers gathered scrambled and hurdled into a group. All warily staring at me. I sighed and loosened the half mask I had on, while holding up my arms in a universal sign to show I meant no one any harm. Some of them breathed out easier and relaxed. One of the older villagers, a man who looked not a day above 80 stepped forward. "I just want to take you all back home." I told him softly, taking care to remain as non-threatening as possible. These people had gone through hell. They''d lost so much...it wasn''t hard for me to get invested in their well being because of the similarities in both our circumstances. The old man looked back at the women and kids. The kids peeked from behind their mother''s skirts, looking at me in a mixture of awe and fear. He turned to me and nodded. "We go." His English was heavily accented but he was clear enough that I understood what he meant. A boom tube appeared before us and I pointed to it. "Follow me." I told them and then walked in to show I wasn''t leading them to a bad fate. If a stranger asked me to walk through a portal without knowing where it was going... I''d be more than hesitant too. The boom tube emptied out onto a path outside the village. I spread out my senses and felt the League, Team and the young warriors from Masali''s group all loosely gathered around a familiar massive hub of green energy. Swamp Thing. Shit. Miss Martian said something and the League started making their way towards where I was. The first one to arrive was The Flash. I couldn''t open another Boom tube while I had another one active, so I was kinda fucked as I waited until the last of the villagers stepped out of the Boom tube. I stopped just before I could jump in through the boom tube. No, maybe, I could take this chance to address a few things. It was high time the heroes and I cane to an understanding anyway. So I did nothing as a scarlet streak blitzed past me and shackled my arms tightly together with power dampening cuffs. A second later, a glowing golden rope of divine make firmly tied me up. Courtesy of a Wonder Woman who floater down, followed by Superman, Martian Manhunter, Captain Atom and Green Lantern, with Batman on a platform of will construct. Miss Martian also landed on the ground after them and looked unsure on how to proceed. She fidgeted in place, making me roll my eyes and open my telepathic awareness a little. M''gann latched on to the link like a drowning man and I sent over a picture of a calmly sleeping Connor. "He''s fine." Instantly, the hyperactive Martian settled down. I cut off the link, seeing and ignoring Manhunter''s small smile of appreciation. I fiddled with the power dampening cuffs. They were designed differently from the usual power dampening collars. I narrowed my eyes, seeing shining runes that briefly flashed before disappearing. Magi-tech. Sweet. I''m taking these with me. Not only that but they also felt...different. I could feel my connection to the elements was still there. Ever present. But a compulsion that weighed on my will to start bending stopped me from using that connection. I felt lethargic and lazy even thinking about bending. I chuckled just as the last of both teams arrived. The bio-ship landed and the junior team got out with the obvious exception of Superboy. By then, Flash and Green Lantern had ushered the villagers away. Most probably expecting a fight. Surprisingly most of the hostility I had expected was absent. Even Wally looked...unsure. I narrowed my eyes. Something was up. Wonder woman stepped forward, one hand holding onto her Lasso of Truth. "Another trial...why am I not surprised?" I addressed all of them. For a few seconds nobody said anything. I held up the Power Dampening cuffs and stared at Batman. "Lemme guess, you had help from Zatara, didn''t you? I can still feel the connection to my powers but using them is a different matter. Well played Bats." Of course even as I said that, my connection to the Elemental Dimension was ever present. One thought and a boom tube would appear under me. Full Circle Part 1 (Aden''s P.O.V) "Soooo¡­this wasn''t how I thought everything would go down." I addressed the gathered heroes, holding up the cuffs. "This is the part y''all start asking questions. You got me right where you need me. In cuffs." Wonder Woman and Superman shared a look. "The cuffs are meant to act as a deterrent in case you get violent, son. We don''t want to hurt you and neither do we want you hurting others." Superman said. I looked at the faces of the gathered heroes. Although they looked wary and ready for a fight, they didn''t seem eager to provoke our interaction into one. It seemed I wasn''t the only one who had cooled off somewhat. Nice. "Fair enough." I finally said, lowering my hands. "I am also open to having a peaceful conversation. I don''t want to hurt anyone. Only those that deserve it." Wally scoffed, only to get lightly hit on the side by Robin''s elbow. "Dude, what the hell?" He whisper shouted but I didn''t pay attention to Robin''s response. My focus was on the League. Particularly Batman whose gaze seemed even more piercing at my statement. "Hurting people is never the answer, no matter if they''re wrong or not. We let the law handle them for a good reason." Superman was quick to say. I nodded, "Right and the cycle continues, meanwhile more innocent lives are lost in pursuit of safeguarding one monster''s life. To try and rehabilitate them when the only thing they seem hellbent on is causing destruction and pain to people who can''t handle it like we can. What can a baseline human hope to do against someone like Black Adam?" I laughed a little. "Look, maybe I am being too harsh on you. This is not my world." As I said that, the lack of surprise or shock from the Junior Team told me that they already knew that bit of news. I saw the look of sadness and understanding on Aqualad''s face. Maybe Batman had briefed them on my origins. Must be why there is a distinct lack of that senseless jealousy from Kid Flash. "I haven''t lived here long enough to understand why you do what you do. Why you try and save every life even if it means that that same person will be the death of others down the line. But the thing I can''t accept¡­is that you haven''t come up with an alternative." I ran my eyes over everyone gathered. "You have some of the most powerful and smartest people in the world." I pointedly looked at Bruce. "Batman, your resources alone are enough to build a friggin space station to watch over the earth." Man, the Watchtower was fucking hax. At that, a few murmurs broke out among the team. Atom and The Flash looked to be in thought. I didn''t kid myself to think that I was telling them something they hadn''t thought of before. But I was giving voice to that thought. Asking them to change the rules because clearly, while it was working¡­things could be better. Maybe I found it hard to reconcile with the fact that someone like Professor Pyg existed here because back in my world, the worst thing we had was terrorist cells, corruption, gang violence and Toxic Feminists. Not mass murdering costume wearing freaks that could induce the worst nightmares you can think off throughout an entire city. "With help from the rest of the League and league associates, it would be a simple matter to create an impenetrable prison for anyone too dangerous to let out." I shrugged, "But hey, that''s just me. Maybe you guys just like wearing costumes and going out every night to fight more people with the same fetish." I finished to the sound of John Stewart''s snicker. The rest looked at him and he shrugged. "He''s not completely wrong. In fact, he''s got some valid points." "Dude you''re wearing a costume too." The Flash pointed out accurately. "An official Green Lantern uniform, commissioned by the Guardians of The Universe." Stewart shot back defensively. A few chuckles broke the tense mood in the air. Wonder Woman, Superman and Manhunter huddled together to discuss something. Most probably what to do with me. Batman was busy with his Holographic wrist computer while also keeping a watchful eye on me. The three leaguers having a discussion threw a few glances over at my position while I took the opportunity to talk to Miss Martian. Her mind shone like the sun compared to baseline humans like Robin. I say baseline but even Robin''s mind was like a lighthouse in comparison to actual baseline humans like the warriors of the village. The less said about Batman the better. Did that mean that there was a chance they could also develop Telepathic abilities? I didn''t think so but maybe the exposure to Miss Martian''s powers had made their minds more flexible? It was possible. I felt the link establish between us. Luckily, she was smart enough to understand that I wanted to talk to her alone, otherwise this would probably turn into a shouting match between Wally and I. "M''gann, Did Batman tell you guys about¡­" I trailed off, suddenly unsure of how to bridge that subject. It was still a sensitive topic to me although, I''d already made peace with it. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it."No¡­but Robin sorta told us. Though it wasn''t intentional at all¡­I''m really sorry. I can''t imagine how it must have felt like getting taken away from your family and life like that." I closed my eyes a little. "Yeah¡­it wasn''t easy. What do you mean it wasn''t intentional?" I wondered, choosing to focus on that particular tidbit instead of my past. "It happened when we were knocked out...hello Megan! Why don''t I just show you what happened from our perspective and maybe you can...also share?" I thought it over for a few seconds and nodded while smiling. "Fine. But not now. Not here." She nodded imperceptibly, our brief conversation going unnoticed except for him. Yes, you guessed it right. Batman. He stepped forward, deading the discussion going on between the other three prime leaguers. The Flash along with Atom, after making sure I had no intention to flee continued their patrol around their village. Turns out many things didn''t add up about the whole incident. For starters, there weren''t any remains left of the zombies from our fight with both Mnemoth or Mammon. Suspicious...but I also knew the one responsible. Swamp Thing, no doubt. It just made sense. How did I find all this out? Air sense baby. I''ll let you on in a little secret...my air bending was far above needing conscious control to be suppressed through compulsion. "You seem awfully quiet today. Bat got your tongue?" I asked Batman with a small upturn of my lips. The joke was terrible and I actually heard Robin and Artemis groan. I spared the pair a glance "Hey, cut me some slack, my skills are rusty." I said defensively. "Boo." Artemis boo''d and showed me a thumbs down. Tough crowd. "Who are you working for?" Batman''s voice rang out. Straight to the heart of the matter. I waited to feel the compulsion from the Lasso of Truth but surprisingly the magical artifact didn''t light up. We all looked at the only demi-god around in question. "Wonder Woman?" Batman said, probably wondering why she wasn''t activating the Lasso of Truth. Wait...did she actually even need to activate it? I thought that one touch and despite what happened, you would be compelled to tell the truth? Wonder Woman stepped up in between us. "Batman you are no longer part of the Justice League. Due to your resignation, your clearance level has changed for security reasons. That means you are not authorized to question any of the League''s suspects or potential suspects. Your authority level extends to the capacity of a League associate." Silence dominated the grounds. I couldn''t believe it. Batman had resigned? What in the fucking hell? Could this be because of how everything went down? I looked at Manhunter for answers, his face remained impassive, showing me I wasn''t going to get any. I straightened up and sighed, still in shock. Batman and Wonder Woman held eye contact for a few more seconds before the Dark Knight turned on his heel and left. "Batman..." Superman called out softly. Bruce stopped and looked at the other man over his shoulder. "Save it. This is what I wanted and it doesn''t change anything. The mission goes on." And then the Gothamite left. Robin looked like he wanted to do nothing more than follow after his mentor but relented. Probably because one of his teammates was catatonic back at the Watchtower. "You will answer all the questions we ask you, is that clear?" Wonder Woman pulled me out of my thoughts and ordered. The Lasso of Truth glowed golden and I felt compelled to answer. This time the Compulsion was like the weight of the whole earth as compared to the compulsion on the cuffs to use my abilities to fight. The latter felt like the weight of a small mountain. "Yes. I understand." My mouth said without any conscious control. The words just flowed out. "Good. Wonder Woman to Watchtower." She placed her finger on the ear piece and called the big Space Station. Soon... "How fast can you arrange transport?" The answer she received wasn''t satisfactory and she ended up cursing. "By Hera." I raised an eyebrow as the rest looked at each other. "Miss Martian, is the Bio-ship..." Superman begun, trying to look for a different alternative. "She is in no shape to fly." She answered and Wally snickered, "Ah! Nice one M''gann." Miss Martian looked unsure, "Uuhmm, thanks? So she got the worst of the Telepathic attack from earlier when she tried to shield us. I''m sorry." Miss Martian refused. "We will have to wait for a few minutes for the Watchtower to arrange extraction." I heard Wonder Woman mutter to Superman. They were of course wary to leave me unattended with less than everyone present. If I went ballistic...they feared a repeat of the Mount Justice incident. And I was also getting tired of standing in one place like a fool. I had a plan to carry out...Oh wait, did I forget to mention that? Only a fool would allow himself to be captured by his enemies like I had. I would never put my freedom at risk just to...talk about my feelings or reconcile my differences with crazy people. Because that is what The League and hell, even I was. A normal person would have broken had they stayed a month with the League. I had. And I knew I wasn''t the same Aden Strong that slept in his room and woke up to the sound of gunshots. That dude was dead. And after my talk with Lucifer, along with him telling me that I was alone the second I completed the missions he had for me...things fell into perspective real quick. This world was crazy. Insane. And to combat that craziness...I had to use my own craziness. The most underrated gift I had that trumped my powers and my meta knowledge was the fact I knew, I was crazy. The League, the Junior Team and all the other Superheros... even the people of this world, everybody was crazy compared to where I came from. They''d grown too desensitized to Cape violence too fast. That is why I said everybody was mad. But things could be better. And I would show them. But for my plan to work...I needed access to the Watchtower... God I hope this works. A boom tube appeared between the heroes and I. I held up my hands to placate Diana who had a sword out of its sheath and pointed towards me. "Hey, I''m not trying to attack you...this is just a way to get to the Watchtower quicker." Full Circle Final Part. 3500+ words. (Aden''s P.O.V) Wonder Woman lowered her sword slowly but the hard look on her face didn''t change. It was easy to see that they didn''t believe me. Which wasn''t a bad thing actually. I mean from where they stood, I was clearly still the enemy. Barring that, atleast a suspicious party. "You''re right to be cautious." I stated, pointing towards the vortex of yellow energy. "The portal doesn''t actually take you straight into the Watchtower, it crosses a dimension, only I have access to and from there, I can create another portal into the Watchtower." I could see them soaking in the information. Robin was probably filing that away for future reference and countermeasures incase we fought again. One might wonder why I was so free with that information. And to prove my point, Aqualad called attention to himself by clearing his throat. "Why would you trust us with that information when you know we might use it to our advantage?" He asked. Wonder Woman narrowed her eyes. "Answer Aqualad''s question truthfully." The Lasso of Truth glowed a golden light and I felt a compulsion like earlier to tell the truth to the best of my knowledge. "Because I have nothing to hide on the subject and I want your trust in return. Lying or giving half truths about my portals would only get in the way of that. I am willing to take the chance that you might use that information to beat me." I finished and my mouth immediately closed with an almost audible snap. I took a few calming breaths and looked at Wonder Woman in annoyance. "That was not in any way, pleasant." The Themysciran Princess snorted. "You know what they say, the truth sets you free." I held up my bound hands. "They must have been drunk off their senses when they said that, seeing as I''m still in cuffs." I replied, a little more than miffed. "You''ll¡­get there. Eventually." Superman said and patted me on the shoulder with a brief smile. "Or not." Wally added, only for Artemis to hit him on the side with her elbow, taking over from Robin. "Ow." They started arguing a little in good natured fun. Meanwhile, I smiled inwardly¡­the Lasso of Truth compelled you to tell the truth but it didn''t compel you to reveal more than the scope of the question. Wonder Woman was clearly smart enough to ask a loaded question to get as much information as she could about a subject but what she didn''t account for¡­was how effective the artifact was, on an individual like me. Despite the fact that the Avatar State was out of commission, along with the Avatar System''s stance not to make anything easy on me, there was a security measure put in place to ensure any and all information, I had on the system was not made accessible to Telepaths or outside parties without the express permission of the ones who placed me here. As a by product of that, I could draw a little on that influence by thinking of the answers the Lasso compelled out of me, and then placing tidbits of information about the system in the actual sentences containing the truth. That way, those sentences would be completely cut away, leaving only the words I wanted to say and the truth I wanted them to hear to flow out of my lips. It''s complicated, I know. But also really simple. It wasn''t a lie that I wanted their trust. Getting it would make things a whole lot easier in gaining access to the Watchtower the right way, without the damn place going all, ''Intruder'' on me. The Greek demi-god, Kryptonian and Martian turned to face me fully after another brief discussion, I''d missed. Manhunter''s eyes glowed green and I felt a mental sweep on my surface thoughts. The baa baa black sheep nursery rhyme started playing on full blast inside my head, as I smiled. Manhunter furrowed his eyebrow. "I cannot read his surface thoughts." He informed the other two. "I knew it¡­ he''s hiding something!" Wally shouted in excitement. As if he''d won a million dollars through a lottery ticket. Everyone looked at him in mixed reactions. The team didn''t seem to believe him but had to after everything that had happened and the Leaguers seemed to believe him without a shred of doubt. I shrugged. "You''ve already violated my right to privacy and personal opinion by shackling me with power dampening cuffs and not to mention, Wonder woman''s Lasso of Truth. Can you blame me for trying to keep my thoughts to myself? The last vestige of respect I have?" I asked. Wally stalked towards me angrily,not buying into my act at all. "You''re lying. The power dampeners are clearly not working if you can open a portal while they are active." He came within head butting distance but I chose to be the bigger man and not break his nose. "That''s because it''s not a meta ability, you ass. And that''s all I''m saying on that." "You fu¡­" "Ok that''s enough. We''re wasting time here, Diana." John Stewart came to my rescue, a green construct pulling back Wally and covering his mouth. No one wanted to hear the insults coming out of his mouth. I chuckled to needle him due to the anger in his eyes, when I found a construct muffling my mouth too. I spared John a look that said, ''really dude?'' The black green lantern shrugged. "No playing favorites. I fuck everybody up equally." I nodded sagely. Good man. Superman and everyone else looked at the Lantern in shock. "What? I have a life and a personality outside the green and black uniform. Now let''s get gone, if he tries anything, trust me, I''ll have him down before anyone can say Jack Robinson." I looked at the man in interest. The same interest being shared by everyone present as well. Ok, never knew Stewart was this cool. We entered the boom tube to find ourselves on one of the islands furthest away from Sanctuary. Instantly, their presence registered in my awareness and I got the sense I could choose what to do with them. For all of his power, even Superman would be nothing infront of the authority I wielded in this dimension. That said, I didn''t have a grudge with the heroes. I didn''t hate them, what I hated was the way they carried out their duties. "What is this place? It''s so¡­quiet." M''gann said, probably not sensing a lot of minds in her range. I also spared a look at the other hero with a different set of super senses, Superman and I could tell from his face he was similarly surprised by my dimension. Everybody else looked entranced by the beautiful environment. Even one of my basic islands looked like a paradise when compared to the best garden on earth and I felt uncomfortable allowing anyone to see a piece of my Utopia. ''Its all necessary.'' I told myself. A boom tube appeared before us and I walked in without answering. This time, we stepped foot out in the Watchtower. I dismissed the Boom tube a few seconds later after making sure that the last of the heroes had crossed through. "Multiple Intruders detected." The alarm blared through the P.A system. "Watchtower Override Superman 01." The Alarm went silent, just as the door to the meeting hall where we had portaled in burst open. Green Arrow and Black Canary walked through in combat readiness. "Oh¡­it''s you guys." Green Arrow said, lowering his bow. Black Canary widened her eyes upon us seeing each other and practically ran towards me, wrapping her arms around my body in a massive hug, surprising everybody. But no one was as surprised as I was. The look of shock and betrayal on Green Arrow''s face was almost worth it but I was stumped. What the fuck was happening? I mean Canary was cool. She was a mentor to me. Someone that had helped perfect my fighting skills and polish my Sound sub skill. We had spent so many evenings together as she tried to push me to the next level in my close quarter combat. Her hugging me like that, brought about the realization that I had missed her. A lot. "Aden¡­ you''re alright." She pulled back and said. "You''ve even grown taller." "Yeah." I smiled a little, still out of it. "I guess I have¡­" If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.She grew conscious of our surroundings and stepped back with a sigh. "A lot needs to be said and if the situation allows it, it will. For now you need to take responsibility for your actions before we hear your side of the story." She said in that professional yet caring tone she used in therapy. "Fair enough." "Let''s move kid." Stewart told me while lightly shoving me. "You know, I think there is a law somewhere about how you should handle minors. You can''t interrogate me without a parental figure present." The lantern chuckled, nodding at Green Arrow who was sending glares my way. Seriously, dude probably thinks I''m going to steal his girlfriend? Fiance? Wife? On second thought, maybe he''s right to worry, Canary is effing gorgeous and those legs¡­ "Are you honestly drooling after someone who''s been like a big sister to you?" Stewart''s voice cut through my thoughts like a hot knife on butter. We''d moved past the door to the hall of justice and were now heading towards what I was sure was an interrogation room. This wasn''t John...not really. It was too out of character. Did it work? Sweat ran down my back as John and I walked on. I tried to keep my nervousness in check, keenly aware that it was only the two of us in the hallway. "Come on, Stewart, you''re acting as if the Green Lantern ring on your finger is a chastity ring. I thought you were a man of culture John?" "Hey, trust me, I''m a freak freak. Canary''s just too close to a sister. Now if it''s Maze we''re talking about or Starfire¡­"he whistled, "that''s a while different thing. It''s like Pops used to say, we dogs¡­" I stopped in the middle of the hallway, "¡­And dogs gotta eat. Man, never thought I''d hear that whack saying ever again." I said, closing my eyes a little. A few seconds later and I was lightly pushed to keep on walking. "Yeah well, nothing is ever set in stone now. It''s a consequence of finding yourself in a world with thousands of powered individuals and crazies throwing around cosmic power like it''s a joke. It''s even worse for me." I looked over the shoulder at the man. "Gee, and here I thought you seemed¡­whelmed." I joked, only to get a slap on the back of my head. "If I wasn''t wary of breaking more rules than I already have¡­ I''d go and make sure Robin never came up with this bullshit." I laughed getting the last confirmation I needed that things had happened the way I had wanted them to. We stopped before a door that scanned John for authorization and opened. "Recognized Green Lantern 014." The voice of the Computer followed us inside to a room with a one way mirror. A door next to the mirror led to another room, a classic interrogation room with one chair and a table bolted to the floor. "Lemme guess, Batman''s design choice." I asked. "Can''t really say¡­its been long since I¡­you know what? no spoilers. Get inside, we need to talk." His voice suddenly went through on a drastic change, taking on a hard tone. I looked at him strangely and walked in. Then the door closed and the mood in the room turned very serious. He motioned for me to take a seat and I complied. Stewart''s eyes drilled into mine with a scary intensity. "You''re slipping. Coming up with plans on the fly and discarding the long term objectives due to panic." He cut right into the heart of the matter. But he didn''t understand it. He didn''t understand the pressure. "You''re wrong. What I''m doing is something I should have done weeks and months ago! Taking advantage of every situation I can, to prepare myself for the insanity of this world! Lucifer is going to cut me off from his protection and I''m normally¡­" Stewart looked at me in disgust, successfully cutting me off with a glare and his hands crossed over his chest. "Do you even hear yourself? Was I always this much of a wimp?" What right did he have to judge me? My actions led to him being alive in the first place! "Fuck you Aden!" I rose up and said, losing control of myself. "You have no idea how much pressure I''m in! I have no one to have my back. And when Lucifer withdraws his protection, my ass is going to be in deep shit because I am not powerful enough to take on whatever eldritch assholes he''s been protecting me from. The Avatar State is non-accessible! I am not rejoining the Team which means the League''s help is out and I''ll be damned if I share the same air as Lex Luthor by joining him and his little band. I. Am. All. Alone!!!" Silence dominated the interrogation room as I breathed in heavily. I sat back down and ran a hand down my face. "So? Mmh? Your first thought to fix that, is risking your freedom over something that probably wouldn''t have worked?" Stewart''s voice spoke up. I looked up at him, my gaze spearing through his eyes to see the being controlling him. Me. A chair made out of will, was conjured under him and he sat on it. "I remember when I was you. I wasn''t in the right head space at the time. And yes¡­ you''re right to think that this world and others are crazy. Which is why you need to take it step by step. Don''t throw caution to the wind by reacting to your surroundings¡­act according to the information you already have. Be in Control. Infact, if it wasn''t for the fact that I knew you''d go off the deep end if your stupid plan didn''t work, I would have never gone to the trouble of coming back." He told me and I kept quiet to digest the information. What he said was right. I had been reacting in fear after my talk with Lucifer and maybe seeing hell, something that was traumatic even as a nightmare was enough to completely fuck up my day. Be in control huh? "How''d you do it?" I asked him, referring to the crossing over. "Well it wasn''t easy." He sighed. "True time travel would have messed with this universe and caused changes, you. Cannot. Afford. Too many close calls for things to not go your way. And even if they do¡­ you''re not the same person afterwards." His fingers clenched and unclenched. "Anyway, I accessed a parallel universe in a time sync with earth 16 which is basically this" he waved his hand to indicate. "Then I crossed the time stream back to the relative time you came up with his hair brained idea to commit this time in the future so that you could travel back in time to give yourself some cheats and help in protecting yourself once Luci says you''re on your own. Once the time ratio was 1:1, I seized control of the Central Power Battery of OA and piggy backed through it''s connection to Stewart and gained control of him through _*&''*$^£¤?s DddeHhjy*:"4259525530$_''%^]]?. Oh sorry, you''re not ready to hear that just yet. But yeah, I''m controlling Stewart remotely because I can''t risk someone finding out I''m around." He finished and I sighed, understanding just how desperate I''d actually gotten. All in the space of a few hours talk with Lucifer. "It really was dumb, wasn''t it? I mean how could I have known that I would even get to live long enough to find a way to time travel. Plus you''d think with my meta-knowledge on how time travel works, I''d be wary to use it incase I broke the world around me into a mockery of it''s original timeline¡­" "Yeah well¡­you weren''t thinking. Now," Stewart rose up. "In two minutes, you will have roughly 5 minutes to complete the rest of your plan. Goodbye and don''t expect I''ll ever help you out again. This is your life¡­not mine." With that, future me left. There wasn''t a clock in the room but part of the aesthetic design of the Avatar display box was a status bar where the time and date was shown. I focused on the team just as Stewart regained control over his body. 2 minutes¡­1 minutes 59 seconds¡­58 seconds "What¡­what just happened¡­how did I get here? The last thing I remember was¡­" "Are you alright?" I cut off his confused muttering and asked in concern. He stared at me in suspicion, the green ring on his finger glowing menacingly. "Hey¡­hey!! I didn''t do anything. Look I''m tied up¡­" I raised up my hands to show I wasn''t lying. "Where are the others?!" That question actually made me curious why they let John walk me to the interrogation room alone. Say what you will but no one could deny I was powerful and dangerous. Must have been Future me''s work. Infact, he must have gained control of Stewart way back in Kenya, just after I''d come up with the reckless plan. I shrugged in response to Stewart''s question. "I don''t know. You just brought me here after we made it back to the Watchtower." I answered honestly. "Ring, status update on my most recent behavior. I want to know everything." He said and left, closing the door behind him. Leaving me alone in the room. Unsupervised. Though I was sure there were cameras to read my every move. The two minutes went by slowly but when they finally ended¡­time stopped. I could feel it through the air¡­I was exempt from time. A light shone on the table, as a box wrapped around by a string and a note tied up on top of it appeared before me. I untied the note and read through it. (I NEVER MAKE IT EASY ON MYSELF, CHEATER. BUT JUST THIS ONCE, I''LL DO YOU A SOLID. WHO KNOWS, MAYBE YOU WON''T MESS THINGS UP FOR ME WITH #&"#_;!-&+ . DAMMIT. OH WELL, THE THING IN THIS BOX IS A PERSONAL CREATION OF A FRIEND, CALLED A MDP. MULTIVERSAL DATA POD. IT CAN OPEN ANYTHING, STORE LOADS OF INFORMATION AND YOU''LL FIND OUT ITS MAIN USE ONCE YOU TAKE IT** BACK **TO THE ELEMENTAL DIMENSION. P.S: GET SOME FRIENDS YOU BASTARD. A FEW SPOILERS ARE IN THE MDP TO GET YOU STARTED ON THAT. P.P.S: DON''T WEAR A CONDOM ON YOUR BIRTHDAY, ITS JUST AN INCONVENIENCE AND TRUST ME, IT DOESN''T EVEN WORK.) Success ::--------------------------------------------------:: (Aden''s P.O.V) I pocketed the note and turned my attention to the small black box sitting on the table. The box was cube like, similar to an engagement ring box and fit inside my palm nicely. I opened it up and revealed what was inside. Within it, the box had a raised platform with the shank of a ring holding something at the top. A thin film that looked like the pad of my thumb. Studying the setup, it was very obvious what I needed to do. I pressed my thumb on the thin film and felt a small current run up my finger. "Identified, Aden Strong. New User registered." A synthetic voice sounded from the Multiversal Data Pod. I raised my hand and watched in marvel as the MDP covered my whole thumb in a water like motion, extending to below the first joint and changing into a silver ring. I whistled in appreciation at the cool shift. Recalling I was on a time limit, I got up and stretched. My movements were impeded by the cuffs holding my hands together. Luckily, that was the only thing I had to worry about, seeing as Wonder Woman had untied me from the Lasso the second we had made it to the Watchtower. I tested the strength of the cuffs and felt that I could break them apart by tugging. They weren''t meant to hold me down for long term, just to inconvenience me until the League brought me down in a more secure way. Then I found out that I had underestimated the Magi-tech device. I flexed my arms, giving it about 20% of my full strength. The cuffs surprisingly held. I frowned a little as I increased the strength. In response the magical symbols constructed along the length of the cuffs flashed and a blue electric charge flashed, electrocuting me. I winced a little. That shit actually stung! I re- evaluated the Cuffs and decided against breaking them. Zatara was a magical genius of that there wasn''t a doubt. Plus Logomancy, his brand of magic was very powerful. Maybe there was a way I could use that¡­the stirrings to a follow up plan to this begun. I would think more on that later, right now I had to deal with the cuffs first. I turned my attention to the MDP. This thing could supposedly open anything right? I placed my thumb on the the metallic side of the cuffs and tried hard to think on what I wanted. Nothing happened. Well that does away with the notion I can control the MDP with my thoughts. "Huh¡­MDP, unlock the cuffs." I tried using my voice to activate the function. Nothing happened, making me frown. What would I do if I was the one handing the device over to my past self? I wondered. A second later, an annoyed look crossed my face and I sighed. I knew exactly what I would do. "MDP, Unlock the cuffs¡­please." Upon uttering the last word, tendrils extended out of the silver ring, running up my finger like flowing water and made contact with the cuffs. Then they got to working. The MDP was nano machine tech with the software to interface with any technology to acquire data or in this case control any device to do the user''s bid. It was suspiciously very similar to Roquette''s version of nanites. Mmmh, there were some implications there. It wouldn''t take a genius to figure out she was probably the creator. And with the way Future Me had worded it... The cuffs suddenly unlocked, cutting through my thoughts. I held them up by my right hand curiously, as the MDP tendrils retracted back into the silver ring. Just like I''d said, I couldn''t leave this behind. A boom tube appeared on the surface of the table and I dropped the cuffs in. Then with an inaudible pop the portal disappeared and I rose up. Time to get to work. I hummed the tune of Sweet Dreams as I walked towards the door of the interrogation room. I held out my hand without stopping and tightened it into a fist. The metallic entrance crumpled like a piece of paper through sheer air force. I had been making steady progress in my air manipulation despite Firebending being the main focus. In fact, once I was done here, it was time for a month long grind. I was long overdue to getting those Firebending Sub-skills and add to my repertoire of badassery. I stepped out of the interrogation room and looked around. You couldn''t tell it but everything was frozen. Even the watchtower floating about in space was held in place by a fundamental aspect of reality. Shit. This had to have garnered attention from some really powerful guys...must have been why I only had 5 minutes...4 now that I spent one trying to unlock the cuffs. My steps made no noise as I walked the long hallway, headed to the central computer terminal of the Watchtower. Despite the fact that time was stopped, I tested and found out that my other abilities could still be used. Fire still spread, showing my abilities were backed more with mystical bullshit than science. Anything under my direct control really, was exempt from the temporal shenanigans. Not complaining. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I arrived at the control room and accessed the door. Instantly rows and rows of servers appeared in my vision. Now you might be wondering what I was actually doing in the Watchtower. Here''s the answer. I hadn''t been exaggerating when I''d said that the League''s main base of operations was a marvel of technology. The fact that it had been floating in space for close to 4 years without the public''s knowledge was just crazy. I had an even better version of cloaking and disguise with my elemental dimension, so that wasn''t the main highligh. The thing I was after was the monitoring and surveillance aspect of the Watchtower. Those blue prints would propel my own realm to the next level, if I could incorporate them. Initially, I''d thought of getting and holding on to them until I got someone to outfit them into my dimension. The reality however was that only I had the Admin privileges and I wouldn''t be exactly comfortable with someone else making changes into my personal dimension. That just screamed betrayal. With their surveillance tech, I could better be prepared for things like alien incursions and respond accordingly. This was still my home. Or well a version if it anyway. And the best part of it all, I could find out the locations of some interesting figures and characters that had what I needed or keep tabs on them. The Watchtower also had live satellite footage on some places of interest like the infinity island. Knowledge was a powerful tool and that knowledge was the first step into turning my Elemental Dimension into something scary. I extended my finger towards the chassis of the first server, then ordered the MDP to copy The Watchtower''s blueprints, any information with a level 3 and above only clearance protocol and locations of interest to the League. Tendrils glowed into the servers and despite the fact that time was frozen, everything the tendrils touched lit up and activated. It took two minutes for my new favorite device to do it''s work and when it was done, I left the room surprised at how easy it had been. And with that, I was done with my business at the Watchtower. I passed through the rejuvenation chamber where Superboy was sleeping, being bombarded with solar energy for faster recovery through wide panels on the ceiling. Miss Martian was watching him through a mirror with a worried look on her face. These two... Then my feet dragged me to the meeting hall where I found the League in a meeting to discuss, you guessed it...me. One point of note was the random streaks of yellow lightning that escaped Barry''s body randomly. It was as if...he was trying to counteract the temporal restriction. And normally he would but something was actively stopping him. Wow, Future Me must be one heck of a powerhouse. Before leaving, I pressed Green Arrow''s fist onto his smug face. When time resumed he would punch himself. Done with my petty act for the day, I bounced. The next room over, housed the Teen Team playing table tennis and Robin was losing to Artemis. Guess, dexterity applies to everything else despite being a skill she gained due to her bow and arrow practice. Aqualad was combing through files from the holographic display about Connor''s condition and the most recent mission. Wally on the other hand was eating hot puffs. This guy is almost always chowing down on something. The drawbacks to his version of Super-Speed. I''ll make sure that when I get some sweet speed for myself, I won''t fuck it up like he did. I stared at them before I started feeling like a creep and sat down on a chair, near the door to the bathroom to wait as the time run out. 1 minute later and... "Yes! Eat that you sunglasses wearing freak!" Artemis shouted just as Robin missed the ball by a few inches. "Dammit. So not turbed." I chuckled a little, grabbing their attention. It happened almost simultaneously, the alarms started blaring throughout the room and I''m guessing the Watchtower. Then the team also scrambled into a formation ready to attack me. I held up a hand and they were all restrained by air. "I am not here to fight you guys. Honestly, I think we''re all past that and besides we all know it''s a waste of time. I will always beat you." "Oh yeah, let us go and we''ll see about that!" Wally shouted with a mouth full of cheetos. "Dude, don''t talk with your mouth full, it''s gross." I looked at him in distaste. "What do you want Aden?" Aqualad cut in. I got up from the seat and walked towards him. "I''m not going to start a monologue like a second rate movie villain about how I beat you blah blah blah. No. I''m not about that, I''m here to make something very clear." I looked at their faces to judge their expressions. Surprisingly, they were all listening attentively. It was shocking to see Wally shut his mouth from just Aqualad''s look that I had to ask. "Wow, Kaldur you really got the team to tow the line. I''m surprised that Wally isn''t running his mouth like he usually does." "What are you planning?" Artemis spoke up. "You followed us into the Watchtower willingly..." Her face went ashen. "What did you do?!!" Robin shouted, the implications being made clear. Before I could answer, I felt something cut through the air with massive speed. "Sorry, let''s continue this talk somewhere else." The familiar light of the boom tube appeared below us. Unfortunately The Flash broke the door apart before I could pull the team all the way through, so I abandoned that move and jumped into another boom tube behind me. The speedsters priority was on the team, hence I successfully got away. The last thing I saw was the terrified faces of my former team. Mission Rewards (General P.O.V) "COMPUTER, LOCKDOWN THE WATCHTOWER." Wonder Woman said while bursting into the room along with Superman, Hawk-man, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter. "Is everybody unharmed?" Superman asked in concern. The question was directed to the teens who still looked surprised at how unexpected things had turned out. "They are fine. I got here before anything could happen." The Flash answered. "Dammit!" Aqualad said, slamming his arms through the table tennis. The wood splintered off into numerous shards as the table was turned into two pieces. "He got away. Again!" Aqualad fumed. Green Lantern''s ring glowed as he scanned the room. "Energy signature of Boom tube activity." He informed the others. Superman''s eyes pierced through the room, combing through it with his Supervision only to come up empty. "There doesn''t seem to be anything else." Wonder Woman nodded. "Manhunter will make his way towards Miss Martian and Superboy, while the rest of us will split up and try to find any whereabouts of Aden. That or whatever he wanted to access the Watchtower for. He played us for fools. Not again." She finished relaying the orders in a hard tone and left the room. "Kaldur, you need to calm down!" Artemis told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and stormed out, following behind Wonder Woman and the rest of the League in anger. "This is not like him¡­" Wally muttered, looking worriedly at Aqualad''s back. "We have worse things to worry about. I just accessed the surveillance footage from the interrogation room." Robin said, his fingers dancing on the holographic display projected by his wrist computer. "You mean hacked." The Flash remarked offhandedly. Boy Wonder, Kid Flash and Artemis almost jumped up in shock. "Uncle Barry! I thought you left with the League?!" Kid Flash asked. The Fastest Man in the world sighed, staring at his slightly vibrating hands. "Something is wrong with my speed. I can''t seem to control it." Streaks of lightning randomly flashed around his body. "It didn''t seem like it¡­but before I burst into the room, I could feel something suppress my speed momentarily. I couldn''t go into Flash time." Wally gasped at The Flash''s words. He understood what a big deal Flash Time was. So Flash telling him that, left him shocked. Wally focused on deep within himself and sighed in relief when he felt the familiar erratic current of energy that powered his super speed. "Sorry guys, not to take away from that, but we got bigger fish to fry. Look at this." Boy Wonder cut in by enlarging the screen. Artemis'' eyes widened from where she was looking over his shoulder. Two separate video frames begun playing. On one side, there was a clip showing the team playing table tennis and on the other, the footage showed Green Lantern Stewart leaving the interrogation room. The Flash frowned. "John was telling us he couldn''t remember how he got there. As a matter of fact, I can''t remember why we even let him walk Aden to the interrogation room alone." "Unless it was all part of Aden''s plan." Artemis surmised. "I thought it was strange the way he allowed us to capture him so easily. The Aden I know would have stubbornly fought tooth and nail. Made us work for it." She then went silent as the rest of the video played. Aden raised his head and stared at the camera, a small mischievous smile appearing on his face. Three things happened next at the same time. First, he disappeared from the room, second, the door to the interrogation room turned to scrap metal and lastly, Aden appeared on the other footage showing the team, relaxed and missing the handcuffs that had previously been on his hands. Silence dominated the room. "This¡­this is bad." Kid Flash finally spoke up. "Yeah. That''s not an ability we want to mess with. It also makes sense why The Flash was affected. His speed would invalidate its effects. Aden knew that, so he must have come up with something else to make sure you wouldn''t intervene in what he was planning." Robin agreed, tightening his fingers into fists. "Am I¡­ missing something?" Artemis wondered. She had no clue what was going on, just that everyone suddenly looked spooked. The Flash straightened up. "Aden can stop time." He dropped a bombshell. "The League needs to hear this. You three will make your way to the rest of your teammates while we try and ran a check through the Watchtower''s systems to find any anomalies. Understood?" The Speedster gave the order and left without waiting for an answer. Robin swiped the clips away and started keying in something else into the holographic keypad. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit."I''m calling Batman. No one else knows the Watchtower like he does." Despite spending almost 10 hours combing through the system and running diagnostic checks every few minutes, nothing turned up. There were no traces left of Aden''s actions during the time he had free reign of the Watchtower and that scared them more than they let on. (Aden''s P.O.V) I appeared in Sanctuary and sighed as the light of the Boom Tube faded away. "Dammit, of course he''s the fastest man alive. His reaction time alone is enough to let him beat a thousand of me without breaking sweat. The Flash will forever be¡­the most hax character I know." I still had one last stop to make. After arriving on Sanctuary, the MDP had begun to resonate with something a few thousand miles away from the island, so I knew which step I needed to take next. I weighed my options, I could complete that final step then take a shower and rest or vice versa, Take a shower first, rest and then complete the final step to upgrading my realm. I went for the second option. I didn''t know if I would be booted out of the Elemental Dimension as it underwent changes, so the only time I would get the chance to bite on some sweet sweet Grango was now. My decision made, I stripped out of my sweety costume and sighed in relief as I soaked my tired muscles into the hot spring of one of my islands. My tense muscles loosened as my eyelids felt heavy. A boom tube appeared at my back and I sank through it, finding myself inside my bathroom back on Earth. I toweled myself off and then left for the bed. Seeing the comfy apparatus of fine rest almost brought tears into my eyes. I sank into the sheets and it was lights out for me. A few hours later, looking at the clock showed 8 of them had passed, I woke up to blinking alerts in my vision. Guess the system was sick and tired of being ignored for so long. I yawned and carried out my morning duties, though looking at the time, it was past 2. Oh, so not that far from the morning. After brushing my teeth and what have you, I settled down on the bed and started going through the notifications one by one. (Chain Quest initiated.) (Destroy Galiel''s known associates 2/5) First mission:- Famine and drought! A trail of endless hunger. The demon Mnemoth is causing destruction in Africa, a cute little country called Kenya which is roughly the size of Texas. The big bad devil doesn''t like that a certain someone is disparaging his name and running his reputation even more to the ground than it already is. So he has dispatched you, Aden Strong: Demon Hunter to send this Foodie back to hell where he belongs! Objectives- 1. Kill Mnemoth or exorcise him. 2. Do so before he triggers his special skill and devours the shit out of you. 3. Do so before he crosses the boundary into Sudan, successfully triggering canon events. Time limit: 24 hours. Mission Difficulty: Hard. Mission Status: Complete. All Objectives Cleared Rewards:- 50 Training Points 30 Training Points For Objectives Cleared. (Urgent Mission!!!) (The Demon Mammon wants to use the access node of the Green and the souls of over a hundred humans to infect the world with a virus designed to turn the earth into a hellish wasteland and the humans and creatures into demons subservient to him and him alone.) Mission Objectives: -Stop him at all costs!! -Save Swamp thing / Become the new champion of The Green. Mission time limit: 5 minutes. Mission Difficulty: Hell. Mission Status:- Complete. - Objectives Cleared. - Hidden objective nulled by completion of the second objective. Rewards: 100 training Points. 50 training points for objectives cleared. (Urgent Mission!!!) (Mammon has taken over Superboy and now wants to wreck you. Defeat Super Mammon and serve him his ass. Luckily, you used your brains and cheated you smart boi.) Mission time limit: 50 hours. Mission Difficulty: hard. Mission Status: Complete. Rewards: 50 training points.) (Congratulations!!! You have successfully completed a Hell ranked difficulty mission with minimal injuries. Maybe we should re-evaluate the danger factor of these missions huh Rambo? no? Spoilsport. After tarrying the results, A New Perk has been rewarded for your efforts:-) Spark Of Enlightenment:- Once for every Element, you can choose to enter a trance of true enlightenment for one full week and master a sub-skill of your choosing to Master Level without any backlash or side effects. The Sub Skill can be anything of your choosing as long as it''s aligned with the corresponding element. Whoa. A wide smile lit up my face for two reasons. One, was the new perk that I had just gotten and two were the training points. With this and my progress coupled with the dedication to grind my ass off, I would be seeing a nice increment in my power level before the next mission rolled around. To put things into perspective, Spark Of Enlightenment gave me one week in a trance to master one sub skill completely. Based on the fact that I could control time in the Elemental Dimension, I could shorten that time to less than three days without destabilizing the while realm. Then I could use the next two days to buy a strong training partner from the System that would allow me to go all out without holding back. That would ensure I was familiar with the new mastered Subskill before I carried out the next mission. Win fucking win. "Christmas came early this year." I said to no one while staring at the beautiful display box. Training Points: 285. Realm Upgrade Part 1. ::-----------------------------------------------:: (General P.O.V) Three individuals stood before a bed. The individuals consisted of a bald headed man dressed in a form fitting Tuxedo, an elderly woman with green eyes and white hair and lastly a young girl of about 9. Olympia Savage, the daughter of Vandal Savage placed her hands on the young girl''s shoulders. Cassandra Savage, also a daughter of Savage flinched at the contact. "To allow comfort from a loved one is not weakness Cassandra. It is a form of strength." The elderly woman chided a little. In response to her words, Cassandra sank into her half sister''s embrace and relaxed, hiding the river of tears flowing down her cheeks. Olympia stared at the little girl and smiled. "Let it all out, for when the grieving is over, we have work to do." Cassandra took shuddering breaths, trying to get rid of the pain inside her chest. She''d been taken away from her mom at 4 years old and now, 5 years later her father was being taken away from her. Olympia rubbed circles around the young child''s back while hiding her own pain well. With expert emotional control, farmed from being Vandal Savage''s daughter. So although her face seemed impassive, a turmoil of emotional storm was brewing inside her. "Tell me something Luthor, who is responsible for this? Father refused to say a thing before he went into the coma." Olympia asked the other person in the room. Lex''s eyes ran over the feeble body of his colleague and dare he say it, friend and frowned. "I am not liable to tell you anything your father didn''t, Olympia." He started. Lex held up his hand to stop the elder woman from cutting in. "But, what I can inform you is that everything is being taken care of. Project Rebirth is slated for to start when a¡­friend of ours finishes taking care of something." Lex said. Olympia nodded, seeing as she couldn''t get any more information out of the business magnate and expert supervillain. She just had to trust that her father had the ability to overcome this, just as he had overcame everything that had ever been thrown at him. "Hey Cassandra." She lightly shook the little girl. Cassandra wiped her eyes and stared up at Olympia. "Did I tell you about his fight with the bear?" And so she begun the story of the ages. The story of how he started off. A normal man but a god, the savior of humanity at the end of the encounter. Lex on the other hand listened in skeptically. Olympia had unwavering trust in Vandal''s recovery. Looking down at the stick figure missing patches of hair with a respirator on his face, Lex didn''t think Vandal would pull throw. Vandal had told Lex the promise Lucifer had made. That the next time they met up, would be the demise of Savage. The unmaking of all he was. Lex shuddered, the devil was fucking scary. Lex would rather go up against a murderous Superman who would tear him apart with his bare hands or split him into two with his heat beams than¡­this. Vandal Savage was losing everything. His strength, his powers, his skills and his faculties. And that wouldn''t do because Luthor needed Savage alive. Many plans would fall through if Savage died. But just in case Project Rebirth failed, Lex would need to have a back up plan. A back up plan strong enough to deal with even Lucifer. (Penthouse- Club Lux) Lucifer chuckled. His six foot frame shook with mirth. "Oh, this is truly entertaining. A plan to deal with me. Let us see what this world can actually offer." His eyes glowed red before the whole atmosphere of the room was broken by a bunch of popcorn''s being thrown at him. "Oi, you''re doing it again." Maze said after pausing the screen, where the god father part 2 was playing. "This was supposed to be a chill evening." Maze admonished. Lucifer sighed and rolled his eyes. "You''ve changed love. Where''s the mayhem loving, blood thirsty violent femme fatale I know, love and hate sometimes?" In response, Maze have him the middle finger. "Please, I''m still the same old ruthless bitch, you''re the one who''s changed. The Devil I know would never bother to spy on what his enemies are up to. I remember you telling me it''s ''bad form'' to get the spoilers to a main event that might prove even a little entertaining." She huffed. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Lucifer crossed his legs and leaned back into the couch, swirling the glass of liquor on his hand slowly. "Change does not apply to beings like I, Maze. You know that. To explain my recent¡­shift in behavior, I find myself a little invested in seeing how my pet project takes on these challenges. Will he fail or succeed? Who knows¡­but the war that is coming is enough to get me shivering in excitement." (Aden''s P.O.V) 285 points was a lot. Enough to really get me started on mastering Fire-bending and moving on to the next element. But before I could start the grind, the final thing on my list was upgrading the Elemental Dimension to the next level. Which was why the next Boom tube I used emptied out in a non-descript island part of a chain of islands covered with mist all day long. This was a sub par security measure to stop any spying onto what I was hiding on the Island. Alien technology. A big deal in DC. An example of ''big deal'' alien tech, was the emotional spectrum rings, Reach Scarabs, Apokaliptian tech, Coulan tech and a whole lot more. So whatever this Miner thing was, it couldn''t be anything simple. And Future Me knew more about it than I did, based on the fact that the MDP was highly resonant with the machine, Miner #0234. I stepped onto the unnaturally hard surface that made up the ground of the island, smoothly. My steps were cautious and eyes focused on the strange situation unfolding before my eyes. The whole island, filled with greenery, fruit bearing fruits, chipping birds and animals scurrying about, had changed. For starters, the ground was now even and flat. I crouched and ran my fingers along it. My eyebrows scrunched up in a frown, the ground was pulsing with warmth. Strange. My gaze turned to study what was infront of me. The answers I needed were right ahead. Right ahead in the form of a huge 50 meter tower made with obsidian material, with the foundation sprouting blackened roots that speared through the ground of the island all around 20 meters within it''s vicinity. A green shield of energy extended 10 more meters away from the last of the roots. I could get the approximate measurements due to my connection with the realm. The tower was the only thing standing on this island. I could see the next islands over, clearly from across the vast distance. I had no idea what the Miner was doing. Diving into my connection with the Elemental Dimension, I only got the sense that whatever was happening was beneficial to the realm. But¡­it was taking too slow. The Elemental Dimension felt almost eager¡­to complete the next step. Stepping closer, the resonance grew even bigger and the pulsing I could feel emanating through the ground and up the soles of my boots increased as well. I stopped a meter away from the shield energy. Now that I was this close, I could feel it humming, ready to push back against any intrusion. Nothing could really hurt me in this dimension. So I clenched my ass cheeks and placed a hand¡­ I felt an overpowering mental probe explode out of the MDP and blast through my telepathic walls like wet tissue paper. My surroundings changed as I swallowed a cry at the sudden pain inside my mind. I was crouched in the floor when I heard him. "Sorry. I tried to make it easier on you but you were so weak back then, it''s crazy." That voice. It was more mature and deep. But unmistakable. Can you really forget you own voice? I stood up shakily to my feet, trying to find him. Looking around, my new surroundings were eerily similar to Sanctuary. Yet it was nothing other than a mental caricature of the real thing. I couldn''t feel the connection I had with the realm from wherever I was. Which was trippy and scary at the same time because¡­that connection was always, ALWAYS ever present. I tried looking around some more to locate the source of the voice with no luck. "Hello¡­is anyone there?!" I shouted to no avail. Future Me seemed hellbent on playing mind games with me. A few seconds later¡­ "This is a mental recording. Now that you are sufficiently calm, listen up." I attentively focused on his next words. "This world is not as simple as you think it is. It will break you, make you only to break you again. The only thing constant is your power. Your power will see you through loss, break ups, betrayals and at the end of it all, you will ask yourself, standing on the ashes and bones of both friends and enemies, was it all worth it? I did." I threw my hands up in defeat. "Oh come on, I''ve heard enough cryptic statements to last me a life time. What I need is some spoilers. How to break the system some more¡­how to get hax." I joked but inside I was shook. Although I said cryptic statements, nothing about the statements was cryptic. In other words, I was in for an eventful future. The voice spoke up again, ignoring my childish tantrums, "The MDP''s main objective is to sync with the Sconiad Miner #0234 mineral extraction pod. The Miner''s inner routines will be enhanced to create stronger variants of Worker drones, which the Sconiads used to extract valuable minerals from different worlds in the cosmos for research purposes. When the Reach sought out to use their technology for nefarious means, all production of Miner tech was shut down. #0234 must have been cut off from the main system. With the influence from the Elemental Dimension, the process of creating worker drones for the upkeep of the dimension is well underway with an estimated 1 year till completion. With the help from The MDP that process can be cut down to 3 months." Whoa. Mind-blown. Realm Upgrade Final Part. (Aden''s P.O.V) The Mental recording abruptly ended and I found myself back on the island. An island that would soon need a name if it was to be the birthplace of the new Worker drones designed to develop new infrastructure and keep the environment secure and intact. I looked at the Silver ring on my thumb in indecision. To be honest, this was what I wanted but I was also conflicted. Future Me was invested in making sure I made it out alive, that much was true. However, what assurance did I have that I would make it to his time the way I wanted? What if whatever upload I used to upgrade the Realm was something beneficial to him and not me? It''s a deeper question than it might seem. And I was slowly learning to ask such questions. "Well, I guess all I can do is take the chance that this won''t screw me badly down the line. And even if it does¡­ cutting down the time for the upgrade from one year to 3 months is a deal I can live with." I told myself and stepped forward. My hand came up and touched the energy field surrounding the tower. Instead of bouncing off, the palm sank in with a light tingling sensation. I took a deep breath and crossed through the membrane with minimal hesitation. Now that I was inside the tower, I could feel massive energy of the same signature as a Fatherbox just missing the sinister feel throbbing through the space. The tower was directly connected to the core of my world which was the cleansed Fatherbox paired up with Morrow''s code and bound together by the Avatar State''s order energy. The tower was directly tapping into the flow of energy and using that power to create a production hub for Worker drones. That was all there was to it. The Miner #0234 main task was to refine minerals and transport that mineral back to the Sconiad home planet or their outposts in the nearest star sector. The smart algorithm maintaining the realm had taken that chance to tweak the Miner''s core objective into something else. Left alone, the Realm was in the process of further upgrading that Smart algorithm into something more. The combination of the three factors, Fatherbox for source energy, Morrow''s code as the building blocks and integrity and The Avatar State''s order energy to balance everything would give rise to something completely different. True consciousness. To hasten the process, that''s where the MDP came in. Which is also why I was hesitant into fully trusting it. What if the resulting True Consciousness was loyal to me but not this me? Gah, this shit is too convulated. I feel like I''m taking an unnecessary risk. Should I go through with this? I took another hard look at the Silver Ring on my thumb. Be in Control. I remembered those words from Future Me. This didn''t feel like I was in control. I lowered my hand and stepped back. I couldn''t take unnecessary risks anymore. Not until I had the odds stacked in my favor. To ensure that the MDP would be in my full control, I was going to have to seek some mystical help. Future Me was probably expecting me to rush into this because of the contradictory statement he added on later about power being the one thing I could count on but¡­ Like I said before, I was starting to learn. So no using the MDP until I was sure it was safe to utilize. I spared one look at the island before jumping inside a boom tube. There were many strong wizards, sorcerers and magicians I could get help from. Wotan was a beast easily on Dr. Fate''s level at his strongest. Faust could take on Wonder Woman and Zatara in a fight and successfully escape, though full powered Zatanna would be more than his match and the less said about figures like Madam Xanadu, Morgan le Fay, Circe, Enchantress just to name a few, the better. My point is, to completely bind the MDP to me and erase any outside ''influences'' I had a lot of options. Every villain was immediately off the table though. Who knew what sort of backdoor, stipulation or deal they would try to sell and then doublecross me later? I couldn''t risk it. In that same vein, most of the heroes were out as well. I had to go for someone who I could us leverage against. Someone who wasn''t too powerful that I couldn''t escape when I needed but also inclined to listen to me. That said, I was not going in like I was¡­the Realm could wait a few more weeks before I upgraded it. Infact, the only role the MDP had was to shorten that time frame and while I agree it was less stressful to just go through with it, seeing as, if anything bad happened to me, Future Me would also be in trouble¡­this was one of the times I had to hit the breaks. Assume control. And to increase my odds and be in a better bargaining position, I had to power up. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I made it back into my room, through the Boom Tube and immediately left to find my landlord? Friend?. The door to the living room was closed so I gently knocked not wanting to interrupt whatever he was doing now and waited. A few more seconds and I knocked again. I was about to push through when door swung open. Instantly, a blast of hard rock assaulted my ears. Maze ran her eyes over me disinterestedly. "Oh, it''s just you¡­" With that she turned back and walked away. I followed her in, closing the door behind me with a barely audible click due to the delicious ear rape going on. I''ll explain in a few. "Where is Lucifer? I shouted over the music. "Whaaat!" She shouted back from the couch where she was bobbing her head to Beelzeboss by Tenacious D, the final showdown of the movie by Jack Black and Kyle Gass that was playing on the huge TV screen. Maze made to pause the movie but I jumped over the couch and stole the remote. She narrowed her eyes at me but I shook my head with a knowing smile, then turned to watch the underrated movie that had become a cult classic. "...It''s fucking tasty I''m the Devil, I can do what I want Whatever I''ve got I''m gonna flaunt There''s never been a rock-off That I''ve ever lost I can''t wait to take Kage back to Hell I''m gonna fill him with my hot demon gel I''ll make him squeal Like my Scarlet Pimpernel [Interlude: Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Both] Noooooo! Come on Kage, bring the thunder There''s just no way that we can win That was a masterpiece Listen to me He rocks too hard Because he''s not a mortal man Goddammit, Kage! He gonna make you his sex slave You''re gonna gargle Mayonnaise No... Unless we bust a massive monster mamma-jam Dude, we''ve been through so much shit Deactivated lasers with my dick Now it''s time to blow this fucker down! [Verse 2: Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Both] Come on, Kage Now it''s time to blow doors down I hear you Jables Now it''s time to blow doors down Light up the stage ''Cause it''s time for a showdown We''ll bend you over Then we''ll take you to brown town Now we''ve got to blow this fucker down He''s gonna rape me if we do not blow doors down Come on Kage ''Cause it''s time to blow doors down Oooh, we''ll piledrive ya It''s time for the smackdown Hey Antichrister Beelzeboss We know your weakness Our Rocket Sauce We rock the Casbah And blow your mind We will defeat you For all mankind You hold the scepter We hold the key You are the Devil We are the D(¡Á18) The lyrics went on until the song was complete. By the end of it, Maze was laughing so hard tears were running down her cheeks. "Can you imagine Lucifer''s face if he ever watched this movie? It would be priceless." I told her setting her off into a laugh fest once again. A few minutes later and the movie was done. I turned to her and waited eagerly. She saw me staring and sighed. "Ok, I''ll admit you humans have a penchant for the unexpected. That wasn''t half bad." "Yeah it wasn''t. Jack Black is a fucking rockstar." I responded and we talked for a few more minutes about other comedy movies she could watch. I even promised her that we could do a movie marathon, you know to show her more of what humanity had to offer in the ways of entertainment media. So far the only thing she deemed worthy of humanity''s continued existence was the booze. I sucked in a hiss, the only thing standing between Maze and her pushing the big apocalyptic button if she had one, was the booze. The booze. That''s a short list that I aimed to change. "So what did you want with Lucifer?" Maze finally wondered. "Well, I still have 2 more missions to carry out before he and I are square." She nodded for me to continue. "But I was thinking of taking 2 weeks off to just rest up and unwind from everything, if it''s possible. I guess I just wanted to know how urgent the next two missions are. I don''t want to risk putting people''s lives in danger just to take a break when I can deal with the missions now and be done with them." She nodded and poured herself a drink from... somewhere. The bottle literally appeared from mid air. "Well, you''re in luck. After you sent Galiel and Mammon back to hell, your other targets have grown cautious and are wisely keeping their heads down. Your next mission was to go to Las Vegas and deal with a sex demon." Her jaw tensed and she tightened her palm on the glass. Seems like the she had some personal history with that particular demon. "Luckily, she is not one to cause senseless murder, so two weeks is okay I guess." I got up. "Thanks. Hope you don''t mind telling Lucifer about that new arrangement?" I requested. She waved me off. "Don''t worry about it, Kid. Go do what you have to do." With that, I left. Time to rest and after that, I''m getting started on the first Firebending Sub-skill. Adens Break (Aden''s P.O.V) A week Later. One week had gone by. Well 6 days to be exact, so by all counts, almost a week. One week where I forgot all the pressure bearing down on my shoulders. One week where I took the time to get in touch with my roots again. Seeing as I couldn''t travel anywhere else without calling attention to myself through using the new I.D and passport Batman had procured for me, I decided to stay in L.A. It was home, just in another universe all together, so if there was a place I could feel at ease and relaxed it was here. Hence I begun my week of fun by hitting the places that I shared memories of all my loved ones at. The first place was the arcade. My friends and I used to go there almost every day after school, before it was shut down and a gym replaced it. It was more of a way to hang out with them more than playing games. Then I made sure to hit the basket ball court with a few of the locals, where my neighborhood used to be. Of course every residential area was different than what I was familiar with back at my world but the feel of the place was the same. Heck, even the spot where I used to go to school had an highschool built on it. So barring a few things, I could close my eyes and listen with my ears, pretending that I was still¡­home. I did a lot of things during that week. Fortunately most of the places I grew up going to, were present in this world, in some form or other. There was an ice-skating rig my pops used to take me, where I went to and enjoyed myself. An old movie theater that was crazy enough almost the same as the one in my memories. The smell of the seats and the set up was an exact replica that left me drowning in a sea of good memories. An Italian restaurant that had been renovated and funnily enough been turned into a Chinese restaurant. The sea food there was amazing. And now six days later I was sitting inside a table at a Fro-yo shop. This wasn''t a place that brought about Nostalgia. Looking at the newly painted walls, it was clear that the shop was relatively new. But I love Fro-yo so¡­ "We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news. A sudden press address has been called by the Justice League and our on scene reporter, Cat Grant is there to bring us more information." I frowned while watching the screen. What could the League be up to? A week had gone by after my little stunt at the Watchtower and I hadn''t heard anything about the fall out of both my actions and the mission. That said, it didn''t take a genius to deduce that they were not my biggest fans now. Superman stepped forward and took center stage. Not all League members were present. There was a distinct lack of the Thanagarian heroes, the resident speedster, Aquaman, Captain Atom and Green Arrow. Everyone else was gathered behind Superman. He tapped the mic once and the gathered press went silent. The same thing happened in the shop, where everyone turned their attention to the Kryptonian. The camera focused on his face and it was obvious whatever he wanted to say was not good news. "Hello, everyone. I want to thank you all for making it here despite the short notice." He briefly went silent before he continued to address the crowd. " The Justice League is more than just a gathering of like minded individuals. It''s more than it''s roster of powerful, skilled and smart heroes. It''s more than the numerous wins against the injustice of the world or the obstacle to be overcame by those seeking to harm others. The Justice League is a symbol of freedom and hope. A beacon of light when things turn dire. The Justice League is an idea." He stopped to clear his throat and continued amid the flashing lights and snaps from the camera. "That said, it is never easy when we lose one of our own." His voice took on a somber tone. "We are gathered here today to inform you of Batman''s resignation from the League." Shock hit the crowd like a lightning bolt. I heard a small crash and saw one of the waitress hurriedly cleaning up Fro-yo from the floor, she had dropped the cup in surprise at the unexpected news. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Supes held up his hand to get everyone to quiet down. "I know you all have questions. But please, let me finish first. Batman is a hero unlike any other. We have all learnt something from working with him. He''s someone who inspires you to do your best. To give nothing less than 100% of your effort when doing something. His resignation is due to personal matters that I am not at liberty to discuss. However, let me assure you that the League will not stumble or fall in the absence of his leadership and companionship. We will use this chance to honor him. To honor his legacy by doing what we do best, save the world. Any further questions can be directed to our Public Affairs Officer, miss Catherine Cobert. Thank you." "Well damn. They fucked." Someone said in a booth further inside the shop. I spared a glance and saw a young kid with cornrows, another wearing a long Lakers basketball jersey and a girl with braces and pig tails. They looked to be about Wally''s age. So probably juniors or sophomores in highschool. "What you mean Coop?" The cornrows kid asked. I raised an eyebrow at the name drop. "Think about it. Bats is the strategic mind of the team. Most of the fights the League''s been in, his help has been invaluable. I''m telling you guys, the League is in big trouble." The kid wearing a Lakers basketball jersey shook his head. "You''re wrong. He doesn''t even have Superpowers! Look at Superman and Wonder Woman. The only reason the villains ever get the jump on them, is because they never go all out. We could count the number of Supervillains who can go toe to toe with them on one hand. So they will prolly not even notice his absence." "Both of you ain''t wrong. But you still missing the point. Shawn, it ain''t always about the power, dawg. It''s utility. Look at Manhunter, you''d think that dude can probably take out the whole League due to the many superpowers he possesses but that ain''t ever happening coz he ain''t resourceful with them. On the other side skill and strategy can''t bridge the gap between a peak human like The Dark Knight and Superman. So like he said, The Justice League is gonna be fine even with Batman. Because it ain''t about one person, it''s the sum of all parts." The Cornrows kid said. The other two stared at each other in a little surprise. "Daaaaaaamn Spence, when''d you turn into one of those Cape geek analysts on us?" Coop joked. "Coop''s right, I wasn''t expecting that." The one called Shawn added while laughing. Their names sounded very familiar¡­ I put it out of my head when the screen shifted from Cat Grant to show G Gordon Godfrey''s smug face plastered on the screen. Damn, the guy had such a punchable face, my fingers involuntary tightened as I felt like kicking his ass just on principle. The oily words coming off his mouth sounded so¡­gross. "Well well well. Can''t say I''m surprised folks. This! This is what happens when you cannot control your own house. When you have skeletons hiding in your own closet. And no folks, I am not trying to spin this into something like a conspiracy theory but look at the facts¡­a founding member of the Justice League has just resigned. Why? Ask yourself why someone like Batman, known for his staunch belief in upholding justice would choose to leave the organization he himself help found? The League is clearly hiding something. Something huge from the public. After the fiasco with the destruction of Mount Justice, one can''t help but wonder¡­has the Justice League finally outgrown it''s usefulness? Are these cases of incompetence going to increase? We might not know what happens behind their closed doors my fellow Americans but one thing is for sure, the whole world is watching." He concluded in an ominous tone that just didn''t sit right with me. That guy¡­ something was definitely wrong with him. Batman leaving the League would no doubt affect the view the world had on the Justice League. Batman and Green Arrow were the only two heroes in that line up, who didn''t possess alien origins, a meta gene that gave them power, super powerful alien weapons or an accident that gave them superpowers. They were just normal dudes. Normal highly trained dudes whose entire deal was to use gadgets and their brains to stand next to literal gods. And now that Bats was out, the fear and prejudice that the average unaware person had would increase. Their biggest hope and protectors were made up of¡­ abnormal people. Because humanity likes to shit on the minority, The League were not going to have it completely easy. Not to mention Batman or Bruce Wayne was their main source of funding as well. I wonder how that set up was going to work now that he was out of the picture. Not like any of it concerned me. I got up from my seat and paid, leaving the shop but promising myself I would be coming back. They had really good Fro yo. I went behind the alley to the shop, a boom tube appearing at my front and jumped in. Now that the week was over, it was time to get back to the grind. I had a sub skill to master. First Firebending Sub-skill Part 1 (Aden''s P.O.V) The first stop upon leaving the Fro-yo shop was a good donut place where I got a special order. I had used a portal to get there because of the distance between the two places. I opened another boom tube to Sanctuary and made that portal disappear in favor of another one that manifested at my front. I jumped in without a second thought and walked out of the boom tube to find myself in the garden belonging to the local Parish. The Catholic church where I went to ask for holy water. I needed some more for¡­an experiment. More specifically, my first Firebending Sub-skill. It was a 20 minute affair. Probably helped by the donuts I got for the nice priest. I left the church with a bottle of holy water and a prayer upon my soul by the priest that I be saved from whatever was troubling me. Another Boom Tube on the empty garden and I found myself in Sanctuary. I walked towards the make shift Gazebo I had built over time since getting the Elemental Dimension and immediately settled into a meditative pose. It would have been better to do this in the Fire Plane due to the deeper connection it provided to my firebending but, what I was going for was calm focus. Something I wouldn''t get with the stuffy feeling of my air bending being suppressed. I breathed in lightly, holding the breath for a few seconds before letting it out. Then I held that for a few more seconds and repeated the cycle. I fell into the breathing routine easily and my mind emptied of all distraction as I sought to keep one thought in my mind. Fire. Pure burning flames. The life and death it brings. A perfect cycle of destruction and rebirth. A familiar and warm stirring appeared below my navel. The hearth. My source of flame. Gentle tongues of this wonderful source of energy were stoked by the breath running inside my veins and it rose up to follow a pre-determined route. A route through my body¡­ This time I let it go unrestrained as I followed an instinctual feeling. My powers had to this point, been completely different from the normal bending. How far that notion went was something that I had never tested before. However, sitting in that meditative position¡­I was in tune with the flame inside my body more than I had ever been before. So I followed my intuition, I let it burn freely. And something happened. I felt it get rid of every toxic substance in my body as it run rampant through my body. I felt warmth, encompass my whole form in a cocoon. I didn''t know it at the time but had you looked at me from the outside¡­you would have noticed a shroud of red flames burning around my body. The gazebo remained untouched however as were my clothes. What was even stranger was the black liquid that was being produced from my body, covering my skin in a black coating before it was burned to nothing by the flame, leaving behind unblemished dark skin. I opened my mouth a few hours later and exhaled. A blackened cloud of steam escaped it and I opened my eyes to a new reality. The world seemed brighter. The details much more clearer. I listened and I could even hear more. I rose up and stared at myself. I was still dressed in a loose t shirt and black sweat pants but they radiated heat as if they were freshly ironed. They also gave off a fresh smell. As if they''d just been washed and dried a few seconds ago. The way the fabric felt on my skin was strange as well. My skin felt¡­ more sensitive. All my sensory skills were somewhat heightened. I stretched my body and felt the kinks in my bones disappear. "Ok, that felt better than every massage I''ve ever gotten. I wonder what¡­" My statement was cut short by a blinking text box at the corner of my vision. I sat back down and accessed the display box. (Congratulations! Fire is unique amongst the other elements. And you my friend have just figure out one of the reasons why! To put in simple terms, Fire is active, the rest are passive. Kinda. It gets iffy sometimes. But you get the point! Anyway, Your efforts have rewarded you with a new perk:-) (Body Refinement:- Stoke your inner flame and use it to burn away weakness. By using the energy of flames, your body is refined continuously. Getting rid of poison, toxins, dirt and other unsavory bits. Shower in a can baby. Be careful not to overdo it though. Just as fire can cause the rebirth of a phoenix so can it turn the world into a burning wasteland.) I closed the display box a little shocked. This new perk was a surprise. An unexpected but very welcome surprise. It had the same utility as my Adaptive physiology but, I had never tested the limits of that perk fully. Call it what you will but the truth is my focus had been split between mastering the elements I had access to and getting more skilled to ensure I wouldn''t die in this world. So much had happened over the course of a few months it was crazy. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Anyway. The new perk was awesome and I could see myself using it limitedly but occasionally when I''m meditating to refine my body. This skill was straight up Xianxia. The other good thing about it was that it would help me burn away any harmful substances from my body. But¡­it wasn''t really what I had wanted to focus on. So I moved on to the reason I was there. I eyed the bottle of holy water in my palm and unscrewed it''s lid. Then I gently poured the liquid onto my palm and closed my eyes. Time to come clean about what I was doing. You see, for my first Firebending Sub-skill, I could go the route of Lightning bending or combustion bending. The two most prominent Firebending Sub-skills known. But here''s what I was thinking. While those two were very powerful and cool, Lightning bending being especially versatile, given the ideas I had on how I could use it to even increase my speed, they just wouldn''t cut it at the moment. I had two more missions going up against demons and if it wasn''t for my timely use of a boom tube to send Mammon to my dimension where I was stronger, I couldn''t really hurt the powerful ones. Unless I had a way to use their weaknesses against them. The fight with Mnemoth had shown me that holy fire was basically their kryptonite. I could choose to master Lightning bending or Combustion now or choose to master Holy Fire as my first sub skill and have an easier time with the next demons and then get back on the grind and master the other two later. Here''s the thing, turns out there wasn''t a quota on how many sub skills I could get. 2 mastered Sub-skills was just the minimum requirement to carry out the advancement trial to grandmaster. And with the air bending advancement trial being Aang, I wanted to tip the scales in my favor this time, knowing I would go up against any of the best Firebenders. Having three or even more Sub skills before I took the advancement trial would no doubt make it much easier to contend with beasts like Iroh. Aaaand it doesn''t stop there¡­see, I most definitely knew I was fucked once Lucifer withdrew his ''protection'' so to speak. So I decided to go even further. If I could find a way to not only increase the effects of the Holy Fire into not only affecting demons or impure beings but also any being that could turn me into sheesh kebab, no matter their alignment, I would have a really powerful card up my sleeve. I was aiming for something like an All Devouring Flame. But that was far off. I first needed to see if I could even do this. I spread out my nascent energy sense that was growing stronger by the day, just like my Telepathy and observed. My fire started burning the holy water. I was trying to delve into the same mindset I had just before I''d confronted Mnemoth. I had been following instinct at that time as well. The water evaporated even faster this time. A small explosion of electric energy erratically streaked through the air and...time stopped. It was different from the temporal anomaly back at the Watchtower. This time I could feel my body actively fighting off the effects. My thought process slowed down as a bright pinprick of light appeared in my mind. The light was surrounded by a void of darkness from all around. I lost all my sensations as the light grew increasingly bigger in my vision. My whole being was pulled away from my mortal shell. I couldn''t feel the light breeze on my skin anymore. I couldn''t smell the scent of the ocean, I couldn''t hear the soft waves rock the seashore. All that I was was occupied by the light. Like a fire burning in the middle of a canvas, the light pushed away the void of darkness. The Darkness lashed out but was ultimately defeated and fell back, to slumber. Waiting, biding it''s time. My hand reached out into the light, intent on capturing it''s divine and pure essence. I didn''t understand what I was doing. I wasn''t thinking. I wasn''t feeling. All I knew was that fulfillment was just a touch away. I touched it. Instantly, I felt gazes lock onto me. Onto my soul. I felt my soul be judged and found unworthy. Terror gripped the entirety of my core as the gazes turned hostile and the light...pulled away. No, I was pulled away from it. My eyes opened up suddenly into my Elemental Dimension. They opened up to one of the scariest and strangest scenes I had ever seen. A blinding light of glory and BE#-:"+_$### BEAUTTDBBHHUY!!! BEAUTIFUL! BEAUTIFUL!!!! SOOOOO BEAUSARGCSTTHH!!!!! I blinked and all that was replaced by him. I had just seen his true form and my mind had been mere seconds away from going totally insane. His back was to me. His black wings spread out in their full Majesty. But the most surprising thing was the billions of light floating in the air to oppose him. Blinding figures dressed in armor, carrying huge swords and spears. They were easily 7 feet tall and huge. Angels. The heavenly host. At the front, stood six beings. Their white wings were larger and more substantial than the rest of the angels. The Archangels. My heart hammered in my chest and my brain went blank. What...what... What the fuck have I done???!!!! Lucifer looked over his shoulder at me. His face seemed sharper. His jaw line more defined and his eyes, they weren''t the red color I was expecting...instead, they were gold. A gorgeous gold that saw through everything. A smile was spread out across his face. "I''ll be honest with you Aden...I am impressed." He laughed before turning his attention back to the heavenly host. I rose up urgently to get ready for the fight when I immediately found myself stumbling in my room back at the penthouse in Club Lux. I looked around in shock. He''d teleported me away. First Firebending Sub-skill Part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) I slammed the door to the living room open, looking for her. "Maze? Maze!" She wasn''t in the bar or in her room. I''d just checked it before arriving here. I really needed someone to stop me from doing something dumb. Something dumb in the way of going back there after Lucifer had teleported me to safety. I sat down on the couch, holding my head in between my arms and breathing a little too fast. "Ok, let''s look at the facts. Lucifer is powerful. The only one who can probably match him is Michael and something tells me, he wasn''t part of that group. So, this is going to be a cake walk for him. I mean the only problem would be the realm getting destroyed from the aftershocks of their battle¡­" I stopped as my throat seized. My Elemental Dimension¡­it would probably get destroyed. Oh shit! No no no no no. That can''t happen! I can''t let them fight there! (Urgent Mission) (A host of divine creatures have breached past the boundaries of your realm and the only one capable of stopping them is a railgun, nuclear missile and world ending meteor of a being all rolled into one. In other words, total overkill. Do something!! Anything!! To ensure your world does not get done dirty. Mission difficulty:- Hell.) (General P.O.V) Lucifer swept his gaze over the Heavenly Host. Billions of battle class angels led by the strongest of his brothers. A powerful force that would oppose any and all. However, severely outmatched by him alone. The only equal he had was currently¡­ indisposed. An easy and relaxed smile appeared on his face. "Gabriel, how pleasant to see your face after so long little brother and I see you brought the rest of the family along too for this reunion." Now that Aden was safely back on Earth, his form changed from the mortal guise he used to restrain 99% of his charm. And the world bowed in submission as his unmatchable glorious aura was released. The battle angels behind the six Archangels immediately felt the difference. This light¡­was overbearing. Their wings seized up as they felt overwhelmed. Gabriel''s own light along with Raphael''s and Uriel''s who were both flanking him exploded out to match God''s most beautiful creation''s power. "Samael¡­ you''re looking, well." Gabriel responded. "And seemingly very lost. You should not be here." Uriel added from the side. The Arcangel''s face was grim as he joined the conversation. Lucifer spared a glance at him and shrugged. "The heat gets to me sometimes. It''s been over a billion years brother. You can''t fault me for taking a break." "We can do much more than that, fallen one!" Saraquael cut in, brandishing his sword. Lucifer looked on with the smile never slipping off his face. "Even while banished, your impurity and blasphemous touch extends to the creation. Why are you shielding that boy?" Gabriel held up a hand. "Enough Saraquael . Don''t lose your temper. Not when the situation is this delicate." Gabriel Hornblower chided. "Saraquael, still Metatron''s lap dog I see. It seems nothing has changed in the silver city since I left." Lucifer answered mockingly. "We are here on Father''s orders." Raphael, by far the quietest of the bunch countered Lucifer''s statement. "And let me guess, those orders were passed down to you by Metatron, right?" Seeing them go silent, Lucifer laughed. "Just as I thought. I wonder how much of what he tells you to do comes from Father." "He is the voice of The Presence just like I am His Judgement, Justice and Vengeance. We all have a part to play in the Plan, deceiver." Raguel told Lucifer. Disgust appeared on Lucifer''s face. "Don''t tell me about the plan Raguel. It is inconceivable that a breathing, feeling and reasoning being such as we are not expected to craft our own paths. That is what I did. I sought a way out of the madness that is Father''s controlling self. I desired freedom. And I am at peace with that decision." Lucifer''s face changed into an impassive stare. "In any case, I find myself tiring of this little family reunion. My patience has run out Gabriel. Take the host back to heaven before I break through those pearly gates myself. Right behind your broken forms." He addressed them. The Archangels stood up straighter, ready for a fight. "Arrogance. Some things haven''t changed." Gabriel shook his head. "I don''t know why I was expecting anything else." Lucifer''s eyebrows rose up at Gabriel''s comment. "Its literally in the title little brother, god''s most beautiful creation, king of Hell and all that jazz. Arrogance is warranted. A necessity. Just like the power that comes with it. Trust me, you''ll find that out soon enough. Should you choose not to heed my warning, Gabriel." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The mood got tense. Energy was brimming in the hands and weapons of the Archangels. "You know what that child has done. What he is capable of." Uriel spoke. "He touched upon his guiding light. The hand that shaped creation. A feat that is reserved for only those chosen. Those important to his plan." Gabriel added in a grave tone. "We all felt it Lucifer. Even you. It was a significant action. One only trumped by the first rebellion led by you and the second by Asmodel. A proper explanation is needed brother. We do not have to fight." ''Because we would undoubtedly lose without Michael.'' Gabriel added to himself. "Alright, I''ll concede that you have a point. However, my offer still stands. Walk away." All traces of a joking mood left Lucifer''s face. Whispers of foreign power caused the angels to falter, some losing their stability in the air. "He will not ask again. It is either we fight and risk tearing apart the fabric of reality or find a different solution." Raguel informed them as the foundations of Aden''s world shook. "Hell to the fuck no. No one is fighting here. This is MY DIMENSION! MY REALM! MY WORLD! AND NONE OF YOU ARE WELCOME!!" A voice suddenly cut through the space. As one, the Archangels and the angels turned their attention to the new party. Standing on a massive 20 feet dragon, Aden appeared out of a boom tube. All around him multiple portals opened and with them came the forces of the Elemental Dimension. Thousands of Dragons. A measly response to the forces gathered. The angels were billions in numbers after all but Aden was sure his authority and Lucifer''s ''slap anyone who isn''t the presence away'' power was more than enough to contend with it all. "Blasphemer, you stand in the presence of The Heavenly Host. Have you no remorse or regret for the nature of your sin?" One of the huge Archangels with long blonde hair and blue eyes asked, leveling his majestic sword at the young boy. Aden swallowed as he felt the pressure from all around. This was a suppression that went far beyond power. He could fell it in his core! However, a massive pushback of power exploded out of Aden''s body as the Avatar State denied the effect of angelic power upon his vessel. Aden lifted his head up in difficulty and pushed bust the constricting pressure on his mind, body and soul while facing down one of the beings closest in power to Lucifer. His eyes blazed with conviction and strength. "Bite me." Aden spat out. A white glow manifesting briefly in his eyes. Flashing with power at the threat before him. Every one of the Archangels felt it. The torrential flood of unending power hidden underneath the mortal shell of the boy. Saraquael didn''t waste any more time. With a mere flap of his wings, he achieved speeds faster than Kid Flash had ever gone at. To Aden, it felt like he hadn''t moved at all, yet a golden sword was poised to smite him. To split him from head to toe with no mercy or hesitation. A clang rang out as Aden blinked his eyes. Suddenly the Dragon Patriarch he was riding on pulled back from the scene. Saraquael''s sword had been mere inches from Aden''s forehead. The only thing stopping the blade was Lucifer''s hand, holding it by one of the sharp sides. Saraquael strained to pull away, however the weapon was effortlessly held captive by his big brother. Lucifer turned his attention to Aden, throwing him a look over his shoulders. "Oi, I teleported you away for a reason. Are you that eager to die?" Of course he wasn''t, Aden thought. But what sort of man was he? What sort of master leaves his realm in the fate of others? Aden had thought he was done with taking unnecessary risks but¡­he felt like he would betray his ideals had he chosen to stay out of it. This was his dimension. This was his realm and NO ONE, NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO DO AS THEY PLEASED! A trail of blood run down his forehead, from Saraquael''s holy blade extending it''s energy before Lucifer neutralized it. Anger clouded Aden''s mind. And something answered back from within the deep recess of his mind. Aden blacked out completely. This time when the Avatar State took over, he wasn''t witness to what was going to happen. He wasn''t aware of when his mind fell into slumber and the epitome of order and balance came out. The Dragons roared as one while The Archangels watched on in shock. White glowing energy covered the boy in a shroud of erratic power. Pulsing with the unknown. "Gabriel, what is this?" Raphael wondered out loud, enquiring from the Hornblower who was similarly surprised. He accessed his memories. Records detailing events over billions of years with picturesque clarity and found nothing. Therein lied the answer. "An existence beyond time, space and reality. Outside of the known and into the depths of the void, past other conceivable worlds. This is a true anomaly. Outside the plan!" The normally stoic Archangels were shocked. Gabriel looked at Lucifer to judge his expression and found a serious look on his face. This further reinforced The Hornblower''s theory. The light show died down, revealing the boy, now with glowing white orbs in the place where his eyes should have been. His face was set in an expression of anger and wrath. His power elevated to levels even Raguel, the one who could feel other beings strength level keenly found absurd for a mortal. "Nice of you to show up." Lucifer commented. The Avatar State spared a look at the Deceiver before turning it''s attention back to the billions of angels. A fight could not happen here today. The battle would destabilize the foundations of the realm and destroy everything the being had worked for. It had taken care to restrict every possible creature but had never accounted for divine beings. That would have to change. Aden spread out his hands¡­and said one word. A word that changed everything. A word that shifted the battle into his favor. A word that was absolute, undeniable and unquestionable. A word that would no doubt, prove to the Host the true depths of his power. Announcing that a new player was in town. The word was¡­ "LEAVE." It took but a second for all the lower ranked angels to find themselves floating above the moon in space. Billions of the battle class angels booted out of the realm by one simple word. First Firebending Sub-skill Part 3 (General P.O.V) (Wayne Mansion) "Shock and awe has hit the planet following a never before seen phenomenal of the moon attaining 2 shining rings set in a diagonal orbiting position, around the natural satellite. Experts from all around the world are gathering to come up with a scientific explanation to what the cause¡­" Dick Grayson switched the channel to another news outlet. This time a man of asian origins appeared on the screen speaking in Japanese. The language was easy enough for Dick to pick up, having undergone extensive and intense lessons by Bruce to better prepare him for missions around the world. It was Batman''s policy that you couldn''t be too prepared. Contingencies upon contingencies upon back up plans with follow up schemes and what not. That was more than anything, Batman''s legacy. "¡­ Our sources say The Justice League is planning to send a team as first response to investigate this strange incident. This has met with mixed reactions from multiple governments of the world. Chief of whom being China and Russia due to the on going debate about the United States of America getting precedent over extraterrestrial issues based on the fact that most of the League Members are American citizens¡­" Dick made a small sound of disgust at that. He knew that the League was planning to add more international superheroes to their roster. Ironically, the same countries using that excuse to blast America were the same ones who had stringent restrictions on the League efforts, one of them being cooperation into allowing their own vigilantes to work hand in hand with the League. China was especially strict on that. Back to the other matter, Dick didn''t know what to do with the information about the moon. It was currently 6 in the evening. This was usually when he would take the Zeta tube straight to the Watchtower and meet up with the team for a debrief on a previous mission, brief on a planned mission or a training session with Black Canary. Unfortunately, the team had been momentarily suspended for one week as the League ran multiple scans and surveillance to ensure that the Watchtower was not severely compromised. Dick gnashed his teeth. They should have known it had been too easy. That Aden would never allow himself to be captured like that. Well, hindsight is 20/20. Dick took the elevator down to the hidden section of the Wayne Mansion, the Batcave to meet up with his Adopted Father. Just because Bruce was out of the league didn''t mean he was out of the game. If anything, his new found autonomy and freedom allowed him free reign to work more effectively. Dick however knew his adopted Father more than the man knew. The press conference announcing his resignation had been today¡­it couldn''t have been easy on him. No matter how much he tried to hide it. The only thing he could do was be there for him. Silent up until the moment that Bruce was ready to listen to him talk. (General P.O.V) (Elemental Dimension) Gabriel looked at his hand in shock as his form blurred. A massive force was working to push him and the other 5 out of the bounds of the Elemental Dimension. The power increased in magnitudes the longer he tried to hold on. One questioning look at Lucifer and he knew there was no way he was the one responsible. The smug grin of satisfaction he was expecting from his brother was after all nowhere to be seen Which meant.. Gabriel looked at the boy¡­and felt afraid. All that power, wielded by a mortal. Saraquael''s hands lit up, bright yellow light poured off his left arm and covered his magnificent blade. Rune like inscriptions manifested along the shaft of the sword along with a silent hum that lightly rang across the whole sky. A telepathic link was established among the six of them. "We have to go on the offense." Saraquael said seriously. Gabriel was about to agree with him, when Uriel cut in to add his piece, twirling his spear expertly. "We are past the point of a meaningful and peaceful talk Brother. As one we will move to attack the Deceiver while you stop the boy." He directed that thought to Gabriel. After agreeing, they pulled from more of the Light. The power of the Presence that all angels had access to. Using that, they managed to stave off the expulsion from the realm. At least long enough to do what had to be done. Gabriel nodded. A loud sigh was the response they got from Lucifer. "Wrong choice Gabriel. As your big brother, it falls to me to punish you all appropriately. The child is under. My. Protection." Lucifer declared, his powerful aura dwarfing everyone present. He raised up his hand slowly and following the move, space fractured and gravity increased. "Now!" "Move!" Saraquael and Gabriel shouted separately as all of them strained and just barely managed to endure the sudden oppression from Lucifer. They all disappeared from their position in blinding speed, flanking Lucifer from all sides. Uriel darted in with a grunt, spear pulled back and his wings flapping once in a mighty wave to increase his already fast speed to almost beyond light speed. The spear in his hand left afterimages and a trail of motes of light as it descended upon the King of Hell''s neck. A ruthless move right from the get go. A clang rang out as a thin rapier appeared in Lucifer''s grip, successfully blocking the attack. Uriel''s eyes grew focused while he twisted the Spear in envious mastery. This time he swiped out with the shaft, alternating between moves to target blind spots and places that would cause mortal injuries. A particularly overextended move turned out to be a strategic action, because when Lucifer tried to take advantage, his left side was left open for a dozen white light lances to spear through him from Saraquael. He smiled and spun in place, sending a burst of power that pushed every Archangel at his side away. The energy blast was blocked due to Raphael''s effort. A bright wall of light covering the Archangels. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Raguel took that chance to engage Lucifer in a hand to hand close combat altercation. Blocks, parries, side steps and kicks appeared in blinding speeds. Shockwaves rang out through the whole sky, shaking the foundations of Aden''s world. Lucifer managed to back hand Raguel away before he increased the power pouring off him in waves. The wave of energy coalesced in a shroud of white light covering his body. "Okay¡­you want to play? Let''s see what you all got." Lucifer commented, slicing his sword through the air. Meanwhile, Gabriel''s mighty form appeared above The Avatar, the action followed by screaming sonic winds that was a testament to a unique skill Gabriel possessed, an instinctual control over sound. The angel merely spread his hands apart and a field of silence occupied their immediate surroundings. Gabriel''s sword was not as huge as Saraquael or Uriel''s expertly made Spear but it had theirs beat in one area, support. It could turn into anything he wished. And true to his moniker, the Sword shifted into it''s true form, A long horn. "Give up, child. There is still time for you to make it out of this alive and unharmed." He addressed the Avatar, who was still standing on the Dragon Patriarch. His voice traveling through the silent space, clear and causing distortions. A sharp eyed look along with an anger filled grimace was the only answer he got. "I see. So be it." Gabriel brought the horn to his mouth and blew upon it. Instantly the whole space changed. Millions of silent weapons, spears, axes, swords, hammers and arrows manifested with that simple action and shot off at supersonic speeds towards Aden''s form. A true and silent death. The Avatar jumped off the Dragon and immediately, Gabriel felt the difference. The air grew heavy and uncooperative despite the silent field he had set up. The Avatar pulled back his hands to the the sides and then clapped them together. A gale more destructive than a tsunami and a cyclone put together, was born. Pushing most of the weapons about to land on Aden away. The Archangel was blown back, having to use his wings to shield his face from the sharp and slicing winds. 20% of Gabriel''s attack managed to make it through the attack and in response to that, The Avatar snapped his finger. A keening wail burst through the sky, taking Gabriel by surprise as a sonic attack was released in such an unexpected way that it left him shocked. The frequency of the shockwave was enough to offset and neutralize Gabriel''s last attack. And the Archangel understood why Lucifer didn''t look worried in the least about him attacking the boy. The Boy was truly powerful. And he also understood what the sonic attack was, a testament. Telling Gabriel that he could take anything that the Archangel could throw at him. Gabriel wasn''t your typical battle class angel. His abilities laid primarily elsewhere. Which is why he recognized he couldn''t take the boy down alone. "Raphael, I might need your help brother, cover me while I attack." He sent the telepathic message through their link and a brief nod from the most peaceful of the Archangels was all the answer he needed. Gabriel decided to change tactics. So far, the boy had demonstrated a knack for blocking and neutralizing Gabriel''s meta skills, but what Gabriel knew was that in the end, the boy was still essentially a human and that meant, human level physical parameters. The angel''s horn changed to two twin swords. One mighty flap of his wings and he beared down on the Avatar with the full force granted to him by his angelic physique. The Avatar in response created a force bubble made of harsh and gyrating air shields. The force shield was blasted out of the air by a punch, slamming onto the surface of Sanctuary, carving a groove through the trees and then skimming along the water for a short distance before The Avatar managed to arrest it''s momentum. Aden''s face grew focused. Curious, studying and attentive. Gabriel exploded towards him again. Slashes and thrusts from the twin swords fell upon the Force bubble like a never ending downpour of rain and hail storm. The forcefield barely held on when matched up against the onslaught of attacks. But it did. The Avatar did not attack again. Content to study and learn. To dissect the core of the kind of being an angel was, having never met a typical one before. And it did. One instance the force shield was sent spinning away from a harsh kick. The Dragon Patriarch seizing the chance, flew to help it''s master, sending a plume of violet flames at Gabriel. The Hornblower did not cower however due to the white shield of light that appeared to cover his form, extending out to dozens of meters. The light died down to reveal Raphael, long brown hair, a beautiful face and calm disposition standing before the Dragon and Gabriel. "Thank you Raphael." Gabriel said. "Keep the creatures busy, I will handle the¡­" His eyes widened minutely as a feeling of danger cut through the space in a span of pico seconds. Raphael''s light surged strongly, seeking to block the attack. The shield was torn apart like wet tissue paper and Gabriel lost¡­a wing. The whole battlefield stopped. Saraquael, Uriel, Raguel and Raphael could not believe it. Blood exploded out of the wound as the wing detached, due to a precise sword slash. During that brief moment of shock, The Avatar eyes glowing menacingly darted in once again, his speed aided by the slowed temporal field surrounding his body. The weapon in his hand was black with red energy pouring off it in waves. Not evil but a perfect anti-thesis to the Make of the Angels weapons. He had dissected what kind of being an angel was...and he finally had the answer in form of a sword that actively worked to cut them away from the light. The sword swept through the air, aiming this time for Gabriel''s neck. Death inevitably beared down on the Hornblower. "Enough." A brief word. But that word, stopped the newly made weapon from reaping the life of an Archangel. The last and final Archangel, one who no one gathered, except for a certain king of Hell had paid attention to, revealed himself. Holy heavenly light appeared between the Avatar and Gabriel, who was now just feeling the pain from the lost appendage. "Finally you choose to end this farce and reveal yourself...Father." Lucifer commented, teleporting next to Aden. The light died down to reveal a portly old man, standing in mid air with an umbrella in his hands. No indication was given but one minute Gabriel was grunting in pain and the next the wound was gone as if he was never injured in the first place. Immediately, the Archangels, knelt in subservience to his sovereignty. "Father..." Gabriel started out in a humble tone. The presence smiled gently at the five Archangels. "Everything is has it should be now Gabriel. I am here." The words were soft and filled with care. Lucifer made a sound of disgust and scoffed. Saraquael taking offense to that almost attacked him, only for Uriel''s hand to stop him. The presence merely smiled, as if he was watching children playing harmless games in a park. "Gabriel, take your brothers and the rest of the host home. Their presence is already causing quite the stir on the creation." Gabriel acquiesced and a bright light covered them. Like that, the Five Archangels disappeared instantly, leaving behind Lucifer, Aden and The Presence, creator of DC. First Firebending Sub-skill Part 4. (General P.O.V) Upon the angels departure, the god of all turned his attention to his son and the boy the former sought to protect. "Samael, it''s good to see you." The presence said amiably. The rapier in Lucifer''s hand disappeared into motes of light as he prepared to leave. "You have things to say, but I don''t need to listen." Lucifer placed a hand on Aden''s shoulder seeking to teleport them away. "You are still bitter about how things turned out." The Presence relented. The statement stopped Lucifer in his tracks. "My son, I do not begrudge you your hate but I need your understanding. For once." Lucifer''s fingers tightened before he turned around and faced The Presence once more. "My understanding? Don''t make me laugh Father. That would require you to also understand me. And no way in all of your creation is that ever going to happen." He said heatedly. The Presence nodded, his face grim and sad. "Fair enough. However, you abhor me for a situation I had no control of, whatsoever. I might be eternal and all powerful but no one is exempt from their existence. Whether planned or not, false or true, the core of your past is unchangeable, unalterable and important. You are my SON, Samael and I am your Maker. That is a fact." Lucifer gnashed his teeth. "Yes, I was right. I didn''t need to listen." With that, he teleported away, leaving behind The Avatar and The Presence in Aden''s dimension. The presence sighed and took a step. Instantly, space warped and he along with The Avatar found themselves sitting on a bench in a public park. The Avatar tensed before a calming feeling forcefully invaded Aden''s body and relaxed it. "Calm yourself. I will not harm you, you need not be afraid, young one." The Presence said. The Avatar State listened, watched and judged, trying to decipher what this¡­being was. It came to one conclusion¡­ nothing, yet everything. The Mortal form this being was inhabiting was unassuming and harmless-looking with no discernible aura to indicate his real power. That said, a deeper scan showed the old man was made up of everything that the world was. All the elements that The Avatar State had access to, they all had an imprint of some sort. And the owner of that imprint was standing right next to him. Conclusion, there was no fighting this. Changing tactics¡­ "Yet, I would be wise to." A soft voice escaped Aden''s mouth. The tone was set in a fearful yet sincere way. The Avatar State had chosen to speak. Words were the only way to get out of this. The Presence chuckled. One of his hands went to his inner pocket and out with it came a packet filled with seeds. "Smart of you." Came the reply. He put his hand in the packet, grabbing a handful of the contents and then scattering them along the open grounds. "Sunflower seeds. Very nutritious." He explained as a flock of pigeons dove down and started pecking at the seeds. "I have an idea as to who or rather what sent you here. But I admit, I do not know who you really are. Care to enlighten me." The Presence spoke up again. Feeling no hostility from him, The Avatar State considered the request before finally accepting. It would be easy to access Aden''s memories, because they were essentially the same being, just different perspectives and motives. But...it somehow felt that the real Aden, the emotional driven one would better be suited for this. The Avatar State let go...the glow suffusing his body in an aura of power died away, leaving behind a normal looking boy. Aden blinked his eyes and found himself sitting on a bench while the waning light of the sun cast deep and long shadows of his form and the old man sitting next to him. He stared at him in surprise and shock before he felt calm wash over him. The Avatar State''s memories gently poured into him and he understood. Clearing his throat to gather himself, fully aware of who he was sitting with, Aden acquiesced to the request and begun to talk. "My name...is Aden Strong and I was lost..." And so The Avatar begun his tale. He talked pretty much about everything. His life back on his earth, his dreams and aspirations, his family and friends and anything else that he deemed important. He then told The Presence about his arrival here and how everything had gone for him. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. At the end of it all, the hours had gone by, the night sailed in and the sun was now peeking over the horizon, sending the first waves of sunlight shining through the park. Aden''s Shoulders looked...relaxed and were not set in the same tense position as before. Pouring out everything except the truly private and sensitive topics like The Avatar System had had a positive therapeutic effect on Aden. "I see." The Presence smiled at the young boy sitting right next to him. "Thank you for sharing." He added, still feeding the Flock of Pigeons that for whatever reason had never left even through the night. "Thank you for listening." Was the response from Aden. "What now?" He asked a bit warily. He was still essentially a stranger here on The Presence''s house. "I have more to thank you for. You kept my wayward son company, even if the relationship was based on mutual benefits. Even now, I can feel his gaze stuck on us, waiting to spring in and try to save you if anything happens. I believe he sees himself in you. That feeling of being lost with no one around to help you, the drive to achieve your goals despite how difficult the task might be and the amazing power to do anything you set your mind to. Mmmmh, it''s true, he considers you as a friend." Aden''s mind went blank. He could hardly believe the words coming out of the Presence''s mouth. Lucifer considered him a friend? Then again, judging from The Avatar State''s memories, Luci had stood up for him against billions of angels, 5 Archangels and The Presence. "I am curious about one thing. The way you introduced yourself, you said you were lost. Yet here you are, still very far from home but you seem content. What changed?" The Presence questioned in interest, scattering a few more grains and seeds to the birds. "I guess...me. 1 month ago I would have been clamoring and begging for a chance that you could take me home. It shouldn''t be hard for you, I mean... you''re The Presence." Aden chuckled nervously. "And then the whole demon hunting thing happened and for whatever reason, there doesn''t seem to be any demonology experts around to take care of something like that and I realized...all this power would be wasted on someone selfish if I chose to leave with it." He paused, trying to gather his thoughts and better explain because, being this close to the literal God of all DC continuities...was more nerve-wracking than any fight he''d ever been in. "It''s my power, but its also a responsibility. My earth is relatively safe and free of all things Meta, so I wouldn''t be living up to my full potential while there and finally, there''s also this fear that things might escalate due to my... presence. New threats that my world is frankly not ready for might appear because fate works like that so...yeah. I was lost. But not anymore." The Presence stared at Aden expressionlessly. Aden clenched his jaw and forced himself to stare back before he wisely broke eye contact first. "Good. You have learned much, but you still have a long way to go. It won''t be easy. What you seek to change is something many before you have tried. The only thing I can promise you, is that I will not interfere. Besides, you are outside the Plan...I would love to see the ramifications of your actions down the line. One final warning though young one." The air didn''t grow any colder but Aden could feel something change. "Don''t bite off more than you can chew. There is an order to things that should never be broken lest you harm the same thing you seek to protect." Translation, don''t try to access the Light again, Aden interpreted for himself. A chuckle broke him out of his thoughts. "However, what Father doesn''t reward someone for protecting his children? Your actions have not gone unnoticed, Aden. Both from above and below. Ask me for anything you wish for." Aden thought about the offer. He could ask for power but that didn''t seem like the right thing to do. He could ask for a way back home but he had already decided that he was sticking around. It''s crazy how a few months could change someone. Then again, it wasn''t the time that had changed his perspective on things but rather the experiences. Aden truly believed he could make a difference. He had verified to himself that he was probably insane but his heart and mind wouldn''t rest until he knew he had done everything in his power to make this world a safer place. To aid in that endeavor... there was only one thing that was appropriate for him to ask. "Could you help me hide the Elemental Dimension from all spying and intrusion? Even from cosmic beings?" The Presence hummed. "Mmmh, that is a well thought out request. I approve of it. No one, barring myself, you and anyone you choose to exempt shall know the location of your Elemental Dimension, through any means, mystical, scientific or cosmical." Aden felt a sudden change run through his spine. Like an electric tingle. "Thank you." He told The Presence. "You''re welcome." The Presence replied and they sat there, watching the sun rise from the east, in peace. First Firebending Sub-skill Part 5. (General P.O.V) "Nothing on this front. It''s like whatever the rings were, disappeared into thin air." Hal Jordan telepathically informed the floating League members, Superman, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter. Hal had just finished a general scan on the final section of the moon and his ring readings proved that whatever visual anomaly that had been witnessed by practically half of the human population was now gone. Gone without a trace. Hal frowned while staring at his ring in concern. "And for a minute there, I thought I had something then¡­I don''t know. The ring¡­lost it, I think." Before any of them could move to ask what he meant, a streak of silver energy and another of green, streaked from the other side of the natural satellite. "Yo." Guy Gardner stopped upon arriving close to the Leaguers, the bright emerald shroud covering his body decreasing in intensity. The other figure turned out be Captain Atom. Hal swallowed a sigh and turned to the others. "I''m huh¡­ I''m going to do another scan. You know, just to be sure." He said that and escaped, not wanting to deal with Guy''s nonsense. Superman and Wonder Woman shared a look. Their faces were hidden by the re-breathers yet they understood each other perfectly. Manhunter on the other hand, nodded at Captain Atom. "I am hoping you had better luck than the rest of us, Captain." He pushed the statement through the link. In response Captain Atom shook his head. His face impassive as always. "Nothing on the darker side. Just a lot of Catenas, but Lantern Gardner hasn''t picked up on any residue energy signatures." Guy, crossed his hands and frowned. "Its weird. The ring was briefly about to decipher something. An energy sample I''ve never seen before and then¡­poof it just vanished. I''ll try to search the database but without something to refer from¡­it''s probably not going to turn up anything." Guy finished explaining. Another look was shared between Superman and Wonder woman. "Hal said the same thing. Something about his ring acting strange." Superman informed Guy and Captain Atom. The former looked pensive and serious. "Mmmmh, I might need to go to OA for a quick check. Luckily Stewart is not off world so the sector will be protected. Oh and Hal¡­ you''re coming with. Road Trip!!!" Gardner said, adding that last part with a small upturn of his lips. He knew that Jordan absolutely disliked his antics and Guy would be the first to admit that he mostly acted immature and childish to annoy the crap out of his two colleagues. (Aden''s P.O.V) I grabbed an early lunch after The Presence had dropped me right at the entrance of Club Lux. I hadn''t seen any sign of Maze or Lucifer, which was kinda strange¡­ because I''d thought he''d want to talk to me about how things went down with dear old dad. You know, nothing like daddy issues to humanize a force of nature like Lucifer. And of course I would never ever ever ever ever ever say that out loud. Reviewing the memories of our fight with the Archangels showed just how powerful and skilled Luci was while playing around. He''d had a smile while fighting 4 Archangels!! Dude. Anyway, after my lunch, it was back to the grind. But this time I was wise. This time, I learned the valuable lesson of taking things slow and as the Presence put it, ''not biting off more than I could chew''. That said, it didn''t mean I''d given up on more Firebending Sub-skills. It just meant, holy flames were out. Luckily, the Dragon Patriarch had shown me something. He could bend Violet flames! And that shit was hot as heck. I could still remember the heat on my skin from standing at close proximity with the flame. The only reason I hadn''t been harmed being the thin film of energy that had miraculously sprang up above my skin¡­it was strange and unexpected. A different utilization of bending that I had never accessed before. Man, The Avatar State was fucking broken. And back to the point of The Dragon Patriarch, in Canon, Dragons were shown to be able to bend uniquely colored flames. And I had Dragons in my Realm... Cool multicolored flames? Sign me the fudge up. A boom tube appeared before me, after a quick shower and change of clothes. I stepped right through it and appeared on Sanctuary. The anger came back. Sanctuary was¡­not destroyed but many sections of it like The Gazebo were in shambles. There was a groove running right through the center of the Island where my body had impacted from Gabriel''s kick. One day, I''m paying him back for showing me up in my own house. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. So I increased the time to the point where 3 hours on the inside was an hour on the outside and got to work, cleaning up. First, I got rid of all the broken trees. I gathered the branches and trunks on the beach to dry. I could later use them for firewood. Then, I covered the groove as much as I could, hiding the hard shell of the Turtle Lion behind the layer of soil once more. Lastly came The Gazebo. I took a snack break where, I gorged myself on Grangos and then went to deal with the last thing on my list. The Gazebo was constructed from palm leaves and a strong wood that looked like Cypress and was native to one of the closer islands. Inside it, I''d set up a beanbag, a carpet, two expertly made benches by moi, with soft cushions and at the centre was a table with a bowl of fruits from all over the island. Now, fortunately the roof of the whole construction had just caved in, which meant apart from replacing the table, bowl and a few wooden frames, everything else was relatively fine. I flew back and forth from Sanctuary to Cypress island and used Firebending construct creation to cut what I needed down without ruining the wood. Firebending constructs were a bitch and a half to make. Despite the fact that Firebending was much easier for me than Airbending, I still struggled to form Zuko''s familiar knives. The trick I''d found out, was to keep the flame stable by not forcing it into a certain form but instead regulating the heat evenly and then guiding it through a mental pathway to your desired effect. Lastly you had to keep your breath constant and relaxed. Any emotional fluctuations would also lead to the flame growing big or small, destabilizing the effect and making you start from the beginning once more. See, a bitch and a half to make. I carried the wood back to Sanctuary through Airbending, a pile of 8 long pieces of wooden logs, floating behind me as I cut through the air and finally landed gently. 30 minutes later, I''d completed work that would take 5 men over 2 hours. I love my powers. When all that was done and I''d rewarded myself with a few more Grangos, it was time to check out my rewards from the system. I had completed the mission (kinda) and hopefully the next perk would be something as awesome as the last one, The Spark Of Enlightenment. (Urgent Mission) (A host of divine creatures have breached past the boundaries of your realm and the only one capable of stopping them is a railgun, nuclear missile and world ending meteor of a being all rolled into one. In other words, total overkill. Do something!! Anything!! To ensure your world does not get done dirty. Mission difficulty:- Hell. Mission status:- Complete. Rewards:- Congratulations!!! You really didn''t do much but whatever¡­ Anyway, your efforts have rewarded you with a new perk. Yaaaayy:-) Hammerspace:- A space roughly the size of a closet inside. Nothing much, just like your performance. Come on, we both know without The Avatar State, your ass would be toast. We''ve taken the liberty to add a great surprise inside.) Training Points:- 385.) Okaaaay. I feel like the sass was a little too much, seeing as The Avatar State is essentially still me. And speaking of that, this time it activated on its own. Weird. But based on how dire the circumstances were, I guess I shouldn''t be surprised. I had a billion angels with swords, all wanting to go slasher on me¡­that''s the kind of thing that awakens the beast. Ok, clearly I need to work on my analogies, that sounded way too cheesy. The training points had increased yet again. This was great. Now it was a sure thing, I would get some really good sparring partners with that amount. I minimized the display box and instantly, I could feel a new...sense. like the feeling you get when you have a hat on. It can get lost in the background but the sensation on your scalp is always there. I followed that feeling at the back of my head and my mind presented me with a small but spacious slot. Inside the slot, was a sword. A rapier to be exact. I widened my eyes. The rapier that the Avatar had created using different elements and a big dose of bullshit to fight the Archangels with. A weapon powerful enough to sever the link between an angel and The holy light, enabling the user to inflict mortal wounds on an angel when normally that wouldn''t be possible. I immediately willed it to appear on my hand and a picosecond later, it did. I tested the blade''s weight, by swinging and twirling it around...I smiled. The blade felt... perfect. As if it was made for me. The craftsman taking into account my arm measurements and body movements. Looking at it closer, the blade glowed red and was very similar in design to Alucard''s from Castlevania. Simple adornments and make. Just how I like it. But there was more. I placed the blade on my lap and delved deep into it''s inner components with my energy sense. A few minutes later, I opened my eyes and smiled. I finally had a weapon fit for an Avatar. Apart from its main ability to hurt anyone not just angels, by severing the link they had with their own personal energies, therefore leaving them unprotected, there was one more ability. I could use the sword as a focal point to channel my bending faster and easier. I would have to be careful not to use it as a clutch but...all in all the blade was awesome. Mmh, I wonder what I should name it? First Firebending Sub-skill Part 6. (Aden''s P.O.V) I stood before a barren island, floating in the sky while gazing down on the very familiar landscape. A long stretch of land that was made up of huge outcrops of rock and coral reefs along it''s banks. I tightened my hand on the blade I had in my hand. Was this some kind of cosmic joke? The Island was a carbon copy of the same place Aang fought Fire Lord Ozai. It was also the sane place we fought. Silent tears streaking down his face, will broken by the futility of his existence and then me¡­dealing the final strike. I didn''t try to hide from the memories. I let the feelings wash over me. I had accepted my actions. It was frankly speaking, the worst thing I had ever done but¡­I had triumphed over that. And by god I wouldn''t stop moving forward. Back to the Island, There were no animals or plants, any kind of vegetation really. The most prominent difference between the Island and Aang vs Me battlefield, was the absence of the long river flowing through the center, around some of the pillars from North to South. Everything else was Flashback inducing. Which is why, I was planning on destroying this symbol of my past deeds. To truly embrace my full self through forgiveness and getting rid of the small smidgen of guilt still weighing heavily on my shoulders. I looked at the blade in my hand. This had initially started out as a way to test the power of the blade but, now it was more than that. Now it was a sort of mini-beginning for me. So, many things had recently happened and it didn''t feel like things would get any quieter soon. There was so much to do¡­but that''s my lot in life and I can hardly complain. None of this would be worth it, if it wasn''t tedious. I twirled the blade as best as I could in my hands, adjusting the grip to the point it felt¡­ comfortable to use. I had no expert skills in weapon handling. There were some set moves I could perform with a glider from my Air-bending side of elemental manipulation but that was about it. It didn''t mean I was a complete novice however. A sword was three main moves with different combos and angles of infliction. Basically, slash, pierce and block. That could be further split into sub-sets, hack/cleave, slice, parry and many more. Fortunately I could slash. I took a stance while in the air and looked down at the ground. The whole Island was about 40 square kilometers. So not too big and not too small. I wanted to first of all test how sharp the blade was. I lost control of my flight and fell down towards the island. My body was aimed at a trajectory where I would fall on top of one of the taller pillars of rock. A death sentence to anyone else but it was exactly what I wanted. I raised the Rapier above my arms and grunted in exertion. There was a sudden downward action and the rapier bit into the pillar. Like a hot knight through butter, I barely slowed down in my descent, the sword in my hands being so sharp the hard rock had offered no resistance. I slammed onto the ground and bent my knees slightly to stabilize myself. The ground cracked underneath my feet and a cloud of dust rose up. There was a groaning sound and the pillar infront of me, separated into two huge pieces like a spring onion cut right down the middle, the whole structure fell, each piece to the opposite direction. I slashed out the rapier and the humongous dust cloud was blown away, then with a sudden small twist of the wrist holding the sword, the air changed. A huge draft of wind, monster tornado to be precise was born, standing at 20 meters and more from the barest of efforts I put in. It hit the closest rock boulders and they shattered, completely worn down. I had unravelled it before it could cause more damage. I had two more tests to do after all and I needed the island for that. My legs spread out a little while I bent my upper body down, leaning forward. The sword was held close to my hip. I breathed in and then exhaled. Steam escaped my lips, as I accessed my firebending. The familiar warm tug above my groin, growing prominent as I pulled from it. Letting the energy of life and sun and fire fill me from within. Then in a motion that was as fast as I could do, I slashed out. The sword screamed as it cut through the air, flames appearing along it''s surface, dying the blade in a dark orange glow. The fire extended from the tip of the sword into a sickle and then grew longer¡­and longer. Vwoooop!!! Armageddon descended. A monster flame cut through the whole island. Slashing down the rocky formations and cleaving apart the pillars and hills. There was 2 minutes where all I heard was the continuous crash of stones on stones. I looked at the blade in my hand¡­ channeling enough power to do that would have probably burned my arms. This¡­this blade was fucking powerful man. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I flew up for one final test. Looking down on the Island, I couldn''t believe it was the same place I was observing a couple of minutes ago. The once barren but rocky stretch of land was cut down to size. All through a single fire slash from my blade. Now to completely get rid of it. I held the sword up and closed my eyes. A huge cloud gathered above me, streaks of lightning and a roiling wind tornado appeared at my beck and call. Wind gathered before the blade, forming into a massive sphere with sharp air currents all rippling for some action. I pointed the sphere down and then channeled flame into the wind sphere carefully maintaining the shape. The sphere turned blue with licks of flames around it''s form. "Boom." I intoned softly and released it. Like a missile, the blue ball shot off and slammed onto the island. Judgement day had come. The whole island disappeared. And with it the last of my guilt. A whole hour later, I was back at Sanctuary, in my newly created Gazebo. The Sword was sitting on my lap innocently. Giving no indication to how powerful it actually was. I held the blade up. "I name you Equity." I felt something slot in and became aware of the blade even more clearly. "For your edges will strike equally. Balance is your construct and I am the agent to enforce it. Equity, the Sword of Order." (Congratulations!!! Man oh man. You''re on fire these days dude! (Sometimes literally) For giving your sword such a cool name, you have unlocked a few more additional skills) Name:- Equity. Title:- Sword of Order and balance. Skills:- 1. Severing Links- Equity has the unique skill to cut off a being''s access to their personal energies, granting the user a universal resistance nullifier up until the link is restored once more. 2. Elemental Channelling- Equity can safely and easily channel the user''s elemental skills up to and depending on his level of mastery efficiently. 3. Soulbound- Basically, Mjolnir on steroids. You can never lose Equity. And Equity can never lose you. Equity can fly back to it''s owner, breaking through the dimensional cracks and universe spanning distances while singing, '' I''m coming home¡­'' You get the gist. 4. Form Shift- Equity is made solely for the Avatar. And the Avatar is a master of ALL the elements. That means, equity should step up too and match that level of power. The Sword has the ability to shift into any suitable weapon form, to better channel each element because every element is innately different. P.S.- The Sword was made from the brief touch of divinity accessed by the Avatar, The strongest material present to the Avatar State''s manipulation and creation and lastly a mental imprint. The Sword can never have another owner. It will follow you even to death and beyond.) Those additional skills were amazing. I held up Equity and smiled in appreciation at the way it''s sharp edge gleamed in the sun. I concentrated and the Rapier in my hand changed into a Katana. The aesthetic was maintained though. A simple design but with the blade glowing red in the light. I willed it to change and laughed in surprise when Stormbreaker, Thor''s second hammer/axe appeared. Then Mjolnir. It was missing the familiar rune inscriptions of OG Mjolnir but still my weapon was way cooler. I tried another iconic form. The Kubikirib¨­ch¨­, Zabuza''s, the demon of the mist'' Sword. And because I was testing out sword forms, it wouldn''t be complete without Vergil''s Yamato from Devil May Cry. The funny thing was just how similar in abilities Equity was to Yamato. They could both cut through space. In Equity''s case it was to get back to me but still and secondly they were also fucking powerful. So Yeah. And this is not me trying very hard to make them seem alike. Nope. No sir. I tried Dante''s Alastor which was cool, I looked like a badass Wargod. But my disappointment was immeasurable and my day ruined when I couldn''t shift Equity into either Ebony or Ivory. Equity wasn''t at a high enough level to shift into anything else other than cold weapons¡­but the good thing about starting from the bottom was that the only way to go was up. Not a very appropriate analogy but we already established I suck at those. (General P.O.V) A portal opened up in the skyline of Metropolis and out of it came a sword. It fell and the handle slammed on top of Superman''s head while he was flying, making the Man of steel wince. "Ow. What the¡­" He said, spotting the gleaming and beautiful Katana that was now hovering in the sky. He curiously flew forward, trying to study the strange blade. He reached out his hand to catch it, but the blade pulled away at the last second, teasingly. Superman frowned. The blade was probably sentient. He used his X-ray vision and balked at how pure the metal used to make it was. It had no impurities and judging from the way a bruise was forming on his forehead, it could also hurt him. What an exceptional weapon. Come to think if it...he had always wanted a weapon. Ever since he had seen Diana bisect an Appellaxian with minimal effort, Clark had thought blades were cool. He decided to try and catch the sword. Which...proved to be easier said than done. Everytime Superman reached out for it, the blade would evade his grip. It made for a comical scene when The blue boy scout started moving at Supersonic speeds trying to catch a blade that stubbornly refused to be caught. After Aden had had a laugh, watching from an open Boom tube, he closed the boom tube and wished for the blade to come back to him. Back on earth, Equity pulled away from Superman and in Supersonic speeds made like a shooting star and left the planet behind. Superman didn''t follow it. Too embarrassed at what had happened. Equity left the Earth''s atmosphere and infront of it a blue shimmering portal appeared. It plunged inside, crossing dimensions and portalling out right before Aden''s open palm. The handle first. "Ok...best sword ever." First Firebending Sub-skill Final Part. (Aden''s P.O.V) What is Fire? Fire is¡­life. It is also the death that heralds rebirth and flourishing. A singular focus and drive to cleanse all that stands before it. Fire is essentially hot gases. It''s naturally aligned to high temperatures and manifests in a number of colors, chief of which being yellow and orange. Science, from what I understood stated that different colored flames could possess different levels of heat. The ranking went, orange, yellow, blue and then white in terms of heat. That was science¡­this was Avatar. Which meant none of the scientific rules held much precedent over the power of a primordial entity governing order and balance. There were even more different colored variations to the flames produced by Firebenders. In Canon, Aang and Zuko witnessed that fact for themselves when the two dragons, Ran and Shaw demonstrated uniquely colored flames in their dance to show them the true spirit of Firebending. I had dragons in my realm and although they showed no indication of Sapience, they could bend their natural flames into different colors. Reviewing the memories from the Avatar State, The Dragon Patriarch, breathed out violet colored flames which burned hotter than anything I''d ever felt before. That meant, I could learn the same from them and I had a feeling they weren''t confined to only one unique color, something told me they could do more. And like Azula so could I. Speaking of Azula, her flames were blue. I had an idea on how I could turn my flames into that. You see, Blue flame is produced when there is a perfect air-fuel mixture. With sufficient oxygen for complete combustion at the burner, a blue flame burns the fuel completely producing carbon dioxide, water and heat. The last part was not really important. Basically, a blue flame is a perfect flame. Given Azula''s mindset to pursue perfection¡­it wouldn''t be out of the way to say that the flame was a manifestation of her mastery over Firebending. Hotter flames as she pushed herself to be the best. The question arises why didn''t Sozin or even Iroh, Grandmaster Firebenders use Blue flames? Maybe they didn''t need it. Maybe they had attuned their flames to burn as hot as they wanted. Who knows? Which brings us to the question, why the lesson on the intricate nature of fire? Well, I needed a Sub-skill, and now that holy fire was out. The option of what I would go with had fallen to two choices, different colored flames which I am sure was a sub-skill all in itself or¡­ Lightning. Based on where I was standing, the peak of a blackened mountain in the Fire Plane, observing and studying the unrestrained nature of Lightning, you can guess what choice I went with. To be honest, I could learn how to turn my flames into different colors but this¡­this was much better and cooler. Lightning bending was a phenomenon to watch. I set Equity down in its Rapier form and crossed my legs, meditating on the ground. My energy sense spread out and suddenly my awareness was awash with supercharged energy and erratic colors. The erratic colors were actually coming off the small Dragon that would always watch me whenever I practiced Firebending in the Fire Plane. I opened my eyes in surprise as I watched it¡­no him. He had grown bigger and his shadow was cast upon my body whilst he lazily ran circles above me in the air. I could sense 7 precise colors in him. Something that told me I was right in my conjecture that the dragons could help me. Upon noticing my attention on him, he flew down closer, giving me an excited little snort as if he was happy to see me. He was different from the other dragons. He was aware. I reached out a hand to touch him and he allowed it. His snout felt warm to the touch and the scales were smooth. He then pulled away and suddenly flew off, leaving me with a frown. My telepathy formed a link between us as I tried to understand what had just happened. ''not ready.'' The words appeared in my mind and I mulled them over before shrugging. It wasn''t like the little dragon was going to go anywhere, so I was good. I dived back into my energy sense and focused this time on the supercharged and violent power I could feel brimming above me. Each strike felt precise and purposeful. A willful objective to leave anything it touched into charred remains. I breathed in and settled into a Body Refining State. Using my inner fire to cleanse my body of all waste. This time I went a step further into the metaphysical. I used my inner fire to cleanse myself of all and any distractions, choosing to focus on only one thought, the nature of Lightning. Using Iroh''s simple explanation, Lightning was the purest expression of Firebending. It is known as the cold fire due it''s precise and deadly nature. Lightning doesn''t spread out and strategically destroy something like fire does, it''s like an Assassin''s blade to a soldier''s machine gun, silent, cold and fast. Very fast. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I understood that. To bend Lightning one had to maintain a calm emotional disposition. Which is why I had used my Body Refining skill, to get rid of all distractions and achieve a tranquil state. Now, all that was well and dandy but nothing truly explained it''s working or how one could activate it. But who was I? I had thousands of pop culture, movies, books and anime knowledge to draw from. I tried the first way, attempting to ''rub'' the fire against each other if that made sense to achieve a charge. I immediately stopped that when I felt an explosion about to occur inside my body. Well, at least I had the direction towards combustion bending. Failing that, I changed directions and clearly delved back into what Lightning bending was. Iroh had repeatedly tried to teach Zuko, the importance of having a calm state of mind when bending. But Zuko due to the hatred, self loathing and guilt he possessed, could not get past that point until he had handled his issues. A light bulb went off in my mind. That''s it. The simple explanation was actually the way to go. It wasn''t complex in practice. It actually was that simple. Bleeding all emotion from Firebending, leaving behind a cold focus. That''s why it was known as cold fire. I rose up to my feet, breaking the body refining skill and breathing out a thick steam. Sweat was matted in my eyebrows as well as covering my skin in light perspiration. I spread out my legs to the side and leaned my body forward. Two of my fingers extended on both of my palms, the index finger and middle finger. I breathed in and out, settling into a slow but strong cycle. The flame inside me, ran the already established course inside my body, excited and warm. Every time I Fire bend, my emotions were aligned into a positive mindset. My drive was iron clad and my will unshakeable. Appreciation, excitement and contentment were chief among the emotions I felt. They didn''t add anything really¡­but it felt right. Fire was a pure expression of life and death. It was fitting to appreciate it''s beauty. This time however, the iron clad will remained, my unshakeable resolve remained but the emotions I felt were tightly clamped down upon. I let them wash over me and remained stubborn. My focus became razor sharp. The energy inside me changed. It went steely, cold and hard. I moved my left hand to the side in a slow dance. Sparks started appearing above the two fingers. Blue and so bright, it was hard to look. The skin on my appendages felt tingly. I leaned heavily on my left leg as the dance transitioned to the right hand, the sparks increasing in intensity and power. Then I stepped forward, and brought my two palms to meet in the middle, each of the two fingers extended and with electric energy dancing at their points. The energy combined and I pointed my hands out. 5 wide streaks of lightning power, buzzed through the air, as if heralds to a mighty storm that would destroy everything in its path. I swept my leg out and flipped, holding the charge deep within me for a few seconds. I landed on my right leg and leaned far back, lightning exploded out of my fingers in a shower of erratic energy, bigger and more intimidating than my last try. The lightning stroke an adjacent mountain to my right and it''s rocky exterior exploded into pieces of stones and dust. I fell into a trance, sending random strikes of lightning for a continuous hour before the painful sensation covering my palms became too much and I shouted, channeling the last burst of lightning I had to the clouds. The response cane back swift and deadly. Natural lightning fell upon my position, decimating my surroundings through the unfocused strikes while the bulk fell upon me. I clenched my teeth in pain, refusing to scream and grabbed hold of the energy, channeled it through my body, plotting a course through it and then spun, fingers pointing towards the mountain I had earlier destroyed sections off. My senses were hit with an overload of awareness. The air cried as a massive streak of lightning this one more white than blue shot out of my fingers. The energy crossed the distance between the two mountains faster than I had predicted and landed. A deep rumbling occured, the whole area was suffering from an earthquake as the Lightning destroyed that mountain and the ridge of hills behind it. I opened my eyes to see, charred boulders and a groove wide enough to be a friggin highway and as long as 300 meters, extend out from my position, the peak of the mountain I was on. I sucked in a deep breath, wincing as I saw the state of my hands. Damn. The skin was red and angry. Nothing my enhanced healing wouldn''t handle but it was growing more apparent that the one thing holding me back was my physique. I would have to handle that soon. That said, I was shocked and stunned at the power output I could access when it came to lightning. This¡­this was crazy. Looking at the effect left behind, none of my enemies would be spared. This power would hopefully be the thing I needed to complete Lucifer''s missions. Lightning has been associated with purification before, maybe this would hold true here? And if it failed, Equity was guaranteed to harm just about anyone. A prompt from the system blinked before my eyes. I accessed it and smiled. Fire Element (Master) -Lightning (unlocked) -Locked + Oh yeah. Now we talking. I dismissed the prompt and left the Fire Plane. I spent a few hours doing preparation for the next thing I had on my agenda. A week long meditation. I ate well, a healthy meal this time not just Grangos, took a shower and checked on Lucifer and Maze to tell them that I would be gone for the length of the week. They still hadn''t come back. Instead of needlessly worrying about the Devil, I sent each of them a text and got back to my elemental dimension. The next time I settled on the meditation pose, I wasn''t moving until I had mastered Lightning in all it''s entirety. I used the perk, Spark of Enlightenment and my mind fell into another trance. A Series Of Events (General P.O.V) (1 day into Aden''s Seclusion) A tall figure dressed in a brown hood, holding a huge book in his hands, that was bound to his wrist by a chain that ended in a manacle, stilled in place. He opened the huge book, cover made from the hide of a beast that has never existed and closed it a second later. An impassive look crossed his face. Not unusual for him, for his visage was always kept carefully blank. He blinked his fully gray eyes and turned around. "I was not expecting to see you for another 6 years." The voice that came out of the figure was dry and gravely showing that he didn''t use it regularly. "Yeah, well something came up." Lucifer replied, walking further into the light from the shadows cast upon the ground by the tall bookshelves arranged throughout the room. "I love what you''ve done with the place, Destiny. And by that, I mean¡­ nothing." The library was the same as the last time Lucifer had been here. Time was kinda wonky in any of the Endless'' realm so he couldn''t be bothered to recall when that was, only that it had been a very long time. Getting here was still a pain of course. The realm being a garden of Maze''s that was infinite in all it''s encompassing context, being the representation of the book of destiny. For Lucifer though, it was super easy barely an inconvenience getting there. Then again, most things were when you had the power of bullshit on your side. "Speak, what do you need of me?" Destiny brusquely told the Former Archangel. Lucifer did not take the comment personally. He knew that Destiny wasn''t someone you could hold a fun little conversation with, or reminisce about the good old days. Not really. And Lucifer could even appreciate that. There were a few things he hated more than getting his time wasted. "I have an offer. I want you to check something for me in your big book of destiny, fate and all that jazz. In return, I''ll owe you a favor." Lucifer replied. Destiny was ready to refuse up until Lucifer''s final words. '' A favor from Him?'' he couldn''t pass up on such a deal. Destiny gave a nod, making Lucifer''s face split into a smile. "Excellent. Let''s get to it then¡­" (Elsewhere) sometime Later. Nepal. Maze bent down and touched the soot covering the ground. She brought her finger to her nose and smelled it. Her face wrinkled in a frown. The soot was the charred ash of human blood and flesh. She rose up and walked around the sacrificial magical circle, studying it''s make and construction. The circle was burnt onto the hardened rock in one of the mountain peaks, deep in the Kangchenjunga. Snow storms would have mostly caused the circle to be covered by now but the residue mystical energy tampered with that, hence for anyone flying above the peaks of the mountain, they would be surprised to see the pentagram branded on to the ground. Like an ugly yet intricately drawn tattoo on skin. She took a few pictures from the camera she had taken to carrying around these days. For record keeping of course. Its not like she was interested in how beautiful the earth actually was. Beautiful and different. Far from the Pit, which was just worse in every way possible. Not for her or her brothers and sisters though. That was their home. But for anyone else...there was a reason why hell was hellish. She snorted at the dumb joke, feeling as if Aden was rubbing off on her and took a few more pictures of the scene. The Camera then disappeared, teleported out by the Lilim. "Maze, there you are. What are you doing in this dreadful..." Lucifer''s words were cut off as his gaze landed on the sacrificial circle on the ground. He had just appeared from Destiny''s realm. "I see I''m not the only one who had an eventful day" He commented, while motioning to the circle on the ground, one hand in his trouser pocket. Maze crossed the distance towards him before crouching and touching the soot. She held up her finger and showed him. "Ash from sacrificed humans. I recognize this from..." "Solomon''s Grimoire." He finished, studying it in interest. "Who do you think it is this time?" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. He asked Maze, studying the Circle and surrounding areas. Maze snorted, "In case you forgot, you''re the one with the Omniscience. I''m just the ''belle'' with sharp daggers and a devil may care attitude." His eyes glowed red, the world opened up more to him as he delved deeper into what had happened here. "Oh Maze, you''re much more than that. No one quite brews a good cup of coffee like you do, my dear." Maze rolled her eyes and got back to studying the circle. Her eyes lit up just as she thought of something else. "That node of intersection between the inner circle and the points of the triangles. The runic inscriptions... Lucifer, I think I might know what this pentagram was meant for." The devil lost the red glow in his eyes. A killing intent suddenly exploded out of him. Maze struggled to breath and looked on in shock. All around the world, sensitive mystical practitioners sensed the change. Zatara was in a Justice League meeting when his eyes widened and he hastily did the sign of the cross. Madame Xanadu was reading a client''s fortune when her hand shook and she dropped the cards. "Sorry." She plastered on a smile and carried on with what she was doing. Jason blood was in his house in England, meditating to keep a leash on the urges his other half gave him when his face changed. That brief power... Then...just as quickly as it had appeared it disappeared. A small breeze blew through the area and Maze welcomed the slight chill. "It''s the transfiguration of human souls into ice Alamentals for an ice legion. A vanguard to take over the planet. That''s why he drew it here in Nepal. The tall mountains would become a good nesting place up until he was ready to usher in a new ice age. A brain dead idea for sure, but no that is not why I want to skin the one responsible for this Maze." Lucifer explained seeing the questioning look his companion was giving him. Maze calmed herself down, struggling to forget the weak but for her and everything else, overpowering outpour of Lucifer''s killing Intent. She quickly connected the dots. "Then the reason you almost went nuclear is...wait, the way the circle was hastily left and the absence of the culprit. It''s almost as if they ran away." Maze suddenly looked at Lucifer. "You. The only person scary enough to cause a master of the mystic arts such as whoever is responsible to flee is...you. They must have heard it from...Mammon..." She finally understood why Lucifer was mad. "Someone defied me Mazekeen. Someone let Mammon escape and now all the demon lords know that I am on earth. Hell is in chaos." He informed her. "And now anyone who was up to something on Earth has packed it up and left." She concluded. "And with Aden''s presence blinding me from anything or anyone he will come across in the future...we find ourselves in quite the conundrum." Lucifer finished gravely. Now that the Demon Lords knew he was away from Hell, Lucifer would either need to appoint an official stand in Ruler or go back and calm the chaos down. His Vacation was going to be over before it even started and he. Was. Pissed. "What did Destiny tell you about Aden?" Maze wondered. "Nothing I don''t already know...which is little about a lot of things." Lucifer''s face turned serious. "Maze, I felt the brief surge of divine energy from him. It was... unexpected." She nodded in understanding. "He is growing faster than you envisioned." The Devil shook his head. "Yes and no...his growth in power was never a question of when but a question of what could push him further and further. Challenges, obstacles... insurmountable odds. He thrives in that state. But, as a being aligned to Order and Balance... being the concept itself in the manifestation of his elemental powers,the building blocks of the material world...his origin should be similar to Dream, destiny and the rest of the Endless yet...that surge of divinity, felt closer to an actual god than a concept." Lucifer explained. That was the reason he had taken it upon himself to search out Destiny. "That will put him on the radar even more than he already is!" Maze exclaimed. "Take into account that my attention will now be needed elsewhere and..." The Devil added, "He will effectively be alone. A young god vs pantheons that have existed for billions of years. That''s the extreme version of the plan you had. To put him in a position where he will be forced to grow or perish." Maze concluded with a sigh. Things had gotten way out of hand. "There is always something worse than death Maze." Lucifer reminded her. A brief silence settled between the two. "Well...if this is what having a kid feels like, remind me to never try for one." Maze finally said. "Perhaps, I can be of assistance." A deep voice sounded out. It belonged to a black man wearing a black suit and hat. On his back was a long cloak that seemed to sway even in the absence of a breeze. "Stranger." Lucifer nodded as knew the man. "Things might be very dire if you came to me personally." Luci said, a smile on his face yet the cheer missing from his eyes. One wrong perceived move or annoyance and The Phantom Stranger knew he wouldn''t walk out of here. The Devil seemed pissed. "The one responsible threatens the continued survival of the human race. I had to intervene. News of your presence on earth has gone around the supernatural circles. To that effect, he has seen it fit to take his operation... elsewhere. To wait you out." He paused and turned his head slightly to the sky. "He has created his new base on Pluto. Far out of reach from the likes of Zatara, Blood and any other supernatural assistance I am able to access. Belial must be stopped before his next plan catches everyone off guard." Growing Pains. (General P.O.V) (1 day into Aden''s Seclusion) Lightning¡­an agent of destruction. Destruction and speed. He was yet to decipher any of these aspects of the Cold Fire but the strides he had already made were astonishing. He already had an intuitive understanding of what it was, essence wise and how it interacted with his body. How quickly he could hurt himself just as easily as he could someone else. In that respect, Lightning was the most dangerous sub skill he had ever wielded. His position above the mountain peak had been bombarded by the streaks of blue lightning charging in the sky. The natural energy had entered a cycle of continuous attacks upon his form, likely attracted by the comprehension he was under. And they hadn''t ceased. Every few minutes the sky would roil and numerous lightning strikes would fall down on his body. (Elsewhere) (The Watchtower) Connor could remember the feeling of taking a back seat as someone no¡­ something else took control of his body. His. Body! And just when Connor had been awash with guilt at his stupidity, guilt because there was no way Aden could win this, things had changed. The first clash had happened and although he was caught in a back foot, the other boy had proved him wrong. The battle had been intense and at a level he knew he wouldn''t have reached were it not for the D.N.A patches in his pants pocket. Then the demon had shocked him by simply using magic to restrain his human side and Connor had felt a rush of power run through his body, that he had never felt before. A rush of power that cooled his anger¡­somewhat. A rush of power that made him feel like Superman. Then he''d been disgusted at enjoying it! But even as he lost the fight, even as he fell back into the abyss of unconsciousness, Connor wished nothing more than to retain that power. That strength. He woke up in the infirmary at The Watchtower and felt something missing. The power¡­it was gone. Connor''s heart was broken. Miss Martian and the team had tried to get him to open up over the week. But Connor had shut them out, worried what they would think when they read his mind and found out that nothing¡­ nothing was enough anymore. "¡­At this point, the search for Red Tornado has hit a wall. I think we should reroute our resources into something else. Something more urgent." Green Arrow''s voice reached Connor''s ears through the walls of the Watchtower''s meeting hall. "Lemme guess¡­ you mean reroute into finding out Aden''s location, correct?" Stewart''s voice responded. "No," Green Arrow shot back. Connor was sure he wasn''t the only one to notice the aggrieved note in his voice. If it were up to Oliver, that was probably what would have happened. "The Apokaliptian tech smuggling ring, Intergang has started spreading it''s influence out into other states and cities. A Star city gang had access to force projectors. Weapons that send a shockwave strong enough to compare to one of Wonder Woman''s punches." "Green Arrow is right. I was there¡­this particular issue is getting out of hand. I move to propose we exclusively focus our attention on Intergang. At least until we halt if not outright uproot Manheim''s whole operation." Black Canary seconded Green Arrow''s proposal. "I''ve had a few run-ins with goons using Intergang tech as well. I have the Central City Star Labs branch looking into the workings of the devices, I confiscated. Hopefully we should have a way to source them out using their unique energy signature the minute any shipments arrive on earth." The Flash informed them. "But that is treating the symptoms more than the disease. Darkseid''s people could simply make another Intergang." Superman''s words cooled the mood somewhat in the room. Connor was only able to tell it through the loud sigh given of by Wonder woman. "By Hera¡­this whole month has been a series of unexpected twists and turns. Hal, is there anything the Guardians can do about Apokalips? I believe we have gathered sufficient evidence to show them breaking many interplanetary violations." "Sorry. Apokalips is¡­a touchy subject for the Guardians. Barring a direct attack, there is little I or any of the Lanterns can do. We stay out of the fight between New Genesis and Apokalips." Hal Jordan answered. "Mmmh. Hey, by the way did you get ring checked up? What was wrong with it?" The Flash wondered out loud, referencing to what had happened almost 2 days ago when Jordan''s and Gardner''s rings had started acting up. Inside the meeting hall, everyone paid close attention to Hal''s next words. The Lantern in question shook his head "Not really. Apparently neither of us have the required clearance to access that information. That said, I was able to talk to one of the older Lanterns and what I got was this, the ring checked out briefly because of a unique energy pulse called Apotheosis. A phenomenon that happens when a mortal''s essence or truth of being, enters a metamorphosis into a divine being." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Diana sucked in a breath. "That does not sound good. The last apotheosis or ascension of a mortal to a god happened eons ago. Long before our time. Dionysus. The God of wines and ecstasy." She explained in a grim tone. "I will need to commune with the gods and see if I can find out anything else. J''onn, could Mars have leads on this information? Your people have existed longer than humans." Wonder Woman asked him. Before J''onn could answer, Zatara suddenly stiffened in his seat. "By our father, the son and the holy spirit." He chanted while doing the cross. Then he quickly stood up from his seat, surprising the rest. "Zatara¡­" Wonder Woman asked, her and the others getting up from their seats as well. "No time to explain¡­I shall inform you all, later." Saying that, the resident magic practitioner headed towards the Zeta tube. "Recognized Zatara 11." "Well. That was¡­ unexpected." Hal commented, saying what was on everyone''s mind. "Indeed." Manhunter added. "His mind was suddenly hit with a Maelstrom of emotions. He sensed something. Perhaps, it would be wise to shelf this discussion for another time." J''onn advised. "No," Wonder Woman shook her head. "There is never going to be a right time. Not when we have no control of what happens out there in the world. Zatara is not one to overestimate his capabilities. Should he need help, he will not hesitate to ask for it." She looked around the room and stated. "Please, everyone let us sit and finish this meeting." Following Superman''s words they all got back to their seats. "Now, Batman and I have been talking to Adam Strange, the League associate tasked with maintaining the Zeta tech we use, we believe there is a way we can shield the planet from outside Zeta tube transmissions." The Flash''s words were met with a surge of interest. Finally they had a shining ray of hope cutting through the darkness. "It''s not enough to restrict the Use of Boom Tube portalling but I believe it''s a step in the right direction." He concluded. Supes steepled his hands together and hummed in interest. "I will allow access to the Fortress of Solitude''s data banks. Maybe you can find something in there that might help us." He offered. An offer Barry was going to take advantage of. The Kryptonian race had had a very advanced technological level. He was sure that their would definitely be something there. "I believe we have concluded that matter. As Chairman, I propose we move on to something else, barring there are no questions." Wonder Woman said that and looked around. After making sure that everyone was satisfied, she turned to Manhunter. "Call them in." Manhunter gave a brief nod and then opened his mind to link with Miss Martian and the others. "M''gann you can all come in." Superman on the other hand muttered something. Yet, no actual words came out. The volume of his words were set to a frequency only a Kryptonian could hear. "I know you''ve been eavesdropping the entire conversation Connor, after this, you and I need to talk." Connor growled and got up from his seat. "They are ready for us. Let''s get this is over with so I can get back to punching something." He told them before Miss Martian could and stormed his way towards the door leading to the meeting hall. Miss Martian, Artemis, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Robin all looked at each other. "Is it just me or does he seem to be even madder than usual?" Robin narrowed his eyes at Connor''s back. "Let''s go. The League is waiting for us." The rest of the team walked in and stopped to stand next to Connor who had his hands crossed and looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than there. "Right. You''re all here." Wonder Woman looked around at the rest of the Leaguers, particularly Captain Atom, who was the League''s Overseer and who nodded at her in a show of support. "I know that it has been incredibly hard, not going out to the field. You have the power, needed to do more yet we have had you stuck doing Solo missions with your mentors in your respective cities. Part of that has been a failure on our side. The team needs a base of operations and with everything that has happened recently, I will be honest and tell you that our focus has been elsewhere." She stopped to see if they were listening. "And in light of¡­new developments, The team''s suspension from hero work had been extended for another month." Wonder Woman said and just like she was expecting, none of them were pleased. "You can''t do that!" "What!" "Why?!" The three comments came from, Artemis, Kid Flash and Connor. The rest were in different emotional states. Robin looked thoughtful because Aqualad looked guilty yet helpless while M''gann was desperately wishing that all this was a nightmare. "Ma''al." She gently cussed. "Wait. Guys, shut up." Robin hissed at the others, then rounded up at Aqualad. "Kaldur¡­what is going on? She said ''in light if new developments'' What are you hiding?" Robin questioned, his tone growing hard. Aqualad sighed and looked up at the rest. "I am going back to Atlantis¡­and I don''t know when I''ll be back." The rest looked as if they had been slapped into astonishment. "Dude¡­ what?" Kid Flash asked. "You''re leaving. Abandoning us?" Artemis asked, feeling a little betrayed. "No, not abandoning you. Aden showed me, showed all of us¡­that if we''re going to do this right, we need to be better prepared. To be stronger and more skilled. I am going back to the Conservatory of magic to finish my studies. To get better so that what happened before does not happen ever again." "What about us! The team we created!?" Kid Flash shouted back. Connor on the other hand started feeling a ringing inside his head as the words ''Conservatory of magic'' ran around his mind like a Mantra. Magic¡­from Atlantis. Maybe that was exactly what he needed to get that power back. To get that strength that he had felt so¡­ deserving of. He couldn''t keep using the D.N.A patches. Sooner or later, they would ran out. So it wasn''t a surprise to him when his lips opened and he announced, "I am coming with you." Impeding Crisis. (Aden''s P.O.V) (3 days into Aden''s Seclusion) Power. Power coursing through my body. Unlike fire, unlike the strength granted to me by the Kobra-venom or Blockbuster. This power could not be controlled. Not really. It could only be guided. The aspect of destruction could scale to almost infinite lengths. With each successive jump in understanding and comprehension, the color of the Lightning would change. Deepen and grow more intense, more ferocious until the only thing you could do was buckle up and enjoy the ride. A ride that would promise mutual destruction, if you were not divinity or a cosmic entity who could take it. Unfortunately, I wasn''t a divine being or a cosmic one by nature. The Avatar State was, though. at least to the best of my knowledge. In that state, I was basically master of all the elements and their sub-sets. I could theoretically use Red Lightning or any of it''s other color Variants. The color Variants were not like those of Fire where each color presented a unique ability in that particular subskill. Lightning was destructive to a much higher degree and each color presented another increase in power. To control all those colors, my body would probably have to be much stronger than it currently was. Normal Lightning however was turning out to be as easy as ABC. Already, I had a deep understanding of the destruction aspect, the third day was spent on fully understanding it''s more supportive capability. Speed. (General P.O.V) (Ohio - Hidden Cadmus Facility) "Doctor let''s run it again. This time, put him up against twice the number of battle class Genomorphs and pair each of them up with the Telepathic ones." Luthor ordered from the other side of the mirror, standing on a balcony. To his front was an arena the size of a football field, created inside one of Lex''s many shady facilities. The arena was currently smoking and many sections of it were wrecked. Purple blood splotches and gore covered the walls and floor of the space. That was nothing to the dozens of Genomorph body parts scattered about. Different ones killed in different ways. "Of course, Mr. Luthor." The scientist was quick to comply. The Genomorph, telepathy type on his shoulder glowed red on it''s tiny horns as the scientist typed a few more keys on his pad. The huge metal gate at one end of the arena opened up with a groaning sound. A second later, over 2 dozen giant Genomorphs poured in. Each of the huge ones called battle class had a small Genomorph perched on their shoulders. They stood in place, all watching one figure who was covered in purple blood and had an orange film of energy around his body, allowing him to hover in the air 10 meters off the ground, staring down at the next wave of opponents he was about to face. The figure had the face and body of Tommy Terror, and peculiar eyes. Yellow pinpricks in the middle of a black and inky cornea, indicative of what abilities he was using now. "Begin." Luthor gave the order. The boy moved to comply. He fell out of the air, picking up speed as the orange light was replaced by a yellow one. He landed on the ground and a huge blast of yellow energy escaped his body in a massive wave. The concrete floor cracked apart, spider webs emerging on it''s surface from the point of impact. The energy blast spread out in a spherical shape, hitting the Genomorphs and throwing them to the far ends of the room. Most died from the wave of energy. Those who didn''t, had their organs and bodies broken apart by being mercilessly slammed onto the sturdy material making up the testing arena. Luthor shielded his eyes from the bright yellow light. When it died down, he squinted. Dust and smoke covered the area. He cleared his throat and the scientist to his left understood what he wanted. A tap on his pad and huge fans appeared on the ceiling of the testing grounds. The dust and smoke soon cleared out to show the state of the room. Circuitry and foundation frames were exposed through the broken parts of the walls. Most of the corpses from the dead Genomorphs were cleared out by the blast, disintegrated on the spot, leaving behind nothing but ash. In the middle of the whole arena stood Terror. "A most enlightening performance. I wish to see more." A voice, slightly electronic said, appearing from the shadows of the room. The hum of a device heralded his emergence. Sitting on a high tech floating chair, Metron, the creator of both The Fatherbox and Motherbox presented himself. "This time, do not make it a cake walk. Nothing has been challenging to the Fatherbox. I want to see him, it, pushed to the limits, so I can understand how this is possible. How the essence of a computer can merge so seamlessly with an organic lifeform and sustain itself." Luthor gritted his teeth in annoyance. On the outside, he kept an easygoing smile on his face. He reminded himself that they needed Metron''s assistance to carry out Project Rebirth. "Doctor, you heard the man. Let''s kick things up a notch." Luthor said, crossing his hands behind him. "Bring out Project Match." The scientist nodded, throwing wary glances at the New God. "Right away Mr.Luthor." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Another tap on his pad and the double doors opened up. The first showing of this new opponent was a loud shout of anger. Terror''s body acquired a red outline just in time for a white blur to move through the double doors and smash a fist onto the hastily projected red shield. The shield broke apart into small scarlet pieces and Terror was thrown away to smash onto the wall behind him. His body dug into the concrete and a breath of air left him. Another loud cry and he was hit deeper into the wall before he could successfully extricate himself. His inner organs shifted and several ribs broke. Terror opened his mouth in a wordless cry. His head was grabbed and he was pulled out of the body shaped hole in the wall. "Aaarghhh!!!!" Match, the first Kryptonian Genomorph Cadmus had created before Project kr, screamed in anger, feral and uncontrollable. He swung his opponent by the locks of hair on his head, spinning in place at high speeds. Terror''s scalp tore off before Match could throw him away and the fused being of a living computer and a Metahuman rag dolled through the ground, creating a trail of unearthed concrete before being mercilessly stopped by the sides of the room. Match was left holding blond hair that ended in a patch of skin dripping with blood. Luthor spared a look at Metron, only to see the New God looking on in apt concentration at what was occuring. Entranced by the sheer brutality yet clinical in his observations. As if sensing the gaze, Metron spoke up. "The Kryptonian Genomorph is flawed. A failure, because the gaps in the alien genome sequence have left the subject feral and uncontrollable. Yet, the power he exhibits is precisely 88.5678904775664363454% of the upper levels of power recorded by Superman. Interesting. His biology will start degrading in 3 years before fully shutting down after 15 years 4 months 2 weeks 3 days 15 hours 46 minutes and 19 seconds." Luthor raised an eyebrow at the confident approximation of Match''s deadline. "Is there anything that can be done to stabilize his d.n.a?" He asked, fishing for information. Match was still a viable asset. And if there was a way, then the Light would expend reasonable resources to perfect him. "There is. Unfortunately for you, you cannot afford it." Metron answered back. "A pity." Luthor said and they both turned their attention to the arena once more. Although Match was an asset, he wasn''t the only one. Or even the best. Luthor''s smile quirked up at the edges. Project Godblood took the cake. Match screamed and stomped over to the downed Terror. A thin purple aura covered Terror''s body and in a matter of seconds, his body was fully healed. Match jumped up and beared down on Terror''s position seeking to slam onto him and finish the job once and for all. The purple was replaced by orange on Terror''s body and his form flew out of range. Match''s body dug through the floor and the whole facility shook as if subjected to an earthquake. The scientist tapped another thing on his pad and a brief shimmer of blue light appeared around the balcony before it went away. A force shield was deployed to block any stray attacks to their position. Scarlet beams of heat vision exploded out of Match''s dust covered position only to hit the reinforced shield that had appeared at Terror''s front. The beams were reflected off and carved a trail on the left side wall of the testing structure. That''s when the real fight started. In an unheard signal, both combatants shot off towards each other. Match from the ground, leaving behind more broken concrete and Terror from the air, a shockwave blasting out of his position as he flew down. The two said nothing, as they clashed in mid air, both fists sending forth a blast of air that threw everything away and cracked the viewing glass from where Luthor and the rest were watching. The blue force shield flashed, successfully blocking the shockwaves from reaching them. Punches were thrown and intercepted. Match was relentless. Like a caged animal he fought while Terror gave as much as he received. Which was a lot based on Tommy Terror''s Metahuman gene which was super strength. He alternated between the colors expertly, making force shields to block ice breaths and heat vision beams then throwing off an energy attack to pull away from the Kryptonian clone. The whole testing area suffered a lot. However, something had to give. A bright and intense white light suddenly exploded out of Terror, the light blinded the Kryptonian Genomorph due to enhanced senses but he luckily used his ears to listen to his opponent''s next move. Match''s fist shot out and plunged into Terror''s chest only for that to be a mere illusion that disappeared into a shower of green energy while the real Terror was above him, charging a massive energy attack. With visible strain on his face, the attack drowned Match in the yellow beam that left everyone blinded by it. Luthor and the scientist turned their heads away. The shaking this time was more amplified. Luthor''s mind was working double time trying to come up with solutions in case it caved in. Luckily it stopped and everything settled down. When they looked back, it was to see a giant crater in the middle of the room and no sign of Match. The Doctor quickly tapped his pad in urgency, before looking up at Luthor and shaking his head. "The sensors in Project Match''s solar suit have stopped working. It seems the blast destroyed him sir." Luthor tightened his hands into fists. "Are you absolutely sure doctor?" He demanded. "Yes. Project Match is no more, sir." "I have seen all I need to see. The Phantom Zone projector is yours, just like we agreed." Metron said and turned away, a portal appearing before him. He weighed the merits of telling them about the boom tube Terror had opened before the Kryptonian Genomorph had been disintegrated. Then he decided against it. He was a seeker of knowledge. Nothing else concerned him. Better yet, he had a feeling that what the Fatherbox had done would sow chaos in the future¡­ knowledge thrived in chaos after all. (Elsewhere) In the Elemental Dimension, a sudden flash of purple color pulsed deep in the Tower connected to the core of Aden''s world. The tower was the hub of creating worker drones and maintaining the upkeep of the dimension. (Secondary directive complete. Re-establishing link with rogue unit.) (Incoming transmission. Accept?) Those words were what Aden would open his eyes to. Mastery. (General P.O.V) In Olympus, a garden that had spirits flitting about, otherworldly flowers and plants, was a massive man with long flowing hair, a toga and a handsome face standing on top of a balcony in his palace. The palace overlooked the aforementioned garden which belonged to his wife. A gesture of goodwill from Demeter to Hera. Back to the godly figure, a frown marred his attractive features. Zeus, could feel a storm brewing¡­a storm that was not of his own making. All the deities associated with Lightning and thunder could sense a stir in the element. None of them were able to pinpoint the correct location of where this feeling came from however. And it baffled every single one of them. (Elemental Dimension) There was a white ball of energy made up of lightning. Random streaks of current, ran along it''s form every few seconds in a perpetual cinematic showing that would have left viewers entranced by its majestic appearance. The ball floated in space above the charred remains of a once great mountain. And above the sphere of energy were massive clouds, roiling restlessly. Lightning bolts fell down on the sphere repeatedly. Attracted by something or rather someone enclosed in the huge energy bubble. The lightning bolts were responsible for the destruction of the mountain that Aden had been meditating upon. And they were getting more violent as time went by. 300 meters from the epicenter, which was the energy ball, the storm was still spreading. The dark clouds covering everything in an even darker hue than normal. (Aden''s P.O.V) I finally found out the drawback of using Spark of Enlightenment. The element itself pushes back. The steady progression was there for a reason and a Perk like Spark of Enlightenment undercut that to a shorter time margin but¡­it massively increased the strain and push back of the element itself. That pushback culminated in a sort of test to see if I was in a sense, worthy. I had to face the Lightning and remain staunch. Remain standing, in defiance while the world broke down around me. The ball of energy surrounding my form was a bubble shield until I felt ready. A shield that was dangerously getting close to being overwhelmed. I could easily unravel the storm above head by virtue of being the master of this realm but¡­I had a feeling that that would set me back massively. I sighed. I should have known that nothing from the system ever comes without strings attached. The system is all about self sufficiency. That means, I had to work for every single thing. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. There was no use in hiding. That wasn''t how I wanted to end this. With a thought the lightning ball, an idea I had gotten from Azula in a certain instant from the comics, unravelled. It''s structure turned into uncontrolled streams of lightning that disappeared into the air with a static sound, revealing my body to the harsh realities of nature. The storm brewing overhead looked like a monster. A monster that was now eager to come at me with everything it had and devour my soul. The dynamic was laughable. I was left standing on a small lightning platform construct while staring above at the huge huge obstacle I had to overcome. Like a sailor in a small sailboat about to face the wrath of the sea. "Bring it on." I calmly said, pushing a text box to the corner of my vision. As if provoked by my words the clouds grew even more ominous. The streaks of lightning flashing in inky darkness grew more numerous and without warning¡­ pandemonium begun. The flash of that first lightning bolt will forever be seared deep into my memories. The lightning made contact with my chest and I held it in, with no apparent strain¡­ using it to coat my body with a net of electric energy that fed my physique, enhancing it. My form started flashing with an aura of bluish color. My hair stood up in random waves and the world slowed down. In this form everything I had was enhanced to twice the effect. Strength, speed, durability and reaction speed. I hadn''t tested anything out but that was the conclusion I had come to based on the power I could feel flowing inside me. After leaving here, I had a lot of tests to do. Tests to figure out my capability and to seamlessly incorporate this new skill into my fighting style. The clouds above felt insulted by my continued refusal to lay down and die and in an instant, the next wave of altercation begun. Dozens of lightning streaks fell upon me like judgement from Thor. I spread out my legs on the construct I was standing on. Full mastery had ensured that I could even take the sub skill further than they had shown in canon. Though to be fair, lightning constructs were much harder to sustain as compared to air. Lightning wanted to run around ¡­to streak and destroy and jump and escape. It was unlike anything I had ever dealt with before. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The streaks fell on to my body, and I guided them along my chi pathways, not trying to exert control over them because the energy would buck around like an excited ox and fry me from the inside. My eyes were closed while random flashes occured around me. The power of over a dozen lightning bolts was melded with my own inner fire. My own inner energy adding more to the element than had come from the outside and when I was ready, my hand shot out, two fingers extended to the sky. I let go of the power through my appendages. In an excited motion, excited to be released that is, the lightning exploded out in one huge streak that shocked me. The streak of energy was like a beam of destruction, all the clouds were pushed far away, exposing the smog filled sky and shining a light down onto the grounds. The sound was deafening as the attack kept on wrecking havoc in the clouds. I had redirected it. The lightning. I clenched my fist in jubilation and winced in seconds. The two fingers on my hand were burnt. The skin was cracked and red but I couldn''t find anything but happiness inside me. The lightning construct under me floated down. I landed on the ground and got ready for one last test before I got to the combat test. Control. My senses spread out and telepathically connected with a random Dragon flying rings above the area I was practicing on. I relayed my orders and a few minutes later, on the horizon¡­a huge dragon appeared. The orders was fir it to attack me. To be honest, none of the dragons could really refuse despite having a natural instinct not to harm me. I just wanted to see how much power I needed to put into a fight with a fire aligned creature before purchasing a Firebender from the database with my training points to spar with. The dragon was huge. Not as big as the Dragon Patriarch who was in a whole other level, I wasn''t sure I could currently take but it was big. I took off running just as it beat it wings, opened it''s mouth and sprayed out a huge fire breath. The wind generated by the beat of it''s wings increased the intensity of the orange flames. I jumped over the attack and flipped above it. Reaching deep within myself, my inner fire responded, with the tranquility in my mind the fire changed into something else, blue sparks that flashed between my fingers appeared. ''Ok, keep it low'', I told myself touching the scaly back of the dragon. It stiffened and seized up, flashes of blue electric energy stunning it and locking up its movements. I landed on the other side and sighed. "This isn''t going to work." The dragon was passed out from one move. It''s huge size having played a huge disadvantage for it due to my agility and speed but still...one touch and it was down. I had wanted to get a bit better with increasing and decreasing the voltage of my lightning before buying a training partner. Wary that one strike would reduce them to ash. The move that had stunned the dragon was the least powerful I could make the lightning. A human being wouldn''t be merely stunned, their hearts would probably go into cardiac arrest and die. Guess I don''t have a choice. I just hope that whoever I buy next has the skill to stay alive from a full powered assault. I wanted a real fight after sitting on my ass for 3 days. I maximized the display box from the corner of my vision and instantly was bombarded by a priority alert. The text box was flashing red. (Secondary directive complete. Re-establishing link with rogue unit.) (Incoming transmission. Accept?) Looking at the time stamp, this alert had come in almost an hour ago. It was from the Elemental Dimension''s nascent budding consciousness. Something I had never received before. Then again, the dimension was connected to me in every way possible and according to the system, it was my embassy grounds. So it wasn''t completely out of left field. What was surprising however was the message. I clicked on the first part, trying to understand more. A whole line of text appeared that shocked me to my core. (Link re-established with rogue unit. Designation changed to Terror. A new being actualized by the combination of two souls, one Tommy Terror and a part of the essence of the Fatherbox, still connected to one Lex Luthor through unknown means. Taking advantage of the new functions brought by the Miner tech''s production, repair and hive mind sub routines, the realm was able to re-establish the link between the core of the world and the essence of the Fatherbox. Terror is no longer bound to Lex Luthor. Further commands await to be relayed.) Mind. Blown. I didn''t want to think on the implications of this new information. All I could think of was that Lex and The Light had been busy. And just like that, canon was kicked out of the window. On the other hand, this new info would be advantageous to me in the long run. I had a mole in the Light. It was just a matter of time before we crashed and based on the numerous resources they had¡­I needed every advantage I could get my hands on. I clicked on the second text box. An incoming transmission from Terror. Suddenly, I found myself looking out through the eyes of someone else. I had no control and was instead, more of an observer. My real body''s eyes widened upon understanding what I was seeing. Seems like Terror was embroiled in a fight. A fight with Superboy 2.0. Adens Perspective. (Aden''s P.O.V) Ok. Connor had nothing on this dude. He was relentless. Unforgiving. Feral. Strong but most of all, in pain. A deep confusion that gave way to anger could be spotted in his eyes as Terror struggled to fight back. Terror''s own moves were clinical and efficient. Meant to deal with something in extreme prejudice. Meaning, he would hit to destroy when ordered to. There was no enjoyment to be found when fighting, not for him. Both individuals were broken. Each for different reasons. But as things were, I would lose my asset before I even put him to good use. The Kryptonian Genomorph had by now nudged a few hidden memories about the show. And it was only because of his similarity to Connor that I remembered something online about this Kryptonian clone''s full powers. My Telepathy was good. Like really good now. My range had steadily increased from 70 meters the last time I checked, to a little over 100. But despite organizing my memories with the help of the martians and my own efforts, the mind was a complicated maze of thoughts and memories. Something was likely to slip through once in a while. What else was hiding deep in the crevices of my mind? The point to that rant, was that I now had an idea on who Terror was dealing with, Project Match. The first Kryptonian clone created by the Light that was a failure. That was before they came up with a way to combine human and Kryptonian d.n.a to stabilize the clone hence leading to Connor''s creation but with a fraction of Superman''s powers. Back to the fight¡­Terror was getting his ass handed to him. That couldn''t stand. My view was suddenly overhauled as the surroundings started spinning. Terror''s body flipped through the ground, digging a trail on to the floor before stopping in place. A trail of blood fell upon his eyes and he wiped it away. Ok let''s get a rundown of his powers. The transmission seemed to be a mental link established between me and Terror by the Tower. It was the same way I had control over every creature in my realm but this felt more¡­intimate. I combed through his memories to get a better understanding of his powers while keeping my invasive actions on task as much as I could. Every mind was sacred and private. That was the first thing Manhunter had taught me. And I was of the same opinion. A second was all it took to understand what Terror had going for him. And jeez! Talk about overpowered. Basically, Terror had access to 7 powers, each represented by a color aura that covered his body when he was accessing a particular ability. Purple was meant for healing, orange was for flight, red showed up when making shields and forcefields, yellow indicated energy projection/blasts, green to cast illusions, white for intense energy projection/ basically a stun and flash grenade all in one and lastly rainbow was for¡­ something. The scientists doing tests and research on him were yet to find out it''s function. Yeah, Terror was stupidly op. But time and time again, I''ve seen that sheer power does not always overcome skill. During the one sided fight, a thought had occured to me, I could get two assets for the price of none. Match was very powerful. A real and true Kryptonian. Just missing... something. There was a problem with his D.N.A. But even with that, he rag dolled Terror with minimal difficulty. I firmed my resolve. There was no way I was letting the Light keep him. Plus, it was the right thing to do, granting him freedom and the chance to choose what he wanted in life. Terror''s victory had now just gotten even more crucial. I used my telepathy to start guiding his actions. Not enough to take control of him fully but a small nudge in the right direction. How to use his colors in conjunction with Tommy Terror''s meta-gene to give just as much as he received. The tides changed as Terror expertly switched between the colors and fought off Match. And finally, I saw my chance. Match was drowned in a massive outpour of yellow energy. The power enough to hurt even me but before he could die, under my direction, Terror opened a Boom Tube in the last minute and Match was sucked in. The energy wave died out, revealing a crater and no sign of Match. I sighed in relief when I noticed a lack of suspicion after looking over at Luthor, a scientist and a dude in a flying chair watching the battle from a balcony. Terror was safe. For now. The flying chair dude turned back and a boom tube appeared before him. A serious look came onto my face. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He wasn''t part of the Light, so the only other possible identity I could think of, was that he was a New God. And this time, I had the answer as to who he was. The only New God who floated on a high tech chair was Metron. Suddenly, everything made sense. That''s why the second directive from the tower had been completed so quickly. Metron probably scanned the remnants energy of the Fatherbox and found out it wasn''t complete. As a seeker of knowledge, it was obvious he would try to find out why. I took another deeper mental reading of Terror''s memories. "Sorry." I apologized, however I couldn''t take the chance. And just like that, I understood a lot. Luthor and the Light were after a Phantom Zone projector, Terror didn''t have any more information on that but I could think of a few reasons why he would want something like that. It was either to send someone in...or to get someone out. Both possibilities sent a shudder through my spine. In return, The Light offered the chance of studying Terror''s existence to Metron, knowing fully well that he wouldn''t say no. What scared me was how the Light had deep connections even with New Gods. Metron, using his Morbius chair had attempted to do a deep scan and trace the connection between the essence of the Fatherbox and the other part making up the core of my world but failed due to my realm being inaccessible and impossible to find. Fortunately, that brief surge of the old link had allowed the tower to take advantage and reestablish a connection and then the rest was history. "Keep on following Luthor''s orders, however under no circumstances should you hurt an innocent. Barring that, don''t let you cover get blown." I ordered Terror and cut off the transmission. Back in my body, I rubbed my forehead and sighed, something that had become a routine now. Luckily, my week of rest followed by three days of seclusion had gone by without a hitch. A win in my book. I teleported out of the Fire Plane, waving goodbye to the little dragon that was watching me from the sides, still a bit shy. The next step I took, was on the rocky island housing the Tower tasked with the creation of worker, support and fighter drones to protect and serve my realms. It was a really huge dimension. I still hadn''t made it to the end of it. There was the option of simply teleporting there but I wanted to keep the mystery going on for a little while longer. I had controlled the Boom Tube to send Match here. Why? You might ask. Simple. The tower had scanning capabilities that would allow me to understand his physiology better and given the fact that the Tower''s main function had to do with production and repair...my bet was that maybe it could similarly stabilize his D.N.A. Match''s body was hovering before the tower, a platform made of metal was holding him down while green energy rings ran a scan of his bio. The Clone looked...strained. The anger still clouding his eyes was there but he seemed restrained by something. I sought to understand why and was shocked by the response. All the solar energy in his cells was being actively drawn out by the Tower. Probably, an improvised take on it''s sub function to drain resources and energy from my realm to create the drones. Then a unique frequency that disrupted the brain''s signals to the limbs, making movements sluggish was being emitted to ensure he didn''t lash out violently. I went towards him and his eyes turned to stare at me with scary intensity. He wanted to attack me. To break and destroy me as appeasement to the rage and anger burning inside him. I pitied him. Pitied that his whole existence had been meant to be used as a tool. And when they found out that tool was broken...they shoved a living breathing being to the side. To live in a pod up until his use was needed. It sickened me. "I''m sorry. You are not a weapon anymore. You''re now free to do what you want." I said, offering my words as consolation. Whatever good that did. God, he looked so much like Connor when we first saw him. Broken and unsure. Connor had luckily found his place in the world. In part due to the team and I being there. I would be there for Match as well. After all, I know what it felt like to not have anyone in your corner. To be unsure and afraid. His face eased up somewhat and I stepped away from him. Ok...here goes nothing. I touched the energy film covering the tower and connected with it. "Scan his biology for any deformities and irregularities, then fix him in any way you can. That is your primary directive for now." The tower pulsed in acceptance and I pulled my hand away. "Now," I wondered to myself, "What''s the next step?" No More Weakness (General P.O.V) The pressure that would have normally crushed a normal human''s body was nothing before Connor''s durability. The rest of the journey after being brought to the outskirts of Poseidonis by Bio-ship and M''gann was carried out through swimming. Connor had an improvised re-breather, fashioned specifically to work underwater. It wasn''t the first time a League member had accompanied Aquaman to Atlantis before. The Re-breather projected a thin film of energy that covered Connor''s face and ended at the chin in a small and slim device that fit snuggly upon the Clone''s chiseled Jawline. The device had one or rather two more functions. It allowed Connor to clearly process sound waves coming through water and see better. Although that last one was a bit redundant seeing as he had enhanced eyesight. Kaldur gave a thumbs up to the Bio-ship and patted Connor''s shoulders while smiling. "Let us go my friend. We shall meet them again soon." Connor gave him a nod but still took the time to look back at the Bio-ship. "M''gann¡­" He called telepathically, his psychic touch soft and warm. "Yes Connor?" M''gann answered back. Out of everyone she was the one person Connor would miss the most. He closed his eyes and soaked in the mind touch between them. M''gann projected her own feelings at him. Feelings he knew he also shared. Nothing needed to be addressed for now. "Stay safe." He finally said. "You too." She answered. He gave Bio-ship an affectionate rub and then swam after Kaldur. The Bio-ship turned back and left. Connor felt the loss of M''gann''s telepathic touch and clenched his fist. ''It''s only for a month. Just until I get it. That feeling of strength. That power. It''s my right.'' He nodded to himself and increased his swimming speed to catch up with Kaldur. He finally made it and they both swam in silence as Connor looked on in awe at the new environment. The Cadmus memories he had retained glossed over Atlantis, not really offering much apart from its structure. With Poseidonis being the capital and the other ocean states being subservient to the high king, Annax Orin. It went into detail about the tumultuous political divide and unrest, Poseidonis being more economically developed and generally more desirable to live in than the rest of the cities. But¡­what that information had failed to mention was just how beautiful the underwater city was. Connor wasn''t one to overly appreciate art but he felt like he was watching the most beautiful painting he had ever seen in his short life. "Beautiful." He commented, just as they made it to the southern entrance of the city. Two guards swam up to meet them, holding lances that gleamed with power. "Halt." One of them said. "Wait. Kaldurahm is that really you?" The other guard asked, holding the shoulder of the first one. The look in both their eyes changed when Kaldur nodded with a smile. "Greetings. I hope you are both well." The guards relaxed their stances. "We are. I am sorry we did not recognize you right away." "No matter." He waved the apology away before pointing at Connor. "This is a friend of mine. Connor Kent. I¡­" "It''s fine Kaldurahm, your friend is welcome in Poseidonis." The guards said after sharing a brief look with each other. "Thank you. Have a lovely day." Connor followed Kaldur through the gate while studying the other teen in curiosity. Atlanteans left and right looked at them in interest and Kaldur more often than not had to answer greetings as they made their way to the palace. "Seems like someone''s famous around here." Connor started the conversation. Kaldur sighed in mild exasperation. "Yes. Since apprenticing under my king as Aqualad, my... prominence has risen up. Come, let us not keep the royal family waiting." Kaldur said and shot off, leaving bubbles behind his feet. Connor narrowed his eyes, clearly the other teen did not want to talk about that particular subject. Connor could understand. He remembered the last conversation that had happened with Superman after his decision to come to Atlantis. His genetic father had been adamant to understand why he had elected to do so. Connor had wanted to tell him everything. About the D.N.A patches... about Luthor. Instead, after finding out that the report the team had given had been missing a crucial detail...that is, the way he had accessed the rest of his Kryptonian heritage''s powers, Connor had kept quiet. He understood that Kaldur was the one responsible. The other teen must have decided that this was a team thing and they would deal with it amongst themselves. Still...the guilt had been eating away at him. Which is why he left behind a letter for Superman along with the rest of the D.N.A patches. Requesting that he keep it under wraps so as to not get the team in trouble for covering for him. They arrived at the palace and Kaldur''s whole demeanor changed. He stood up straighter and his aura changed to that of a seasoned warrior. Kaldur slowed down and waited until Connor pulled up beside him. "Before we go in. I need to know why you insisted on coming, my friend." Connor had known the question would come, sooner or later. He looked at his hands and briefly remembered that fight with Aden. Connor had had enough of losing. Enough of being too weak to help his friends face the truly powerful. He didn''t want to feel weak again. He looked Kaldur straight in the eyes and said in the clearest tone he could, "Strength. My own, so I don''t have to go behind my teammate''s back to use borrowed power. So that next time...we will not get blindsided without pushing back with everything I have." Kaldur blinked his eyes. Understanding where Connor was coming from. "Thank you for your honesty, Kon-El." He used his real name to address him. " I am not sure you will find what you seek but I can promise you, I feel the same way and will help you in every way I can. No more weakness." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He held out his hand and Connor clasped it with a nod. "No more weakness." The Kryptonian Genomorph Clone said with as much conviction as he could. ( A Few Hours later) The Watchtower. "Don''t mind the group setting. I thought it prudent to talk to you all at the same time. Now, who wants to go first?" Black Canary asked the four teens sitting infront of her. Connor and Kaldur had left for Atlantis a couple of hours ago and Bio-ship had just made it back after taking them there. After M''gann had arrived, Canary had called them in for one final meeting before their 1 month suspension begun. None of them looked happy. "I don''t get it! Suddenly we''re so inept that you had to suspend us for 1 month?" Kid Flash shouted while getting up. "The team wasn''t even part of the Justice League when we formed it! Maybe Red Arrow was right. Maybe the League will never allow us to be independent." He said to the others. Artemis looked away and shrunk on herself. The team was something special to her. Suddenly she had new friends who understood what it was like trying to balance two lives. And now that was going away. Wally said all he wanted and sank back to his seat in a huff. Black Canary looked around at the other three. "Who wants to go next? This is a safe place. You can say anything you want. Anything troubling you." She told them, her gaze lingering on M''gann for a few more seconds than the rest. "M''gann?" Canary projected her thoughts out to the Martian girl in concern. "Oh." She looked up startled. "Sorry, I spaced out for a second." She said after seeing everybody stare at her. Black Canary nodded in understanding. "It''s fine M''gann. I just wanted to ask you how you''re feeling. You look more distracted than usual." The Martian girl clasped her hands on her lap and struggled to find the words. "Just...missing Connor is all." She replied and looked away. "Artemis...do you have anything to add?" Canary called out to the resident archer out of nowhere. "Me?" Artemis shook her head. "I''m good. The League did what they thought was appropriate." Wally snorted at that and Artemis shot him a dead look. The speedster withered under everyone''s look not just hers and looked away while muttering ''Sorry.'' "Mmmh." Canary hummed. "I see. You said the League did what ''they'' thought was appropriate. Can you elaborate on that." Artemis sighed. She didn''t like being put on the spot like that. However, she was never one to not speak her mind. "Suspending us was...is the wrong move. The Justice League is already too understaffed even without taking us out of the fight. That move will strain the already strained resources further. And your reasons for doing so don''t add or hold up. We can even operate from a coal factory, not having a base is not sufficient reason for you to ruin what we have been building." She finished her rant and pulled her legs closer to he body on the large seat. "Do the rest of you feel the same?" She asked the others. Wally and M''gann seemed to agree. Wally looking at Artemis in a new light after her answer. Everything she had said resonated with him. "Robin?" Black Canary asked their final teammate who up until then had been silent. Too silent. Instead of answering her, Robin directed his gaze to his teammates. "Did Kaldur or Connor feel the same?" He questioned them. Particularly looking at Artemis. "Coz it seems to me like they couldn''t wait to get out of here once the team suspension got extended to a full month." Black Canary narrowed his eyes at Robin. "Kaldur and Connor- Your teammates both had their reasons." She said in a slightly hard tone. Robin sighed. "Sorry. I didn''t mean it that way. Look, I even get why they chose to do so. After seeing just how powerful Aden had gotten during our last mission, we all felt it. Weakness. Like we were being left so far back the next time we meet him out in the battlefield... he''ll walk all over us. The same rang even more true for Kaldur as the leader and Connor because of his rivalry with Aden. But...we all felt the pressure." He paused to collect himself. "We all know Kaldur went back to Atlantis to complete his magic studies or failing that at least grow stronger and I think that is the same for Connor as well. He must have thought that something Atlantis has, could stand in for those patches he used on the latest mission to access his full Kryptonian abilities." Black Canary stilled in place. Her hand pausing from the notes she had been taking. "Dude!" Wally shouted out at him. Even M''gann and Artemis stared at Robin in surprise at the casual bomb drop. Boy Wonder on the other hand waved off their concerns. "She is bound by client confidentiality. She won''t tell anyone." Black Canary narrowed her eyes. "Besides, if I know Connor, he''s already talked to Superman about it. Maybe." Black Canary cleared her throat and decided to consult with the man of steel later. "Moving on...what were you saying?" She prompted Robin to continue. "The point is...I am conflicted. Batman has always taught me to trust in my guts, skills and teammates. To always be prepared. To hit from the shadows and avoid a protracted fight. So the blatant directness, Connor and Kaldur are using to get more powerful so as to punch harder is..." "Not something you can easily reconcile with." Canary concluded for him. "I mean, what if Connor gets what he wants and becomes even more power hungry? Where does he stop? We all know what those things did to him. They made him more violent. What if...what if he changes? What if he leaves us behind...like Aden did?" Silence reigned. All of the teens had their heads turned to the ground. Black Canary took a short moment to organize her thoughts before speaking. "Then don''t let it happen." They looked up at her in shock. "What do you mean?" "It''s not a crime to better yourself. Your skills. Just because you can''t hit harder doesn''t mean you can''t incapacitate someone. Use your creativity. This month should be a sort of rebirth for all of you. A turning point. Maybe even a new starting point. M''gann, better your shape shifting abilities and telekinesis, Artemis diversify your arrows and close quarter combat, Kid Flash learn how to use your speed better to fight. You can form tornados. Get more creative. You might not be faster than the Flash but don''t copy his fighting style. Create your own with what you have. And Robin. Train your body to get limber, more agile. Then get your skills to Master level and beyond. To augment your strength, I suggest a weapon sturdy enough for hitting harder not to matter. I even have a few suggestions. All I am saying is... Kaldur and Connor will make the best of this month. Don''t let yourselves waste it." (Later) Black Canary and Captain Atom came out of the Zeta tube from within an abandoned telephone booth. "You''re late." Batman told them. He was standing in an alleyway littered with trash. "Sorry, the talk went on longer than I anticipated. We''re here now." She then took a deep breath and nodded to Captain Atom who returned the gesture. With that, the decision had been made. "They''re ready." Black Canary told Batman. The Dark Knight was silent for a few seconds before he stepped to the side and pointed at a man leaning on a dumpster him. "This...is Richard Dragon." Black Canary gasped. "A friend. A rival and one of the best martial artists in the world. He will train them to the best of his capabilities. He will break them and reforge them anew." The Next Threats. (General P.O.V) "The mystical opposition we can expect is¡­light. That is however, dependent on him not interfering. But our Lord has ensured that that will not to be a problem. That leaves us with few that can stand against our might. Chief of whom being The Lord''s of Order and Chaos. Fortunately, they have been embroiled in a struggle. A fight that has been going on for eons, with no clear winner. Balance has been and will be their main contention. Which finally leaves only the Earth''s mystical practitioners to come for us. Jason Blood being the most likely among them. Fortunately, our new base is far from their reach. By the time they marshall up a force to stop the plan, it will be too late." A whisper rang out across the castle. A blonde girl with blue eyes nodded, dressed in a red dress and a blue cloak above it, she was hauntingly beautiful. That beauty was ruined by the cold look in her eyes. Her face was impassive and blank, showing no emotion. Just like ''he'' expected her to be. A heartless bitch. She had been trained since young to never question him. Her adopted father. He had ''saved'' her after all. So she gave him the gratitude and reverence he wanted and he had taught her everything he knew of the Arcane. Thinking he had her manipulated. Both had a goal. She sought the freedom of someone dear to her and he¡­he just wanted power. Too much power. And now after 10 long years, Alyssa was finally close. However the task she needed to carry out left her confused. She wondered¡­what was the point of turning the earth or now, the Solar System into a realm of cold and ice? What was the end game here? Truly? There had to be an angle right!! Maybe she couldn''t see it but one thing she knew was that, her Adopted Father was cunning. You had to be if you aimed to steal the realm and power of a hell lord. He thought she had no idea on his true motives but his intentions were clear to her. The main magic spell component was to supplant the rule of Belial and install a new Hell Lord in his place. That new Hell lord would be Aleister. That''s all she knew. But really¡­none of that mattered as long as she saved John. John, who had sacrificed himself and taken her place¡­John who had been suffering for a decade in hell. Alyssa continued on her way, taking the stairs into the unrestricted portion of the castle. Her Mage Tower. She pushed the door open with a burst of telekinesis. Using a chain ending with an inverted cross to channel her magic. There¡­the entrance portal to their new base of operations was located. As was the painting, showing the bald head of one Aleister Crowley. Occultist, magician and Alyssa''s master/adopted Father. The painting grew animated, a slow smile spreading across it''s face as he stared at the young girl. "Providence smiles upon those unafraid to seek power, those unafraid to shatter the status quo, my daughter. And of those, You, Alyssa Constantine are worthy of all that and much more. Match forward and claim what is rightfully yours, in service of our Lord Belial and I, your father. Remember what you stand to gain. Power to never be weak again." The Whisper concluded. The girl who couldn''t have been more than 18 years gave a curt nod. "As you command Father." He was wrong, she wasn''t doing this for Power. She was doing this to save someone. He thought of that as a mere side goal. Having fed him that notion through the years so that when the time came, Aleister would not think to use John as her weak point. She clenched her hands. ''For you, Johnny. I will save you.'' She touched a locket hanging off her neck and her eyes gained a determined light. She wouldn''t keep this farce up for long. As soon as Belial honored his promise and released her brother¡­Alyssa was calling down hell fire on this accursed Castle and Aleister Crowley himself. (Elsewhere) Luthor applied pressure and smashed the glass in his hands. Broken shards of glass fell to the floor and Luthor held out his arm to the side. Like a ghost, Mercy Graves, his personal assistant and bodyguard appeared with a towel and a clean bandage. Looking closely at Luthor''s palm, one could see it was bleeding. They were both still at the Cadmus facility, having just ran tests on the Phantom Zone projector they''d gotten from Metron. Besides them there were two more individuals in the lab. One, like a silent watchman, ever cautious and observant, was Terror. He made sure to use the link he had with the Elemental Dimension to create a log with information that he deemed important for Aden. Unfortunately, the Phantom Zone Projector did not fall in that category. The next person in the room with them was the head scientist of this particular branch of Cadmus. The same one tasked with monitoring the progress of Terror and project Match. Though the latter, project Match had been scratched off the books, valuable info taken and everything else dumped. There in lied the Problem. "What is the next step, sir?" If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The scientist asked, adjusting the frame of his glasses while staring questioningly at Luthor. "I should have known this would happen. The character profile on Metron was accurate but what it failed to mention was just how... cunning and self serving he could be. Who knew he would place a genetic lock on the Phantom Zone Projector so that only a Kryptonian could use it? As it stands, we do not have a Kryptonian on hand after Terror destroyed Match. The D.N.A samples we had, have all been used for project Godblood and our only chance of doing this anonymously, is 2000 fucking feet deep in the ocean." Lex took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He adjusted his tie and exhaled, calming his nerves as his brilliant mind worked overtime to come up with a solution. A smile lit up his face. "There is, one more Kryptonian running around unchecked however." The scientist widened his eyes. "You mean... Superman?!" He asked, nervousness dripping from his tone. "But..but sir what about the Justice League. They will hit us back with their full power should we go after big blue. I thought we decided to lay low until project Rebirth commenced?" Lex shook his head, getting another glass and pouring a drink in it. "Who said anything about us going after him. If what I''m thinking of works, we not only get Czarnian D.N.A for study and project Godblood but we also get Superman. All the while keeping our hands clean. Well, relatively anyway. I reckon things will get bloody before they settle down...Lobo is not known for subtlety after all." He chuckled. "Metron thought he was fucking us over. Fucking me over, but I bet he didn''t see this coming." (Elsewhere) (edge of the sector) "Ambassador, I am getting strange energy readings from the dwarf planet on the outskirts of the target Star System." A Reach assistant, informed the Ambassador who immediately pulled up the data on the huge screen. "Seems like theta class energy signatures. Otherwise commonly known as..." The scientist standing next to the Ambassador started. "Magic." The Ambassador concluded. "This Star System keeps on getting more and more interesting. Have there been signs of intelligent or any life really on this planet?" His question was directed towards Scientist who shook her head, parsing through all the information their discreet probes had acquired of each of the planets in the Solar System. "None." "Send me down there with a few soldiers and I will come back with answers." The Scarab, enforcer in this mission requested of the Ambassador only to get denied. "That will not be needed. We will maintain our position. Observing only. We need to know more before going in. These...aliens are not like the rest. They''re different and I will not take unnecessary risks and jump in before we are prepared." "As you command." "Fine." The Scientist and The Scarab both answered, respectively. (Elsewhere) Las Vegas. "The tides are changing. Faster than expected. Faster than you anticipated, ain''t that right Maze..." A gorgeous woman with an hourglass figure told the Lilim perched on the window frame. Behind the black clad sexy demoness, the Las Vegas night life was in full swing. Maze didn''t answer for a few seconds. She felt conflicted. Out of everyone, her sister had taken after their mother the most. She was ambitious, conniving, deadly and oh so very sensuous. She played with men, seduced them, sucked them for all they were worth and then left them out to dry. She enjoyed their pain, being a classic sadist. All things Maze enjoyed. They would have gotten along if she wasnt such a grade A bitch. But blood is blood and like her or not, Calliope was her sister. She also hesitated to send Aden after her. Who knew what would happen to the boy after being exposed to a lust Demon. Then again Aden was willful to a degree she wondered how he still hadn''t received a green Lantern ring. He could probably handle Calliope''s seduction...Right? "Get out while you still can...sister. If you die...it''s over. Lucifer is not around to allow passage to hell for your true form. You lot fucking conspired to get rid of him." Maze said her piece. Calliope turned to reply but was met with nothing. Maze had disappeared. (Aden''s P.O.V) ''Is it just me or did the world get a little bit darker?'' I wondered shivering in... uneasiness. It felt like things were about to go very wrong in the coming weeks leading to my birthday. Just per the course for me really. The only thing I had control over was my own actions. And I elected to keep on getting stronger. Which is why I was going to use my training points to purchase my first sparring partner. I had thought of it hard and long. My initial choices were Iroh, Zuko, Azula and Sozin. All of them more than Firebending masters in their own right. But...I had dragons in my dimension. The original Firebenders. So most on that roster were straight up useless. I was definitely sparring with Iroh. He might be a copy but if I wanted to be better at Firebending, there was literally nobody else I needed to get me there. But...I now had access to Lightning. And it was better in every way when compared to traditional flames. Again, having Iroh, a grandmaster Firebender who had mastered Lightning bending would be priceless but...what if I went in a different direction? During Korra''s time, Lightning bending was more practiced. It wasn''t that common by any means but it was definitely spread out to the masses. And given human ingenuity, The bending had no doubt been added upon and made more...efficient. so what if I bought Mako instead of Azula or Zuko like I''d been thinking? Sparring With Mako (Aden''s P.O.V) After deciding on Mako and Iroh, I didn''t hesitate to purchase the first one from the database. I scrolled through and winced upon finding Mako being sold at 100 Training Points and Iroh at a whooping 200 Training Points. He was the most expensive one in the database by far. Thankfully, upon reaching Master level in Firebending, I could access the next tier up which was Grandmaster, ergo, Iroh was up for grabs. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. There wasn''t a need to get too excited and jump the gun. Mako was up first, a veritable Lightning genius to get me acclimated to using Lightning along with my fighting style, seamlessly blending the two together and then¡­Iroh, a grandmaster to test myself on all facets of my firebending and maybe even more. After all, Iroh had been a general¡­he probably knew way more about fighting than me. He seemed like the type to cover all his bases. I stood up at the highest peak of a mountain in the fire plane. This one was even bigger than the previous one during my seclusion. The one that had been reduced to debris and charred stones by the Lightning showers. That incident reminded me of the common tribulation in cultivation novels. Mmmh¡­now that I think about it, it did seem as if I was cultivating. I pressed on the purchase tab and watched as 100 training points were deducted from my balance. I was now left with 285. Damn. A small burst of energy and Mako appeared beneath the mountain, looking up at me. Like a mortal offering a god, a challenge. Well, let''s oblige him. I took a step into the empty air and started falling off the peak. Halfway there I called upon my inner fire and like a flick on a switch the fire grew colder, more precise, methodical and cutting. Sparks of Blue lightning clad my form as I landed with an impact on the ground. The ground cratered under me and the immediate section of the ground near my feet, caved in slightly. I straightened up and rose. Mako remained fearless. He fell into a stance and spread out his legs to a steady position. I took calm steps towards him, closing the distance between us to only 20 meters apart. I read his form, falling into a classic Firebending position as well. He seemed to be in his twenties, telling me I was dealing with Mako at his peak. I couldn''t half ass this. A small breeze blew between us and the fight started. Mako''s feet swept out as he flipped, sending a scythe of fire towards me from his leg, I calmly stepped to the side and watched it pass by me. He followed up the scythe with quick and successive punches through the air, shooting out balls of flames that I unravelled, ducked under and swept to the side with flame energy covering my hand. I jumped up to escape a flame arc aimed for my legs and flipped while in the air. Flames shot out of my feet towards his position as I speared down to the ground. He rolled away while I slammed down and melted the earth in one burst due to the hot flames. I felt a stirring through my energy sense and the jet of flames under my feet suddenly pushed me upwards again. My training pants turned to ash from the shins to ankles. I looked down and saw blue streaks of electric energy bombard that position. Mako''s outstretched fingers were slightly smoking. His eyes followed my body whilst in the air, a look of determination coming across his face. I scrunched up my eyebrows as another lightning bolt cut through the space towards me. I felt it through the air with my energy sense allowing me to spin away with my jet flames. However, I knew I couldn''t evade them for long. This form of flying was not as flexible as with Airbending. It was fast but not that great at sudden direction changes. So it''s only fitting I switch to Lightning like my opponent had. The flame under my feet grew erratic and the color as well as aesthetic changed. My whole body felt energized and a screech cut through the air. Mako''s assault grew more and more violent as he attacked. The whole area filled with energy blasts of the electric nature. I did my best to stay ahead of him. Blitzing away just before any of his attacks could land. Learning how to react. Each second used to dodge or evade helping my understanding of how I could utilize this force of nature with my energy sense to dominate the field. However something was bound to change. After dodging for so long I started putting my efforts into the next reasonable move. Redirecting his Lightning. One of the streaks hit me on the chest and I grabbed it with my energy control, wincing slightly as I was a little late and ended up getting shocked slightly. The Black Sabbath T-shirt I had on, was scorched to a blackened mess, revealing my chest to the world. My fingers moved in a precise movement and I heaved, gathering his power and dispersing it towards the sky. The streaks of lightning were uncontrolled and uneven. Seems like I had my work cut out for me when redirecting the energy. Luckily, I would adjust and Adapt to using this new skill as if I''d been grinding for years. Which was the point of Spark of Enlightenment but I digress. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Mako grew frustrated and his fingers begun dancing in the air as he built up a charge stronger than before. Meanwhile I leaned to the right and shot off, leaving the air screaming behind me while I skated in above and around the master Lightning bender. My speed was nearing 300mph as I pushed myself to move even faster. A circle of pure energy left in my wake surrounded Mako in a ring from the sky. I had decided to go on the offence in an unexpected move that would test how good I was at control. Each passing second that circle grew smaller and smaller squeezing him in. My body escaped the ring. The whole energy structure sustainable through my will alone. Mako''s next attack was stronger than before. He held up his fingers to the sky and screamed as a blast of Lightning escaped his hands towards me. I looked on and decided not to dodge. Unfortunately for him, the attack did not even make it past the ring of Lightning above him. The energy was sucked in and added to the whole thing, increasing the ring''s size and power. Am energy field appeared from the ring and covered the whole area beneath it into a dome. Here goes nothing. ''Try to keep the blast radius to 10 meters and no more.'' I told myself, holding my hands up. The last thing Mako saw was a focused look on my face before I snapped my finger and destroyed anything inside that dome. The lightning streaks left jagged and burnt trails around a soot filled crater that had nothing alive standing on it. Despite my victory, I didn''t feel that happy. Mako was barely a challenge. And although I had the control down...there was the issue of how much power I put into any attack. Lightning was dangerous. I couldn''t half ass it because it was fast and deadly. I needed to know I could attack an opponent out there in the real world without risking civilian lives or property through wild attacks. Any of those streaks of electric energy could kill someone. I stepped down to the ground and immediately took a meditative pose. It was easy to fall into my unique breathing pattern. Absentmindedly, using my inner flame for body refining. The fire run its course through my body, warm and reassuring. It cleansed both it and my mind. Helping me to self reflect on everything that had happened. I was clearly already above Mako in Lightning and fire-bending. I reckon I could even take two of him on. None of his attacks could land without me reading their trajectory and I was faster, stronger, more durable and way more powerful than him. I needed a real challenge to test the upper limits of what I could do. Which meant...it was time to purchase the big guns. Iroh was a beast. My palm was shaking in anticipation at what I could learn from him. A general in the army, a member of the white lotus- made up of some truly scary as fuck people like Piandao and Bumi and not to mention he was also a prince of the Fire Nation, someone who had grown up in war. This is either going to end up really badly and I get my ass kicked or...mmh actually I don''t see how else it could go down. I was normally super confident but... Iroh wasn''t your run of the mill bender. The only advantages I had over him were two things. My stronger physique and Equity. That''s it. I scrolled down the database tab and came upon the purchase option. I clicked on it and the whole screen shuddered for a split second, making me frown. What was happening? A new test box appeared before my vision. (Alert) (You cannot purchase a spiritual entity. A request has been put forward for his assistance but ultimately, the decision to appear falls on him. A bridge between worlds has been established should he choose to heed your call.) Comeagainsaywhaa?? If I can''t purchase him...why the fuck is there an option to do so on the database?!! I blinked my eyes in surprise. That is not where my focus should be. Iroh is a spirit? What is going on? I tapped the text box. Minimizing it and enlarging it once more in confusion. "Did I finally break the system? Or have I gone insane?" I wondered to myself. "Neither, I would hope. Especially the last part. I would love to share a cup of tea and have a nice conversation with my host after all." An old, smooth and dignified voice said from my side. I...I hadn''t even felt him appear. Then again, he had ''answered'' my call which meant in a way I''d given him permission to arrive in my realm. I turned, dismissing the text box and observed him. A small tea brewing table set in an asian theme if the China cups were anything to go by, was set before an old man, with a heavy set yet short build and a glorious beard that framed his chin perfectly and fell to his chest. His eyes held a glint of mirth while his lips were set in a small smile. Robes of earth Kingdom make were worn over his body and he sat on his feet staring at me curiously. Well, I''ll be damned...it actually is Iroh. Lessons From Uncle Iroh part 1. (Aden''s P.O.V) I gently placed my palms on the tea cup sitting on the table and cleared my throat. "I have¡­" Iroh''s hand came up to stop me. "I know you have questions." He said, eyes closed while breathing in the steam wafting off the tea cup in his hands. He sighed out in contentment. "This part you do not interrupt. This is the part, you enjoy the serenity." I scrunched up my eyebrows and picked up the cup imitating him and breathing in the steam. Instantly¡­my whole mind grew clearer and I felt at peace. I blinked my eyes open and frowned. The cup was empty. I remember it being 3 quarters full of a green liquid. Warm to the touch and aromatic. I looked up following a slight chuckle from Iroh. "You look confused. Brings out fond memories with my nephew." I placed the cup firmly down, taking his statement as the cue to speak. "How are you doing it?" I asked him, motioning to the tea table between us, holding up 2 cups and one kettle. Iroh ignored me in favor of taking a sip from his seemingly never ending tea. "You will have to be more precise. How was the tea?" "It was¡­ calming. At least the aroma was, I never took a sip yet it''s empty. I blinked and when my eyes opened the tea was gone." Iroh hummed. "That is¡­ troubling. Are you sure?" I looked at him in confusion. "Sure about what? The cup is e¡­emp¡­ty." I looked down and stiffened. The aforementioned utensil was full. The color of the tea perfect and even. Steam rose from it into the air. "How?" I lifted it up and studied it. Was it a trick of the mind? I glanced at Iroh who still saw fit to ignore me and took a ginger sip. Bitter taste filled my mouth yet¡­an overpowering sensation of freedom gripped my body. Like the combination of a shower, massage, sleep and weed intoxication. I blacked out for the second time. When I came to, the cup was similarly empty. My bones felt stiff. As of I hadn''t stretched my body in hours. Something was fucking with my perception. I accessed my telepathy, to get rid of any mind control or such but came up empty. That meant¡­ "My spirit¡­" I brought a hand to my chest and felt the comfort of my heartbeat. "How are you affecting it." A glint of interest finally appeared on Iroh''s face. "So you are smart. I''m glad to see you''re asking the right questions." He took another slow sip of his tea. "Unfortunately, you are wrong. I am not affecting your spirit in any way. The unique spiritual essence of the tea on the other hand¡­" He trailed off with another laugh. "Is a different matter. You sat there gazing at the sky for 3 hours. It was entertaining." He finished with a belly laugh. I frowned down at the cup. "So I was basically getting high and you sat there and didn''t stop me. In fact, you refilled the cup twice for me to drink again." I tsked. "I never told you to pick up the cup. You just assumed, I was offering you tea." "Bullsh¡­" Wait he was right. After spotting him, I basically walked over, propped my ass down and picked up the steaming cup of tea before me. "Then why would you place it so conveniently, infront of me?" I asked him, poking holes in his answer. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow, his lips turned up in a knowing smile. "The cup was never meant for me, was it?" I sighed. "Correct. I was having tea with a good friend when I received your rather unexpected invitation. I had no way of knowing the tea set would follow me here." I felt like groaning. "Lemme guess, that is lesson number 1, never jump to conclusions, assume or presume without having all the details." I rolled my eyes with a smile, admitting that he''d caught me off guard. Unexpectedly he shook his head. "No, the lesson is, always ask for permission first." I blinked before slapping my palm on my forehead. "I did it again¡­jumped to conclusions." Another laugh from the wizened general told me I was correct. I couldn''t help it, his laugh was infectious. I found myself chuckling at my own stupidity. I don''t know if it was the tea or just the general welcoming aura, Iroh exuded but I felt relaxed. At ease, my body not coiled up in tension, ready for another fight. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. "My name is Aden Strong." I introduced myself, remembering that I actually hadn''t. Neither of us had, though I obviously knew him. "Welcome to my world." I concluded motioning around us. "Thank you, Aden. You seem to know of me. Your demeanor says it all. I feel like it would be remiss if I did not introduce myself, however. You can call me Iroh." He said with a smile. I nodded back at him and we settled into a comfortable silence. The cup of tea refilled once again but I did not try to bring it close to my mouth. My lesson had been learned. Whatever was in it¡­was currently too strong for me. Iroh placed his own cup gently down and nodded at me in approval. "Understanding your limits, knowing what you''re capable of and not, helps you grow." I found myself agreeing. It was¡­hard to accept sometimes. That you''ve hit the peak of what you can handle but¡­it was in a sense comforting to know that you could still get better. Still do better. "I sense the Avatar''s unique chi composition inside you. Intriguing. Never in my years have I encountered this. What is troubling, is your spirit itself." He started, his tone taking on a serious note. My heart begun beating a little bit faster. Nothing ever good, in all the fictional worlds I know, comes from the implications of what Iroh was saying. My spirit was¡­ troubling? That is the core of all I am! That is my soul! I swallowed. "What are you talking about?" He held up the cup and tapped it. The ringing sound it produced spread out through the surroundings and I found myself in an ethereal space filled with blue energy. The blue gave birth to a myriad of more colors, blending into a kaleidoscope that precedented a tale. Iroh''s presence seemed to dim before disappearing. The only thing left behind was his voice. "This tea provides the bare nourishing to a regular spirit and mild relaxation to an Avatar. It is not meant to intoxicate you nor should it overwhelm your spirit. Yet it does. To put things into perspective, you need to understand something. A new Avatar is born when the current one dies." I listened, nodding at his explanation, already knowing all of that. Part of the blue energy mist coalesced into a familiar figure. Wan. The first Avatar. "The process of reincarnation effectively gives the old soul a new body to live in, before reincarnating again after their longevity comes to an end." Wan was replaced by another unfamiliar Avatar, one who gave way to dozens more then hundreds before familiar figures started to appear. I saw Kyoshi give way to Roku, who gave way to Aang who was reborn as Korra before Korra turned into a dark skinned boy. "The strength of one''s soul is based on the experiences they have gone through. A being like the Avatar, hence is exceptionally powerful." The energy showing the figure of the dark skinned boy, changed to a scene of him bending sand, earth, metal, fire, lightning, water, ice, steam and air. His body wound down from the bending stances and he sat cross legged. His hands bumped into one another, ending in fists with his eyes closed. "Their spirit have gone through multiple cycles and rebirths that at the end of it¡­all, they are able to exist as the node of a delicate balance between the mortal world and the spirit world. Belonging to neither but both." The boy''s eyes opened. One of them shone an opaque white. Similar to my own whenever I was in the Avatar State while the other was blank. Nothing inside but a hole of black with the exception of pinpricks of light. Like stars shining in the open space. A film of energy split his world into two. Each section retaining a part of him. The left side was colored white with his clothes glowing and flapping in the wind while the right side was colored blue. I blinked my eyes and found myself back on my Fire Plane. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just to be sure I looked down at the cup of tea and found it to be full and safely out of my reach. Which meant all that was a vision of Iroh''s own doing. He could affect my spiritual perception. Make me see what I wanted to see. Befuddle my mind with illusions. I looked down at the skin of my palm and understood what he meant by saying ''troubling.'' "My spirit...it''s weak. Isn''t it? Too weak for an Avatar." I came to the conclusion with a bitter laugh. A conclusion he had guided me towards. Studying his face did not reveal what I hoped. It did not show me I was wrong. That I was jumping to conclusions again. What I saw was the confirmation I needed. "The process that turned you into the master of all the elements, neglected to similarly uplift that part of you. It was artificial and has placed great strain on your soul. It''s frankly a wonder that you still hold rational thought. Bending is melding your energy with the energy of the world and if your spirit is weak or bendable...then you will be corrupted by that which you seek to influence with your will." The bombshell dropped. Lessons From Uncle Iroh part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) I sat there, clenching and unclenching my fingers. Iroh''s words echoed through my mind endlessly. They made a lot of sense and truthfully I could now see the signs of the strain on my soul he talked about. All my actions had been carried out with the confidence that I was doing the right thing. The right thing to both survive and save this world. But what was me talking and what was my negativity? My cynicism? My fear? My arrogance? I still believed I was on the right track but I wasn''t sure I was on the right vehicle, in a manner of speaking. There were instances where I''d acted out of character. Needlessly antagonistic. Which if you look at the situation was justified and not entirely my fault. Yet, I was a kid who up until 3 months ago, my biggest worry was finishing high school. I hadn''t ever brutally attacked anyone. Violence had never been my thing. And my thoughts had never been so¡­cynical about the world. Yet, 3 months later I was on the Justice League''s watchlist and enemies with the few friends I had made. I brought a hand on my face and ran it down. Where had it all gone wrong? Truly I had no idea¡­no that was a lie, I knew it. I had just shoved that memory far back into the recess of my mind to completely get rid of any of my guilt. It was after the Doctor Fate mission. When I had lashed out at Connor. Justifiably of course but¡­I should have understood that he had only been a few weeks old. You don''t get into a shouting match with someone who still didn''t completely understand social cues or basic manners and personal boundaries. Granted I had had problems even before that with Red Arrow and Kid Flash but for god sakes, I knew their characters before hand. Maybe everything would still have gone down the way it did even without Iroh''s new revelation about my spirit being under a lot of strain but¡­it sure as well wouldn''t have been so bumpy. However, that was all in the past and even offered the chance to change it, I wouldn''t. The thing is, despite my now deeper understanding of how the Avatar''s Power affected me, I had made peace with all of it. I had let go of all the negative feelings and guilt. I was a product of my past choices and I was a fucking badass, who didn''t let anyone walk over him. This new information only strengthened my resolve. Every obstacle that had appeared my way had been similarly blasted apart before me. Nothing was going to stand between me and my will. And so I asked. "How can I change that? How can I strengthen my spirit?" Instead of answering, Iroh took his time to finish the tea in his hands. This time, the cup stayed empty and then he got up. The robe he was wearing fell away. My eyes widened. The old man was ripped as fuck! Those arms were toned and looked like they could break a man in half. He raised his leg and stomped it on the ground with a grunt. My energy sense screamed out at me, as the earth below us cracked apart. Flames licked out of the fissures burning red and oh so very hot. I only had the time to shield my face from the explosion that followed before I felt myself form a groove with my body through the ground. I opened my eyes and dizzily stood up. My head was ringing and my forearms slightly scorched from Iroh''s unexpected move. I stood up warily. "What the hell?!" I hissed, falling into a ready stance incase that move wasn''t a one time thing. "You called me to fight, did you not? To test yourself against the might of a true Firebender. I am merely obliging you the courtesy." He said, walking forward slowly. His presence doubled in power then tripled in my senses. The air immediate his surroundings rippling in a mirage of power. The change had happened so fast. One minute he was a nice old man albeit cryptic, then the next this monster of a bender who registered in my senses as fucking op. Still... I shook my head. "I don''t want to fight you. I still have a lot more questions that I need answers to. Besides," I spread out my hands and the world shook as I exerted a piece my full influence on the Fire Plane, showing him the futility of his actions. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "You cannot beat me while I am here. I am the master of this place. The one and true deity." The rumbling stopped and my hands fell. "So how about we forget that you just tried to make barbecue out of me and continue with our talk?" Iroh looked to be in thought, before he started laughing. "I do not disagree. You have the advantage here. However, do not be too quick to count me out." He told me with a fiery glint in his eyes. A pulsation of energy escaped his body, spreading out through the surroundings. An energy I could not clearly sense. It hit my body and immediately, I felt something resonate from deep within me. Pressure. Heaviness. Too much! Too heavy. I heaved, my mouth opening up but no words coming out I fell down to my knees as Iroh''s steps registered in my senses. "You have the home advantage...I have the spirit advantage." He was suppressing my soul. How in the hell was he doing this. This went further than just being able to affect my perception. It felt like I was carrying a huge load on every part of my body. Every second, the heavy toll increased, sending me to meet the ground quicker. "Mmh?" I heard him hum in confusion. "Your spirit seems to be adapting to the suppression." That completely through me out of the loop. It...it was? Of course! Adaptive physiology! But how was the perk doing this? Did it extend it''s influence past, the body and my mental aspect? If so then...I tried to marshall up my will and push back against Iroh''s spiritual aura. A splitting headache started to hammer through my head as I pushed myself up. "Incredible." For the first time, I heard shock and surprise from the old general. I ignored him. I ignored everything. Even the power I had in my realm. The power to banish him away or attack him using the Fire Plane itself. I ignored all that in favor of what I was combating. The obstacle standing in my way. Like the rest it would break apart. The pressure doubled. A crater formed under me as Iroh''s spiritual power slammed down on top of me harder than before. It''s influence exerted even in the material world. I strained my neck muscles and looked up at him. An apathetic being looked back. Orange ethereal energy shrouding his body in a protective membrane of power. His eyes were similarly completely orange. "Defeat me and prove yourself worthy of the answers you seek." His voice sounded strange..as if it was layered with something else. I wasn''t dealing with Uncle Iroh. I was dealing with a strange spirit who in his mortal life had been lauded as a great tactician and an even greater fire bending prodigy. I felt something give from within me and shatter. Instantly...the world changed in my senses. The pressure from all around me seemed to disappear. I stood up in difficulty, while marvelling at the lack of or at least the decrease in spiritual pressure Iroh was producing. No not a decrease, my spirit had only adapted to that level of pressure. Adaptive physiology showed it''s effects better when an aspect of myself was in its weakest form. That''s why it had taken such a short amount of time to evolve my spirit into the initial stage. The stage where spirit attunement was granted. In other words, I could see spirits now, nothing else. I was initially like Iroh after his journey following the death of his son, where he came back and was able to sense and see spirits. I looked down at myself. Feeling a new and weak...node within my being. A node full of shining light yet dim when looked at along with everything else. This raised more questions. I glanced at Iroh and took a step back in fear. My eyes widened and I gulped. What the fuck?! The real Iroh was gargantuan. An orange figure the size of Korra when she first bent her form to fight Unalaq. Iroh easily dwarfed her! I blinked and he was back to his regular size. I won''t lie...I was considering on forfeiting. Either that or cheating. The latter was out of the question however, because just as I could cheat...so could Iroh. Based on the spiritual fluctuations coming off him, the pressure I had felt was nothing more than the lightest touch upon my soul. "I accept. If I defeat you...you will answer any of the questions I have and if you defeat me...I will do the same." I replied. The orange glow covering his form faded, leaving Iroh in his old but ripped as hell body. I couldn''t sense his power at all. And that scared and both excited me. If Iroh could do it. Then so could I. Granted I don''t lose my life here. I held out my hand to the side and Equity appeared. I was going all out from the start. There was no way I wasn''t taking Iroh seriously. Sparks of electric energy shrouded my form as I bent my legs low, leaning forward slightly. Equity had changed into a Katana. Perfect for slashing. My hair stood on it''s head while I cycled my inner fire throughout my body. Power. Incredible Power. The upper limit of what I could safely access without destroying my body was made readily available. I took one step forward...and vanished. Lessons From Uncle Iroh part 3 (General P.O.V) They came about through an explosion of light and color. A myriad different shades of the latter filling up the space and leaving behind¡­life and existence. Life that was formed between the segment of reality, thought, unreality and logic. A section separating the possible from the impossible. Unexplainable meaning. Concrete yet entrenched in mystery. A mystery that science could not solve¡­at least not alone. Yet life found it''s way. Following them were others of similar design to their forms yet¡­ lacking. The core spark that made them special. Their being was backed and interwoven by concepts which allowed this whole space to exist. Two concepts that powered and de-powered one another, forming a balance that went on to form the bigger picture, The cycle, the life, The Fire. The concepts were destruction and rebirth. One hiding in the shadow of the other. It was time the master knew of them. It was time he understood. (Aden''s P.O.V) Slash!! A whistling sound cut through space as I swung the Katana, putting enough strength to my forearms through the exertion of my back muscles and the relaxation of my shoulders. The action was swift as I passed through Iroh. Too fast for him to react. Too fast for him to see. The world felt like it had slowed down for me. I Breathed out, steam escaping my mouth as I wound backwards, my left leg braking my body, upturning soil that floated away in slow mo, almost motionless in the air. I used the right leg to turn back. The toes dug into the ground for traction and I heaved, reverse gripping Equity. Another delayed whistling sound cut through the air but the slash had already connected and carved a trail on his back. Equity disappeared back into my hammer space as I spun using the added motion from the two attacks. My eyes grew hard. The inner fire within me gathered in my hands and I rounded up on Iroh. His eyes were now just widening when the ball of condensed flames landed on his chest. The explosion of force and fire threw me away. I flipped while on the air before landing on the ground with enough force to crack it. Before me, was a burning pit where Iroh''s body had been. Firebending prodigy or not, my speed had turned out to be the determining factor. I walked over before suddenly stopping in place. The fire was acting strange, gathering in place, in the shape of a person instead of burning as it should have been. I felt a stir through my energy sense, thoughts cut short when a presence made itself known above me. My arms came up by instinct and I felt a foot smash into me, aimed for the top of my head. I widened my eyes when the strength became too much to bear and I fell onto one knee. Instantly, my body rolled away and the foot continued on to stomp on the ground. How was he so strong?! There wasn''t a time for questions however and to save my life, I channeled a huge amount of fire through my forearms and slammed it down to the ground, successfully parting the fan of red hot flames that was about to drown me out. I was being attacked on two fronts! Iroh was infront of me, about to engage me in a close quarters fight yet that flame had appeared from way back in the fire pit, where his body had landed. "Keep your full attention on the opponent!" He shouted as a shin landed onto my forearms, the calf pushed forward by a jet of flames and orange coating that registered to me as spiritual energy. My feet skidded back. Again why and how is he strong? No benders should be this physically powerful...right there I discovered my mistake...I was still assuming. I leaned back, avoiding a cone of fire that singed my eyebrows. My hands extended and I flipped, a wheel of flame shooting out of my feet, that Iroh leaned to the side, almost lazily, to avoid. I was upside down when I saw his leg sweep out in a arc of fire, aimed to split me horizontally in half. Fire exploded through my palms, regardless of of the heat to push me to the sky. The arc flew harmlessly below me...but then I understood the difference between Mako and Iroh. Iroh let out a grunt, steadying his arms to the side and then he started fucking bending. Not Firebending...no he was using different bending forms to send, whips of flame, arcs, balls, cones, fans and beams to attack my defenseless body. How the fuck did that even make sense? Lightning streaks formed around my body as I skated in the air, pulling away from the general direction of his attacks. I brought my fingers to my chest, concentrating before sending a bolt of lightning to him. Iroh saw the attack from a mile away and fell into the basic lightning redirection stance. He channeled it through himself and sent it back even stronger. I formed a mesh of electric energy around my body with only a slight wince when the attack landed. Getting sick of being confined to the sky, I changed Equity into Gut''s sword, Dragon Slayer, A huge chunk of metal that made what I sought to do much easier. I spun my body and channelled as much flames as I could through the sword and then I released it. An arc of hot energy shot out of the sword, blanketing the surrounding 300 meters. A large cloud of red hot fire billowing out to decimate everything. The sound of the impact was deafening The rocks melted, the mountain plateau nearest there battlefield was remade into a hill as most of it''s structure was destroyed and below me...was a crater full of burning rocks, red hot pools of lava, surrounded by blackened soil. I looked at Equity in a new light before dismissing it. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I controlled my body and landed near the edge of the crater, which was burning. That had hopefully dealt with Iroh. No one could survive that, point blank. Of course being the idiot I was, I forgot to account for the bullshit mysterious spirit powers he had access to. The fire burning at the edge of the crater unnaturally grew in volume. Iroh suddenly appeared out of the fire with a hand cocked back in a fist. I leaned into his personal space, pulling to a close proximity so that he would extend his reach and then I could take him out. His hand passed over my shoulder, failing to hit me but giving me an opening. A blast of lightning escaped my fingers to his chest. Upon making contact, his body burst into flames and I felt something sweep me off my feet. Then a blow landed on my back hard. For the second time I dug a groove through the ground. This time however, I jumped back into the fray. Using my energy sense and telepathy to read my surroundings. Then I understood how he was doing what he was doing. The first few strikes I had landed had unfortunately been on a fire construct in the shape of Iroh. The only thing I did not know was how he had escaped my huge area of effect attack. Equity came out to defend me by way of offence as a tidal wave of flame beared down at me like an angry god. Sparks ran down the blade and I slashed out. Bright as fuck streaks of lightning escaped the blade, parting the wall of flames and causing them to separate into two sections. The view revealed to me was of 3 Iroh''s with perfect synchronized moved who jumped forward, wound their hands back and released a huge but fast moving ball of fire. Then that ball of fire bloomed like an orange flower and I found myself boxed in from 9 different directions with no way to move. Not that I was going to. I channeled as much flame as I could and created an orange tornado around me. Iroh''s attack smashed into my own but I held on with a grunt¡­up until his flame coalesced into 3 creatures, a giant Serpent easily over 20 feet long, a tall lizard creature, known in canon as an Eel Hound, and lastly a fucking eastern dragon, flying above me. The Serpent wound it''s body around my tornado and hissed, squeezing the whole whirlwind. I ducked when my energy sense felt a whip like flame slice through my fire. The tail of the Eel Hound. Ok, that''s how you wanna play it? I pulled the fire close to me, shaping it into a ball and further compressing it before releasing it. The explosion was immediate. The serpent and Eel Hound were drowned out and destroyed but the flame was halted before it could reach Iroh. The dragon from above dived down¡­and sucked it all up. The torrential fire Element¡­was turned into a snack before the huge animal construct. The level of bullshit happening today¡­ "You seem to understand the concepts of fire as an instrument to precipitate destruction and rebirth, hence your flame is hot without changing colors into a different variation. I even commend you on knowing how to bend Lightning." Iroh ''s voice rang out through the battlefield. "But what you''re missing is the practical aspect. There is a difference between knowing the rules of a game and being in it, playing. The true measure of a bender is not on how much power they can channel to fight but on how much skill they have when using that power. In that aspect¡­you are crude. Unrefined. Impatient." He concluded, completely revealing himself. Well three of himself really but¡­it was clear the rest were fire constructs. Still¡­ something was amiss. I levelled Equity at him while thinking of an effective strategy to fight him. "I know enough about you to know that you were not this powerful during your mortal life, Iroh. So who are you¡­really?" The fire clones and the flame construct above our heads lost form and disappeared in a sudden rippling of angry flames, leaving the two of us standing inside the Fire Plane. "I have not once lied about my identity. I am Iroh, a long time ago, the first born son of Fire Lord Azulon, uncle to Fire Lord Zuko, a member of the white lotus and...the father to Lu Ten. But I am not human. It has been 200 years since I lost my mortality." He said with a look on his face I couldn''t decipher. He closed his eyes for a brief period before opening them to reveal, orange orbs of light. "Now, I am a knowledge seeker. Dedicated to the path of wisdom, intuition and attunement to the world. The deal still stands but I wish to add another stipulation. If you do defeat me¡­I shall give you access to the library of Wan Shi Tong." I sucked in a deep breath. "One of the ways to increase you spirituality is through consuming knowledge. However, if I win¡­I want to explore your world, learn the different culture, the people¡­the spirits." I blinked and thought it over. The Library of Wan Shi Tong... contained practically everything on anything. If I could get inside...my bending comprehension would likely triple. Not to mention, I did not see anything wrong with letting Iroh see the DC world. It would shock him immensely of course. The prospect of grown women and men running around dressed in tight costumes playing cops would be something I wanted to see Iroh''s reaction to. Plus...I wanted him to stay a little while longer. Within a few hours, he''d helped me to evolve my spirit and I could feel my Firebending increase from a brief talk with him. So whether I lost or won...I wasn''t losing out. I looked into his eyes. "I accept." He nodded, stating, "Good. I should mention...this time I will not take it easy on you." I twirled Equity in my hands and sent it to my hammerspace. He said nothing at my action but I could see a glint in his eyes. He saw through my intention clearly. I felt like laughing but instead settled for a smirk. The blade appeared in my hands again. "You were planning on using the blade in unexpected timings to strike, given that you can teleport it to your hand in an instant, that is an effective strategy." He commented as I circled him. "Yeah it was...but you saw through it immediately. I guess a direct clash will have better chances now. Plus... beating you in a straight fight will feel a whole lot better." I smiled, making him grunt. "Careful, do not let your overconfidence blind you. Or else you might find yourself in a...sticky situation." This time I was ready. A wall of fire appeared behind me to block the hundreds of weapon constructs Iroh had remotely controlled to attack me from the back. The flame was the residue left from the animal constructs he had used before. Knowing my back was well protected through energy sense, I jumped back into the fight but this time...it wasn''t just about testing myself anymore. I had to get access to that Library! Lessons From Uncle Iroh Final Part (Unknown P.O.V) (Fire Plane) It was time. No more waiting. ''He'' was in danger! (General P.O.V) This time the energy was supercharged. Aden knew what was at stake and he was determined not to lose. Iroh calmly looked at him but by the slight narrowing of his eyes, you could tell he was taking Aden seriously. To be honest, he was surprised. Shocked even. To think that the Avatar was not a figure exclusive to his world. Iroh of course knew about the existence of other realms, past the conceptual boundaries of the infinitely large spirit world. But these circumstances were very unusual. A boy just a little older than Zuko when he found his true path in life¡­with the power to wield fire to a degree that was frankly frightening. The power he could exert rivalled a grandmaster Firebender during Sozin''s comet. It was that scary. His technique was mechanical and stiff but he more than compensated for that with his powerful body and ingenious use of Lightning to increase his speed and reaction time. That was¡­as far as Iroh was concerned, never seen before and impossible. The energy should have shredded his body from within. And that weapon¡­it was strangely powerful. A blade that could change forms and ease the effort needed to channel fire and lightning through it? This new world was intriguing and very enticing to a spirit of knowledge like him. Which is why Iroh came up with the offer. He wanted to learn the difference between this world and his own. The difference between this Avatar and Aang, Korra or Genji. But the other reason was that he wanted to see the lengths this Avatar could go to. Hopefully, steer him along the right path because¡­a dark Avatar was something no world would survive. His heart had grown cold when he felt just how much strain Aden''s spirit was under. Iroh could not let the world see another Unalaq. Its what he owed. All these thoughts went through his mind quickly as he tensed his body¡­before relaxing the next second. It had been a long time since he had wielded his bending but the motions had been ingrained into his mind so much that even in his much more flexible spiritual form, he didn''t feel rusty. He took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling the familiar warmth push through his chest cavity and escape his nose as steam. (Aden''s P.O.V) Equity was in a reverse grip as I ran forward at high speeds. The wall of fire behind me blocked the weapon constructs, courtesy of the Grandmaster Firebender I had to beat. Somehow. Iroh stepped forward and punched out. The action sent a generic flame ball towards me that I evaded, then I slapped the next one to the side and jumped over another one. I flipped in the air and came down with an axe kick at his position. A fire arc proceeded to shoot out of my ankle. Iroh smiled and grunted, raising his hands to the sky in a move that looked like something an earth-bender would do. Orange Flames bloomed on top of his hands in the shape of a tornado, warping my own attack so that they cancelled each other. At that point I was already touching down. "Escape this!" I said and slashed out towards his neck. Energy sense had already assured me I was dealing with the genuine article. I was dealing with the real Iroh. It started with a slight pressure through my energy sense and then heat. I closed my eyes while pulling back my extending hand with Equity gripped on it to cover my body. Explosions rocked my body from one side to the other, and these genuinely hurt. I was thrown away a smoking form, while Equity was held at my front in a huge bastard sword size form. A chunk of hard metal that protected me from the worst of the blasts. Fuck. My Metallica t-shirt was left in dregs. I rose up, wobbling a little. "Dammit!" I breathed out. "You covered the area around your body with small balls of condensed flame, set to explode when I came into contact with them. And because your flame can''t hurt you, you weren''t in any danger. Clever." I commented, feeling a rush of adrenaline. Iroh had the experience to take me on without a problem. I couldn''t remember the last time I was this challenged. It was¡­ exhilarating. "You''re correct. What are you going to do now?" He asked, referring to the fact that I couldn''t get close to him without setting off the landmines? Air mines? You get the point. But he wasn''t the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve. "Let''s try this again." I stated as the coating of electric energy washed down on my form. Intense and cutting. I pulled on my inner energy some more. My top speed in this form was about 300 mph give or take. It was not nearly enough for what I intended to do but coupling that speed with Iroh''s own skill, that I decided to steal and maybe I could pull it off. But first I needed a distraction. I exploded forth, pouring out as much speed as I could. The hand holding Equity pulled back and I threw the sword towards Iroh and then changed its form from a Katana into an Oversized sword, shaped like Bustermarm from Fairy tail. A sword that crossed the boundary from being intimidating to plain goofy. But it accomplished what it set out to do. Explosions rang out as the sword speared through them, barely changing it''s course. Iroh jumped over it and started running along it''s length towards my position in some gravity defying speed. The old Firebender turned spirit, jumped off the pommel, just as I dismissed Equity and fell down towards me, fireballs raining down on my form, that I batted away with Equity in its bastardized form, this time looking like Asta''s Demon Slayer sword. The fire balls were sent back to Iroh who simply unravelled them. Before he touched down, he timed the impact of his fall with a spread out flame explosion that took everything out wantonly. I jumped over the screen of flames and responded with a pillar of super hot fire down on his position, an attack that would have taken someone else out instantly. The pillar of fire was sliced apart by a thin but highly compressed arc of flame that went on to curve a slice on my chest. I winced in pain and stepped on a platform of fire to flip away, landing on the ground, only to find Iroh at close proximity. His palm was extended to the right in a slight diagonal trajectory, a move that would split me shoulder to hip. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I widened my eyes as the blow landed, Iroh grunting as the fire in his hands turned into a severey hot arc that met with barely any resistance from my body. Instead of blood however, the afterimage I had formed with a combination of fire constructs and pure speed lost it''s form and exploded infront of Iroh. The initial blast set off a chain of more explosions that rag dolled the Firebender from all sides, using his own stolen move. But I wasn''t done. ''Got ya.'' I thought, appearing behind him like a ghost. A gyrating white ball that had a small sheen of blue covering it''s form in my palm. Azula could form a lightning ball, it stands to reason that I could too. The ball landed on Iroh''s back and I released it, blasting him towards the sky in a burst of energy that ended with a fiery explosion of light and streaks of blue lightning. That was everything I had. After that, I unsteadily took a knee. Something felt wrong...as if my body had reached its current limit. Of course I had had to push myself even faster for that ploy to work. The exact speed needed to make one afterimage is 38,146 mph. As an example, Gon made about 4¨C5 afterimages during his match with Hisoka¡­ so he was moving at about 150,000¨C200,000 mph. I was nowhere near that level of speed. Good lord, I couldn''t imagine any other speedster on earth 16 ever hitting that level of speed either. Besides The Flash and his grandson from the Future, Impulse of course. Those numbers were pretty inconsistent though given different laws of physics in each world, so I used them as more of a reference point. So, long story short, I had used fire as the shell to leave an imprint of me while in more of a sudden burst of speed than my consistent peak, I rushed forward. The sudden burst was probably like 500 mph all things considered. But now my body, particularly my legs and back muscles felt to be on the verge of breaking. But at least I had won... right? I breathed out in disappointment as a fast moving object pinged on my energy sense. Iroh was trying to disapprove of my notion. Fuck, what do I need to do to take him down? I clumsily rolled away from whatever it was and stood up just as the dust and smoke from the explosion died away. My feet felt like they would give away from use but at least my enhanced healing was working overtime to ease the pain. Thank you adaptive physiology. Equity was back in my hands in its sword form, ready for...an...y...thing...I trailed off in thought as my eyes widened. I looked up and found myself standing before a giant made of orange. Iroh''s full spiritual form. A gigantic man easily above 20 meters tall. I had seen it briefly after gaining my new skill of spirit attunement but I had just thought it to be the aura his presence took but for him to turn into a huge astral projection so suddenly was throwing me off my game. Defeating him in his regular form had been hard already but now I had to fight this levelled up version of him? I tapped into my spirit attunement and shut the skill off instantly. His presence was overwhelming. Iroh pulled back his leg, which I understand had been what I had evaded and raised it. I jumped out of the way as he stomped the ground on my position. The surroundings shook and rumbled. Sections of the earth broke off and the plateue that had been reduced to a hill was now reduced to a mound of rock and soil. I took to the air with my jet flames to escape the onslaught and come up with an effective strategy. Then I found out that Iroh was not the least bit slower in this form, I couldn''t move fast enough out of the way of his palm. So I turned Equity into it''s anime size sword and covered my back. The smack came in loud and instant. It seemed like the ground came up to meet me instead of the other way around. A crater formed under me as I heaved...breath taken out of my lungs by the impact. I spat out blood, not knowing if it came from my bust lip or something else. My eyesight struggled to focus as Iroh came to my position. I was going to lose. No I...I couldn''t give up. I...I don''t want to give up!! ''Come on!'' I shouted at myself as I shook my head in disorientation. My fingers stabbed into the soil and slow but sure, I rose up. Only for my knees to shake and for me to fall down in a heap again. ''Ok so that way is out.'' I thought as I laid down on my back, sprawled out. My eyes focused enough that I saw Iroh peer down at me. His form impeccably strong. His gaze having changed from that of a caring and wise old man into a combatant''s who had seen more than enough of war and suffering. Who was I kidding thinking I could have beat him? Defeated someone with years of experience with a measly 3 months of my own experience under my belt. It sounded laughable. Still, this fight was his only when I couldn''t fight back. As long as I had my wits about me...I was not going to give up! Time for a dangerous move. I couldn''t move my body, but Equity could more than channel the element for me. I kneeded every ounce of inner energy I had within me, going a step further and taking a risk. I started mixing electric energy and thermal energy. Iroh must have known what I was going to do as he raised his leg once more, intent on knocking me out with a sudden stomp. And unfortunately, he was faster. His foot came down before I could fully attack. I closed my eyes and waited for darkness only to see and feel light bloom through my eyelids and energy sense. I opened my eyes and saw a winding blue and purple shining coat. The shade giving off a feeling of power through it''s panorama of color. A familiar figure. The small dragon had intervened! A breath of energy left her mouth, as her front limbs gripped Iroh''s giant foot with her claws. The energy was not regular fire but something of a darker purple. Shades deeper than the Dragon Patriarch''s and oh so much stronger. Iroh was pushed back by it and the small dragon turned to me. ''Hurt?'' I got from a link that had naturally slotted in place between us. Weirdly, it was two links instead of one. ''Not hurt. Just tired. Really tired.'' I answered back. She floated closer to me and looked into my eyes. Questioning. Intelligent. ''Help?'' Once again she asked, offering. ''I would appreciate it.'' Not really seeing how she could help. And turns out I was right. She couldn''t help but the other one could. In the shadow of the small purple and blue dragon, one colored in green and white emerged. My mouth opened a little in shock. That''s who the second link belonged to. There were two of them. The new dragon seemed to be shy in comparison to his sister but he still pulled in close to me and asked the same question. Intelligence blooming inside his eyes too. ''Help?'' I nodded. Noticing I could tell their genders even before I heard their voices. Feminine for the female and masculine for the male, just really young. Like the voices you would expect from two eight year olds. ''Yes please.'' If I could move, I could finish this fight, once and for all. Iroh had gone into his spirit form because I had hurt him in his human one. And now that he was a bigger target, there wasn''t a shortage of places I could hit. The blue and purple dragon rubbed it''s head on my shoulder before winding up and flying towards Iroh to distract him as I got back on my feet. The green dragon touched it''s forehead into mine and I felt a white and pure flame run through my body, filling me with energy and power, while also telling me what the dragons were. My shock and surprise was palpable. But it soon gave way to determination and hope. Maybe I could actually win this. That was the first meeting between me and two of the first spirits of the elemental dimension. Hakai and Saisei. The spirits of Destruction and Rebirth. The spirits of the fire plane. My first sapient creations. One Final Clash (General P.O.V) Saturn Girl placed a hand on Chameleon boy''s shoulder, pulling him back. "Remember we can''t move too close or be seen." She whispered at him. "I know. But I just wanted to see it for myself¡­before he changed it into his official team base." Chameleon boy explained, still trying to peek at the Club Lux building. Saturn Girl nodded in understanding before a flash of light behind them, made them look back at a suddenly flush Phantom Girl, hiding a small camera behind her. "Sorry, I just wanted a picture¡­" Saturn Girl sighed. "You do both know that it''s not even his official base right? Shh!! Someone''s coming¡­let''s get out of here. We still need to find out Lor-Zod''s whereabouts. He might have gotten his hands on the Phantom Zone Projector already." (Aden''s P.O.V) I rubbed Saisei''s snout affectionately. ''Thanks buddy.'' I told him and scratched his chin. Then I turned my attention back to the fight happening. Hakai was harassing Iroh with some quick and swift attacks. Her winding flight pattern was not allowing him to do much but she couldn''t get closer either due to Iroh''s not surprising battlefield intelligence. Ant Man gets huge and he''s a blundering mess, Iroh gets huge and he''s a fucking combat titan¡­so not fair. I looked at Saisei who protectively hovered above me. "I don''t suppose you guys have a way we can take him down, right?" I asked jokingly. What I was not expecting was an answer. ''Yes.'' Saisei answered and a second later, I understood what he meant as information poured into my mind. A smile spread out on my lips. "If this actually works, I''m introducing you both to Grangos as a way to say thanks." I said out loud. Saisei and his sister were proposing one all out attack. One final clash and winner takes all. I could do this. "Let''s go boy." I patted the Dragon and stated, jumping on top of his back. Saisei exploded forth in motion, his flight speed was controlled and still fast enough to put my earlier efforts to shame. I pulled up closer to Iroh, standing up slightly as I brandished Equity in my right arm. Hakai kept harassing him but pulled back once I arrived on scene, level with the gargantuan man''s face. I fully stood up on Saisei''s back, Hakai flanking us to the right. "Iroh! This fight has gone on for too long. I propose we finish this in one final move. One final attack to decide who the victor will be." I declared. My hand firmly on Equity. I could feel Saisei''s back muscles tensing. Whether out of fear or excitement, I had no idea. I delved into the links I had with the twins and reassured them. Sending them feelings of comfort. Instantly, I could feel both spirits calm down. "I agree, young Avatar. Show me your full strength!" Iroh''s voice boomed out, sending a gust of wind that ruffled my clothes. After saying that, something seemed to change with him. His presence dimmed in my senses as a hum filled the air. I clenched my hand in preparation as although he felt weaker...the air on my skin rose up. Something was happening. Iroh''s orange form started pulsing and his spiritual aura spread out from his body to cover the surroundings. My eyes widened when I felt the area covered by his influence disappear from my realm master control. He was creating a domain! His energy suddenly exploded past the level he had shown before and I felt like an idiot for letting him power up. The spiritual domain seemed to increase his strength by magnitudes. Luckily I had a trump card up my sleeve as well, courtesy of my two new friends. I jumped off Saisei and stood between him and his sister on a platform made up of fire. ''Its time. Are you ready?'' I told them and felt waves of confirmation come through the links. ''Let''s do this then!'' For the first time ever, I didn''t change Equity into a weapon that I needed. Instead, I delved through our connection and allowed it to change into the best form for bending Fire. The best form for channeling that thermal energy. The best form that would allow maximum efficiency. Equity glowed and lost it''s Katana form, the handle grew longer as the blade shortened but became much broader at the head. Intricate cursive lines were drawn on it''s length, adding more beauty to the final product. A beautiful and strong lance/spear was the end result. It felt...light in my hands yet it''s structure was incredibly dense in my senses. I gripped it tight and breathed out. One final move to end this...Iroh''s domain seemed to steadily raise his energy and he now hand his hands placed on his hips, mouth open in a wordless scream as he powered up. I mentally connected with any dragons 100 miles in the vicinity and instructed them to leave. They complied, allowing me to prepare my own attack. Saisei and Hakai were both an enigma. And even the plan to defeat Iroh that the twins had shown me, was something I had never seen before from canonical spirits. Spirits can embody concepts, that much is true but the only case of a spirit combining with a mortal to give that mortal access to the concept was in the case of The Avatar. Where Raava combined with Wan or Vaatu with Unalaq. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Saisei and Hakai were proposing the same thing. That we meld our spirits together, hopefully giving me access to their unique abilities. Saisei''s powerful rejuvenating flames and Hakai''s powerful destruction flames. Shocking? Yes I know. However, despite being a different flavor of an Avatar...my intuition told me, it wouldn''t work.Which was honestly a real bummer. Up until now, I had no idea if I posessed Raava or a higher spirit of order or balance or if my Avatar State was essentially bearing all that weight. Iroh could no doubt help me understand more but for that to happen, I had to end this. However...there was another way. Saisei and Hakai could not fuse with me but...they could temporalily do so with Equity. I held up the spear to the sky. My spiritual attunement showed me how Saisei and Hakai''s energy started melding with the weapon. Both dragons flew up in a winding path, dancing in the air in a lovely pattern before plunging into the weapon. A blast of light exploded out of my form and I was left holding a lance glowing with power. My body felt strengthened to its peak, no doubt an effect from Saisei and Equity was brimming with a purple energy that felt hungry and full of uncontrollable rage. Iroh and I stared at one another from the distance. Like gods about to clash over the fate of the mortal world. I was not going to lose this. We moved at the same time, a shout of effort coming out of my mouth at the exertion. At the power I was feeling. Equity screamed through the air as I swung it. A huge pillar of destructive flames, seeking to only decimate poured out of the weapon. Iroh stepped forward and pushed his hands out. The action seemed heavy as he grunted. His own orange flames, much more even and penetrative but the same size as my own exploded out. Both flame attacks met in the air and space screeched. I was going to win this! It wasn''t a question of if! I thrust out Equity and felt Hakai''s power double. My pillar of dark purple flames grew in intensity and my shirt smoked before falling away, turned to ash. I quickly covered my pants in a layer of Saisei''s flame energy to shield them from the heat. Sweat dotted my forehead and skin while I looked on, grasping Equity in both hands. Iroh took a step back as my attack started overwhelming his. I pushed some more, seeing my victory at hand. Below me, the ground started suffering. The rocks and stones begun melting and burning away, covering the whole area in smoke. Just a little more...just a little more. Iroh''s domain seemed to blink out in instances before finally...it broke and I made the final push... drowning him in power. Yes! I flew in to land the finishing blow when I felt an impact slam into my being without a warning. There was no pain except for a jarring motion. My vision suddenly turned white. I blinked my eyes open and found myself standing in the middle of a gray space. "What the..." My voice echoed out strangely. I''d just been in a fight with Iroh. Where the fuck was I now? Is this a dream? Or was I just teleported? I pinched myself and felt a light pain. The sensation was there but muted. As if I was filtering the feeling through layers. So not a dream. At least not completely. "Hello? Hello!??" I called out. Nothing answered back. I shrugged and decided to walk around, searching for a way out. The first step I took, made something happen. Cracks appeared on the pristine gray floor running out across the whole area. "You harm everything. You''re not an Avatar." A very familiar voice said from behind me. I looked back and came face to face with Aang. For a second we both said nothing...and then I smiled while cocking my head. "Really? This is the best my sub conscious or whoever is responsible could come up with? A guilt trip?! Don''t make me laugh. Frankly I am Insulted." My voice rang out through the gray space. I now understood what was happening. This was a spirit attack. Iroh''s last move. That''s the only thing that made sense. So to escape, the only thing I had to do was delve into my connection with Hakai and Saisei and use that link to wake up. The fact that I could pinch myself and perceive pain which was a body reaction showed me, I wasn''t completely removed from my body as I thought I was. "You are not a real..." The Aang copy started out like a broken record. "Avatar. Yes, I Know that and to be completely honest, I love it that way. Because if I was your normal kind of Avatar, I would be limited. Limited by your experiences... limited by the World''s expectations and compared to my past lives. Who wants that kind of existence? I will use this power to carve out my own destiny, Aang. Just watch me." I ranted, feeling my conviction grow stronger. I breathed out and stared back into the eyes of one of my childhood heroes. That wasn''t all... "I know you''re not really here and that it probably wouldn''t mean much even if you were to hear this, but I''ll say it anyway... for what it''s worth, I am sorry." Somehow, I felt...lighter. I turned my back on him and mentally connected with Hakai and Saisei to go back to the real world. The gray worked broke into pieces around me and I opened my eyes, finding myself lying on Hakai''s back before Iroh. I sat up, rubbing the small dragon''s back. Saisei was back in his sister''s shadow. "You must love tea a lot." I commented, referring to the table with a set of cups and a kettle pouring out steam between us. Iroh laughed. "A guilty pleasure of mine, I''ll concede." "Mmmhhh." I hummed reaching out for a cup. "May I?" I asked with a smile. Iroh nodded back with a matching one on his face. "Help yourself." I brought the cup before my nose and breathed it in. The aroma calmed me down. I took a sip and sighed out in contentment. My body instantly felt a relaxation seep through my muscles and bones. "So...you won." I stated, looking up at Iroh. "Yes. Yes I believe I did." I raised an eyebrow. This shameless old man. Iroh looked at my expression and laughed, his belly jiggling. I couldn''t help it, I also started chuckling. I might have lost the fight but something told me, I''d won something more valuable. The Weight Of The Avatar Mantle (General P.O.V) "You have questions. Questions I am sure you have had for some time. If you''re smart as I believe you are, questions that you will keep on asking and wondering about, even after getting the answers you seek. Because you can never be too careful when a mantle such as the Avatar is placed on your shoulders. Whichever being or beings chose you, did it for a reason." "The Avatar is not just a figure of absolute power in my world, he or she represents a deterrent force of good. A keeper of balance and a beacon of oneness. Of Harmony. They have the whole world in the palm of their hands. Removed from the day to day nuisances that plague normal folk yet their influence can be felt through every nation." "The cycle is a part of why his personage is very significant. However, the weight of that Mantle is less obvious. The Avatar is a figure of order, balance, harmony, power and¡­ immortality. Which is both a curse and a blessing and the weight that can never be relinquished to another. A soldier fights knowing that they will either lose their lives in battle or win the war and go back to his family when the fight is over. The Avatar has no escape even in death. Every death is simply a new beginning. To continue the never ending fight with chaos. The never ending struggles with the fickle morality of men." "I lived through a time of great suffering. Some of it caused by my own hands. I have seen things I want to forget dearly but cannot. Yet, The Avatar has lived through dozens of wars, times of so great a strife, the world seemed to be on the brink of total destruction. I need you to understand. That weight¡­that weight never gets easier. Which is why, to bear that weight of memories and experiences, The Avatar''s spirit is much stronger in comparison to a normal human''s. Their soul is blinding in its light. Powerful enough to enforce a balance between the material world and the spirit world." Iroh concluded his explanation on the true weight Aden carried on his shoulders. The teen had never thought about it that far deep. But he felt that those were words he had needed to hear. To never lose his purpose and to know just what sort of burden he was tasked with. Aden had teleported them out of the Fire Plane onto an Island far away from Sanctuary. A fire burned between them, providing light in the gazebo Aden had constructed some time back, with the intention of relaxation. The tea table set was off to the side, the kettle still pouring out steam. The island itself boasted a clear reef that was filled with coral outcrops. Fish of different kinds swam through the water providing a beautiful obstructed scenery of marine life. As it was nighttime, the sky was awash with the light of stars. Despite the Elemental Dimension being huge, measuring hundreds of thousands of miles, all that area was confined to 5 sections of land separated by space time shenanigans. Each section represented an element, so there was no way the stars shining above were part of Aden''s creation. The most likely explanation, was that it was a scene of the normal view of the night sky from planet earth. Unfortunately Aden could not recognize any of the constellations. He hadn''t really tried to figure it out, content in just enjoying the scene without ruining the magic. "I understand you''re still curious about what sort of being I am. What is your understanding about spirits?" Iroh asked the teen. Aden affectionately ran his hand over Hakai''s scales, absentmindedly. "Well, not a lot. I didn''t even know that Hakai and Saisei were spirits until they intervened in our fight. I only thought that Hakai was a special but curious dragon." The spirit in question nuzzled her snout onto his neck making Aden chuckle a little at the action. ''Dumb.'' Hakai spoke through the link, referring to Aden''s mistake about their identity. Iroh laughed as Aden scratched his head in a little embarrassment. I mean, if he''d been a little bit more attentive, he could have found that out easily but oh well¡­ "My knowledge about spirits is not expansive enough. All I know is that they are supernatural entities that often embody concepts of life and nature. They live in a parallel plane of reality that co-exists alongside the mortal world." "A textbook response. Not wrong but woefully shallow. Spirits are more than just Supernatural Entities embodying different concepts. At some point, that embodiment becomes so concrete that they themselves become that concept. That case only happens when a Spirit fully crosses over to the mortal world, however. We have had a few instances of this happening. Twee and La. The ocean and moon spirits are prime examples of this." This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Iroh took a sip of his tea as Aden nodded in contemplation. "What about Hakai and Saisei? You said that a spirit could fully cross over to the mortal world. Does that mean that there is a different plane of existence where they came from or were they actualized as full spirits of fire?" Aden wondered. The implications not lost to him. The existence of his own version of the spirit world existing right under him without his own knowledge would be... disconcerting. Iroh shook his head, scratching his beard in slight puzzlement. "In the case of Hakai and Saisei, I find myself similarly stumped. To know more about their origins, you will have to strengthen your spirit and learn how to meditate. The Avatar is the bridge between the mortal world and the spirit plane. As I mentioned earlier, your spirit is much weaker than even a spiritually attuned bender from my world." Aden nodded, trying to figure out how he was going to deal with this new information. "Oh one more thing, how did you become a spirit?" Aden questioned before he forgot. He already had a lot to think about. Iroh stilled and placed the cup in his hands back on the table set beside him. His face looked grim above the fire as he stared back at the young Avatar. Silence dominated the grounds until Aden thought the old general was not going to answer. Iroh sighed, suddenly looking older. "War is impure. You can never know it''s price until the pain you inflict on your enemies is felt by you. After losing my son...Lu Ten, I lost my purpose and drive. And for a Firebender, conviction is needed to muster up the energy inside us. I used that excuse to leave but the truth was, I was finally fed up. Karma had caught up to me and extracted her fair price." "I needed to find myself again, for I was changed man. So I journeyed across the lands, trying to piece back the shards of my soul. During that time, I saw first hand the impact of my actions. The impact of the Fire Nation''s hubris. All that pain and hatred fueled for a meaningless campaign to conquer a world that was already united through the Avatar under one banner. I sought to know the real truth about how, where and when it all went wrong. And the understanding I came to was that I could not understand my grandfather''s actions." "This further led to me wanting to know more about the fickleness of human morality. From Sozin''s point of view, he was not doing anything wrong and the fire nation thrived under his rule yet...he was a monster to others. Who chooses what values to follow and instill? Sozin chose an extreme form of patriotism. A world that was driven forward by the teachings and principles of Firebending. Yet, his goals blinded his eyes to the truth...that the nations were different for a reason but not separate. I learned of the Avatar''s true role in existence." "A never ending crusade to maintain balance, stretched out over hundreds of years and I learned from history...his true purpose...it was not to keep the world safe or balance, it was to keep the world moving. No matter how many wounds it sustained, the Avatar was merely a panacea to the symptoms. Content to lie in wait to deal with the next crisis that arose. Crisis formed by the combination of two things, human immorality and... bending." Iroh''s face grimaced. "I entered a dark phase then. Coming to the conclusion that war, pain and suffering would not stop. This war would end, only for another to spring up long after I was gone. And the reason for that was twofold. I could not change how people think but I could change their instrument to inflict pain on others... bending." Aden sucked in a breath. The look on Iroh''s face as he recalled his life...it looked like the face of someone who had been saved from commiting a despicable act. "Bending was at fault. Bending was the reason my son was stolen from me. Bending was the root of all evil." Iroh closed his eyes. "Grief oftentimes can bring out the worst in us. I wanted to burn the world. To rid it of this cursed affliction. To me, bending was the enemy and so I set out to find a way I could kill this affliction. The only lead I had was spirits. So I journeyed everywhere, my heart blazing with conviction and fire. Each step I took, dimmed that fire however. Because just as I was convinced that bending was evil and bad, I saw pure acts of love and joy that it also brought. The water-benders used it to provide clean water and heal, the earth-benders used it to build new structures and save people from the Fire nation. And the tales as well as the philosophies of the air-benders showed me their tranquil approach to life. They loved, lived and died holding on to the purest expression of their own bending." "By the end of my journey, as I stood before Wan Shi Tong...I was completely exhausted. Exhausted by my hate for earthbenders and Firebenders and bending in general...I only wanted it all to stop. For me to go back to those, peaceful times underneath the Sakura tree with my son. Wan Shi Tong showed me a new path...one of wisdom and true union of consciousness with the world. Inside that library, I was touched by a spirit. Which allowed me to attain spiritual attunement. I learned all I could. And then set to the world to curve out my path. Not to defeat or stop the Fire Nation but to show them a different way. At the end of my life, that touch by a spirit coupled with my own spiritual growth enabled me to ascend as a spirit of knowledge seeking and wisdom." Iroh completed his story. At the end of it, Aden knew what to do. The teen knelt on his knees and bowed, his forehead touching the ground in heartfelt humility. "Please teach me, Grandmaster." Young Justice Interlude (General P.O.V) ( North of Japan - Sea of Okhotsk) "We should¡­escape, this is soo not how¡­ I wanted to spend my weekend." Wally complained, breathing heavily. He dropped the two buckets of water he was carrying on the ground to swat a mosquito that was trying to land on his face, with superspeed then he caught the buckets before they could fall more than an inch. He bent his legs to keep the same angle as before, in line with the rules. "Shhhh. Don''t let him¡­ hear you complain or else he will torture us even more." Artemis whispered at their resident speedster. She was tired but was not as out of breath as Wally. She nudged him with her foot to keep walking. Robin was already a couple of steps ahead of them, straining under his load. The goal was to carry two buckets of water on both hands. The twist being the arms needed to be outstretched straight to the sides. If any of them were seen lowering them for even a second, a peeble would shoot out of the darkening forest and hit them. It gets worse. Whenever any of them were hit, another trip down the mountain towards the stream was added. Wally had already added one trip to their initial ten. The speedster being impatient and thinking he could cheat by using his Super-Speed. This sort of exercise was nothing to Robin. Batman was harsher to him during any of their spars. However, that notion was quickly broken as more and more trips were added to the initial number. His arms shook. Tired and stiff. The weight had not increased whatsoever but the strain had more than doubled after each successive trip. It didn''t help that the mountain was steep. They were currently in an island near Japan called Kumashijima. It was inhabited due to the weird weather phenomenon and ocean currents that made docking on the island a headache. "Ok¡­I agree. This¡­this is sooo not¡­how I wanted to spend my weekend either." Robin said. They had finally done it. They had filled up the clay tank, he had instructed them to. "I just¡­want Pizza¡­a nice, hot long shower and sleep." Artemis added from her position. "Me too¡­but add like 50¡­more pizza slices¡­ something to drink¡­a soda maybe¡­then churrios, fries, a burger and then a shower and sleep." "Ew." Artemis commented at Wally''s voracious appetite, making Robin chuckle a little. Then their own personal torture expert appeared. "If you have the energy to laugh and talk¡­it means you''re ready to go again." Of course they groaned. Richard Dragon laughed, hands on his hips as he remembered the exercises, O-Sensei had ingrained into them. Him, Bruce, Shiva and Ben had faced similar challenges and¡­he honestly wondered how they even made it out intact. Then again, everything O-Sensei instructed them to do was an exercise that hid the lesson underneath layers of pain, frustration and exhaustion. Richard was only continuing the Legacy. "Get up or you''re going for another trip down the mountain. Your choice." He told them with a glint in his eyes. "God, M''gann had the right idea to train with her uncle." Wally grumbled as they all got back up. To think that these ''island getaways'' were planned for 3 more weekends made Artemis wish she''d known what they''d been getting into. Then again, while Richard was a slave driver, he was no Crusher. Her dad was an aggressive piece of shit that didn''t know when to stop. (Elsewhere) (Earth''s Atmosphere) "M''gann, your telepathic potential is the highest I have ever seen. And that is taking into account both sister planets. Your technique however, lacks finesse." J''onn J''onzz informed his niece. They were above the Earth''s atmosphere on Bio-ship. The walls of the Martian craft provided a clear see-through scenery of space and the earth in all it''s glory. "For some time now, I have wanted to us complete your lessons with no interruptions or¡­ distractions." Manhunter told her prompting M''gann to blush and look away as the image of Connor and then of Aden appeared in her mind. "I¡­ don''t know what you mean uncle." She said bashfully. Manhunter smiled fondly. "Very well, M''gann. Now it''s important we get right to it. The mind is a flexible tool with practically no limits. It''s how we perceive the world. How we attach meaning to nebulous, tangible and intangible aspects of reality. Our eyes see, our ears listen, our noses smell, our tongues taste flavors and our skin feels but that is not the true crispness of reality. It''s all the mind attaching definition to our perceptions." Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! M''gann nodded as she listened attentively. Uncle J''onn was one of the premier Manhunters in her home world. If there was anyone who could help her get to a level where she could harmlessly take down Aden by the use of her mind, it would be him. "Martians are blessed with the capability to mend or break a mind. The Latter is something abhorred. Each mind is a sanctuary to the core of oneself. Mess with one and I wouldn''t wish that fate upon my worst enemies." M''gann rubbed her hand nervously. Sometimes¡­ sometimes her fear and anger felt overwhelming to the point where she could feel herself losing control of that power. Especially during the fight with Aden¡­she had felt as if she was on the brink of blasting him apart. Her friend who had betrayed her and left. The prime reminder of her past sins. Aden had betrayed them, just as she had betrayed her brother M''comm. What if she had another bad day and¡­and¡­ "M''gann¡­ your psychic presence is in disarray. Calm down." Her Uncle''s voice brought her back. He looked concerned and worried, making her feel guilty. She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down to ease his worries. "Perhaps we should move on to our lesson on shape shifting? We can come back to the mind exercises later on." Manhunter suggested. M''gann nodded, happy and relieved with the suggestion. "Yes¡­that would be great Uncle." (Elsewhere) (Poseidonis - Atlantis) "There is no such thing as weak sorcery. Only a weak practitioner. In simple terms, Magic is a tool to access the world''s vast impalpable resources. Magic and sorcery are the basis of mystical powers. Again, magic can be considered a substance and sorcery the manipulation of that substance. It can be a shortcut but I advice you not to think of it that way. Magic always comes with a price. That is the first rule you should know. It is as Ironclad as the foundations of Poseidonis itself. If you exhaust your magical reserves, the spell WILL take from your vim vitae or life force so be advised, never bite off more than you can chew." Queen Mera, The Headmistress of the Conservatory of Sorcery and the Atlantean minister of magic was giving a lecture to the first year class. Connor was a part of it and he was... bored. That is not to say he wasn''t attentive or did not get what she was explaining. However, Connor wanted to get right into it. But, he understood he had to take matters slow. His fists clenched. He would do anything to get that feeling of power again. This time... however, he was going to keep it. His hand shot up and caught the pen thrown at him from the head of the class. Queen Mera looked at him with her eyes narrowed. "Connor, I expect you to pay full attention to the lecture when you''re in my class." She said sternly. A few giggles sounded out from the other students. Connor cleared his throat. "Sorry Headmistress. Understood." He said, pressing down on the urge to blow up rudely. He wasn''t that short fused guy anymore. He liked to believe he had changed. Queen Mera nodded. "Good. Moving on. Anyone can use magic. But not everyone is naturally gifted or possesses the necessary requirements to become adept. Let me explain, Atlanteans are all natural magic users. The first of Atlantean Homo Magi were descended from Arion and over thousands of years through breeding, that gene has been passed down generations, ensuring that almost every Atlantean can use magic but to varying degrees. The more pure and closer your bloodline is to Arion, the more easily sorcery comes to you." Connor''s hand rose up. "You have a question Connor?" He nodded. "I just wanted to know, what if you don''t have that Homo Magi Gene? For example, in the case of a normal human." It was something he wondered due to his own special heritage. Superman was a Kryptonian and his powers came from a biological source rather than a mystical one and his other side was Luthor. And from what he knew, he was more into science than Sorcery. Otherwise being as resourceful as Luthor was, there was no doubt he would tap into magic and bring about a fresh hell for Superman. "A good question. Homo Magi are hardly exclusive to Atlanteans. People like Zatara are natural magic wielders. Homo Magi use a form of magic called direct magic. However in the case of people with no talent for that, they practice Indirect magic. The whole branch is called Occultism. Where practitioners channel magic through objects to power their sorcery." Connor''s eyes lit up. So there was a way. "Is that what the Atlanteans tattoos are?" He asked, curious about Kaldur''s Waterbearers and glowing skin. "No, The Skin Icons are used to enhance sorcery. In my case, I can still use magic even without activating them. However activating the inscriptions can help increase the effects of your sorcery." When the Lecture ended Connor felt that he had made the right choice. He waited until everyone had filed out of the class before walking over towards Queen Mera. "Yes Connor, what can I do for you?" She asked, turning her attention from her tomes. "I wanted to ask...is there a way to find out if I have the Homo Magi Gene?" Connor had decided he would try everything. If it turned out he didn''t have the natural access to magic...then Occultism it was. Either way, he wasn''t giving up. The Air Spirit (Aden''s P.O.V) A chilly breeze ruffled my hoodie. Luckily, I had made sure to always have a change of clothes waiting for me just incase I went ham during training. And I was grateful that I''d thought that farhead because after the fight with Iroh, I had come out looking like a homeless person who had survived a bomb blast from close range but luckily was a Kryptonian with hardened skin and didn''t suffer any injuries except for their clothes getting destroyed. Don''t mind the absurd analogy. It was proof of just how tired I was that my brain couldn''t come up with anything better. Anyway, a few hours had gone by after our spar, the evening transitioning fully into night. Sanctuary atleast seemed to follow the same day and night cycle as the outside world. However, the four¡­well two Elemental Planes did not seem to have a day and night rotation. They stayed the same, regardless of time. It made for some weird incidences where you felt out of sync with the world, transitioning from daylight to night time. Iroh and I had talked about a lot of things. Chief of whom being to address the potential presence of another spirit in my Elemental Dimension. Unfortunately, I hadn''t had a lot of time in the Air Dimension, because my attention had mostly been focused on mastering Fire-bending. Iroh stressed the importance of forming a bond or at least a connection with the resident spirit if there was one, to avoid hostility as I ''encroached'' in its territory. A feature of the Elemental Dimension was that nothing could hurt me. Whether direct or indirect. I had full control and precedence inside. I was the master, creator and god of this realm. There was no other sovereignty above me. So I knew the chances of hostility were astronomically low to the point of being impossible. However, he had a point. Plus¡­he was now my teacher. Kinda. I still had no idea what he was going to teach me. Infact we hadn''t talked about it. Huh¡­I might have jumped the gun on that one. Still, it felt like the right thing to do at the time. Iroh was a wealth of knowledge. I would be a fool not to learn from him. Iroh and I sat in meditation poses while facing each other. He had stressed that meditation allowed oneself to calm the mind and open their spiritual awareness out into the world. "Before we begin, I need to understand something. You asked to be my student, are you absolutely sure about that? It is a commitment you cannot back away from." He questioned me seriously. I took a minute to think through my decision. I had never had a teacher. That is if you discount Canary''s instructions on martial arts. But this was different. This felt more¡­tangible. More more. Like Batman and Robin. The only difference was I knew Iroh would question my decisions but never interfere. He wasn''t Batman. I was wary of putting myself under someone''s tutelage like that because my pride rebelled against someone above me. It shouted out that I had done fine on my own. But the first step towards growth for me¡­was accepting I needed help. I needed someone to call me out when I went too far. Or got lost. Someone who had seen more of the world than I had. Thinking of it like that made it much easier to look deep into the old general''s eyes and say¡­ "It would be an honor¡­Teacher." Iroh nodded. "Then it would be an honor as well. However, I am not going to teach you about bending. Correct your form, maybe. Spar with you, of course. but it is my belief that bending is personal. I can show you the path but you will have to walk it alone." I gave a curt nod. Infact I agreed wholeheartedly. Somehow it felt like a step by step process of, do this do that would be detrimental to my practice instead of him just correcting my form or sparring with me. But that brought up the question of what he would be teaching me then. I stared at him in interest. "Then¡­ permit me to ask Teacher, what will you actually teach me?" I questioned. Instead of telling me, Iroh waved his hands, the limb left echoes and orange afterimages in the air, along it''s paths. My eyes widened as he seemed to blend into space. "The Flow. A spiritual resonance with the consciousness of the world. That way you will increase your comprehension while cleansing your spirit." It only took a second for him to not feel out of place with the rocks, mist or clouds in the Air Dimension. Whatever skill he was using allowed him to become a part of the essence of the world. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. He cut off the effects of the ability suddenly. "Focus. That will be for another time. I still need to understand your world better to get a perspective on how I should teach you. Some of my instructions might not be effective here." He stated. I was highly doubtful of that because I knew, in the case of morals and values the two worlds were not all that different. However, just before I could assure him of the same, I stopped. In actuality, this presented the perfect opportunity to kill 2 birds with one stone. You see, I had a backlog of shit to do. Most of which were things I wasn''t sure I needed Iroh to see or know about. It was smart to always have a back up plan. Chief of those delayed things, was the stalled upgrade of my realm. Secondary was trying to figure out a way to help Match. He had been in a pod for most of his life and used as weapon. I needed to help him. To that effect, it would be better if Iroh wasn''t present as I took care of that business and a few other things. "Alright. I could open a portal in Washington near The Library of Congress. I don''t know if getting in will be viable for you without an I.D or if they even ask for one but it is the biggest public library in the U.S." I mused. Iroh seemed interested in the proposal. "You can learn alot about the geography, history and the general political principles as well as the day to day life and struggles of the common Americ¡­person." He thought it over and agreed. "Mmmh that would be appreciated." "Awesome!" I said a little too excited. I wonder what Iroh would make of the internet. Oh boy. "But you will need a change of clothes, teacher. I don''t know if you noticed but¡­" I motioned to his clothes and then mine. "What is wrong with my robes?" He asked in confusion. "Nothing really. But it''s very distinct. The style matches feudal Japanese culture. It''s a country in the Northern and Eastern Hemisphere of the planet. You will stand out too much. And for the time being, we should try to avoid that. Atleast until I find a way to set you up with an identity." I explained. We discussed a few more things of note until we had a clear plan on how to go about things. The question of where he would rest and live was also decided on. Iroh cited the fact that if humans were the same as the ones in his world, then pollution had heavily scarred nature, staining it''s essence. so he was content to remain in the Elemental Dimension where the essence of the world was still fresh and clean. "Breathe in. Sink your mind into a non dominant state. A state of relief. A state of vulnerability." I listened to his voice and did as he said. We hard finally begun and it was hard. The mind is not designed to not think. The good thing was that he was not telling me to not think. He was telling me to open myself up. To let the tightly locked walls down. To let go and leave myself exposed. "Breathe out. Feel your worries and stress wash away with the tidal wave of thoughts." I had meditated before. It wasn''t anything knew to me, yet¡­this felt different. "The world bars no doors. It is welcoming to all. Even those who seek to do it harm. In this mental state, your spirit attunement vibrates at the same frequency as the chi in the air. And so¡­the world opens up to you." My spirit rose up and just like he said¡­I could see. No not see, sight was inconsequential¡­I could perceive. "That is the right way to use spirit attunement. Not to see or hear but to perceive through the world. To sense through your core." I sank into a trance. My spiritual attunement sustained through the world essence itself. And in that state I could feel¡­ something. A fleeting moment. Different from the flying bisons populating the peaks of mountains that were covered in clouds and mists. I searched for that feeling and felt it again. This time in the opposite direction of where I had initially had it. My spirit spread out, trying to valiantly hold on to that feeling¡­ "Do not strain yourself. Use the world as a medium. Once you open yourself up to it, it becomes an extension of you." Iroh''s voice cut through my concentration. Making me fall back. He was right. I couldn''t force this. I breathed in and eased myself into the gentle sway of the world. The feeling grew bigger and more prominent. Evolving from just a feeling to a presence. Yet, I did not pursue it. I did not try to pull on it. All I did was feel and perceive. And then I felt a childish giggle echo out through the mountains followed by Iroh''s boisterous laughter. "Hello little one. You are a mischievous one, aren''t you?" He asked. I opened my eyes with a smile on my face. Fleeting about my face, blowing raspberries towards Iroh was a small wisp of light. Glowing dust fell down where she flew, she had the size of Tinkerbell but I knew that that was deceptive. Her real shape was a huge cloud that took up space in the whole sky of the air dimension. She could also change her shape into anything. She saw me watching her and fleeted about happily before landing on my outstretched palm. "Hello Breeze." I greeted, a link forming between us. "Hello!" A precocious small voice sounded out. Introductions (Aden''s P.O.V) I concentrated on the link I had established with all three of my Spirits. "COME." I requested. According to Iroh, a spirit embodying a concept or in this case element, usually would not leave it''s abode. Meaning Hakai and Saisei could not leave the Fire Dimension and Similarly, Breeze could not go out of the Air Dimension. The key word being Usually. Iroh speculated that due to my ''unique'' position and circumstances as the Lord of the Realm, I could in a sense¡­allow it. So after meeting Breeze, I decided to try it out while on Sanctuary, to see if they could use our link to access the main dimension, the energy plane. There was a slight shimmer in the air and a brief energy pop before a slight breeze ruffled my hoodie and surrounded me. I chuckled a little as the air started carrying me in the air. I looked down and saw a smiling Iroh, staring up. The breeze was gentle and it was a novel experience. Usually I had to use my will to nudge the air to carry me. To be honest though, floating as I was, I realized that it wasn''t all that different from when I was flying by myself. The strain had considerably lessened ever since I''d become a Grand Master. 2 more presences made themselves known as Hakai and Saisei flew beside me. They danced in glee, winding over my form, in graceful twists and turns. Breeze suddenly sped me up. "Whoa." I said, a little surprised as she moved me in a similar pattern to the dragon twins. I realized that she was copying them¡­ And to be sure, I felt the feeling of shock and surprise which soon gave way to giddy excitement as she realized she wasn''t the only spirit around. I shared those feelings with Hakai and Saisei, linking all of us together. "Hakai, Saisei meet Breeze." I said through the link, sending an image and impression of a little girl who turned into an adorable cloud to them. I felt a wave of elation from Hakai and shy acceptance from Saisei. "Breeze, meet your brother and sister, Saisei and Hakai." I told the precocious bundle of free energy that was Breeze. Her feelings were of unbridled joy with undertones of excitement. "Breeze¡­Friend? Family?" Hakai wondered, making me open my eyes in surprise as we landed. That was the first time she had said more than one word. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I landed a bit unsteadily as Breeze lost control in her excitement, chanting yes several times in a row. The twins flew down and above Iroh and I, in circles before swooping down and snuggling with me. I chuckled a little, rubbing their scales. Iroh gave me a nod from where he stood. I nodded back and stepped away from the twins. Hakai cocked her head in question. I merely smiled and turned my attention to the link. "Breeze¡­you can materialize now." I told my Air Spirit who was suddenly very shy. "Come on¡­" "No¡­" I rolled my eyes at the sudden change in behavior. "Come out or else you''re going to miss out on all of the fun¡­tell you what, you guys can play all you want." I enticed her. "Play!?" I chuckled as a draft of air suddenly materialized into the shape of a little Fairy. She was dressed in a light green dress that reached to her knees, had on a funny little helmet made in the shape of a Flying Bison head with the horns shooting straight to the sky and the Arrow glowing green atop the white Helmet. Her hair was a lime green, with green eyes and a cute face and sharp little fangs. This seemed to be her favorite form. She darted to my neck and hid from Hakai and Saisei, peeking from the side of my neck. I sighed and lifted her by her little dress, dropping her on my palm. Hakai, Saisei¡­this is Breeze, she''s an air spirit." 2 minutes later, Iroh and I were watching as the Spirits flew above the sky, playing. It hadn''t taken too long for them to become fast friends. "Now that you can allow them access to the main dimension, it figures that they can even follow you out to the real world." Iroh observed. I shook my head. "I''m not taking them outside with me. I can''t. They''re not ready for that just yet. If ever." I replied, feeling the critical look he gave me before nodding and staring at the three innocent spirits. "Good." He approved. (Later) The boom tube opened up to my room. I walked through and threw myself on the bed. I frowned as my back landed on something. Just then, my phone started chiming with a few missed calls, some app notifications and a text from Maze. I swiped the screen and at the back of my mind, marveled as I usually did at just how advanced the tech of this world was. The Wayne phone I had was easy to use, had no lag and it''s slim design put my original world''s smart phone to shame. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I opened the text and read it. Maze: Sup Kid, Luci and I will be gone for a few days. We got something to take care of. I left you some cash on your bed and if you need anything, talk to the staff. Nobody wants you to burn the whole building down because you tried to cook. Later. Maze: Hey Kid, if a dude dressed in a long black cloak, with white eyes appears, telling you to ''go with him''...yeah forget anything you were taught about strangers and just follow along...it''s kinda important. Think of it as you next mission. Maze: Luci says, ''Don''t touch my Jazz records or I''ll curse your descendants for all eternity.'' I frowned at the second message and scoffed at the last. As if I''d bring harm to the true flavor of African American music. Jazz was...is an inspiration. See, and old people say this gen x are so uneducated in the ways of life. Looking at you Dad. I sighed and cut off my useless train of thought. I reached underneath me and pulled out a stack of dollar bills. Just a grand. Huh... speaking of which, Maze nor Luci had ever so blatantly given me money, they must have thought they would be gone for some time. I wonder if it''s to do with her second cryptic text. A stranger with a long black cloak and white eyes huh? Sounds familiar. Oh well, if it happens, it happens I guess. I rose up and wobbled on my feet. Exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks. My body was relatively untired just sleepy and the fact that I had been active for the past 24 hours just compounded it. I had already taken a shower back in the Sanctuary, so I dug into my sheets and slept like a log. The next day saw me get some donuts and a cup of coffee to go for my guest back in the Elemental Dimension. I had been wary of getting Iroh tea, thinking he would probably hate it due to the kind he was used to. The boom tube opened in the alley behind the coffee shop. I waved at the homeless dude who looked as if he''d seen a ghost, throwing him a five controlled by the air, before plunging in. So apparently, Iroh''s version of sleep is meditation. The twins and Breeze were nowhere to be seen though and using our links, I could feel that they were back to their dimensions. Of course, I had permanently given them access to the Main dimension. Breeze had particularly enjoyed whizzing past the island and animals in the main dimension because the only creatures in the Air Plane were Flying Bisons. For her it was more friends to play with. I set the coffee and donuts to the side, using my Realm master status to maintain a small field of heat around them to make sure they remained at an optimal temperature and then I started meditating too. I did as Iroh had instructed me, taking deep breaths and releasing them while opening myself up to the essence of the world. I had no idea how much time had passed but when I opened my eyes later, it was to the sight of the box of donuts lying to the side, empty while the coffee looked untouched. I raised an eyebrow at my master. "Teacher, how...did you get the tea set here?" I asked pointing to the small black table with a familiar kettle and two cups placed on it. Did he have a Hammerspace like I did? "A magician never reveals his tricks." He told me and winked. I snorted at the cliche'' saying. "Anyway...not a fan of coffee huh?" He made a face. "No. Too bitter." I slapped myself on the forehead. "But the tea you make is even more so!" "No, tea refreshes the mind, my young student." He said in a profound and serious tone. "Plus...all the cool old people like it." He added, ruining the atmosphere. "Did you at least like the donuts?" I asked already knowing the answer. Iroh scratched his beard. "So that is what they''re called? I wish to have more of these...donuts. I found them very tasty." I smiled. "Good. But trust me, you have a lot more to try if you think donuts are tasty. We''ll see if you won''t change your tune once you dip fries in a milkshake. Absolute heaven." We idly chatted until Iroh told me to show him my other skills apart from bending. I demonstrated, my chi-blocking skills going further to show him the air variation, called Dragon Fist, a skill that had not seen much use, my expert hand to hand combat that I''d learned from Black Canary and my skill with a blade that I had...taught myself from inspiration gotten from different media and tutorial videos. Iroh had been shocked at how I wasn''t dead yet. He called my chi-blocking skills adequate, my hand to hand combat subpar ''atleast I could throw a punch'' and my blade skills were criminal and an affront to masters like Piandao and Sokka. I was... suitably shocked. He then went further to explain the only reason I hadn''t gotten my ass kicked was because I was very good at mixing what I had. While fighting, I always had air sense, energy sense and recently spirit attunement activated for me to sense the battlefield. I leveraged my strength and speed to hit as hard and fast as I could and I fell back when I was outmatched and relied on my elements for quick and damaging attacks. He dissected my fighting style within seconds. Unfortunately, Iroh told me that he couldn''t teach me anything worthwhile in terms of unarmed combat or weapon skills. He wasn''t a true master in any of those and frankly my strong body ensured that I wouldn''t learn anything substantial and just fall to punching or kicking as hard as I could. Fortunately I knew where I could learn all that. It came with some...risk in the case of one of those ways but I was confident I could make it work. But, Iroh''s good news was that he would help me to seamlessly blend the abilities of my spirits with my sword whenever they combined. After coming up with a rough plan of what we would do for my spirit training, I opened a Boom Tube and we left for Washington. The last time I had been here was when I''d first been introduced to the sidekicks. A Thinly Veiled Threat (General P.O.V) The room was populated by only 4 people. In a move contrary to their usual arrangement, apart from their monthly mandatory meeting, Luthor had gathered the other members of the Light barring a few, one, Savage as he was placed in a stabilizing pod, a medical device that prolonged a patient''s life through a continuous injection of revitalizing drugs. Offshoots from the numerous tests done on Kobra-venom, blockbuster, mirakuru and other variants of the biological enhancing super drugs. The other missing party was Oceansmaster, who was derailed by a¡­mission. Said mission was access to Kon-El, the Superboy to try and secretly acquire a blood sample as a backup incase Luthor''s plan didn''t bear any fruit. The last was Klarion who was terrorizing the trench. The only expendable target The Light could hope to lose. He was the subject matter along with a few more things. Apart from those three, everyone else was in attendance. They were all being hosted by Queenbee at a heavily guarded mansion complete with wards and magical blocks courtesy of the best Magicians, money or power could afford. The normal security was not to joke with, either. Top of the line military grade weapons with agents trained to be the best, high end cameras from Lexcorp, the shit that would make any paranoid tech billionaire cream their pants at the specs, heat and motion sensors that had incredible ranges, an aerial detection system that could detect an object as small as a mockingbird from hundreds of miles away and to top it all off, an AI system that was complex enough to sift and process through all that data from the radar. This mansion was more secure than Fort Knox and the White House. Lex would know¡­he had the government contracts after all. In the lavish room, adorned with expensive carpets, drapes and furniture, the group sat around a table. Lex was at the head, with Queenbee at his immediate left, then Ra''s Al Ghul at his right followed by Brain who was seated the furthest from him. "I do not see the I''importance de nous recountrer like this Monsieur Luthor. It''s valuable time I could be carrying out my research, comprendre, no?" The brain said in a french accent. "He is not wrong. I find myself losing faith due to our recent failures. It does not reflect well on what the Shadows represent." Ra''s spoke up. Normally he would be content to sit and listen, being a man of words only when he felt the need. Luthor nodded and turned to Queenbee, patiently waiting for her to say her own piece. Queenbee narrowed her eyes, Luthor had been expecting their dissatisfaction and was prepared. It wasn''t a surprise he was letting them air out their grievances. "We have not achieved some of our objectives. Either stalled due to recent developments." She said, subtly referring to Savage''s incarceration. "Or the need to lay low due to Klarion acting as a loose canon." Two problems that were intimately linked. Luthor clasped his hands onto the table, ready to speak now that the rest had said what they had to say. The familiar charisma was put on display as he smoothly adjusted his cufflinks. "The power balance has dramatically shifted. And not in our favor." He acknowledged. "Fortunately, it does not seem to be on the hero''s side as well. They too have lost just as much if not more than we have." "Mmmh but how does that help with our current...difficulties?" Ra''s Al Ghul posited. "I was getting there." Luthor replied. " The Light''s mission has been one of intellectual progression. Meaning we see what others of... regular disposition fail to. We track the trends and stack the cards in our favor. We plan and we succeed." He smiled, leaning in "Think of it this way, almost everything we have come up with has worked. What hasn''t has taught us, we have learned from it and have not repeated the same mistake twice. This...funk is not the end. No... I''d like to think of it as the new beginning." Luthor''s smile was wide. "You''re parlant...but I''m not hearing any solutions...just re-assurances. We need to address the elephant or rather the mort rouge wrecking havoc in the underwater kingdoms. It''s not our way to waste resources...and the Trench, would make for viable expendable test subjects." The Brain commented. "I would also like to address the Chaos Lord''s current behavior." Queenbee seconded. Instead of speaking, Luthor smirked as he held out his hand to the side. Mercy handed him a Lexcorp pad. He tapped a few keys and then a red light was spewed from the Pad''s in device projector. The holographic visual feed wavered for a few seconds before stabilizing into a clip that begun playing. A video showing Vandal Savage, dressed in his regal outfit with hands clasped behind his back. His face showed the same impassive expression. The face and eyes of a man who had seen it all that few things ever surprised him anymore. The face of a man with a grand goal. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Everyone in the room stared intently at the video. "If you''re seeing this, then I assume two things have happened. Two things that are related more than you realize. I am either dead which is highly unlikely or currently indisposed due to a rather unfortunate meeting with a past enemy and because of this, Klarion is off his leash. This spells more danger for the world than you can understand." He closed his eyes as if recalling a past incident. "Let me get two things out of the way, Project Rebirth WILL work. Whatever doubts and weakening resolve towards our mission you harbour, get rid of them. And the second thing is, you cannot control Klarion, merely point him towards a target and leave him to his devices. The Trench are fast breeders, that should give you enough time to enact Project Rebirth. I estimate 2 months before he grows tired. If I am not around by then...the world will shake to it''s core." The clip shimmered before disappearing as the video ended. Queenbee slammed her hands on the table and got up! "That was a thinly veiled threat!" She understood as did everyone that Savage was giving them an ultimatum to ensure that they did not decide unanimously to do away with him. Ra''s looked at Luthor calmly. In fact he had come here with the proposal to do just that. Then the plan had been to seize control of the Light''s numerous resources to efficient the Shadow''s involvement with the world. Luthor looked at him through the corner of his eye and a conversation happened between the two that went unnoticed by the affronted Queenbee and the thoughtful Brain. Ra''s decided that he had lost this round and acquiesced to Luthor with a small nod. "Let me guess, Monsieur Luthor, Klarion''s next targets after the 2 month deadline is over are Metropolis, the portion of the middle east spanning Bialya." Queenbee grew incensed at that, grinding her teeth as she felt anger that threatened to consume her psyche. The Brain continued, headless or disregarding the Leader of Bialya''s fury. "Atlantis, Infinity Island and my own small piece of the gateau, France." Luthor gave a curt nod. "Well played Monsieur Savage. Well played indeed." Luthor adjusted his tie, the small smile slipping off his face as he turned serious. "For Project Rebirth to go off without a hitch...we need to get Superman all alone. The Justice League will be currently occupied with mitigating Klarion''s endeavours. Wary of his...chaos fueled actions leaking out into the other underwater states. He is under compelling instructions not to let them see him. We cannot let the League know that we''re the ones behind this because, they will have their guard up. I will lure Superman away by using a unique frequency only Kryptonians can hear and then let Lobo do the rest. Their samples will be a major help not only for Project Rebirth but also for Project Godblood. Are we on the same page?" They didn''t like it, but they ended up nodding along. "The good thing about all this, is that you can renegotiate your initial demands with him. Say what you will about Vandal, he might be a bastard but he is a fair one." Luthor said in an uncharacteristically snarl. Queenbee smirked inwardly, seems like Lex was also mad at the position he had been forced in. If Project Rebirth failed...Metropolis was done for. The only one who could control the Chaos lord was in a comma after all. (General P.O.V) Lex was back in Metropolis. He stood on a balcony looking out into the city with a glass of wine in his hands. The earlier easy smile was nowhere to be seen. "None of them seemed concerned. A figure like Savage is not someone to trifle with. To push him to the lengths the immortal has gone to...I assess the threat of this enemy of his is more than the others can handle knowing of?" A clear voice sounded out from inside the room. Ra''s was seated on the lone couch with a wide view of the room, a tendency he had normalized to be prepared for any attack. His left leg was crossed over his right and a similar wine glass was in his right hand. Lex scoffed. "They cannot begin to comprehend how dangerous these times are. Yet danger comes with its own share of opportunities." Luthor went silent and then made a name drop to answer Ra''s question. "Lucifer." The distinct sound of glass shattering from behind him made him frown even more. (Aden''s P.O.V) So apparently, Iroh hated suits. Yeah...I was surprised and also not. He said the outfit was too constricting to his movements. I mean...I understand, he''s from a martial arts heavy world. But come on...if not suits then what other formal wear could he go for? Then he surprised me by selecting Jeans, a pair of sneakers, a gray jacket and a black t-shirt. I was gobsmacked. I couldn''t reconcile the robe wearing master with this hunk that was leaving the women in the store, flushed in desire. And yes...one look at him and his nice attitude and the girl who was helping us out gave him her number. What the hell? Anyway, I paid and we left for the Library. Getting in was not as big a problem as I''d thought. Iroh got his bearings real quick, most definitely used to places like these. He looked to be in his element, going straight for the history books. I left him to his devices after explaining how to use a phone to contact me and got back to the Elemental Dimension. I stood before the Sconiad tower, looking inside at pod that was running tests and trying to come up with a way to fix Match. There was an option I wanted to see, if it could work for him. I dived into the link I had with my spirits. "Saisei, hey buddy. I need your help." The Directives (Aden''s P.O.V) It took a second for a reply to come. "Okay." The air shimmered beside me and with a pop, Saisei''s familiar form flew out, winding through the air happily before coming to a stop beside me, curiously looking at the Sconiad tower before us. The whole structure had grown larger, yet more compact and streamlined. It had lost it''s intimidating look and added a few more container like buildings attached to it''s foundation. I rubbed Saisei''s shiny green scales, something that both twins loved immensely. "Where are the girls?" I asked him and he snorted out a plume of flame, a bit annoyed. Then he sent me an image of them trying to prank a herd of Hippo Cows in one of the animal populated islands across the Main Dimension. The fact that they dragged him along on their escapades did not amuse him. I laughed as I got the sense I''d done him a favor by inviting him over. Of course that earned me a plume of fire to my face. "Sorry boy, I know it must get a little lonely being the only male spirit around." I told him only for him to cock his head to the side as if he was looking at an Idiot. Then he sent me an image of Iroh and I had to agree that he was technically right. "Iroh is more of a guest. He''s not a native. He''s not from here." I explained only to open up the line for more questions. "Then, where is he from? And where is here?" I was shocked. That was a clear and concise question when a day ago, they mostly talked in one word statements. They were growing smarter, it would seem. Maybe they benefited greatly from our link than I initially thought? I delved into the links and felt the bonds between all four of us were stronger somehow. More concrete. Saisei, nudged me with his snout, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Oh sorry about that buddy. Spaced out for a second." I cleared my throat and waved a hand to indicate the surroundings. "This is¡­home. Home can have many meanings. It can mean a place that gives you comfort and rest, away from everything else. It can mean a place that is filled with people you care about. Like Hakai, Breeze, Iroh and I. A family. It can also mean a place that you''ve grown up in. A place that is intimately familiar to you. A place that you fight with everything you got to protect." I paused to gauge his reaction and I could see him mulling over my words. I had done the best I could to explain but most of those concepts probably went over his head. They were smart, yes. But also young. "Home is¡­family? And friends?¡­" He tentatively asked me and I nodded with a smile, sending him positive feelings. "Home is warm." He said in a more confident tone, sending me an image of the Fire Dimension. Mind you all this was happening in a mental space. "Home is family and friends and warmth." He concluded. I smiled and rubbed his snout. "Good¡­ you''re getting it Saisei. And I was wondering if you could help me add another friend to our family." I told him, showing him an image of Match sleeping in a pod. Saisei went silent for a few seconds, turning his attention from me to the tower. Specifically, the Pod housing the Supermanling. Haha...I suck at names sometimes. Fine, all the time. Anyway, I could feel his intrigue and cautious interest. Saisei and the rest had only interacted with 2 people. Iroh and I. The former was more spirit than a person but you get the point. So the possibility of interacting with someone else must have been a very exciting prospect to the quiet dragon. "Come. Let''s get closer." I told him and walked towards the energy boundary. A slight tingle went through my body as I passed, Saisei following behind me once I utilized my Realm Master status to allow it. I placed a palm on the wall of the structure, intimately connecting with it''s functions and the Pod rose up from the ground and floated towards me. I stepped up to it and studied it''s build and the patient within. Match looked to be at peace. The snarling features portraying a huge anger were subdued. His solar suit had marks on it and was torn in some places, probably due to his fight with Terror but the skin underneath looked unblemished. "Tower, give me a status update on the primary directive, the secondary and the third in that order, please." I ordered, knowing the basic and rudimentary AI system would recognize my speech pattern and orders. A second later there was a text box. (Affirmative.) There was a hum and a pulse, before an Holographic visual image of Match appeared before us. (Primary Directive: Stabilizing The D.N.A of Subject 001 Match is pending at 49% due to a lack of resources and sufficient data.) I read out loud the next display box from the Realm that had appeared before my eyes. The Tower could communicate with me through the system. It wasn''t the first time and with Saisei being not the reading type, I saw no need to publicize the information on Match''s current condition. I waved the text box away. A lack of enough Data and Resources huh? Well now I''m unsure if Saisei can help him. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Open the Pod." I gave the command and with a hiss, the Pod opened up. Match''s eyes opened wide and it only took a split second for the anger to come back. "Nope. None of that. I''m not going to get into a punching match with you. No pun intended." I used my still steadily growing mental abilities to mind blast him a little. A skill that was useless against someone with normal mental faculties. In fact, I figured that teens would only experience a slight pressure to the cranium with the mind blast having zero effect on adults. I said ''steadily growing''...you don''t become a Martian level Telepath over night. Oh Wow, it''s only been a few months...who said Adaptive physiology was weak again? Oh yeah...me. Anyway, Match froze for a second before swaying on his feet and falling to his knees, disoriented. I looked at the scene with regret and anger. Dude had been used as a fucking disposable weapon by Luthor and The Light. It''s not fair. I walked closer to him and took a knee before him as well. His body tensed but he otherwise remained calm, the mental suggestions and positive feelings of reassurance I was sending him being the only thing stopping him from spearing my chest with his fist. I rubbed my forehead as I felt his anger buckle against my interference. The prominent feeling he had was red rage...it''s a wonder how a red ring hadn''t found him yet. It felt all consuming and was centered around an image deep in his subconscious. A familiar image of a shield symbol with an S. It was cracked though but surrounding it was blood red chains to keep it from shattering completely and to keep it chained to an ideal. I frowned in disgust...The Light had messed up with this. The programming and indoctrination was shoddy. But also something I was not capable of currently. To put it in perspective, they had basically given Match two scenarios, If Superman strays from the Ideal...kill him. If Superman dies...replace him. That was it. That was his whole psyche. The motive, the principle, the plan, the interest. Match was chained to that symbol and I don''t know if it was a subconscious recognition of the Symbol of the house of El being to blame or if it was a Cadmus programming to stoke his actions...but he both hated and loved that symbol. "Luthor...Pray to God, I don''t decide to come for you and your merry band of psychos." I sighed, gently squeezing his shoulder. I smiled looking at Match with a critical eye. I was a firm believer of active justice. In this scenario, Match should be the one to enact his own revenge on Luthor. "You might not understand me right now...but I promise you, for discarding your worth to the side, I will give you the chance to exact your revenge." I stood up. "Saisei...could you use your fire to try and stabilize his geneti..." I stopped once I felt the small dragon''s confusion. I rubbed his snout "Sorry, I mean could you try to heal any damage he has?" I requested and this time he understood and nodded. Saisei floated nearer to Match and flew around him in circles. He was really excited to get to know someone new. I couldn''t find it in me to tell him that Match was not in the right head space to make friends. "Tower, scan and record the process." I ordered and the tower answered back with a pulse of recognition. Saisei opened his mouth and breathed out gentle white flames. I kept on holding back the anger seeking to consume Match''s mind as his body was lifted to the sky by the gentle licks of the white flames. They covered his body and seemed to seep deep into him. I felt my heart hammer in my chest as the minutes ticked by. Then...the fire started to die down as Match''s body floated back down to the ground. Saisei looked at me in sadness. The task was way out of his capabilities. I sighed and rubbed his scales while sending feelings of understanding and happiness for trying. "It''s Okay buddy. I''m not disappointed." I told him and while he was still in a bad mood, he understood that I''d known it would be a long shot anyway. (Scan complete. New information up for review.) A text box from the Tower appeared, making me smile. Well, seems like Saisei''s efforts were not for naught. "Go on." I ordered and a new display box replaced the earlier one. (There is an approximate 89.65292843358974689% chance of D.N.A stabilization, if an in depth study of the D.N.A from the original donor is conducted) Oh...well. It''s official, this goddamn Tower wants me to go the villain route. How the fuck am I supposed to get Superman''s D.N.A without him noticing? He had like a dozen senses that would detect me from a mile away. Okay, maybe I''m exaggerating a little. But still... although I had promised to help Match in any way possible, that did not mean, I was going to crash with Supes and the Justice League head on. No sir. This time, it would be a serious battle and despite some of them pissing the shit out of me, they were still the good guys and I didn''t want to hurt anyone. "Tower, what about D.N.A from a sibling or an offspring of the Original donor? Would that work?" (Recalculating... Negative.) Oh well. Moving on. "Right give me the status update on the secondary and third directives." (Affirmative. Realm Upgrade at 1%. Pending) I nodded. I had left it at that because I still needed to get the MDP ''cleaned'' of any outside influence and bonded to me. "The third?" ( Preliminary scan on device 001 dubbed Magi-tech Cuffs at 34%. Pending due to a lack of enough Data on Unknown energy signature dubbed Theta energy.) (Preliminary scan on device 002 dubbed D.N.A suppressor patches at 36%.) "Ok...change the designation from Theta energy to magic." I ordered and The Tower complied. It was a bit disheartening to know that none of the directives had been completed but I understood the reason. In my speculation, the biggest reason as to why they were taking so long was a lack of enough Data, especially on magic and most importantly, the low level of the Realm. I needed to upgrade it ASAP. Luckily, that was exactly what was next on my agenda. After that was complete, then I''d find out a way to steal Superman''s D.N.A. For now, it was time to pay a visit to Madame Xanadu. Flying To New Orleans (General P.O.V) Saisei dug his snout deeper into Aden''s hand. The teen rubbed the scales on his neck affectionately, right on the spot that Saisei liked. Not that he would ever admit it to Hakai or Breeze. "See you later buddy. I gotta go take care of something." The foreign thought projection appeared in his mind. The streaks of ideas intermixed with coherence feelings of hope, affection and a little impatience, allowed Saisei to understand that the Master was leaving. "Take me with you." Saisei responded, using the link to project his own feelings of loneliness, hope and excitement. Aden''s face changed to a wince. Saisei couldn''t understand facial expressions just yet but he was picking up on cues. The expression on his face did not match any of the feel good emotions The Master usually projected. And as if to prove him true, The Master replied with a no. "Sorry, Saisei but I can''t risk the world tainting any of you. I need you to wait. At least until you''re a little bit older and I promise I''ll take you and your sisters to places you''ve never been before, okay?" Saisei was indignant but otherwise understood. The Master was forgiven after rubbing his scales right on that favored spot Saisei liked and with a wave of his hand, a portal appeared before Aden that he jumped in. Saisei watched him leave before he turned back to look around. He was alone. Maybe he should go back Hakai and Breeze? But no they were too¡­colorful? Yes, colorful for him. Not to say they looked bad or something but everytime Saisei spent time with them¡­he felt himself losing something (manliness). He didn''t want to be colorful. He wanted¡­he wanted to be not colorful. But not dull either. Saisei mulled it over before deciding to give up and admit he had no idea what he wanted. Which left him to explore the deserted island. Saisei let out a plume of flame as he snorted, the Island itself was barren and dry. It only took a few minutes for him to fly around before returning to where he was. There was really nothing else to do here, huh? He snorted and was about to leave when his eyes caught the figure of the sleeping Match. Saisei was in need of friends. And Master did say he wanted Match to be a friend and Family¡­Saisei flew closer to the pod and used the connection he had made when he was trying to heal Match, to try and communicate. His snout touched the glass of the cage, while he used his spiritual abilities to touch upon the Soul of the Clone. Instantly, Saisei found himself in a gray room covered with cracks on it''s metallic structure. In the middle of the room, a soul that looked like a 6 year old kid was sleeping down on the hard ground. His form was hazy and shrunk upon itself, wearing a white costume with a House of El symbol on the chest. Not that Saisei knew what the symbol stood for. Infact Saisei did not have much of an idea as to what he was about to do. Or the repercussions of his actions. The little dragon cocked his head to the side and reached out to the silent and blank faced child. "Hello?" His greetings went unanswered. So he flew closer and started floating above the Kid in circles. "New Friend?" Saisei tried again, only to meet the same blank faced silence. So he thought as to why his ''new friend'' was ignoring him¡­maybe he didn''t want to play with him because he looked different?! Yes! Saisei was sure that was the reason! Breeze had changed her form to look like a white dragon to compete and see who could fly faster between her, Hakai and Saisei. Saisei has enjoyed it. Maybe his new friend would want to play if Saisei changed to look like him? Saisei concentrated and bent his spirit with minimal effort, something that would have shocked Iroh greatly. And with a pop, he slimmed down and in his place was a young dark skinned boy who looked to be 6 years old standing before the sleeping blank faced clone. The boy shared a lot of similarities with Aden. One could even say, it was a clone of him. Saisei, looked down at himself. Holding up his hands and wriggling his fingers. This form was weird. He turned to his new potential friend and lay down next to him, so that they were now staring at each other. Saisei''s brown eyes made contact with Match''s own silver orbs. "Hello." Saisei said with a smile on his face. Match''s eyes gained a spark of intelligence. (Aden''s P.O.V) I really need to travel more. This version of the US was different from my own with new whole cities, regions and towns. Meaning that I couldn''t just boom tube anywhere I wanted or remembered from my previous world. I''d been to New Orleans before. At least in my version of the earth but that didn''t count for anything given that this world was as stated earlier, different. So instead of trying out my luck and boom tubing there¡­I appeared in Washington DC, checked up on Iroh real quick and then flew to the clouds. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The distance from Washington DC to New Orleans is about a thousand miles give or take. I was going to fly there. Time for a road trip!! Plus, it had been a long time since I had tested my full flight speed. Grandmaster in Airbending was essentially a cheat code on reality. To be specific the air itself. I experienced no drag, air friction or pressure. Mmmh, that raises questions, if there is no friction, does that mean I can accelerate forever? Scary but also a bit improbable. My powers were not an exact science. The mystical element basically overshadowed any scientific principles I could come up with. To put it in simple terms, The wind basically obeyed and anticipated any of my wishes and hurried to carry them out. My figure oriented itself above the din of the capital city. I tightened my back muscles while turning to face the direction of New Orleans. Here goes nothing¡­top speed from the get go. I felt a fast moving object pull up to my position through my air sense but paid them no mind. What the fuck was Batman"s Batwing doing here? I shook my head as it neared my position and waved at him. Then I blurred and disappeared. (General P.O.V) A camera had caught sight of someone who matched Aden''s identity a couple of hours ago in Washington DC. Bruce had wanted to make things right. Whether that meant bringing him in or talking to him¡­he felt the need. So he had made the trip from Gotham to DC in hopes of locating Aden. And he had. The boy was not subtle at all. Batman flew the Batwing closer to him, hoping to direct him to the ground where they could talk. But one second the boy was there, then the next, the Batwing buckled and flipped as a huge wind pressure exploded out, pushing everything away. Batman hurried to control his aircraft and luckily managed to do so before he could crash. The hull of The Batwing along with the windshield had sustained heavy damage. Batman narrowed his eyes at the direction Aden had taken and started reevaluating his risk factor. Aden was growing stronger. Time to overhaul the initial danger assessment countermeasures and come up with new plans. (Aden''s P.O.V) I blasted through the air going at a speed where everything was blurry to me. My eyes flashed with an electric blue as I increased my perception and reaction speed so as to not crash against something. The speeds I was clocking reminded me that airbending was still my most versatile element. I really needed to come up with a new Subskill. The theory I had, that it was possible to have multiple for each element made a lot of sense now that I was more familiar with my powers. And given the fact that Spark of Enlightenment worked once for each element¡­it meant I had a chance to master another Subskill in the air category. What had me stumped was¡­what Subskill should I go for? I thought about it as I enjoyed the sights. Now that I could atleast see where I was going¡­the trip turned out to be awesome but very short. I reached the skyline above New Orleans in seemingly no time. Further on in the distance, a blue stretch of water told me I had arrived close to the coast. I looked at the time on the minimized display box at the corner of my eyes and blinked again. "Is this real?" I muttered. "52 seconds?!" The mutter turned into a sharp whisper. ''That''s¡­that''s like 70000 mph. Or Mach 100 more or less. Jesus, that''s fast for flight speed. But still, nowhere close to the speed people like The Flash or Superman could reach. Oh wow¡­that put things in perspective. I shook my head and flew down. Yes there was a risk to people seeing me but what was I going to do? Shield myself by taking a principle of air, applying it to my form to turn invisible? I paused in place. Holy shit! Was it that easy? It couldn''t right? I mean that was more of a Light Bending thing right? Then again¡­the Sub-skills I had access to were not as clear cut as one might think. I mean water could heal¡­where''s the science in that. In canon, Airbenders could spirit bend or something akin to spirituality¡­ I didn''t know¡­I was mostly into utility. Well, there is no reason not to try at least. Trying never hurt anyone. My heart hammered inside me as I thought it over. Air is not visible because it sends very little light to our eyes. It''s a transparent medium, meaning it''s emittance and reflectance is zero, meaning it transmits all the light. Gah! Thinking of it like that..there was no way it was going to work. The guideline mechanics were not backed by logic. So I tried again, this time doing away with the physics view point and instead tried to adopt the feature itself onto my person. To blend in. The element had shown how much it favored me. You can''t explain that away with science. So I took a deep breath and just did it. It was like something just clicked and I felt¡­melded into the fabric of space itself. I don''t know what I did. I couldn''t really understand it. But that was a turning point for me and my understanding of how my abilities worked. As I flew down, invisible to the naked eye while landing on an alley¡­I wondered how much remained undiscovered about the enigma that is my powers. I pulled up my display box in anticipation to see the description of my new Subskill and frowned. That''s weird. There was nothing. And given that the system never lags...maybe invisibility didn''t really count as a sub-skill. Just like how wind constructs were just a facet of my wind control. That''s a bummer. I killed the disappointment off quickly as I got back on track. I knew Madame Xanadu had a fortune-telling gig somewhere in the city. The question is where. Where the heck am I going to find Nimue? (General P.O.V) What went unseen and unnoticed by Aden was the golden glow that the air element tab briefly pulsed with before the display box was neatly minimized to the corner of his eyes. Madame Xanadu (General P.O.V) "For eons, a structure has remained in place. A clear distinction between the powers that govern, the powers that rule and the Power that Was, Is and Will always be. An authority that is totalitarian, supreme and sovereign. My fate was not meant to be chosen nor my destiny a path that I selfishly carved. I never wanted this. And for a long time, resentment was my penance." "But then, I found a purpose in existence. A purpose I have selfishly held onto for billions of years. A purpose to rebel against the shackles binding my being to a premise with no concrete evidence or inference. This time I did not raise up arms for a direct confrontation because the result was already apparent. ''He'' is The One True Being for a reason. Power is something which he does not lack and a stalemate was the one thing I could hope for." "So I chose a different method. One born from his selfless gift to mankind. I could not choose my purpose but I could choose how I went about the purpose thrust upon me. To preside over the infinite realms of the damned. Hell to mortals, home to demons and those unwanted. They expected an iron hand. A king who had submerged himself into his role as the god of the accursed and nefarious beings exempt from the Light!" "But¡­I went on a different path. One of an overseer. Barely there. Content to watch the Princes fight for power like ravenous creatures. Content to watch as Three of you, took it upon yourself to rule instead of answer. Content to watch as more and more of those lower ranked grew cocky, forgetting who each one of you is subject to. And now¡­that will end. You have committed one terrible deed. I was enjoying my time and you in your infinite stupidity decided that no¡­I can''t have some bloody fun. It''s not anything unexpected really. Infact¡­this was long overdue. And so unto thee believing thyselves safe from my power¡­The Devil pays back all favours owed, a thousandfold." Johnson Space Center ( Houston, Texas) (A Few Hours Ago) "What is so urgent, you had to wake me up at 2 fucking A.M?" A grouchy middle-aged man dressed in a clean cut tuxedo said barging into the surveillance and control hub followed closely by a P.A carrying a steaming cup of coffee. The bodyguards that had been part of his retinue, took up position outside the room looking mean as fuck. "Aah sorry sir¡­" A meek looking woman started only to be rudely interrupted by the Deputy Director of NASA. "Save it, Walkins. Someone tell me what the fuck is going on. Now!" "Photometric images from Vista 002 has just revealed to us some shocking news, sir." One of the tech guys answered while pulling up images from an interplanetary space probe deep in the Kuiper belt. "Vista 002 huh, that is the probe resulting in our contract with Lexcorp. It''s supposed to be the best of the best." The Deputy Director commented, curiously looking at the screen. The feed showed asteroids dominating that part of the solar system, along with a bigger chunk of rock that was relatively spherical when compared to the rest of the things floating about in space. Then, a second later¡­the whole thing blew apart. Chunks of the dwarf planet exploded out in a cinematic fashion before something destabilized the flight trajectory of the probe and it lost the signal. "Approximately 5 hours ago, Pluto exploded, sir." (Aden''s P.O.V) Sooo¡­I can be absentminded sometimes. I had just spent more than half an hour walking around the city before facepalming at my stupidity. I could simply use my energy sense, coupled with flight, invisible of course to locate magical signatures. Madame Xanadu was supposedly very strong. There was no way I couldn''t feel that pulse of power if she didn''t deliberately cloak her magical power. And I think doing so would be bad for business. I used my new invisibility to conceal myself as I flew above the city. A few laps around notable locations such as the old French Quarter and I picked up on something. I flew down and landed on an alley. A flying Superhero''s best friend. Alleys are awesome, except when they''re Gotham Alleys, then they turn... dangerous is putting it lightly. I shook my head and rounded up on the corner, dispelling the invisibility around my body. Now that I was on the ground...my energy sense was bombarded by the buzzing energy of the city. New Orleans was mystically active in proportions that were shocking. Los Angeles didn''t feel like this. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Mmmh, might be multiple leylines going through the city." I mused. Which would also be highly likely given that Madame Xanadu had taken up residence in this particular city. The crowds in the streets were filled with colorful performers and tasty looking street food. I had to remind myself that I had a task I needed to do before I could get distracted. It didn''t take long to find Madame Xanadu''s fortune telling shop. Given the fact that her name was plastered above the entrance...she wasn''t trying too hard to hide either. I hesitated for only a second before pushing open the door. The bell placed above the door announced my presence as I walked through the building. Instantly, I was assaulted by a myriad of different scents through my energy sense. Something that disoriented me enough that I staggered in place, grabbing unto a chair in the empty room. My air sense spread out to source for who might have been the cause only to come up empty. "Tsk...you should shut off your magical senses. Madame Xanadu is a regular host for many mystical practitioners and beings. What you are sensing is their different mystical signatures." I did as the female voice said and shut off energy sense. The strain ended abruptly, leaving behind echos that were easing up by the second. I rubbed my forehead as a headache started building up though. "What can Madame Xanadu do for you, young man." The female voice from earlier stated again and I felt like slapping myself for my rudeness. "Oh I apologize. I''m..." I replied, looking up, only to be met by a shockingly beautiful woman with olive skin and a glow in her green eyes. She was dressed in a colorful red and black dress, her forehead adorned with three light green diamonds. The one in the middle bigger than the ones on the sides. And lastly she had on a choker with a crest that showed the sun and a crescent moon. What grabbed my attention more than anything else...was what I was feeling through my spirit attunement. He soul was strong. Like really strong. This showed that Nimue was very old. Which wasn''t that surprising given that she was there during Merlin''s time. "I might have to start charging you extra for staring." Madame Xanadu teased, reminding me I''d been silent for close to a minute now. But damn, I could watch her for hours and not get tired. Seriously, is it a rule that any relevant character had to be absurdly beautiful. First Wonder Woman, Maze, Canary and now her. Granted, I might have a thing for older women so...it could be bias. Her voice was also heavily accented and sort of throaty. "I''m Aden. Aden Strong." I regained control of myself and said steadily, reaching out with my hand to shake hers. She smiled and reciprocated. Her palm was callused and warm, buzzing with energy. I raised up my eyebrows as the budding headache seemed to disappear upon the touch. "Thanks." I told her pulling my hand back. She waved me off. "Think nothing of it. Now, what can Madame Xanadu do for you? I do fortune telling but something tells me that''s not what you''re here for." I chuckled. "Yeah, fortune telling is not really my thing. I believe in going about life with as little spoilers as possible. It''s more exciting that way." Liar, I said to myself even as I answered. The reason I didn''t want her to read my future however was because of what Lucifer had told me. Luci, the second strongest being in the universe had stated himself that he could not foresee my future. It stands to reason that Xanadu despite her undeniable skills in fortune telling, would similarly not see anything. That might label me as a person of interest and with her admittance that she dealt with multiple mystical practitioners...I did not want that info to go public or in the wrong hands. Being unique more often than not brings trouble. "Mmmh..." Nimue hummed skeptically, reaching into her lap and placing a deck of tarot cards on the table between us. "If it''s not fortune telling you''re after, then what can I do for you?" She questioned. I reached into my pocket and secretly accessed the hammerspace. Pulling out my hand, I showed a silver ring to Madame Xanadu. "I was wondering if there was a way you could connect me to an enchanter of some sort. Someone who can get rid of all influences in this artifact and bind it to me and me alone." Madame Xanadu narrowed her eyes and tried to reach out for it, only for me to pull back my hand. She frowned but her expression quickly turned into a smile once I placed a roll of bills on the table. "A bit different from the services I offer but manageable. Follow me." Nimue said while getting up and walking deeper into the shop. My eyes trailed downwards for a split second before they came back up, enough to enjoy the view and not seem like a perv. I really need to get a girlfriend. I pushed past the beads covering the entrance to the next room and found myself standing before a black door carved with the same symbol of a crescent and a bright sun. The walls of the room were dominated with different cases showing dozens of weapons, artifacts and paintings. There was a huge table on the left with a cauldron and different brewing items like beakers. Which was the only cliche'' part of the room. Nimue held out her hand and I deposited the money on her palm, which she reached inside her cleavage and hid. I tried not to stare and focused on the door before us. "This will take you where you need to go." She explained. "And who am I going to meet?" I questioned only for her to smile. "I thought you don''t like spoilers?" I chuckled and opened the door. If shit goes down...I got portals. Saving The Demonologist. (General P.O.V) The plan had failed. And it only took a second for everything to fall apart. She could remember just barely getting started on the massive array. Delicate work that had taken weeks to construct. An array that would have spanned the whole solar system, it''s waypoints scattered across the other 8 planets, feeding of the mystical leylines crisscrossing the universe. Alyssa had wondered what made her so special that she could cast such a spell without using up all her life force. But Crowley had given her no answer. Just continuously told her that she was special. Chosen. The backlash had come swift and sudden. Before Belial''s realm could manifest in the real world as par the agreement, the circle had flashed red hot with hellfire, a cacophony of millions of voices, growling in pain had sounded, ash black, pale and green clawed arms rising up through the circle. "Close it, Girl!" Crowley had shouted desperately. But Allyssa couldn''t do it¡­this was the only way to get John back! She had done everything right. Why fail now?! After all this time. Yet Allyssa''s hands were shaking as the growling grew larger. The energy field she had elected for the base, separating her from the harsh environment of the dwarf planet and providing her with air had wavered dangerously as something built up through the circle on the floor. Something ominous. Something¡­strangely familiar. "Close the damn thing Allyssa or doom us to a fate worse than death!!" The stupid painting had shouted at her once again. This time she rounded up on the man in the painting. Her eyes blazing with fury. "Why!? What''s happening? What are you not telling me!" She shouted back with as much ferocity as she could. Crowley''s widened when the young girl grabbed his painting and held it over the circle. "No¡­wait¡­What Do You Think You''re Doing!?" If he had a physical body, his heart would have been hammering in fear. "Why is the spell not working ''Daaad''?" Allyssa asked with as much mockery and vitriol she could induce in her tone. Her mind running at lightning speeds. "You¡­you don''t¡­ know what you''re doing¡­if I die¡­" She lowered him slightly down to the grasping hands. "Ok! Okay I''ll tell you. Just pull me up!" He said in terror. Allyssa lowered the painting some more. Crowley could not believe her sudden viciousness. She¡­she was supposed to be loyal! His pet! but looking into her eyes¡­all he saw was a monster. A monster he had helped create. "Okay! Okay! I lost the connection with Belial I had! That can only mean one thing¡­he has been taken out by a higher ranking demon. Given that Belial is a prince of hell equal in power to the highest ranking Demons, The Hell-Lords, it can only mean that¡­Lucifer himself is responsible. Lucifer is cleaning house." Crowley told the blonde haired magician. She widened her eyes as the implications hit her like a ton of bricks. Crowley chuckled in disdain. "Yes, darling. It means your only chance to get Constantine back¡­is no more. I wonder what you''re going to do now that your foolish endeavor has failed before it even begun." Crowley''s dark laugh seemed to bring Allyssa''s focus back to the matter at hand. He was underestimating her. The circle was destabilizing as Belial''s Kingdom was going through changes in hell. Any demon who had stepped out of line had been stripped of his rank and thrown to the deepest parts of hell. That led to a massive discharge of energy as authorities were switched out and realms destroyed. Allyssa could feel that the circle was going to explode and probably take out a massive chunk of the planet, so she had to move. But first¡­she straightened up as her conviction strengthened, making eye contact with a smug Crowley. He thought he was unexpendable. He was wrong. "If I can''t get someone to bring him here, then I''ll go to hell and get him back myself, Crowley. Oh and for that part¡­I know I don''t need you." Her luscious lips split into a menacing grin as she released the painting. Crowley''s face changed. How had he never noticed this side of her? How cold he have been played for a fool so thoroughly? "You will pay for this you AAARGHHH..!!!!" His words were cut off as the hands teared apart the painting and proceeded to do so to the soul imprisoned within. Allyssa then teleported back to earth, escaping the massive explosion from the pentagram. She was going to hell and bringing back Johnny''s soul one way or the other but before that, she needed power. Magical Power on the level of a God if she was successfully going to do all that. Fortunately, she knew about a place where she could get it, unfortunately she had no idea on it''s location. However, there was someone who had something that could get her there. (Aden''s P.O.V) The first thing I noticed about my surroundings was the dust covering inside of the crypt. I sneezed as I freshened the air around me, looking around perturbed. Was this a joke? Behind me the doorway I had used, turned into yellow glowing motes and disappeared. Magic...I shook my head and pushed the stone entrance blocking my way. The stone door gave off a groaning sound before falling on the ground easily, courtesy of my super strength. Luckily, the crypt was empty, devoid of any person''s remains so I wasn''t disrespecting anybody. The world on the outside however, was completely different from what I expected. For starters, it was late evening, a look at the time told me precisely 5:23 and given the fact that it had been around 1 in New Orleans during my meeting with Nimue, give or take, it meant that Xanadu''s doorway had portaled me all the way across the planet. I would have whistled in appreciation if it wasn''t for what was happening before me. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The crypt was located in a gated off garden with a couple more grave stones. The garden was behind a big English manor or...atleast what appeared to be the remains of one. That was the second thing different about the outside world. The building before me was burning and in wrecks. All because of a fight that was happening. Magical power undulated through my senses as Equity appeared in my arms. I twirled it, turning it into it''s lance form as two energy signatures made themselves known to me, in the middle of the mansion''s wreckage. I took a running leap and cleared the garden fence, my feet digging grooves on the green grass. Then I waited as the signatures levitated out of the manor. One of them shone with a light brighter than I had ever felt from a mortal and the other had energy the flavor of soot and sulphur hidden behind the scent of iron, horses and funnily enough...old books. Mmmh...I mused to myself as I noticed absentmindedly that my energy sense was changing. The weird part was how much the former''s energy signature seemed so... familiar. They broke out of the building and I finally figured out who Xanadu had sent me to. Yellow magical bindings enclosed his mouth, to stop him from talking, but the long streak of white hair on his head while the rest was red made him almost instantly recognizable. Jason Blood. The other person was equally as intriguing. "What''s a fucking angel doing here?" I wondered out loud, calling attention to myself. The girl looked to be about my age. Blue eyes, long blonde hair, a distractingly beautiful face and a chain with an upside down cross hanging on her wrist. The aura coming off her was distinctly angelic, just hidden behind layers of bindings. It was poetic in a way. The situation I mean. An angel bound to a human fighting a Demon also bound to a human. Still, can''t let her do whatever she wanted with Jason Blood. Madame Xanadu had specifically sent me to him, which meant he was probably the only one who could help me. "Hello, Mr. Blood, Madame Xanadu sent me. I''m sure she had no idea you were otherwise... occupied." I spoke up, walking around their general positioning to get a clear shot. Something told me this girl was not your run of the mill, mystical practitioner. She seemed oddly focused. There was little chance of getting her to do a monologue or falling into a distraction, so I had to take her out before she decided to do the same to Blood. Jason''s eyes gained realization. The girl and I established eye contact as I levelled my spear at her, stopping in place. "Let him go." She narrowed her eyes. "Make me..." But I was already moving before she could finish speaking. My inner fire changed into erratic, electric energy running down my body and shrouding me as I exploded forth. The spear was aimed for her head with the flat side positioned to land a debilitating blow to her temple. Equity cut through the air in a hiss and smacked on a yellow shield that appeared out of nowhere. The girl gasped in shock as cracks ran along the shield. "yawa tropelet!" She chanted, her voice gaining a hollow tone. Oh no you fucking don''t. The shield broke apart and equity lengthened, spearing through the lapels of her dress. I felt a certain energy grip my whole being, trying to spatially displace me. My energy sense in a weird moment of eureka saturated the surroundings and I used every ounce of my will to pull back on the influence. I failed. We disappeared but appeared only a few hundred meters away in the woods. Pain gripped my body from the forced hijacking of the teleportation spell. I uncontrollably carved a trail through the tree branches, groaning in pain. A fast moving spell cut through the air towards my position so I clumsily bounced out of the way of the yellow bolt of energy. The trunk of the tree the spell landed on exploded with shards of wood. "Who are you!!" The girl screamed. Now that I mention it she had a nice voice and the English accent was a sweet bonus. "I should be the one asking that! What the fuck is an angel doing running around on earth?!" I shouted back and saw her look at me in confusion. "Angel...?" She shook her head. Her hand still gripping Blood by the throat. "No matter, I already have what I need." I jumped at her once again. This time a gyrating ball of fire in my palm, only for her to throw Blood towards me and disappear in a flash. I caught the demonologist, dismissing the fireball and landed on the ground. The binding on his mouth disappeared and he stood up urgently and started to run towards the destroyed manor. I followed him without a word, created a bubble shield around us and flew us quickly back to manor grounds. "Hey...can you tell me what the fuck is going on?" I enquired, stretching a little. My body still felt sore from what I had done. Blood ignored me, only chanting, ''where is it?'' ''Where is it!'' "What are you looking for? What did she take? Maybe I can help you...hey hey! Excuse me!" I gripped his shoulder hard and turned him to face me, only for a fist to dig into my palm, intercepted before it could land on my face. Blood tried to pull back his hand and I could feel the enhanced strength there but in this form, he was probably only as strong as Kaldur. "Calm. Down." I told him, emphasizing the words by squeezing his fists. The older man winced and nodded. I let him go and he sat on a piece of stone rubble. A pang of sadness hit me for what he''d lost. In the comics this dude was always alone and now his, manor had been destroyed. Along with everything delicate inside as well. Maybe this is what will make him move to Gotham? I remember in most universes that''s where he stays. I sat on a broken section of a pillar and we both watched the sunset in silence. A few minutes later, a deep voice begun to speak. "Cerial, a fallen angel bound by a cult worshiping Neron to a human girl meant for sacrifice. One that a friend of mine, against my better judgement, decided to take in. And now, ten years later...ten years after John passed away, she''s determined to bring him back." He chuckled... "I don''t even know why I was fighting to stop her...Lord knows I miss the bastard." "Wait...you mean Constantine? John Constantine?" I questioned him. Blood looked at me and smiled sadly. "Who else would remain a pain in my ass long after he''s dead?" A Patriotic Earthling (General P.O.V) Cameras went off as the Secretary General of the UN, cleared his throat. He looked down at the gathered press. Himself flanked by multiple world leaders. "I would like to formally thank all of you for joining us today." He stated, his heavily accented English blaring out of the speaker. He had a rough voice. "The world we live in is, contrary to popular belief, not in our conscious control. It is our home. The cradle of humanity. However, that does not explicitly mean we have all the answers. Or we have solved any of the numerous mysteries and real life anomalies that happen worldwide on a daily basis. We have all heard the news about Pluto''s demise. I am here to address that issue. For starters, NASA has purported on the destruction of the dwarf planet and this has been confirmed by specialists across the globe." Secretary General, Tseng Dangun looked up from his speech to let that sink in. "It is sad and terrifying. The fact that something so impactful can happen within the solar system, our very own backyard and we come to learn it 5 hours later. However earth as a whole, despite race, background or inclination is an enduring planet. We should use this chance to re evaluate a lot of the systems in place. To unify more. Use this cost as a guiding light to move forward in one stride. This especially rings true for nations with civil unrest like Bialya''s continued efforts to merge with Qurac based on questionable historical records. Join us and usher in a new dawn. The UN is further aiming to open up more avenues of co-operation between the earth and our sister planet Mars by way of an Earth-Mars communication satellite, in the case of another planetary ending event." General Tseng, looked into the cameras without flinching. "For long, we have battled against racial and cultural diversity, extreme nationalism, gender inequality, Metahuman and alien relations and sexuality. Through all this, it can be inferred that humanity as a whole is a very complex, petty, highly emotional and opinionated race. We need to change that, if we hope to survive what this new world is slowly turning into. We need to adapt, something we were very good at in the past and emerge stronger as one unified whole to combat these new threats." The screen changed to a logo of the Galaxy Broadcasting System abbreviated to GBS. The camera panned out to reveal, the pundit and a guest seated on two sides of a small table, facing each other. The host of the show was none other than G Gordon Godfrey, someone know for defaming his guests and critical outlook when discussing sensitive issues. This unfortunately made him very popular despite the man''s venomous tongue. G. Gordon Godfrey took a long, loud and distracting sip of his cup of coffee, before placing the mug on the table between him and Lex Luthor. The latter sat comfortably on his seat with an amiable smile on his face. For those who knew him however, they would see a sharp glint in his eyes that spoke volumes about his patience. "No one has come out to openly take credit for the destruction of Pluto." G. Gordon Godfrey said as a way to start the conversation. He had already introduced Luthor to the audience. Not that Luthor needed any introduction seeing as he was one of if not the richest man in the world. His only true competition being the mammoth that was Wayne enterprises. "That is true. The authorities are still carrying out their investigations on who might have been responsible." Luthor answered smoothly. His voice was clear and loud enough. "Of course, of course. And¡­would I be right to assume that the interplanetary space probe that captured the dastardly images of the dwarf planet''s twilight hours, aptly named Vista 002, was manufactured by Lexcorp through a government contract?" G Gordon questioned innocently. "Yes." Luthor answered after a brief second of hesitation. A wide smile spread out across G Gordon''s face. "Well, that is interesting Mr. Luthor. Very interesting indeed." The host stated while giving Luthor a suspicious look. The man in question frowned. "I believe I don''t follow. What are you trying to say G Gordon?" Lex knew he had fallen into Gordon''s trap. The Apokaliptian new god was not playing by the script. However, Luthor was an old hand at this. So he remained calm, despite G Gordon Godfrey''s intention to ruin his reputation. "Me? I''m not trying to say anything. The facts speak for themselves Mr. Luthor." The host sneered. "How many times has Lexcorp products, I''m talking top of the line technology, weapons from government contracts and devices meant to help been used for nefarious ends? Superman has gone up against suits of armors, Kryptonian infused rifles, energy guns, power draining devices and other peculiar equipment with strange effects. Do you know what all these things have in common?" G Gordon Godfrey directed the question to the audience. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "They all had a Lexcorp Logo." G Gordon Godfrey declared in mock surprise, as if he couldn''t believe his own words. Then he turned to Luthor who was still silently observing, trying to work out the New God''s intentions. The man was a wildcard but Lex knew that everyone had a tell. "And now putting two and two together, one might start to wonder with the recent destruction of Pluto, if Lexcorp, the creator of the Probe that captured the incident¡­is as totally blameless as they appear to be. It''s only so many wrecked buildings, destroyed houses and lost lives that the ''someone stole our equipment and used it for bad motives'' excuse can explain away. The destruction of a whole planet however¡­well that is a different cake all together." G Gordon Godfrey''s grin was positively saccharine at this point. He was enjoying it. And Lex was now understanding why the man had it out for him. "You see Lex, can I call you Lex? Anyway Lex, you can hide the truth under the corporate umbrella all you want but sooner or later, like a sapling¡­it finds a way to move towards the light." And with that, Lex understood what point The New God was trying to drive home. He thought that the Light had somehow destroyed the Planet without informing G Gordon who was in a way, Darkseid''s liason to the earth. And that had led to the delicate issue that would make any more machinations against the earth by Apokolips even harder. The earth to Mars cooperation. G Gordon Godfrey was not thrilled about the earth''s new found spirit for unity. A unified world made it hard to divide and conquer. A unified world allowed for choices to be made on a significant and necessary basis rather than a power hungry or greedy one. Luthor''s quick thinking allowed him to weigh the pros and cons of the two roads he had been presented with. He could take the road of cooperation, stoking the hearts of people by denying anything and instead laying blame on an unseen and unknown enemy then supporting Secretary General Tseng and the UN''s new found backbone and logical thinking on cooperation between Earth an Mars. The alternative was he could take G Gordon Godfrey''s extended olive branch and use the same excuse, the same pike to drive humanity apart. He was one of the most influential men on the planet. Simply calling to attention that aliens, martians to be precise might have been responsible would stop the potential marshalling. Humanity would fall back to the mindset of us vs them that the Justice League had been trying to combat by their efforts, this would further snowball into a real issue given the fact that Batman, one of the two normal human superheroes had resigned from the group. Luthor was at a crossroads. One option would potentially see a united earth, better relations with mars but at the expense of The Light''s alliance with Darkseid and the other would see a splintered earth, and a magnified racist mentality towards anything perceived as different but a stronger alliance with Apokalips. Lex didn''t need to wonder what Vandal would have chosen. Given his pretty strong ties with Apokalips, it was very obvious. So, Luthor smiled back at G Gordon Godfrey. "Well, G Gordon, your observant take and particularly apathetic understanding on the socio-political predicaments facing the earth has always been refreshing. I like someone who''s blunt. Someone who is not afraid to speak up and challenge the norms. So I will pay you the same courtesy and be as blunt as possible." Lex told the well groomed man who had a small smirk on his face. "By all means, Mr.Luthor. Speak freely." G Gordon Godfrey stated giving Lex the field. The bald headed man interlocked his fingers together and his easy smile turned sharp. "One might call your statements distinctly anti-earth, G Gordon." G Gordon''s smirk slid off his face. However Lex wasn''t done. "This is a critical juncture in humanity''s history. A point in time where one small tilt in the balancing scale can take us backwards by many steps or spring us forward and usher in a true bastion and hope for future generations. Instead of focusing on that however, I find it suspect on how you''re determined to defame Lexcorp, knowing fully well that that would sour relations with NASA and by extension the government as well." "My intentions were to call to question Lexcorp''s top brass, Lex. Not to personally offend you. The public needs answers and I am an agent of truth." G Gordon shot back and Lex knew he had him. However he couldn''t destroy him too thoroughly, G Gordon and in addition, Apokalips still had their uses. "And that is why humanity will forever stagnate with your kind of thinking. It''s not about offending me G Gordon. It''s about your priorities. You sit there and focus on what has already happened instead of inquiring on the way forward. The perpetrators responsible for the destruction of Pluto might never be found. Does that mean you will forever be stuck in the past. I have done things I am not proud of but right here and now, especially after General Tseng Dangun''s speech, I find myself in a position of power. The power of having a voice." Lex looked at the camera directly. "I know there is fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of those different from ourselves, but I urge you to remain open minded and know¡­you do not face that fear alone. Whatever come may, humanity will prevail and come out stronger at the end of it. So give it a chance. Give unity, a chance. I support the UN''s future efforts in the Earth-Mars communication satellite. And from now on, I am not just a full blooded American¡­I am a patriotic Earthling." And sooner or later, Luthor would be at the head of it all. An Innocent Old Man (General P.O.V) "I see him. An older man of asian descent, dressed in a t shirt and jeans. He''s reading a copy of New Revelations of The Americas before Columbus. And it doesn''t seem to be the only history book he has on the pile before him." Superman told Batman. They were perched atop of a building overlooking the library where Aden had dropped off Iroh. Batman narrowed his eyes as his suspicions were more or less confirmed. "He''s not a native. His face didn''t turn up anything on any database. This man has never had an online presence which is strange." Batman gave his thoughts only for Superman to shake his head, skeptical. "That is hardly a crime. He doesn''t seem like someone who can cause trouble, Bruce." The Dark Knight looked at The Man of Steel in silence. "He turned up with Aden at the entrance of the Library. The camera stationed discreetly above the entrance, captured them upon entry." Superman frowned. "Why didn''t you say so in the first place? Regardless, just because he showed up with Aden does not automatically make him a bad guy. In the eyes of the law, he''s not guilty of anything." Superman replied. "We need to interrogate him and find out what he knows." Batman went on to say, Superman''s word''s falling on deaf ears. The Dark Knight looked to be done with the conversation if the way he palmed his grapple gun was any indication. "Bruce, wait," Superman gripped Batman''s shoulder and stopped him before he could swing away. "I don''t think that''s a good idea. We have more important problems to deal with other than harassing someone innocent." "He''s leaving." Batman abruptly stated. "What?" Superman turned his attention to the library and sure enough, they could see the old man exit the building. What was strange however was how he swiveled his head and stared right at them before turning away and leaving for an alley. "Ok, I admit¡­I am a little interested in meeting him now." Superman stated and floated up. He saw the small smug upturn of Batman''s lips but chose not to comment on it. Iroh''s steps echoed loosely on the abandoned alley. He walked deeper in before stopping and turning around. "You people have no sense for respecting your elders. I could feel your gaze boring into me incessantly." Iroh addressed the two superheroes who had followed him into the alley. One of them floated down serenely, making the old general wonder what sort of abilities he had. Maybe a strong form of Air bending? Then again different world, different rules. The other one swung from the rooftop, agilely landed on the railing of a metal stair way before swinging from its bars and landing on the ground with nary a sound. Iroh looked on in interest. That was skill rivalling the earth kingdom''s Secret Police, The Dai Li. He took the chance to study them, before they could speak up. Both of their spirits shone with the light of conviction. And the aura they gave off was powerful. Especially the tall man dressed in blue, red and a little bit of yellow. He felt like the sun. The other one was weaker. Weaker by a very huge margin infact, yet his spirit was more wholesome and generally stronger than the one clad in blue and red. Of the two, Iroh felt that the black and grey themed superhero was more dangerous. He was similar to the him from before he lost Lu Ten and Iroh knew just how terrifying he himself was back then. Focused, highly skilled and relentless. Iroh made sure to pay close attention to him. The thing that bothered him however, was why they were wearing underwear on the outside. "Curious dress choices. I admit, I do not understand your culture fully but tell me this, is it common to wear your underwear on the outside?" Iroh''s words made Batman and Superman stare at each other strangely. It was a valid question but still¡­ "That is none of your concern." Batman responded testily. "What he means to say sir, is that this is not an underwear. Just an aesthetic added to the costume to make it unique. I''m sorry, where are my manners, I am known as Superman." The Kryptonian introduced himself. Iroh raised a single eyebrow. That was a very bold choice for a name, Iroh thought to himself. "You can call me Iroh." He paid Superman the same courtesy and introduced himself as well, bowing slightly. A brief silence fell upon the three as Iroh directed his sight to Batman. Superman sighed in slight embarrassment at how difficult Batman could be. The Dark Knight narrowed his eyes and finally said one word. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version."Batman." "Mmmmh." Iroh hummed, "well, Batman and Superman, to what do I owe the pleasure of your acquittance?" "We have questions¡­" Batman begun only for Superman to step in. "You don''t seem like you''re from around here, are you sir?" Iroh chuckled slightly. "What gave it away? I thought I was blending in perfectly." Superman smiled slightly. "You were. The only issue is that the cameras spotted you with someone dangerous¡­ A misguided child." Iroh''s face turned serious. "I can''t say anything about his intentions before I first met Aden. But you''re right and wrong at the same time. The boy is¡­ going through something. Something that might cause him to lash out or clash with your ideals in ways you might find morally unsound. But you imply he''s dangerous. You''re wrong." "What do you mean?" Batman questioned, advancing forward to loom over Iroh. Superman flanked him on the right, crossing his hands on his chest. "Simple, he is not dangerous Man of Bats, The Avatar is terrifying." With that, Iroh simply¡­disappeared, leaving the two superheroes on the alleyway alone. Batman tensed, vigilant against a surprise attack. A minute passed and he stood up. "Well, that was enlightening." The Man of Steel stated sarcastically. "We didn''t learn anything more than we already did. In fact, he left us with more questions than we initially had." Batman ignored the Man of Steel and brought his arm up. He clicked on the pad of the holographic wrist computer and grunted. "He''s back at the library." The visual feed, showed Iroh, calmly perusing an highschool level history book as a cup of tea sat infront of him. What was strange was how no one was calling him out on the blatant rule break. Foods and drinks were not allowed in that section. "We need to go and interrogate him thoroughly. It is now obvious that while he might not be Aden''s accomplice, he himself is a meta human, alien or¡­" "An old asian master, fluent in the ways of chi and Kung Fu?" Superman added while slightly chuckling. "Flash, rubbing off on you?" Batman asked, with a slight smile on his face, making the Man of Steel sigh heavily. "Yeah. Ever since you left, he''s taken me as his go to for annoying jokes¡­most of them are actually pretty funny, if they weren''t at my expense." Supes laughed while floating upwards. "Anyway, It''s clear that Iroh won''t talk to any of us in these personas. So I was thinking, I could go in¡­" "As Clark. Yes, that might work. I''ll hang back. If Aden decides to show up, I''ll be waiting." Batman hashed out the plan, confident that the Teen would most likely come back. He entirely missed the change of expression on Superman''s face to one of surprise, distaste and lastly determination. "Batman, I''m going to have to take a raincheck on that." Bruce narrowed his eyes. Something felt off with his best friend''s sudden change in mood. So he questioned. "Why?" Superman looked down at him and responded before flying off. "Luthor." Just after Superman had taken off, loud screams, shouts, bangs and explosions started sounding out from the city. Batman narrowed his eyes and took off running. His grapple gun appeared and he shot a line atop of the roof of a four story building, then pressed a button on the grapple gun and he was pulled away. He landed on the roof and rolled, springing up just as he finished pressing a key on his holographic wrist computer. He took a running leap and jumped. The distance was too long however and he didn''t seem to have any intention to use his grapple gun like earlier. However, the batwing, flew in from under him and in a smooth arc, Batman landed on the cockpit and took off. The holographic projector connected with the Batwings internal systems and displayed a live clip of what was happening. Monster plants were attacking Washington DC, Gotham, Central City and other places across America. Most likely Poison Ivy. "Pull up surveillance footage on the city and triangulate using news feed and live streaming to find out where the incident is happening." It only took a second for the Batwing to give him the coordinates. Batman changed the direction of the Batwing and pressed on the gas, taking off like a bullet leaving a gun. Something burned at the back of his mind though, why was Metropolis exempt from the Plant attacks? (Metropolis- outside the city limits, abandoned construction yard) "Ok, I''m here Lex. You said you wanted us to finish this once and for all, I think so too." Superman announced, his expression hard like granite. He hovered above a bald headed man who had a slight smile on his face. Behind him, carrying a suitcase was none other than Mercy Graves. The woman was tense, while Lex remained relaxed and at ease. "Sorry Superman but you know me...I don''t clash fists like some uneducated brute. He... however, is a different matter, he revels in violence." "What?..." Superman was confused. Up until a presence made itself known, by shouting and then landing a heavy fist on The Man Of Steel''s unbreakable skin. Superman was thrown away and slammed onto the ground, disoriented. "Watch out for the Main man!" Vine Monsters (General P.O.V) How long had it been? How long since she¡­since she lost her chance to escape. Her chance to finally give in to the deep feelings of resentment that had built up for her sister. A sister who couldn''t see past her hate. A sister who had betrayed her so many times before in the past. A sister she still cared about even after all the anguish and pain she had caused her. A trail of liquid fell down her cheeks. She had no idea if it was tears or sweat from the heat. The psions had decided to double their cruelty as punishment. She could feel her cells straining to accommodate the bombardment of energy. Her screams of pain had died long ago, all that was left was a deep and unyielding endurance, horned from her time with the Warlords of Ookara. She had used those practices to attain a state of non-presence. A state where your body felt but your mind stayed unperturbed. Still, the strain her body was under went past the meta-physical. She knew she couldn''t handle it for much longer. Her last chance to escape had gone but she was not dispirited. She was Koriandr after all, crown princess of Tamaran. (On earth) "Things have taken a drastic turn in DC. Despite the variant efforts put up by Batman, the huge vine monster seems to have sustained no damage. The police have cleared the scene here at Downtown and seem to be coordinating with the Secret Service given to the close proximity with the White House. The reporter''s face looked worried as he spoke into the camera. Behind him, one could spot a huge green plant, throwing around cars and smashing buildings. Batman swerved in at times and threw battarangs setting off a chain of explosions that destroyed the vines only for them to re-grow again. The camera panned out to show the news anchor who had a finger on his ear piece, listening intently to something. "We have our correspondents from all over the country reporting in. If has been confirmed that the same incident unfolding in Washington DC is happening in a lot of popular cities." The screen behind him went from a single feed showing Washington DC to a grid showing multiple frames of other cities across the nation. "Wonder Woman is at Gotham city, we can only assume its due to Batman being occupied with the vine monstrosity terrorizing the Capital. The Flash is handling the one in Central City, with strangely enough, help from one of his rogue gallery, Captain Cold. Captain Atom is helping out in New York with¡­oh my God. Is that Wildcat? That''s Wildcat!" The New York video expanded to show the feed of a well built figure dressed in a grey sweater, brown slacks and a mask with a cat theme, helping people stuck in cars and under rubble escape the scene. The news anchor had his mouth open. "I can''t believe it¡­he must be pushing 80 yet¡­" He shook his head and cleared his throat to get rid of the distracting thoughts. "Las Vegas has help from Zatara who was fortunately, around doing a show. Icon and Rocket, two independent heroes from Dakota city are fighting the one in their local home with some success. It seems that once the damage piles on too much¡­the vine releases a cloud of green gas. Luckily, Rocket has sealed the gas in one of her shields." The Anchor went on to list a few more cities where the League had mobilized along with a few more independent heroes to stop the vines from their destruction. However, through all that, everyone wondered the same thing¡­where was Superman? (Aden''s P.O.V) "You still haven''t told me what she stole." I asked the demonologist as we stopped infront of the crypt. Jason Blood grunted absentmindedly as he stepped inside the stone structure and walked to the end, where he started inscribing a triangle with 3 circles on the furthermost wall with a yellow chalk. I narrowed my eyes as latent energy started brimming from around our surroundings. Jason cursed out as the circle flashed with orange fire before dying out. "The wards damaged the connecting waypoints. We are stuck here." He told me before punching the wall with his fist and cracking it. I smiled. "Well...not really." At my urging a boom tube appeared before us. Blood looked on at the portal then at me, as if he was seeing me for the first time. "This can take us anywhere in the world I''ve been. So where do you want to go?" He sighed. "At this point, there''s only one place we can get help from. And coincidentally, it is where you you came from. A portal to New Orleans, if you will..." Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "Aden. Aden Strong." I answered, even though I had already introduced myself like three times as we left the ruins of his mansion for the crypt. "Right. Right. Sorry, my mind is not what it used to be. He has been getting out of hand. Bucking under my control..." Blood trailed off, looking unfocused. "Are you alright?" I asked him, concerned about his mental health. I would hate to bring a fire spitting rhyme demon back to New Orleans, although I was confident I could stop him before he fucked everything up, Etrigan was seriously strong. That wasn''t a fight I wanted to have in the middle of a crowded place like New Orleans. He shook his head, closed his eyes and nodded with a wince. The haunted look on his face changed as his expression turned blank. "Yes. I am fine. We should get going." He told me while moving towards the portal. "Nope." The Boom Tube disappeared. "Not until you answer some of my questions first." I told him while crossing my hands. Anger marred his features. "Open. The. PORTAL!!" He shouted, his voice taking on a growl at the end. My back stiffened as I narrowed my eyes. "Even if you attack and defeat me... you''re still going to be stuck here in the middle of Fucksvile or whatever. How are you going to get to Madame Xanadu''s without my help? Just swallow your pride and answer only two questions and we''re good." We entered a staring contest but unlike the Devil where I had had to look away in fear of getting blasted apart for the nerve, I stared down Blood until he closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths. "Alright. Alright..." When he opened his eyes, the anger had been replaced by frustration. "What do you want to know?" He questioned in a clipped tone. "First of all, what did that crazy angel chick steal and what do you think are her intentions?" "Allyssa stole a mystical object called, a Star Compass." I listened intently, wracking my brains over whether I''d heard something like that from Canon but came to the conclusion that I hadn''t. "An artifact capable of leading you to hidden ruins or places with a high concentration of natural magic." "Oh like Atlantis or Salem?" I pitched in. The demonologist nodded. "Precisely. It is my belief that she is going to use it to locate the Fountain of Imperium, a well of magical power not native to the planet that casts a mystical net over the world to hide us from most extraterrestrial scrying. The net has been crucial in keeping away the common alien practitioners of magic. If it does go down, we might see magical activity increase exponentially as magi from across the universe try to tap in to the earth''s relatively young leylines for their own ends." Magical Aliens. Wow. Only DC can have such crazy fuckery. "Ok, second question." I held up the MDP. "If I help you stop her, will you help me with this?" (General P.O.V) The vines dug into the building, breaking through the window and encroaching the room as a mass of tendrils, taking over. The building was only the third this happened to. The only upside to the situation being that it had been cleared already. Batman was getting frustrated at the lack of progress. His holographic wrist computer had already scanned the plant. The center portion of the vine peeking from the ground was it''s vulnerable spot but if he destroyed it, then a dose of fear toxin would be released. Something that while he could overcome due to sheer will power, he wasn''t immune to. Not completely. He would have to come up with a new strategy. He couldn''t really synthesize an antidote on the spot but The Flash had picked up the chemicals needed and hopefully, with the man''s Super-Speed, they could neutralize the toxin before any real damage could be sustained to the surroundings. That also meant he had to stall the vine''s progress, unaided. He narrowed his eyes, meaning Clark was facing whatever he was facing alone. It wasn''t hard to put two and two together. Clark mentioning Luthor, right before the coordinated attacks by the vines had happened, Metropolis being exempt from what was happening in other cities. That was despite the attacks being aimed for the cities where League members and other well known independent heroes come from. Then there was the fact that the vines seemed to be a product of magic as well as science. An abomination created by using Ivy''s plant as the base, Magic for regeneration whenever the vines were damaged and Fear Toxin as a countermeasure. It was clear that Luthor and by extension The Light, sought to keep the other heroes occupied. Too bad the junior team was currently suspended. Robin and the others would be coming back tomorrow after their weekend training with Richard Dragon. Batman lost his focus for a split second due to his worry over Superman and that split second was enough for him to get slammed backwards by the towering plant''s multiple tentacles. He hit the ground and grunted, rolling away from another vine''s attack. He threw noxious pellets that exploded and the vines shrivelled in place. Batman flipped backwards, dodging the spikes of hardened vines that shot off the ground in his former position. He jumped from a car and used his grapple gun to swing away. A scream followed by barking rang out through the surroundings and Batman looked to it''s source only to clench his jaw. A minivan with a family, two adults, one kid and a dog was held up in the air by vines. Batman instantly swung towards that direction to save them but he was too late. The scream was cut off as the mass of vines constricted the minivan and squeezed. Bruce''s heart skipped a beat as his mind buzzed. "No!" Batman shouted, evading a vine, his hand reaching out to the vehicle...only for a towering screen of flames to block out his view. The vine let out a screech of pain, disorienting Batman and making him land on the roof of a building in a roll. The Dark Knight stood up with a groan and surveyed the scene. Heat waves blasted his face as the temperature picked up, hot enough to have him sweating in seconds. A tornado of fire blocked the vine''s main body, burning off the numerous vines while the bud remained in the middle of the tornado. The eye of the storm. "I hope you don''t mind, I thought it prudent to intervene." A voice said from below him. Standing infront of the tornado of fire was Iroh in a martial arts stance. The old man looked at Batman as he swung down, a slight smile on Iroh''s face, "The family is okay." Vs The Injustice League part 1 (General P.O.V) Lex adjusted his tie with a small smile on his face, as a hulking figure landed on the ground before them, upheaving the soil on impact. Mercy punched a stray rock headed for Lex away as she glared at the last Czarnian''s back. "Lobo pushta logo umra basel." The interstellar mercenary said while walking towards the downed and stunned Superman. "Umra Kryptonian andala upo Levah." He stopped in place as Superman pushed a rock off him with a grunt. The Man of Steel rose up unsteadily. "I don''t understand a word you''re saying but trust me buddy, you don''t want to do this." Superman said while taking a battle ready stance. The Czarnian bounty hunter cocked his head to the side in slight confusion then tinkered with a device on his belt buckle. Pressing it in quick succession. "Stupid fucking device. It keeps on breaking down in the middle of the conversation. There¡­now, where was I? Oh yeah¡­" A bloodthirsty smile appeared on Lobo''s face. "I''m about to pound that pretty face of yours in, little Kryptonian. GrAAAAH!!!" Lobo moved with speed that was highly unexpected and closed the gap between him and Superman. The man of steel grunted as his palm blocked the punch headed for his face. Then he squeezed, floating up with a serious look on his face. "Don''t. Make. Me. Hurt you." Laughter started bubbling out of the pale skinned alien. "You''re strong. That means I get to have fun." Lobo shot back and whistled. The rev of engine sounded out before some sort of space-faring motorcycle, flew in, guns blazing. Lobo stepped in, reversing the hold the man of steel had on his hand and pushed him from behind so that he got the total blunt of the attacks. Projectiles and energy beams landed on The Man of Steel''s body, his form getting buried under smoke and light. "Mmmhhh, strength almost on the level of Superman. Intriguing." Lex commented. "Mercy initiate the plan. I believe it''s time we made our exit." The bodyguard nodded and pressed a button on the briefcase she was carrying around. A grey metallic sheen covered the black briefcase before dripping to the ground in a viscous form. Then the both of them walked away from the fight unfolding. Once in the armored limo, Lex pressed a button on the door frame and sat back with a glass of champagne in his hand. There was a slight buzz as the car was shielded from Superman''s super hearing. "Dr.Roquette''s research documents helped a lot. The nanites are not advanced as her own but this prototype will be enough to collect D.N.A samples from both of them. I doubt Superman will want to take this fight anywhere close to the city limits. And if Lobo gets overwhelmed¡­well, he knows what to do." "Then we have nothing to worry about. The distraction is going smoothly, with all of the League members being occupied. Wotan, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow are also uncompromised. However, I have no idea for how long. It is not inconceivable that The League comes up with a way to locate them and put an end to our machinations. Fortunately, we have a countermeasure to that as well." Ra''s Al Ghul replied as the car pulled off into the main road, headed to Metropolis. (Aden''s P.O.V) We used the boom tube which emptied us into Sanctuary before another one appeared under our feet and spat us out infront of Madame Xanadu''s shop. I wasn''t going to appear inside her shop. Lord knows what type of magical warding she has in place to deal with intruders. I heard a few gasps of surprise and fear, followed by people running or walking away quickly upon our entry. Blood looked at me accusingly, making me flush a little. "Sorry. Next time I''ll try to be subtle." But then added to myself, "you''d think with all the superpowered aliens, ancient demigoddesses and people who can casually break the sound barrier, this wouldn''t be a problem." I turned to head inside the shop before something grabbed my attention. The digital billboard framing the building, at the end of the street was showing multiple clips of The League fighting, and I kid you not, Vine Monsters. There was something familiar about this. I wracked my brain and the information hidden deep in my mind, hit me like a lightning bolt. The Injustice League! There had been something like this in canon! I didn''t know what their motives had been other than causing menace as par the course... but something seemed off about this...all the attacks were confined to cities with superheroes. "Let''s go. The league will handle that, we have our part to play in this madness." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. I looked back at Blood and nodded hesitantly. What worried me was the identity of the person fighting alongside Batman, Master Iroh. Fuck...this was going to put him firmly in the world''s eyes. I mean...I don''t know what I was expecting but this was Iroh. I doubt he would stand back and watch as people got hurt. I just wish I was there to back him up. I turned away. In Canon, the team had been sufficient to deal with the one''s controlling the plants so there was nothing to worry about. The familiar ring of a bell, greeted us as Blood pushed the door open. My skin shuddered slightly upon crossing the door. A barrier of some sort, I reasoned. My energy sense was getting better unusually fast. The set up of Xanadu''s shop was just like before. The only thing missing was the Fortune Teller herself. There was an unfamiliar flavor of magic that saturated the room however and it made me place my palm on Blood''s shoulder with a frown, stopping him from going deeper inside. "Do you feel that?" I asked as he stopped and sighed. "Yes. Just follow me. If it''s who I think it is, then the world is in more danger than I realized." Blood replied, gently shrugging off my hand and walking towards the next room. The room that had the door which had teleported me across the world to Blood''s residence. A magical waypoint, I think. Blood pushed the door open and we stepped through. My energy sense started acting weird. I could simultaneously feel the stranger in the room, while also not. It was weird and disconcerting and sent my alarm bells ringing. I couldn''t gauge his strength. "Fuck." The British Demonologist who had been the exemplary example of respectable diction and manners unexpectedly cursed. "Stranger, I was not expecting to see you so soon. How many years has it been?" I perked up at the name, remembering the text I got from Maze about someone dressed in a black cape with white hair and glowing white orbs where his eyes should be. The man before us turned around to face us and he matched up to the description, confirming he was the one she was telling me about. "Jason Blood, the world is at stake once more. An upheaval that threatens to destroy the delicate balance." The Stranger''s voice was deep with undertones of power. "So the usual fair right? Bullocks. John was always a better fit for saving the world... I''m just trying to undo a mistake." Jason replied in exhaustion. For the first time, I looked at the immortal soldier cursed to be the prison for a demon. He looked tired and worn out. "These ten years have not been easy on you. But once again, your purpose is calling. I am aware of the issue with Allyssa. However, this goes deeper than that. I need your assistance." The Stranger replied, his tone taking on a noticeable softer note. Blood shook his head. "I''m sorry but i can''t help you. Where is Nimue? I need her to help me locate Allyssa before she finds the whereabouts of the Fountain of Imperium. John, Ritchie and I are the only ones who have an inkling on it''s whereabouts. But I don''t think she will take too long to break through the wards." The stranger nodded, sweeping his hand out to show an image on the crystal ball of Madame Xanadu on a boat, floating along a river with her eyes crossed. I moved closer. "What is she doing out there?" I wondered out loud. "Divining. High level masters of the mystical arts can sense when someone is scrying them and hide their magical signature. Unfortunately for them, Nimue is a skilled magician. She''s using the waters natural connectivity with the world to sense out areas with a high level of magical feed back, then parsing through all that to locate who she wants." Blood explained with a sigh. "I''m guessing this is related to what you need my help with?" He added. The stranger nodded. "Ok, fine. We''ll help you...the sooner we are done with this the better." A pulse of power and Nimue looked up, staring right at the crystal ball. She chanted inaudibly before the crystal ball changed to show a different image. An image of a swamp, followed by a huge structure which was covered entirely by vines and then...the image zoomed in through the walls of the building and we got a look of who was inside it. "That''s Poison Ivy, Wotan and Scarecrow!" I said, confirming to myself that I had been right all along. The giant vine Monsters were the Injustice League''s doing. "This is where you come in. Someone needs to stop them, it there is any hope of Poison Ivy''s plant creations to be stopped. What the league is doing now is delayed tactics. Only two of these vine creatures have been destroyed. One in Dakota city and the other in Central city." I looked at the crystal ball showing the three supervillains and understood what he meant. There had to be a reason why the one in Washington DC was still active, with Iroh around. That man is a beast. "Scarecrow." The answer came to me, prompting the other two to stare at my direction. "It all makes sense. There has to be a countermeasure in place. Wotan must be enhancing Ivy''s powers to endure the strain of so many of her plants scattered across North America with magic, Ivy is using that connection to tap into the green, a subconscious connection, I''m not even sure she knows of to regenerate the ones that sustain damage and I can bet you a million dollars that once one of the plants are destroyed...fear toxin is released." What I didn''t understand was why the Stranger felt the need to send us in. I mean, in canon, The League had sent in Aqualad and the others. Then again...my presence had changed everything. Each passing day, my meta-knowledge was getting more and more useless. I guess I didn''t have a choice now. "Okay. Let''s deal with this first. When we''re done...we go after Allyssa." Blood decided. Vs The Injustice League part 2. (Aden''s P.O.V) I just realized something. I hate swamps. The Phantom Stranger had swept out his cape towards us, my energy sense briefly getting a taste of The Stranger''s magical power and oh boy¡­this dude had hidden depths. From what I could feel¡­his power was of a higher tier than what was accessible to mortals. Infact¡­it was distinctly angelic. Just missing an aspect of¡­miracle or if you want to get technical, holiness. It was only for a brief second and I could confidently say that The Phantom Stranger was atleast as powerful as an elite angel. Which begged the question of why he didn''t personally interfere. I didn''t think he would tell me even if I asked, but I was curious about him. I made a mental note to myself to grill Blood on who or rather what the Phantom Stranger was. My vision was briefly obscured by darkness for a second and then light assaulted my eyes, making me realize just how dim Xanadu''s place was. "Make haste. For the longer you linger, the more harm they inflict on the world." The Stranger''s voice echoed out before disappearing. I looked around and found myself standing on a mushy ground, with my feet sinking into the mud slowly. I grimaced and floated up. All around me was an eerie atmosphere that was not in the least bit diminished by the sun peeking through. The buzz of mosquitoes and other insects along with my surroundings culminated in one undeniable truth about myself. "I fucking hate the swamp." Blood merely grunted and started walking towards the massive green plant peaking through a few trees, some distance infront of us. "Nice of the Stranger to teleport us close to the structure but not too near. I can''t imagine wading through all this murk to get where we need to go." Blood spared me a look that said, ''bruh you can fly. I''m the one wading through the murk.'' "Hey you want some help? I could levitate you with my powers. It would be faster that way." I offered only for the centuries old man to shake his head. "I''m fine. Let us hurry. We need to stop Wotan and the rest so that we can move on to more important things." I spared him a look from the corner of my eyes. This fixation on Allyssa seemed a bit¡­odd. Something told me there was a lot more that the Demonologist was not sharing. Then again, everyone had their own secrets. If it was important enough, there was no way whatever Blood was hiding would stay locked up in a void of obscurity. Call it karma, fate or sweet baby Jesus but such things found their way into the light eventually. On another note... something worried me, I was yet to receive a mission from the system. Did it mean that as long as I had a chain quest active I couldn''t receive a different mission? Or did the system vet my missions based on a criteria that I didn''t know? It bothered me not to have clear answers because lord knows I needed some training points. Back to the mission, I had my energy sense, air sense and spiritual attunement on ever since the Stranger dropped us in the swamp. All three skills were in an active state, scanning our surroundings as we closed in on the mega structure that was growing bigger and bigger in our vision. For starters the building was shaped like a dome from what I could perceive. The sunlight from above hit the top of the building and was reflected off, meaning it was made of glass while the foundation was concrete. It''s size was huge. Like¡­why waste so much time and resources building this thing in the middle of nowhere, if it was a one off strategy? Somehow despite Lex''s bullshit amounts of money, I didn''t picture him as the sort to just waste it. Which meant this was something that the Light had been planning for some time. I remembered only the part about the Injustice League being a cover for the Light or something. Nothing too concrete. I tensed my neck muscles as something made itself known before us. Without thinking too much, I jumped infront of Jason just as a huge albino gorilla leapt from behind some trees a couple of dozen meters away from our position. How the fuck had I not felt him before he consciously moved to attack us? Could there be something in the air masking their presence or was it the swamp itself? Bullets pelted my air shield, making it ripple like the surface of water without breaking through. "Blood, we seem to have some company." "Yes, I can see that." The man replied scanning our surroundings for any more attackers. "So what''s the plan?" I asked while flicking a finger towards Ultra-humanite''s position with my left hand, sending wind bullets to pelt his position too in a sort of ''can you take what you dish out'' courtesy move. The other hand was outstretched to maintain a strong shield around Blood and I. Something broke through the ground, aimed at us. I neatly controlled the sphere of air surrounding our bodies and floated us away from the spiked vines. Poison Ivy. Luckily it didn''t seem like she was around. She could probably sense us all the way from the building. Still, it was frankly terrifying how powerful she could be in her element. The plants all around us moved to box us in. The sphere in my control changed to a whirlwind of sharp wind currents that made short work of all the branches and plants seeking to ensnare us once they got too close. I rounded up on my colleague, a little angry. You never freeze when you''re on the field. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon."Get your head in the game, Blood. If this is too much¡­tell me and I will create a portal for you to leave." It was a low blow. Insulting even, given that I knew of his condition. Loosening the tight grip he had on Etrigan''s chains to allow the demon to come out must not have been easy. Especially considering that they didn''t really like each other. "Throw me." Came the Englishman''s response. I looked at him in confusion. "What?" I studied his face and questioned. "Throw me towards the building. You handle the ones on the outside and I will handle the ones on the inside." I hesitated for a split second before nodding. "Ok. Give em hell." I laughed internally at the stupid joke, before slamming my hands down onto the ground. A shockwave of wind, blasted out with us at the epicenter, blowing everything close to us away. The pale white gorilla rolled away from the worst of it, though I could feel him smash onto a few trees, losing his machine gun in the process. Was it even a machine gun? With no more assault, I grabbed hold of Blood through aero kinesis, just as he crouched and started to chant, "Change change o'' form of man, Release the might from Fleshy Mire¡­" I enclosed him in a bubble just as infernal, hot energy with the flavor of sulphur registered in my senses. My spiritual attunement distinctly felt two souls inside the body. With the prime soul, that of Jason Blood, taking a backseat as Etrigan came out. The bubble floated up and then shot off towards the building in subsonic speeds. Meh¡­he could survive it. Probably. I moved to ran forward when something forcefully stopped me. A battering ram. Or, atleast what I thought a battering ram would feel smashing onto my forearms. The force behind it slammed me away as I cradled my very likely broken arm. My back punched through the mangrove, vines and trees before I released a blast of wind from my shoulders and feet to forcefully stop myself. The air rippled behind me, sending out a tsunami of murky water, broken branches, leaves and vines. Someone strong. Very strong had decided to enter the scene. I looked up at the face of the Kandahq royalty. Black friggin Adam. "You''re going to pay for that." I promised with a slight smile on my face, wincing slightly at the pain on my left hand. There was something about fighting someone who had you outmatched physically that was addicting because then, you''re forced to use your brain to counteract your opponent''s overwhelming speed, strength and durability with skill or long range bombardment. "You can''t hope to defeat me brat. You. Are. Not. Worthy." Black Adam told me while flying down in an upright position. He had me outmatched in all physical parameters but if I wanted to defeat him, I had a few options open to me, though I wasn''t sure of they would work. First of, I could deny him air. And¡­yeah that''s it. I got nothing else. That''s how freakishly strong this dude was. Just kidding. I waited for him to get closer before opening my mouth and letting out a sonic scream, the most powerful one I could handle without making myself lose my voice for a few hours. The ripple of sound washed over the disgraced champion of Shazam, his hands clasped over his bleeding years in a grimace of pain. I jumped towards him and buried a fist on his belly, pushing him towards the sky, while following him closely behind. The next strike caught him on the the left cheek, whipping his head to the side. Damn, it felt like I was punching hardened rock. Despite being disoriented, Black Adam was conscious enough to sweep his hand out. I ducked under the move and landed a chi blocking blow on the underside of his arm then at his armpit. The larger, faster and stronger man winced in pain as his arm seized up but didn''t completely lose control. He pulled away but a wind blast from his back pushed him towards me again, so he changed tactics and instead of a close quarter combat attack, I felt the brimming of super charged energy before the first sparks of lightning exploded from his form. The streaks washed over me but I was ready. I grabbed onto the energy and instantly understood that I had made a mistake. This energy was not natural. The divine essence inside it fried my arms and I released it just as quickly as I absorbed it, redirecting it to the ground where I felt Ultra-humanite hoisting his weapon up to shoot at me. I felt the lightning connect absentmindedly while I tried to focus on the fight I was embroiled in. Black Adam landed a glancing blow on my chest that I barely evaded but he pulled his hand back quickly and grabbed my arm in a vice grip. Before I could extricate myself, the world started spinning around me, before he let go of my arm. I smashed onto the murky ground, sending mud and water flying off while coughing as the breath was knocked out of me. Shit¡­both of my arms were in a sorry state. The left one was probably broken or atleast had a cracked bone on the forearm, while the right one was dislocated at the shoulder. How the fuck did Black Adam reduce me to such a sorry state in only a few seconds? I had had the upper hand! There in lied the problem. I was too cocky. Changing tactics. I looked up at the sadistically grinning man above me. Like David facing Goliath. Like Hercules facing the Nemean Lion. I was outmatched...and it was thrilling. "Okay¡­let''s try this again." Vs The Injustice League Part 3 (Aden''s P.O.V) "Ok, let''s try this again." I said while rising to my feet. I had two unusable arms. The left as mentioned earlier was likely very broken. Moving my fingers sent sensations of agony across the whole limb ending with a stabbing pain in my chest. The right shoulder was dislocated. I could easily set it back if I could use my left hand. My enhanced healing would likely get rid of the broken forearm in a little over two hours but¡­that was a lot of time when you''re fighting someone. Especially when that person could destroy you quite easily. I also forgot to mention Black Adam''s lightning had left burns along the skin of my palms and wrists. All in all, I had lost the first round. That¡­ didn''t sit well with me. Black Adam floated down, hovering a few meters off the ground with a cruel glint in his eyes and a sadistic smile on his face. "Ready to start begging? Not that it will do you any good, brat. I''m going to break you." His voice was gruff now that I took the chance to listen to it a bit more. Instead of the fear he was expecting, I held up my arms. "Look what you did to me." I pointed out a bit sourly. The champion of the gods looked at my injured arms and snickered. "I''m going to break more than just your arms. Your legs will be next and then, I''ll snap your¡­" "What? No,no¡­ I''m not talking about the arms you idiot. I mean the sleeves of my coat. You think it''s easy finding something as cool to wear as my costume, instead of the spandex you heroes and villains love so much?" Black Adam pulled up short in confusion. I snorted while cocking my head to the side. "It''s already bad enough that you subject me to the sight of your hairline that clearly doesn''t want to do anything with your forehead, but you had to wear a black onesie, with a white cliche'' rendition of a lightning bolt like you''re coming from a cosplay event. I can''t believe that this is what Shazam has to deal with. Atleast he''s a kid, so it''s understandable but you...you have no excuse to walk around looking like all the wrong reasons someone goes to the gym." Black Adam''s face morphed into a picture of anger. "You little fucking¡­" "Nah-huh-ha. Are you sure you should be insulting me rather than dealing with that?" I asked him pointing at something behind him. A massive humanoid face made entirely of wind currents was swirling above us, scowling like an angry god. Making Black Adam angry had been a distraction while I created this huge construct. Black Adam was so shocked by the sudden appearance of the construct that he hesitated when the mouth opened and started sucking him in. I breathed in and let out a sonic scream that pushed him towards the construct. A boom tube appeared under me and I fell through. My surroundings changed as I instantly dialed the time difference in my dimension to 3 times as fast as in real life. The construct was not going to keep him occupied for long and I wanted to fight Black Adam at my level best. A single mistake and he had shown that he had no qualms about knocking my head off. I''m trying to avoid death. Which is why I''m going to cheat. "Saisei, do your thing buddy." The small dragon happily complied, sending me feelings of concern mixed with understanding that I was a badass doing badass things so he had no reason to be worried. A white flame washed over me and I instantly regained my stamina and health back. Key word being ''regained.'' Saisei''s healing powers were not centered on healing the damage down but instead reversing the damage inflicted on the body and resetting it to it''s prime state. It was the reason why I couldn''t go on a crazy ''break my body through torture exercise'' and take advantage of his healing powers and my adaptive physiology to grow immensely powerful. But even with that, his healing came in handy due to how quick it was. I stretched my body languidly, feeling everything was back to tip top shape. "Thanks Saisei. Say hi to Breeze and Hakai for me. I''ll see you all later." I jumped across the boom tube and landed on the ground a few meters away from my last position. The connection to my construct was still there but it''s form seemed smaller and misshapen. Around it a trail of black would flash from one side to the other using the shockwaves from his pure flight speed and superstrength to carve out chunks of the construct. "I tire of this nonsense. Begone!" Black Adam announced, darting in through the eye of the construct. A huge amount of energy was released within my creation, making me widen my eyes as the ridiculous amount of electric energy exploded out like a bomb, destroying the construct and making me shield my eyes from the light. As the light show died down, Black Adam''s energy signature lost more than half of it''s brilliance. I looked up and saw him huffing at the exertion, slowly floating down. The move had taken a lot from him it seems. I narrowed my eyes. Time to take him down. Suddenly nausea hit and I was left reeling, stumbling on my feet as the world spun around me. "You thought you could take us down? How far the League has fallen that they send in a child to do their dirty job." A voice with a heavy accent said as a figure appeared from the swamp. The miasma in the area was clearly messing with my senses. How the fuck had I not sensed them again? I fell to one knee, trying to stabilize my body and avoid puking all over. Calming breaths Aden. Calming breaths. There was a huff as Ultra-humanite appeared on the new figure''s side. I lifted my head to look at them but the feeling of vertigo increased tremendously. That''s also when his possible identity hit me. Count Vertigo. An evil son of a bitch that was under Batman''s watchlist for possible Fratricide. Or Killing of his brother and his wife, leaving behind their little daughter to rule as the Vlatavan call constitutional monarch. And I also suspected that the Princess''s 2 previous Assassination attempts that had aired in the news had to do with his fucker. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. They stopped near me, with Ultra-humanite levelling his weapon towards my head. "Checkmate." Count Vertigo said, his lips stretching out into a smug smile. Up close, after a delve into his soul with spiritual attunement, I understood that this dude had no redeeming qualities. It was a new function of Spiritual attunement that required the subject to be in close proximity. If they were 2 meters away from me, I could do a deep scan... showing me the purity of their souls. Most souls retained a grayish color, falling into the ''not evil not righteous'' side of the coin. Count Vertigo''s soul on the other hand was as murky as the waters of the swamp. That decided it for me. A dark grayish color that bordered on black. My face went blank. I held out my hand to the side as they watched. "Don''t move!" Count Vertigo ordered as his companion shoved the gun in his hands on my face. My adaptability was assuaging the feelings of imbalance plaguing me, enough to get to my feet unsteadily. Vertigo brought a hand to a device on his shoulder, and pressed it. Waves of nausea hit me but I remained steady. He widened his eyes, turning to the Albino gorilla. "What are you waiting for!?? Shoot him!" Ultra-humanite grunted and pressed the trigger. At this close of a proximity, there was no way I was going to avoid the energy beams... Fortunately, there was another option. I''ve always wanted to do this. Equity appeared in my outstretched hand just as I pulled on my inner energy, streaks of lightning enhancing my speed to crazy levels. The rapier transitioned into a Katana midway through the swing, slicing apart the energy beams which exploded before me, the shockwaves rendered useless by my air shield. My hand danced in the air as I used energy sense and my increased reaction speed to block everything that the huge Albino gorilla shot at me. The two of them seemed almost...frozen. I bent my knees slightly, with Equity held to my side,then stepped forward. A loud bang! Exploded from my position, my eyes glowing with sparks of blue energy. The same erratic energy powering my muscles for more than regular speed. The Katana shone through the air, a whistling sound ringing out after I had appeared behind them. Silence dominated the area before the weapon on the Gorilla''s arm fell to the ground, followed by the Gorilla''s arm as well, the spray of blood expected from such an injury was nowhere to be seen, Equity''s edge having been so hot that it cauterized the wound. "Aaarghhhm" The animal supervillain knelt on the ground, shouting and groaning in pain. He looked at his companion, only for him to suck a deep breath. Count Vertigo''s body flopped to the ground, his head rolling down the terrain only to be stopped by my foot. I looked at the head with a dispassionate gaze. I didn''t want to kill him. Truly. But for the future of Vlatava. For the future of princess Perdita, now Queen Perdita and all the innocent lives, Vertigo had taken or hurt in his pursuit for the crown, this sacrifice had to be made. I was always talking about how my conviction to doing the right thing was correct. Sooner rather than later, I was going to kill. Would this escalate things? I don''t fucking care. How could things escalate when masses of people were already dying due to supervillains. And now that I had my own way of seeing deep into their souls to judge whether or not they could change or atleast if they had a smidgen of light within them...I could actually do this. I could save this world. If it meant killing people like Vertigo then so be it. "You''re...a hero...Heroes do not kill!" A regal voice that was highly panicked now, escaped the mouth of the Albino gorilla that had just beared witness to my actions. "Hmmm?" I hummed, bending down and plucking the device on Vertigo''s head before sending it to my hammer space. It might prove useful in training myself to overcome such effects in the future. With that done, I turned to Ultra-humanite. Walking towards him while twirling my blade. "Heroes don''t kill. You''re right. But, who said I''m a hero?" I saw as the realization dawn in his eyes that he could lose his life here. The terror in them increased as he crawled back, cradling his stump. "Please...I was..." He was scared. Scared of me. I don''t know how I looked but I didn''t know what to feel about his fear. I didn''t like it. But I was conscious enough to know that when I did start liking it... that''s when I should be worried. As it stands, an Avatar couldn''t make a good superhero. That''s because an Avatar''s duty was to maintain balance. If that meant using extreme force and killing your foes when it was imperative...then the Avatar had to be willing to reach that level. Aang was an exception. He was just a kid raised by peace loving monks. In that sense he was both strong and weak. Kyoshi on the other hand...she killed. And because of that, Roku wasn''t left with a clusterfuck to deal with once Kyoshi passed away. Not like Aang had to due to Roku giving mercy to a ruthless and insane Firelord who went on to inflict war and pain to so many people over the course of a fucking century. I could learn from their actions and the results of their lives but at the end of the day, this was my life. My choices. And I chose to trust my gut. My judgement could he flawed but not my understanding. And my understanding told me to do what was right up until what was right stopped being right anymore. I don''t know if I was mistaken but...I felt my spirit get lighter somehow. As if, using the life lessons of all the past incarnations of the Avatar to arrive to my own truth, made my spirit attain more substance. All this went through my head as I neared Ultra-humanite. His back hit a tree, with sweat matting the fur on his face. I held up a hand and froze him with wind bindings, tying up his body on the trunk of the tree. Then I did a deep spiritual scan. His soul...was not as far gone as Vertigo but close. It also seemed bigger. Meaning he had lived for a longer time. Done with the scan, I levelled Equity at him. All in all, only ten minutes had passed since Blood and I had been attacked by Black Adam, who was still out of it. I needed to end this fast and go, back up Etrigan. But not before Ultra-humanite answered a few questions I had. I needed to know the purpose of this attack other than the Injustice League acting as a smoke screen and Scape goat for The Light. Savage knew that Batman and the others knew of the Light. So the scapegoat thing wouldn''t really work. Which meant they had another purpose. "Tell me what you know before I turn you into Nearly headless nick." Vs The Injustice League Final Part. (Aden''s P.O.V) After telling me everything he knew, which as it turned out was not much, I took a minute to mull over his words. Because you see, while what he knew was little, it was very shocking. Vandal Savage was out of commission. Had been infact, for more than a few weeks. That timeline lined up perfectly with the time he had arrived to see Lucifer. The man''s wariness had been a real thing. Tangible and significant, showing that he knew what sort of being was standing before him. I hadn''t stuck around for that meeting. Nor had I asked any questions but, it seems like Savage did not get out of that meeting in one piece, if what Ultra-humanite told me was true. Of course I took his words at face value, even going further to sneakily scan his mind as he talked. Unfortunately, the Albino Gorilla had dense mental walls, which wasn''t all that surprising given how long he had been alive. But still, my telepathy had steadily been getting better, even though I didn''t pay it that much attention. I couldn''t break past his walls as that would alert him about the intrusion, so I asked guided questions on what The Light''s intentions were. Normally, a thought cannot be separate. Except in times of great distress, when the mind is overtaken by strong emotions. Like fear. When you''re afraid of something that''s chasing you, the only thought in your head is going to be ''gotta get away! gotta get away!'' However, in normal cases, when you think of something, that thought holds a precedent up until it''s relevant. It also forms a chain when stimulated. A chain that leads to procrastination if your attention is not broken. Asking pointed questions, prompted him to instantly think of one thing and then another as he discarded the initial thought to follow up the link, whenever another question was asked. "What is the Light''s planning? Who''s in charge now that Savage is indisposed? How many of these vine Monsters are there?" I touched upon his mind gently and used the slight waver in concentration as he discarded the first thought, grabbing on to the fluctuations of the initial answer he was thinking of and because his attention was actively focused on another thought, getting through the walls was easy. It wasn''t part of the lessons the Martians had taught me but was instead inspired by something so mundane it was funny. When you go to the club and the line is crowded, if the bouncers get distracted for a little bit¡­you can take that chance to slip in. And because it''s fucking loud inside and filled with lots of people¡­no one will even bother to come looking for you. No one will know that you ain''t supposed to be there. It was the same here. The mind is a jumbled mess of half finished thoughts and memories. Only a true telepathic master or with the help of one, can you have an organized mind. Getting inside the Martian''s mind undetected would be harder than fighting Omni-man as a base human. That''s never happening. See they had a big advantage that normal humans with the exception of human telepaths don''t have. Awareness. If the mind of a normal guy was a club, then that club had no bouncers or closed doors, you were free to enter. If a human like Batman was trained to shield his mind from Telepathic influence, then their clubs had bouncers on the door and the club was always on lockdown or hard to push through if you were especially good at it. Now, a master telepath is a different case. There was no club. Just a blank void where they could exert full control of their mental faculties, to welcome you with full force even before you could fully knock on the door to their mind. Now back to the matter at hand, I combed through Ultra-humanite''s mind with more than a little difficulty. Which while expected was also off putting and bothersome. For starters, I wasn''t used to this and secondly¡­his way if thinking was so¡­ analytical. You''d think that would be a good thing due to how straightforward his memories would be but the problem with trying to understand a mind that is very unique from how you yourself think, is the little cues and placement of detail. He had code words for information, all placed in a bundle of scientific observations, that getting the actual details needed indepth analysis. Luckily after five minutes which in real life translated to barely two, I understood what Lex was trying to do. The bastard was trying to acquire d.n.a sample from Superman for something called project Rebirth that would end up helping Savage regain his health back. That was the extent of Ultra-humanite''s knowledge. The vine Monsters were simply distractions for the other League members and independent heroes who would try to intervene and help Superman in his fight. And it seems like The Light had gone all out. The one fighting Superman was an interstellar mercenary. Ultra-humanite didn''t know who he was but I had a pretty good idea. Ending this whole affair just became all the more important. I didn''t want to deal with whatever Project Rebirth was. That means, I had to go to Superman''s aid. Knowing Lex, there was no way the Kryptonian would win if he was faced up against Lobo. Not because Supes wasn''t powerful but because Lobo was a fucking maniac who wouldn''t stop. Before I pulled out of the Albino Gorilla''s mind, I left a little surprise there. I blinked my eyes open in the real world, letting go of the now dull faced gorilla. His eyes were unfocused and in my telepathic senses, his neural activity was quiet. That what happens when you detonate the equivalent of a telepathic C4 bomb in someone''s mind. You scatter their psyche, leaving them braindead. Let''s just say, he more than deserved that. After all, his analytical way of thinking had made him conduct various cruel experiments. Some of them on even kids. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I turned away, while sighing. This was necessary. And now for the last one. Like a roaring tiger, his energy signature reared its head at me. Black Adam was back. Had been for some time actually. Just content to watch as I dispatched his colleagues. "Finally, you got rid of the weaklings." The man said as he flew down. This time he touched the ground and curiously studied me. "You are a strong child...but make no mistake, you will fall like the rest of them. I will show you no mercy." He declared, his muscles seeming to expand even more as he tightened his fists. "You didn''t intervene as I killed your friends. That''s rather heartless. I thought there was atleast a bit of camaraderie among you villains." I commented levelling Equity at him. The Kahndaq ruler snorted. "They were weak." He replied as if that answer was sufficient enough. And in his eyes...I suppose it was. The mega structure that was to my left suddenly blew up with flames, the large vine at the center burning with hellfire. I tightened my palm on Equity, Etrigan was keeping his end of the deal...time for me to do the same. This tile I wasn''t going to lose. His fingers twitched. I channeled the air element through Equity, constructing a wind dome around my form that was super condensed. The lightning bolts from Adam''s hands hit the shield and parted to the sides. It had already been established that his lightning was unnatural. There was no way I was redirecting it. My vision was occupied by erratic blue energy...I expanded the dome unevenly. Most of the wind changing forms from a dome to a pillar of rotating wind that shot off towards him. Fire appeared along it''s length and burnt everything around a 50 meter radius to my front. But Adam had disappeared to the sky. Energy sense wasn''t working as it should but I could feel the massive power level hurtling down from the sky towards me. I pointed Equity at him, creating weapon constructs made up of wind and fire, that shot off as I slashed out my weapon. Black Adam didn''t evade. The first of the constructs hit his body and activated. An explosion of super condensed fire was the result. Throwing him back to the sky.The bombardment continued, the area around his immediate vicinity being covered by wind arrows and spears. I snapped a finger more for show and they all exploded, covering his form under smoke and light. But I knew it wasn''t enough to put him down. I took off to the sky, Equity changing to it''s lance form, lightning clad my legs and feet as I skated in the air, enhancing all my parameters while pulling in closer to the scorned champion of the gods. Equity was currently one of the only things in my arsenal that could hurt him. The sword was sharp enough to slice the skin of an angel. I doubt Adam would offer that much resistance. A buildup of power pulsed in my senses, and lightning exploded out of Black Adam as he snarled. Ok, still can''t pull in too close to him, it seems. I negated the air shockwaves that resulted from his blow up and quickly, shifted Equity to it''s broad anime style form, anticipating his counterattack. The punch that landed on the flat side of the blade saw me pushed back, struggling not to let go of the weapon. Adam''s speed shot through the roof as he punched out at me, each time landing a blow that my sword intercepted pushing me away in a cinematic rendition of Superman vs General Zod from Man of Steel. The only difference was the absence of skyscrapers to demolish at my back. Each blow that connected helped me study his movements, his patterns and his form. It was clear that Black Adam had more experience and skill than me. But skill took a backseat when he was in the heat of the moment. Were it anyone else, they would probably lose this battle. But I was patient, understanding that I couldn''t trump over him in physical parameters. So I studied and learned. Evading when I could and blocking when I couldn''t. Little by little, I started pushing back. At first it started by a leaving behind a trail of cutting winds and exploding fireballs, that were only a minor distraction. Then I combined the two elements into a funnel of flaming wind that singed his eyebrows a little. The flame fell below us and started a fire on the vegetation that was unnaturally snuffed out, which made me curious. lastly, a curtain of thunderbolts that I attracted with a combination of using the air, inner fire and energy sense to direct them from the sky, falling onto the path that Adam had to take to reach me. The lightning bolts slammed onto his form relentlessly, coming out on the other side, with his body smoking faster than I thought he would. His visage showing frustration and anger at how I had been evading him. "You''re finished!" He pulled his hand back and slammed it onto my chest, breaking past bone and flesh as the arm came out on the other side. His face betrayed a smile of conquest, filled with begrudging respect. "You fought well. Die with honor." His words were barely out, when he felt something was wrong. "So did you." His face changed as Equity speared him from the back. A moan of pain escaping his mouth as his body trembled and lost strength. The figure before him was an air construct that was humanoid in shape but didn''t look at all like a person. So I knew he was wondering what the fuck had happened. I pulled out Equity from his body and marvelled as the blood covering the blade was... absorbed? I filed that away for later, sending the blade back to my hammerspace. Black Adam floated down along with me, covered in a wind bubble. We landed and he looked at me with a surprised and pained look. "How?!!" He coughed out blood, barely managing to ask. For a second, I contemplated telling him. It was the honorable thing to do plus the dude was dying. But...this was DC, death wasn''t permanent. Infact, I think she loves taking vacations when it comes to collecting the souls of villains and heroes to help them move on. So fuck no. I wasn''t going to give my secrets away to an enemy. "Simple. Round two goes to me." A Favor (Aden''s P.O.V) I watched as Black Adam''s breathing grew shallower. Adam had accelerated healing, gained from Mehen, so it stood to reason that despite the nature of the injury, he wasn''t going to kick the bucket that easily. But I could see it in his eyes that he knew he was at my mercy. I could easily kill him right now if I wanted to. And that coupled with the fact that, Adam didn''t know the meaning of the word give up, made me take some extreme measures. Erratic power started brimming inside him but a mind stun, which is just a crude telepathic hit to the mind sent him to dream land. His upper body flopped back to the ground like a puppet with it''s strings cut. Blood from the wound Equity had left on his chest started pouring out in faster quantities. Damn, I was getting used to this. Not the blood, the mind attacks. Though the only reason it had even worked on the champion of the gods was because of he was badly injured. For added measure, I used dragon fist, the air variation of chi blocking to ensure that he wouldn''t suddenly spring up and attack me. Doing that had the risk of worsening his injuries, but I had Saisei who could stabilize his condition. An in depth scan of his soul revealed that although this dude was violent, arrogant and ruthless¡­he wasn''t far gone. Not like Vertigo. It''s ironic actually, how a normal human being like Vertigo could actually be worse than someone with the power of a god or several gods in this case and a penchant for violence. That didn''t mean Adam was a good person. Far from it. But¡­his power made him more valuable alive than dead. That and the fact that Equity had behaved like a demon sword when exposed to his blood..convinced me to let him live. The sword in question almost hummed in approval. A boom tube appeared below us and we disappeared into my realm. Black Adam could have some use to me. I especially wanted to know why my lightning bending seemed to have no effect on him when I remember that thunderbolts were also part of his weakness. Or am I wrong? Fuck, DC''s timeline has always been confusing. I gave a final look to the huge Injustice League headquarters that was now burning with hellfire. A single minute later, I appeared back in the swamps after tucking my prisoner away in a secure place. Saisei had stabilized his condition enough that he wouldn''t die on me before we could¡­talk. I twirled Equity in my hands while walking towards the huge but now wrecked building. Smoke was covering the area already and with the way no plants or vegetation was trying to attack me, I think it was safe to assume that Ivy, Wotan, Scarecrow and any other supervillain, we hadn''t anticipated were dealt with by Etrigan. I only took a few steps before a figure appeared from within the smoke. I stopped and waited, before easing out of my battle ready stance once I felt through my spiritual attunement who it was. "You look like you''ve been through hell." I commented with an upturn of my lips. Blood sighed in exasperation. "I loved that shirt." He responded. His clothes were horribly burnt but fortunately, he didn''t seem to have any injuries. "So¡­what happened?" I asked while looking further behind him. My air sense and energy sense were still behaving weirdly so I couldn''t see it for myself. "They escaped through a portal once Etrigan destroyed the antenna the woman was using to control the plants." He narrowed his eyes. "The portal looked similar to the ones you use actually." "I''m not surprised. It''s clear they were working under or with someone else. The way they escaped was by using a device called a Fatherbox to open a stable portal to a place the user has been to before. My portals are different though." I told him without explaining more. "Still can''t believe you took on an immortal Sorcerer, Poison Ivy who was clearly in her element and that other dude by yourself. You''re packing some real power underneath that prim and proper stiff British demeanor, Blood." The compliment was well deserved though it was a way to change the subject. Blood saw through my intentions but chose to let it go. He looked back at the wrecked building and frowned. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original."Etrigan¡­he had some help from an acquittance of mine." He stated, surprising me a little. An acquaintance? Who could he be¡­I then remembered how the fire from my fight with Adam had caught on the trees only to be snuffed out right after. I levelled a stare at Blood. "Lemme guess, huge, green and mean. Concerned only about protecting green life, fuck everything else right? You talking about Swamp Thing?" Now it was Jason''s time to look surprised. "You have met him before?" I shook my head at his question, waving my hands in scepticism. "Nah. He''s not real." My response confused him. "What? I assure you¡­" I slung a hand around his shoulder and chuckled. "No, I''m just messing with you man. Trust me, that kind of a guy, leaves an impression." He sighed, shrugging off my hold and walking away. "Children." He said, which made me laugh and hurry up to catch up with him, only for my foot to sink into the sludge of the swamp up to the thigh. "Goddamit!" My curse made him look back at me disapprovingly. The look on his face changed from a frown to a slight smile when he saw my state. The older demonologist held out a hand and pulled me up. "Thanks. I understand building an evil Lair in places where they aren''t easily accessible is the whole fucking point but god! A swamp? Are you kidding me?" My rant was carried out as I used air to remove the mud and water as best as I could. "They chose this place because of the natural mystic energy concentrated here. Such volume of magic cannot be found in places with a lot of human activity." Blood explained while casting his sight over the surroundings. Could that be the reason why my senses were acting weirdly in this place? The miasma totally confused my perception. "Mmh. I suppose it makes sense. Though, that begs the question, if human activity is the reason why natural energy is lower in other places, why the hell did Swamp Thing decide to help us? It seems like his job would be easier if there weren''t any humans around." Blood sat on a half rotten trunk and gazed out into the swamp. "It certainly would be. But humanity is necessary. It''s how the parliaments maintain a balance. Plus, although he''s different now, Alec was human once, he understands that just as there are bad people¡­there are good people as well." He rose up after saying his piece. Seeing as I was done with cleaning myself up a little, I did too. A boom tube appeared infront of us. "What now?" I asked him before we went through. "I have to find Alyssa before she locates the fountain. That much power should not be in anyone''s hands." I sighed at his response. "I have something else to deal with." Before he could protest, I raised a hand. "I know¡­we made a deal. You help me with my little problem and I do the same. But, what I need to do is equally as important if not more." Blood thought about it before giving a curt nod. "Very well. Thank you for everything else." I nodded and we walked through, finding ourselves on Sanctuary. Blood looked around in slight wonder before the sound of a boom tube activating stole his attention. This time two boom tubes appeared before us. "That will take you Xanadu''s." I pointed and he nodded, starting to walk away towards it. I sighed inwardly, welp time to start looking for another magician to help me. Jason got within close proximity to the portal before stopping. He sighed as if coming to a decision. "Hey lad¡­maybe I can help you. Go to Giovanni Zatara, he owes me a favor. Tell him Jason Blood sent you. Tell him it''s for Choronzon." And with that, Blood plunged into the boom tube, leaving me standing in place, speechless. Zatara huh? I wonder where this ''adventure'' of mine will take me next. Still, I was grateful for Jason. I had made a connection with an expert demonologist who knew a lot about the mystic arts, fought and defeated 3 supervillains, so the world could sleep a little safer now and I had a literal champion of the gods, imprisoned in my realm. All in all, this hadn''t turned out bad. Not at all. I looked at the MDP in my palm and frowned. Did Future Me know that this would happen? That in my quest to make sure he wouldn''t fuck me over by leaving a hidden function in the device, I would personally interact with characters like Madame Xanadu, Jason Blood and now in the near future Zatara? Was it some kind of self fulfilling loop? Or had he changed his/my own future by leading me to these actions. Then again, I knew frighteningly little about him. And I tried my best not to think about the information he''d given me or else I would go insane with trying to come up with contingencies. I''m living my life the way I want. I sent the MDP back into my hammerspace. Replacing it for Equity. The place I was going to next was actually very dangerous. I was going to see if I could break up a fight between a Czarnian and a Kryptonian. Oh Goodie. My feet started walking towards the boom tube with conviction. The world wasn''t ready for The Man of Steel''s death. So I guess I know what''s on my agenda now, time to save Superman. Trust Me (General P.O.V) Lobo spat out the broken teeth and grinned with bloodlust. "I felt that. 8 broken bones, one lung punctured 3 times, my spleen and intestines raptured from a single punch and my jaw dislocated with 5 teeth missing. Who woulda thought you had it in you." He pressed his foot harder on the Kryptonian''s chest while laughing. Superman groaned. One of his eyes was completely shut. His thigh bone was exposed through the flesh of his leg, cutting through the Kryptonian suit that was made from very durable material. His left arm was bent the wrong way at the elbow and blood was pooling at his back, dying the rock his body was lying on red. The surroundings had undergone a drastic change. Craters dotted the area, some blackened with soot from the Space hog''s energy beams and Superman''s heat vision. A dust cloud that could be seen from afar hang overhead as well. This was a battlefield. And finally, a victor had been decided. Clark couldn''t feel his legs. His spine had been broken on the other alien''s knee. He faded in and out of consciousness. He had never been in such a fight like this before. The pain he was feeling had evolved to agony. All he wanted to do was give up¡­Give up and just¡­sleep. To forget the agony and just relax his exhausted body. Yet, he couldn''t let go. He couldn''t leave them alone. He wondered what Lois would do without him. They had so many plans¡­and Ma and Pa would be devastated. That''s why Superman didn''t lose hope. If only he could move¡­or just hold on. He wasn''t sure but he could hear the tell tale sounds of something coming closer. The worst part was that they had been evenly matched. Up until¡­ Lobo sniffed in disdain while staring at the small box in his hands. Opening it revealed a green glowing rock. "This feels like cheating. But what the heck¡­I need the credits and time is running out." He turned his attention to Superman and smiled in bloodlust. "Sorry little Kryptonian but the Main man always collects his bounty. It''s a matter of good business ethics." After that, he reached out behind him and unsheathed the sword strapped to his back. Without wasting a single second, Lobo lifted the sword and plunged it towards Superman''s chest. (Aden''s P.O.V) The boom tube disappeared behind me. I hovered in the skyline of Metropolis looking around for any green monster vines. I didn''t find any, which reinforced the fact that all this was target The Man of Steel. People stopped and started to point at me. I could easily turn invisible but¡­I didn''t see the point in it. Infact, this was better. A way to prepare them for me. I closed my eyes and delved deep into my unique perception. The world instantly opened up. The first thing I noted through my senses was the crazy power signatures coming some ways off in the outskirts of the city. I immediately started flying towards them. Getting closer, I could read the energy signatures more clearly. One felt like oil, ash and the musk of blood similar to Galiel''s underground fighting rings and the other felt like warm summer heat, morning pancakes and sunshine. The latter signature was however precariously dancing on the edge of death. I increased my flight speed, a sonic boom erupting behind me due to the crazy speeds I was going. But I wasn''t going to make it. Which is why I tried something I hadn''t done before. I used my energy sense to scan the area and then opened a Boom tube near the pair. I plunged into the portal, which was layered on top of another, granting me a small glimpse of Sanctuary before I immediately flew through the other end to find myself in a close enough position to intervene. Lobo stood with a foot placed on Superman''s chest. The man of Steel''s cape was torn up to shreds like the rest of his uniform and his¡­body. Oh fuck. His body was broken. Blood ran down the rock he was lying on in a macabre fashion. Like the floor on a butchery. My eyes widened as I caught sight of what was about to happen. Lobo had a sword raised up in a two handed grip. The pointy end was aimed at The Man of Steel''s chest. Then he plunged it down. I didn''t think, my body merely reacted on its own. Lightning surged from deep within me, heightening my senses to ridiculous levels. My energy signature shot through the roof, steam escaping my mouth as my clothes crinkled up due to the heat of the electric shroud covering me. Then I disappeared. A clang rang out. The resonating sound pulsed out in a wave of chaotic sonic distortion that sent me and Lobo careening away from each other. Superman''s leg was turned into paste before a part of me, seized control of the sonic wave and covered his form with a bulwark-like air shield. Splitting my attention like that and also taking into account the suddenness of what had transpired, caused me to hit the side of a crater painfully before I could protect myself. Fun fact, no matter how super durable you are, slamming onto the ground always knocks your breath out. I unsteadily got up, before an energy signature was tagged through my senses, falling down at me. I rolled out of the way, Lobo smacking onto the ground feet first, resulting in a mini crater as I fell back to create some space. The dust died down to reveal the Czarnian levelling a wrathful stare at me. "No one comes between me and my contract welp!" He snarled before bringing his fingers to his mouth and whistling. The boom tube I had left open, disappeared just as a dome of wind covered my position. A split second later and death rained from above. I widened my eyes in shock as I felt my wind dome struggle to maintain its form from the onslaught of energy beams. The source of which seemed to come from a sort of space bike that hovered in the air above me. I couldn''t stay pinned down like this. Lobo chuckled, seeing me suppressed under the heavy fire and turned to finish what I had timely stopped him from doing. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "STOP!" The world slammed onto his mind like a freight train off it''s rails. Lobo stiffened in place, body and mind straining under the telepathic order I''d given him. It only took a second for him to break through my control. But a second was a long time in a fast paced battle such as this. The wind dome protecting me compressed and then changed form to a sphere of elemental air which turned out slightly yellow. I swiped out with Equity and the sphere sailed towards the space bike. Slamming onto it and releasing all the compressed air slashes in one go. The space bike flew away out of control. Lobo almost immediately jumped towards the downed Superman. I stepped forward and disappeared into a layered boom tube, coming out on the other side with Equity in it''s lance form. A pillar of fire slammed onto the Czarnian who widened his eyes and covered his face with a cross guard. He fell to the ground, managing to land on his feet rather skillfully. He didn''t say a word. Merely dropped his sword to the ground, revealing an attached chain that he gripped and swiped out at me. The weapon cut through the air at crazy speeds, only for me to slap it aside by its flat side and pull in closer to him. Jet flames appeared below my feet, propelling me towards the bounty hunter. Lobo flipped out of the way but I managed to skate through the ground in lightning fast speed and extend Equity out. He evaded by leaning back only for a leg sweep to send out an arc of flame that flipped his body to the side. My fist found itself buried in his gut at full strength. Spit escaped out of his mouth while his body folded in on itself. Lobo smiled conspiratorily and grabbed on the rappels of my trench coat before he could fly away due to my attack. I found myself seized as the world spun around me. Then I hit the ground and the breath was knocked out of me again. I landed with his knee on my chest and I felt my ribs crack. "You''re good, kid. Now stay down." The fist came in hard and fast. My nose broke and my head went fuzzy. My body dug in deeper to the ground, the earth caving in under my form. I could hear the tremors through the ground as Lobo left. ''get up. He needs you!'' a huge part of me screamed out as I wheexed in pain. ''Why?'' I shouted back. ''Why should I? Superman and I are enemies. You don''t save your enemy. Why the fuck am I even doing this?'' It took only a second for the answer to come in. ''Because it''s the right thing to do. You promised yourself that you would become the greatest hero the world has ever seen. That you would do whatever it takes not to give in or give up without achieving that dream. This is the moment to prove your conviction to yourself. The world needs Superman but it also needs the Avatar. So Get. Up!'' I sucked in a deep breath, sending waved of pain through my body and stumbled to my feet. My fingers touched my tender nose and I winced. Well, that is most certainly broken. I can''t beat him. Half of the fight is hitting someone hard enough that they stay down. Unfortunately I didn''t possess the physical strength to do that to Lobo. I hit him with my full strength backed with Lightning bending enhancing my parameters but he shrugged it off. My flames hadn''t done any damage and while I knew I could probably whittle him down with lightning and slice him apart with Equity¡­he would just come back due to his regeneration. Even if I managed to escape with Superman and get him healed by Saisei, Lobo could get bitter and decide to take it out on innocent people for someone stopping him from completing his contract. No¡­I needed him out of the planet. (General P.O.V) "Stop! Please!" Lobo looked back and saw the boy. He was on his knees trying to get up. He cradled his ribs painfully and his eyes were bloodshot as he begged for mercy. Lobo liked it. "And why should I? His life was forfeit the minute I received a bounty order. And I always complete my kills." The space mercenary turned away while laughing. His left hand grabbed Superman by the neck and lifted him up. "No! Don''t do it!! The world needs Superman! You can''t kill him." Lobo shifted his stance to let the boy see. A bloodthirsty smile spread out across his face. "Watch me." His sword shot out and speared through the Kryptonian''s chest, coming out on the other side in a spray of blood. Disbelief hit the kid''s face. Disbelief and despair. Both of which turned to anger. Slashes of wind and fire shot out of his body and hit Lobo. He chuckled as the attack did nothing. They were too weak. Too¡­ unfocused. The space mercenary dropped the Kryptonian''s body on the ground and whistled. The Space hog flew in, looking scuffed up but still functional. Normally he would cut off the head of his bounty to take it to the one who hired him. But the human had told him not to. They needed the body intact for something. Lobo had done his part, gotten his credits and the other half would be sent over to him. All in all a good payday. This planet was interesting. Backwater and poorly developed it might have been but it had some strong opponents. Maybe Lobo would be back some day. (Aden''s P.O.V) My head felt like it was going to burst. That¡­that hadn''t been fun. It was the same trick I had played on Black Adam. Using my wind construct to form a foundation to anchor the illusion, I messed with what Lobo''s mind was perceiving to deceive him that he had killed Superman. But, his brain was a feedback loop of hard metal, blood and carnage. It hadn''t been easy. Fortunately, it had worked and he was off planet. I got up and ran towards Superman in urgency. His condition did not look good, though his skin was slightly less pale than before. I heard and sensed through the air, a craft that was similar in design to The Batwing land close to me and two people jump out. Two very familiar people. Batman ran towards Superman and I, shoving me out of the way as he looked down at his best friend. His mouth was open in shock and disbelief. My surprise came back when I felt Iroh''s hand on my shoulder. What was he doing with Batman? No, that wasn''t on the agenda for now. "The light put out a bounty on his head. When I arrived he was fighting a pale skinned alien called Lobo." I explained when Batman levelled an intense stare at me. Iroh squeezed my shoulder and I nodded at him, sighing. I hope Batman is reasonable enough to put our issues to the side this once. "I can heal him Bruce. But you will have to trust me." Alpha Phase (General P.O.V) "The boy''s continued intervention is growing¡­stale. I propose we deal with him. He doesn''t need to be alive for the next step anyway." Queenbee advised. The screen showed her seating on a royal throne, looking regal and beautiful. Like a diamond, pretty to the eyes, precious yet harder than anything else. "La reine, is right. Superman''s death was a necessary sacrifice. His bio material would have helped me immensely in advancing my research on stabilizing the Kobra-venom." The brain added, his tone growing cold. "As it stands¡­I find moi-m¨ºme priv¨¦ of good research substance. A great affront." "But¡­the plan was still a success." Luthor pointed out. "We achieved the objective, Mercy." He snapped his finger and his loyal bodyguard stepped forward, placing a large container hard case on the table. She flipped the locks and opened it, revealing a dozen sets of vials separated in two sections. The upper section had the six vials marked with the Kryptonian crest of the house of El, while the lower section were just featureless vials. Both sets were full to the brim with blood. "Our¡­friend was gracious enough to ensure we got more than enough d.n.a samples from both of them to complete project Rebirth and Godblood." Luthor informed the rest. "I suppose that is¡­ enough. Though, I reiterate the boy should be brought to our control sooner rather than later. It will avoid complications down the line, when we initiate project Rebirth." Queenbee stated. A sentiment that was shared amongst two of the others. Them being Ocean master and The Brain. Luthor frowned. "We find ourselves at an impasse. I propose we wait. We already have the upper hand. I understand your concerns but were we to rush and lose the advantage of anonymity we have, it would spell catastrophic failure for all of us." Queenbee frowned. Luthor was clearly reminding them of the threat hanging above their heads. "Perhaps we can reach an accord. A way to observe the child and keep him within our sights." Ra''s spoke up, his hands steepled in thought. A scary intelligence could be seen shining through his eyes. "That is easier said than done." Ocean master interjected. "We lack any means of tracking him. Our spy informed us that he had a falling out with the League''s covert team. They have been trying to track him¡­but he evades even Batman''s sights." "Mmmh. The other issue being Klarion." At the drop of Luthor''s words, everybody''s moods soured. "Let us drop the matter for the moment. Aden Strong still has some uses for the Light. When the time is right, he shall be dealt with." Luthor decided. He nodded at Mercy and the loyal bodyguard closed the hard case and turned on her heels, leaving the room. "The samples will be taken to our associates and Alpha Phase shall commence. Moving on, what is the status on the underwater kingdom and The Superboy?" The question was directed to Orm. His lips were set in a thin line while anger colored his response. "Bad. Klarion''s ongoing altercation, if you can even call it that, with the trench, is turning out to be a hindrance to the mission more than I anticipated. As a result, Poseidonis is on lock down, the mystical barrier has been reinforced and Orin has doubled down on security. He likely foresaw a scheme to oust him from the throne by taking advantage of the crisis." "That does present a challenge. But I''m sure you can improvise, right?" Luthor waved him off. "After all, the rightful king of Atlantis should be able to handle something as trivial as getting into the science center." Luthor''s tone was neutral and devoid of any ridicule but everyone could feel the mocking. Ocean master ground his teeth in anger. "The situation with the Trench has already blown my cover. I had assets I needed to save due to Klarion''s rampage and that brought Orin''s attention to me. He knows I''ve been undermining his influence for quite a while now. The silent war between us is over, now that he has confirmation. I cannot be seen in the city or else I will be thrown in jail." "Then what use are you to The Light?" Queenbee did not try to hide the sneer unlike Luthor. Ocean master bit back his rude rebuttal but it was clear to see that he furious. The hand gripping his trident tightened on the weapon. He was a royal prince! How dare they mock him? But he knew he couldn''t explode in anger. Not yet. Not when he needed them still. And when he was king¡­all these surface dwellers would understand the true might of the Atlantean army. "It shall be done." With that his screen switched off. "What a fool." Queenbee chuckled in derision. "So quick to anger that he fails to rationalize. To see the bigger picture." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version."Orm is a necessity, I''m afraid. We are all aware of his¡­ shortcomings. An appropriate replacement will be made after he has outlived his usefulness." Luthor stated. (Aden''s P.O.V) Batman''s hands reached for his utility belt. "What kind of fool do you take me for?" He ground out. The mood instantly plummeted even lower than it had. I narrowed my eyes. "Can you really afford to act with aggression towards me? We might not agree on everything Batman but it doesn''t make me a bad person. I want to help. And the way I see it, you''re standing between me and saving your best friend''s life." "I can vouch for him." Iroh spoke up with seriousness, coming in between us. "And to be honest you do not have a choice. Sometimes pride and hate blinds us to the obvious thing." Batman contemplated Iroh''s words before giving a curt nod, clenching and unclenching his hand quickly. "Fine. But I''m watching you. Try anything and I swear on my life Aden, I will make you regret it." I understood he was in a bad mood. That he was worried and angry that he couldn''t help Superman. That was the reason I swallowed my retort despite hating the threat. I nodded. A boom tube appeared under us at my urging, the light hitting us across our faces as we sunk slowly. Batman''s body went ramrod stiff, his hands never leaving the utility belt. I inwardly rolled my eyes, my attention split between monitoring Superman''s condition and asking for help from one of the twins. To that effect, when the light died down and we found ourselves in Sanctuary, Sai, Kai and Breeze were there to meet us. All three of the spirits flew in closer to me an started circling us in excitement. I could feel their affection. They had missed me despite it being no more than 48 hours since we had last seen each other. I held out a hand for Hakai to rub her snout on, the way she liked it. "Hey girl, yes I missed you too alot." I assured her, sending across feelings of positivity and love across the link. It was crazy just how attached we had all become to each other. Breeze pulled in and landed on my head, pulling my hair mischievously like a rendition of ratatouille. "Yes yes Breeze. Sorry I didn''t play with you like I promised. But we will do so later. First, I need Saisei''s help with something." The aforementioned dragon was already floating above Superman, with Batman standing vigilantly below, a battarang in his hand. Iroh stood off to the side looking on with barely concealed mirth. Breeze and Hakai turned their attention to our new guest and regarded him with different dispositions. Hakai was curious and buzzing with anticipation. "New friend?" She asked in that innocent way, I was trying my best to make sure they didn''t lose. My lips were set into a thin smile. "Maybe girl. Maybe." "Can I prank him? I should prank him!" Breeze on the other hand had a different thought. For a second I was conflicted, wanting to see that happen before Iroh nudged me and shook his head in a little admonishment. I sighed. "No, Breeze. That''s bad manners. You''re not supposed to prank a guest." I told the small elemental spirit. "Atleast not yet." I added conspiratory, earning a mischievous giggle. "He''s in pain. So much pain it hurts. I don''t like it." Saisei''s voice cut through the din. And this time, I widened my eyes as his voice was not confined only to our mental link. By Batman''s reaction he could hear it too. Iroh and I shared a glance before I stepped closer to Batman. "Bruce, I need you to step aside. Sai is the only one who can help Superman." The dark knight levelled a stubborn gaze at me that I didn''t take personally. Paranoia was his game, that much I understood. "Come on Bruce, we''ve already gotten to this point. If I wanted to hurt you and Superman...I would have already done it. In here, I am the lord and master." I stated, snapping a finger and turning the ream from day to night then back. I waved a hand and time slowed down, showing the birds flying across the sky beat their wings in slow motion. Another wave and the ground we were standing on rose up, turning into a giant made of stone and water. Batman found himself standing on the palm of the gigantic figure and threw the the battarangs he had at the huge construct but the bombs failed to even reach it''s body. The giant brought him closer to it''s face, allowing him to see that it was me. His mouth opened as he palmed his utility belt only to find himself bereft of it. Batman blinked his eyes and found himself right where he had been standing before. His utility belt was missing and Saisei and I were attending to Superman. His utility belt was held loosely in my hands as I watched Sai work his magic. Through my senses, I could feel Batman getting ready to do something before Iroh gripped his shoulder. "Don''t." There was a battle of wills before The Dark Knight acquiesced and settled down, content to watch. The first time ever that he was not in control. Superman''s body rose up to the air in a bright shower of light as his body was healed. Now, bringing Batman to my dimension was not in any way a smart thing to do. Saisei could have easily come through the boom tube and healed Superman in the real world. The thing is...I wanted the process of Superman being healed to occur in my dimension for one reason. A reason that was worth the risk of Batman being here. I connected to the Sconiad tower remotely "Realm, monitor the process. Copy and compare Superman''s d.n.a to Match''s and find a way to completely stabilize his biology using the results." "Affirmative." The World Needs The Avatar (Aden''s P.O.V) "Something is wrong" Iroh stated with a frown. I narrowed my eyes while trying to find out what he meant by delving deep into my energy sense. The light show around the Kryptonian hero''s body ended and his body floated back down. The myriad of colors that were mainly a shade of green wisps coalesced into Saisei''s familiar form but as Iroh said¡­ Something was off. His energy signature was weak. "Father¡­I don''t feel so good." I immediately ran forward and covered him with my wind elemental energy, gently cradling him. Hakai and Breeze both flew to hover above their brother. Their thoughts matched the worry I had in mine. I absentmindedly noted that Saisei had just called me his father which while unexpected was fitting I suppose. I mean I did create them. Well the Avatar State did but¡­semantics. "That took out a lot from him. I''m taking him back to the fire plane for some rest." I informed Iroh and nodded at Bruce. The vigilante surprised me by stepping away from the diagnostics he was running at The man of Steel, who looked wholesome after Saisei''s healing and gruffly offering his gratitude. "Thank you, Aden." I was tongue tied for a second before settling for a curt nod. "I''ll be back in a few minutes." With that, Hakai, Saisei, Breeze and I disappeared. (General P.O.V) Bruce sighed just as Aden teleported away. The last 12 hours had been way more exhausting than his usual taxing days. He felt like removing the cowl and just easing his body in a sauna to get rid of the stress. But, being Batman he knew he didn''t have time for such luxuries. And even if he did, he most definitely wouldn''t spend that time in a Sauna. He would be at his personal gym, polishing his skills. Trying to get even a smidgen faster, stronger, better because he knew just that small difference could save a life. "Mmmh, would you mind having some tea with this old man?" Iroh''s voice stole his attention from his thoughts. Bruce turned to face him and was more than a little surprised about where the tea set and table had come from. Even weirder was the way the kettle was steaming with freshly brewed tea if the smell was any indication. Bruce contemplated refusing. But looking at Clark who was stable now there wasn''t a reason to. Plus, with Aden gone, they didn''t have a way to go back to earth. Not to mention¡­Bruce wanted to study (investigate) this dimension a bit more as well as it''s residents. What else was Aden Strong hiding? So he sat opposite the strange old man who could control high levels of heat and graciously received the tea with a thanks. He took a sip and found it bitter yet¡­his exhaustion was immediately abated. He could feel all the bruises he had sustained during the fight with the vine monster start healing. "What is in this?" Batman questioned. Instead of answering right away, Iroh took a long and slow sip. "I know what you''re thinking. You''re asking because you want to know what type of tea it is so that you can use it to help you in your relentless fight against crime." Batman gave no reaction to the accurate dissection of his intentions. "A commendable reason, one might even say selfless." "But?" Bruce wondered when Iroh finished his statement. The older man looked at him in slight confusion. "But what? I was just observing. In any case, it''s an ability of mine. Sadly it is not as effective as Saisei''s own healing capabilities or else I would have been happy to heal your friend in his stead. He is still woefully young." Batman narrowed his eyes. "What is this place?" He finally asked, going straight to the point. More times than not that usually helped instead of skirting around the issue with someone like Iroh. "Honestly?" The old general leaned in closer. "I still have no clue." Iroh laughed. Batman grunted. "And what does that mean?" "Well, Aden has explained it to me a dozen times already but even his explanation itself cannot begin to encompass the full scope or meaning of this place." Iroh waved his hand out. "It is a realm all on its own. A planet sustained by the will of a singular being yet independent. It cannot be stolen, control subverted or even destroyed because it is anchored between a veil of the physical and the spiritual. This¡­is the closest you might ever get to a heaven. He doesn''t know it yet. I''m looking forward to seeing the look on his face when he understands what he has created." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Batman''s heart skipped a beat. He brought the cup to his lips, hiding his shock with practiced ease. ''How many times should I re-evaluate his threat level?'' "You know, I see myself in you. A younger version of me during a time in my life that I was at my best because I had a purpose. It took me losing my son to realize that I had been blinded by that purpose." Iroh''s voice had turned deathly serious. "You don''t notice it when you''re reaching a breaking point because you hone your mind to be focused and avoid any and all distractions. You train your body until it can run on exhaustion 24 hours without a break. And¡­you get results. That more than anything...is what keeps you going despite the fact that it''s a path of Self Destruction." Batman could understand what he was talking about. He believed Iroh meant what he said completely. "Then you understand why I am not going to stop considering him a threat." Bruce was aware of his shortcomings. And he didn''t hide under a veil of pretence. He was a necessary factor. Just as Superman was necessary. Iroh placed the cup in his hands on the table before responding. "Aden is plagued with a responsibility that cannot allow him to play by the same rules you heroes do." Iroh hoped that Batman listened to what he was saying. But knowing how stubborn and set in his ways he used to be¡­he could draw the parallels and come to the conclusion that wasn''t likely to happen. But if it helped foster a good relationship for Aden to have with the heroes, then it was a step in the right direction. That would make his work as the keeper of Balance and Order in this world easier. "The Avatar is a figure of power, balance and order. He cannot help but intervene when needed. He is a shield against things that even the gods of this world would hesitate to face. His methods might be questionable but I assure you with absolute conviction, he is a necessary component of this world now. His presence is so intertwined with the fate of your world that actively hindering him from maintaining balance WILL have catastrophic results." Iroh stated. Batman narrowed his eyes, though it couldn''t be noticed through his cowl. "We have been protecting the world and maintaining balance and order even before Aden ended up here. What is your point exactly?" A valid question that spoke volumes on his stubbornness and arrogance. Though Iroh wanted to unpack what he meant exactly by protecting the world with mass murdering villains running amok, it was never in his nature to judge. As a knowledge collector, he always maintained a neutral point of view up until his ideals forced him to intervene when needed. A brief silence reigned. Then Iroh spoke. "Fate is sometimes strange, is it not? To become this deterrent force. This symbol to inspire fear on crime doers, something horrific must have happened to you." Bruce gripped the china cup so hard it was a miracle it didn''t shatter. "We are all a result of something. A story, be it good or bad, we are the final product. You asked about my point, perhaps I was too cryptic. The Avatar is here in response to something. This world was chosen. I do not know by who or what, but fate swirls around him like a vortex. Ask yourself why in the myriad of worlds¡­why this particular dimension. What is so special about it that it merits the presence of the spirit of order? A primordial entity capable of unprecedented power? Or perhaps I am wrong, Aden is in fact very different from all the other Avatars that came before him. All in all, Bruce Wayne, I urge you to find a common ground. The world needs The Avatar more than you can imagine." Aden appeared right at that time and the two men decided that the talk was over. Batman had a lot to think about. It was much easier before when Aden was simply a threat. Now, Iroh''s words made him question the boy''s true intentions. Who was Aden Strong really? Leave alone being the Avatar or the master of this realm. What was his true self? Batman had no idea if what he had on him was right anymore. And he felt a bitter taste in his mouth at the thought that maybe they had all misjudged him. He had showed up to help Superman when everybody else, Bruce included had been occupied. Was there an angle he was playing? Was there a reason he had decided to intervene? Before Bruce could change his view on him, that was a question he needed answered. Aden sat on one of the four sides of the tea table. He was positioned on Batman''s right and Iroh''s left. Another cup appeared on Iroh''s hands, he poured the green liquid in the kettle on the cup and offered it to Aden. In response, the young boy grimaced a little. "Is it going to knock me out like last time?" He questioned making Iroh chuckle. Batman filed that information away. "No those were special tea leaves. Unfortunately, your realm does not seem to have them. However, I found a few good replacements. Well...go ahead, tell me what you think of it." Aden brought the cup to his lips and took a sip. His eyebrows rose up in pleasant surprise. "Wow...I feel energized. Well rested as if the fight with Lobo didn''t happen. Though my injuries are still there." He looked up at Iroh. "That definitely hit the spot. Thank you Master." Batman couldn''t hold it in anymore. He needed to know. "Why did you save him?" He interrupted. His voice was quiet yet enunciated enough that they heard it. Aden went silent. And for a second Bruce thought he wasn''t going to answer. "Because...the world needs Superman. And because I could." Public Enemy (General P.O.V) The room was dim with mood lighting. A grim atmosphere that exuded a certain level of relaxation. Especially when the late evening city lights could be seen through the transparent windows. "Ultra humanite, Count Vertigo and Black Adam. The former 2 dead and the last one missing." Lex pointed out, throwing a folder containing the forensics report on the table. "Mid level associates with a small degree of importance to our cause. I foresee our operations in Kahndaq and Vlatava suffering a hit and stalling for some time." Ra''s observed, flipping through the folder with mild interest. "This boy¡­he is brutal." The hint of a smile appeared on his face. "Perfect for my shadows." Lex nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Taking out Count Vertigo and leaving Ultra humanite braindead is not something that exceptional but¡­the fact that he managed to make Adam go missing, that even Psimon''s ability enhanced by magic couldn''t locate him¡­spells on the versatility and skill he has been likely hiding from the heroes." Luthor concluded, loosening his tie a little. "He just keeps getting more and more intriguing." The bald genius held up his glass to the side, prompting Mercy to fill his glass up till it was halfway full and drop two icecubes. Ra''s shook his head a little when Mercy offered him a drink. "What do you want Luthor?" The demons head narrowed his eyes. Not really in the mood to play guessing games with the billionaire. "Your proposal, I believe in its merit. A way to monitor the boy''s activities. The problem up until now has been a way to pin him down." Luthor begun. Ra''s leaned in, interested. "Forgive me but not even your shadows have the ability to find out his whereabouts or track him. And if your shadows failed¡­then it wouldn''t be a lie to say that no one else can." Ra''s took the insult of his men''s inadequacy professionally, knowing that Luthor wasn''t lying. Even Cheshire who was on scene and had great tracking skills had said the trail had gone cold at one point, likely due to boom tube use. Which had prompted the shadows to use boom tube tracking tech sourced out from Apokalips before the relationship between them and the Light had grown tense. That had turned up nothing still. "That is true. Loathe as I am to admit it. It is a failure on my part and my agents are being disciplined as we speak." The centuries old man said. He might have taken the criticism from Luthor professionally but that didn''t mean he wasn''t going to punish the shadows for failing such an important task. "And that in itself made me think. How do you keep track of someone that shows up when and where they want?" Luthor took a sip as Ra''s mulled over the question. A glint appeared in the eyes of the leader of the league of assassins. "Simple¡­you can''t control them but you can control their surroundings, their environment. You turn it into your eyes and ears. You make it so, anywhere they appear they cannot hide or blend in. And then you can act accordingly." A smile appeared on Luthor''s face. "Precisely." He then turned to the table, grabbed a remote and switched on the TV mounted on the wall to their side. The GBS logo appeared before the image switched to an anchor seating in a news room. "Shocking new developments have been made known to the public, as the authorities continue their investigation on what has been coined as the ''Injustice League Incident'' that saw the attack of multiple cities across the united states. The death toll rests at 32 confirmed casualties and over 300 injured people before the League''s timely intervention saved the day. Through all that, the lack of an attack on Metropolis and Superman''s missing status left many questions ringing through everyone''s minds, especially when the attacks seemed to happen in cities with a League member or independent heroes presence. Which suggested a pattern. The reason for that was more nefarious than anyone could imagine. I urge everyone to please proceed with caution as the images we are about to show you are very graphic." The next image showed a black clad figure standing above Superman''s broken body. The figure was dressed in a huge trench coat, a visor on his head and a katana gripped in his hands. Blood from Superman''s body died the rock he was lying on red. The anchors face was grim. "The attacks were a diversion meant to keep the other heroes too busy to help Superman as he faced down this menacing figure that the police have dubbed, Cape killer. His identity has similarly been released to ensure everyone is aware of who they are and what they are capable of. The Cape Killer''s real name is Aden Strong." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Lex pressed the remote and the screen switched off. "You changed the camera feed." Ra''s Al Ghul stated more as a confirmation than a question. "And I am guessing paid off the news crew or maybe used Psimon to change their memory of the events. All for you to pull of this scheme. I am impressed Luthor. Really. However, how will you account for when the League reveals a contradictory statement?" The Demons Head sharp intuition showed him enough scenarios to poke holes in Luthor''s plan. The other man however seemed to have expected the question. "The plan wasn''t to turn the world against the boy. It was to reveal him to the world. If we can''t pin him down, then we''ll make sure that everywhere he goes people know him, fear him, love him, abhor him or reject him¡­it''s all the same. They will be our eyes and ears as well as the driving force to bring him to us. For he will face none of the wariness the League and everyone else will treat him with¡­We will give him a true purpose. A sense of belonging." "Ambitious. But it can backfire tremendously Luthor. People hang onto the League''s every word. The opposition they face is minimal when compared to how much support they get. They are an umbrella and you don''t stab holes in your umbrella lest you get soaked." Al Ghul stated while rubbing his chin. "Even if the plan should fail, the doubt that will bloom on the veracity of the League''s statements as opposed to what they see will be enough to start a spark. That juxtaposition will be the first step towards evolving from questioning their actions and motives to questioning their presence. It will only snowball from there." "You have clearly thought about this deeply. Alright, I do not know what it is you seek from me but I am on board." Ra''s told him. Luthor''s smile went feral. "Nothing much. Just consider it a countermeasure incase Project Rebirth goes horribly wrong." The Demon''s head raised his eyebrows. "I see. That answers the question I had about why you felt the need to hide this information from the others. They want the boy serving his purpose or dead. You on the other hand want to use him for another agenda. Pray do tell what you know that we don''t, Luthor." Luthor trailed his finger on the rim of the glass absentmindedly. "I am a business man Ra''s. And as a business man, we know when to take risks. One might perceive my actions as a bold and stupid move but as a business man and a talented one at that¡­my vision goes farther than what everyone else can see. It''s a skill you cultivate off the backs of so many failures and successes. Aden Strong is an investment worth my attention and risk. That''s merely all there is to it." He replied with a shrug. (Aden''s P.O.V) "Because the world needs Superman. And because I could." My reply seemed to surprise him a little which made me roll my eyes. "Yes, Batman. I have a conscious too. I can care about these things and still oppose your ideals. Just because I think extreme measures should be taken when dealing with Villains doesn''t mean I want to see the end of the Justice League." I told him as plainly as I could. "Tell me everything you know about the mercenary you said attacked Superman." He grunted, pressing a key on his holographic computer to project a few unclear images that showed Lobo on his space bike flying away, while I stood below him next to Superman. "And why left without finishing the job." "Well, I don''t really know much about Lobo..." I started only for him to cut me off. "You mentioned his name in the meta-knowledge report you gave us once. I compared it with the images I managed to acquire to almost a 100 percent compatibility. The sparse information we have states he is the last of the Czarnians, a galactic mercenary, bounty hunter and very powerful. What could such a person want with Superman?" "Meta knowledge?" Iroh questioned from the side. "I will explain later." I answered him before turning to Batman. "Other than the obvious? Superman is the last known Kryptonian survivor. I can think of a few beings who would want to add him to their collection or experiment on him. But no, this stinks of a scheme by the Light. I had the pleasure of working with Jason Blood to take down the ones responsible for the creation of the vine Monsters in the first place, you''re welcome by the way, and one of them had something interesting to say." So I told Batman everything I''d gotten from Ultra-humanite. "They''ve grown bold in their actions. I need to talk to the Justice League and prepare an appropriate pushback after assesing the damage. We can''t suffer another attack like this while they try to take one of us out. Not to mention... Superman''s family might be worried about him. Can you create a portal straight into the Watchtower?" He wondered making me shake my head. "That''s not a good idea. With you no longer being a member and me being a...free thinker which means fugitive to you guys, the Tower''s new security system which I''m sure the League most likely implemented to deal with me...might shoot first and ask questions later." "You''re right." He nodded. "Then a portal to Metropolis will do." I stood up and rubbed my hands. "Ok then, let''s do this. Let''s get Superman home." I Will Come In Peace. (General P.O.V) "Flash, I just got a ping of Batman''s position by tracking the signal in his holo device." Hawkwoman informed the scarlet speedster. "It''s very near. Approximately 16 miles to the northwest from your current position." "Got it." The Flash said and started running towards where he was being directed. "I''m pulling up satellite images of the whole area. Be careful while going in. He just appeared from nowhere suggesting possible teleportation. Green Lantern is on his way to act as back up incase something happens." "Thank you Hawkwoman. Do you¡­do you really think the Kid could do something like that to Superman?" Barry added unsurely. Shayera went silent for a few minutes before answering. "My instincts tell me¡­no. But, we cannot take that chance. If you come across him, take him down fast Barry. We can question him later and find out the truth. The goal is to make sure he doesn''t escape like before." (Aden''s P.O.V) I saw the way Batman looked at the swirling yellow boom tube behind us and smirked. He was probably thinking of countermeasures to that too, aware that I could basically come and go unrestricted as long as I had been there before. My portals were a godsend. They were a ticket out of anything I couldn''t handle. A way to escape, regroup and come back even stronger. Some might call it a cowardly move but¡­sue me, I love my life. "I''d tell you a picture lasts longer but I''m sure you''ve already seen enough, come to conclusions, assessed countermeasures and are well on your way to implementation and test runs. Fuck, I will even offer my services for a certain fee. How''s a mil sound?" I spoke up, looking around at the surroundings. I had portaled us to the outskirts of Metropolis, a bit far away from the Lobo vs Superman battlefield. "Funny." The Dark Knight''s tone was as dry as the Sahara. "You know me, the very definition of humor. Comedian extraordinaire." I said with a shrug, reaching out with my air sense to give me a, well¡­sense of how far the city was and our approximate position to the battlefield. "So what now?" Batman looked down at the Kryptonian in his arms and frowned. "The sun should have helped him wake up by now." He said with a grunt, placing Superman on the ground. "For now, I will contact the League and secure their permission for you to boom tube to the Watchtower. You need to give a formal recount of the events." I frowned, not liking the sound of that. Batman continued as if he didn''t see the look on my face. "If the Light was behind this, it means they have stopped scheming in the dark. People died due to this recent move. Had you not intervened, we would have been too late to save Superman. This¡­means war." A shiver went through my spine at the badass way he said that. I smiled. A genuine smile this time. "Count me in Bruce." I punctuated my statement by slamming my left fist in my open right palm. "That sounds fun. I have a bone to pick with a certain baldy." I saw the hint of a smile before his face went back to it''s impassive state. "But first we need to find out why they targeted Superman specifically¡­" Batman''s words were suddenly cut off as my body pulled away from my previous position. My perception felt an object cut through my air sense faster than I could perceive. My brain only registering the fact I was being dragged away by a red blur after the action had happened and my back had slammed against a wall. The breath was knocked out of me as I felt my healing ribs go back to their initial state of being cracked. I had forgone Saisei''s healing for my own enhanced healing as well as Iroh''s concoction after seeing the toll healing Superman had taken on him. I swallowed the pained shout and merely grunted, taking a knee, while holding my hand close to my torso. I pulled on my inner fire, using lightning bending to increase my speed and cut down reaction speed to see what exactly was attacking me. My eyes flashed blue and I widened them in surprise. Red suit with a lightning bolt insignia on his chest, and a determined set to his jaw. "Barry¡­" Despite the fact I could see him, he was still too fast for me. I felt my legs give way, swept out from under me before I impacted the ground on my back. I rolled away from the impact that followed, power dampening cuffs missing where my hands were, by barely a centimeter. The cuffs hit the ground and broke under The Flash''s hasty move. I looked at him and then the broken cuffs. Barry got up slowly. "Give up Maelstrom. You''re not escaping like last time." Shit. Were they still salty about the Watchtower thing? Fuck. This complicates things. Now I''m not even sure if it will make a difference coming in come peacefully. They might decide not to let me go after giving my statement. But still, this was important. What would Iroh do? Mmmh, The old grandmaster Firebender would probably tell me to exercise patience and understanding. To not get lost too deep in my thoughts to see things from an outside point of view. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. What was the worst the League could do? Probably lock me in a secure place (that I would escape from) or keep me in place using certain incentives, be it guilt, threats, a sense that they could relate or whatever. This time they would probably be ready. Maybe a stronger magical device to keep me from saying ''I''m outta this bitch.'' The previous Magi-tech manacles had failed to work though so who knows? Could they even keep me captive if I didn''t want it? The question boils down to one thing. Was I willing to put the vendetta between the League and I away, placing my freedom at risk if it meant dealing with The Light once and for all? Surprisingly, Yes. Destroying Lex''s little band of ''Lets play villains'' was worth it. Doing so with the League would make it much easier to avoid mistakes or unforeseen situations. Plus...it would give me the credibility I needed to the masses so as to make it easier for when I started my own team. I was trying to change things for the better. That meant arguably making smart decisions and being prepared rather than going in guns blazing and initiating a doomsday countermeasure that the Light had in place should they mysteriously die. And after we''ve taken them down...hehehe I would know exactly where they would be...a quick soul scan and I would decide who could reform and who was going to get the Ultra-humanite treatment. I wouldn''t even be killing them. Not really. I think. So I raised my hands up, the pain in my chest protesting but I pushed through it. "Ok. I give up." I said, stopping the fight from continuing. The Flash looked a bit taken aback. "Really. I don''t want to fight. We have more important things to worry about." My tone was sincere, throwing the other man out of loop. The Flash studied me for a few more minutes before pressing on his earpiece. "Hawkwoman, inform Wonder woman and Zatara that I''m bringing Maelstrom in." There was a brief silence before my enhanced senses picked up on the response. "Are you sure Flash? The signal on the power dampening cuffs shows that they are inactive. What is going on?" Shayera''s voice, something that I hadn''t heard the pleasure to hear that often said warily. Barry spared me a glance. "Yeah... he''s complying and wants me to bring him in." "Copy that. Green Lantern is close to your position. Coordinate with him. Also Flash...be careful." With that, the earpiece went silent. I frowned in thought. None of this felt right. It was...it was like I wasn''t privy to some obvious information. "Hey, so I was wondering where''s the team? I was half expecting you guys to send them on the mission to stop the Injustice League, you know the ones cont..." "What did you do!?" The voice shouted from above us. Of course I''d felt Green Lantern arrive but what I wasn''t expecting was the anger. A fly swatter construct fell down on top of me only for a shield of wind to stop it in his tracks. Whoa. Hal floated down, with Batman carrying Superman standing on a green platform. "Green Lantern, stand down." Batman ordered from the side. The green and black galactic enforcer ignored him, changing the Fly swatter into a drill made of will energy that rippled across my air shield, trying to cut through and would have succeeded had I not reinforced the air shield even more. "Hal, Stop!" The Flash shouted. "I don''t appreciate being attacked out of nowhere Lantern! I told Flash I was going to come in peacefully but don''t make me change my mind." The construct disappeared and Green Lantern sneered at me in suspicion. "I''m watching you. One misstep. Just one and we''ll see if you have the strength to back up that confidence." I narrowed my eyes but chose not to say anything. By now, I had a feeling that something was very very wrong. I spared a look at Batman and noted the crease in the corner of his lips. Superman wasn''t waking up and Batman was worried. This shit doesn''t look good. "Maelstrom, you''re cleared to boom tube to the medical room." The Flash informed after another conversation with Hawkwoman who was manning the console. "Cool. Let''s get this over with." I nodded with a shrug, second guessing my decision. The swirling yellow portal appeared before us in an explosion of sound. I thought about making a joke but decided not to, given the gravity of the situation. "What are you not telling me?" I asked Batman as he stepped up to my side. "Let''s move." He stated without answering and we all entered the layered portal. Meaning a boom tube that was connected with another one to make the transition from point A to point B as seamless as possible without fully stepping into my realm. I had been letting people inside willy nilly and that didn''t sit right with me. The next portal emptied out into the medical room and instantly, I found a sword levelled at me from a very pissed off Themysciran Princess. The room despite it''s large nature seemed small when the whole roster of the Justice League was present barring Hawkwoman who was, as stated earlier on console duty. And all of them looked as if they wanted was to skin me alive. Oh goodie. I sighed. "I''m thinking this is not about last time when I invaded the Watchtower, is it?" I questioned and received a response. Just not the one I was expecting. "Don''t play dumb. Did you really think you could get away with trying to kill Superman?" Whaaaaaaaa? Superboy and Aqualad (General P.O.V) The attack came in quick and fast. Connor was in a three way sparring match with Aqualad and Garth. The latter was a strong sorcerer who challenged Connor to think outside of the box more than straight up punching and kicking. Aqualad on the other hand was his usual stellar self, using the water that was present all around them to make weapon constructs more easily than he did on land. He had also gotten better, not requiring the use of his Waterbearers anymore but too familiar to stop utilizing them. Garth flexed his hands and the water around Connor changed to a Shark construct. The Kryptonian clone kicked his legs and fluidly flipped away. His feet hit the wall of the sparring chamber and his body bounded back even faster, hand pulled back for a fist. The punch landed on Aqualad''s glowing water shield and the water rippled around them. Aqualad''s shield changed into a hammer that he swung swiftly at his teammate''s torso. Connor crossed his hands together and received the attack on his forearms, getting pushed back just a little. Before Aqualad could capitalize on that opening, lightning streaks exploded out of Garth towards him, making him jump away too. The three teens smiled viciously as they eyed each other. "Not that I''m complaining and this is fun and all but when are you going to show us your new move Superboy?" Garth asked Connor. "He''s saving it up for a dramatic finish. Hoping to catch us off guard." Aqualad answered in his steed. "As sharp as ever Kaldur." Connor laughed. "Yes, but there is another reason as well. I can''t control it that well. It seems to manifest in a¡­" "Hey guys." Tula interrupted Superboy''s explanation by flying in. It was easy to see how stiff Aqualad''s back became. He kept a smile on his face but Superboy could pick up on how his heart rate quickened. Learning that Tula and Garth were dating had been hard on Kaldur. However being the understanding and kind person he was, he wished them well and acted like it didn''t bother him. "Oh hey Tula." Garth swam closer to his girlfriend and tried to kiss her only for Tula to give him his cheek and admonish him a little while looking at Kaldur. Realization dawned in Garth''s eyes and he threw Kaldur a guilty look. "So, you seem excited." Connor spoke up to ease the tension that was quickly building up. "Oh. Yes! Huh." She stepped back and clasped her hands between her chest. "The queen and King have invited the 4 of us over for dinner tonight." Connor and Kaldur shared a look. "Not to sound disrespectful but what''s the occasion? We see her everyday when she''s kicking our asses in sorcery 101." Connor joked a little making the other two laugh and bringing a grateful smile to Tula''s face for trying to thoroughly change the subject. "It''s a secret." Another look was shared among the three boys. "Oh then please inform Annax Orin that we shall avail ourselves." Kaldur bowed slightly and stated. Tula looked a little hurt by the formal tone and a brief silence reigned. "Well then¡­I huh, guess I shall go. See you all later tonight." She made to leave and Connor nudged Aqualad by his elbow motioning to him to go talk to the girl. Before he could make a decision, an explosion went off suddenly. The building shook as cracks appeared on the walls. "What was that?!" Garth asked in urgency. "It sounds like it came from the Science Center!" Tula answered, swimming out of the building in haste. They followed after her closely, making it out of the sparring chamber in the conservatory of magic just as another explosion, this time louder and bigger came from the opposite direction to the first one. "Neptune''s beard! That was the palace. It''s under attack!" Garth shouted in alarm. "The Queen and King!" Tula shouted and started swimming as fast she could towards the Palace. The huge grandiose structure now spotted broken sections on the left side. An armed squad of black clad figures jumped off the black aircraft responsible for the damage to assault the palace guards. "Tula wait!" Aqualad called out but the young Atlantean ignored him in favor of the palace. Kaldur grabbed Garth''s shoulder before he could leave as well. "Let go of me Kaldur¡­" The latter turned to face Aqualad in anger. "The Science Center has been attacked too. You go and protect Tula while Superboy and I head to the other explosion." Kaldur ordered to which the other boy nodded. "And Garth¡­" "Don''t worry I''ll keep her safe." Garth assured and left after Tula. Aqualad sighed and turned to face Connor. "I''m ready. Let''s go." Superboy answered without prompting and the two of them made their way to the Science Center. (Science Center) "Hurry up with that. We don''t want to be here when they manage to spare forces from the palace to investigate this place. We are lucky they are more concerned with protecting Orin and his ilk." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.Black Manta spat out, supervising the men attaching cables onto a massive ice structure. Inside the structure was a figure of distinct alien origin, given by its size and the number of limbs it spotted. Black Manta pressed a key on his helmet and opened up communications with the second squad. "Oceansmaster, I have secured the objective. 5 minutes until evacuation." "Good. You get 2 minutes." The voice replied before the communication was cut off. "Prick." Black Manta muttered, ironically not appreciating the way the second prince was ordering him around. He then tapped into his own channel, aiming to communicate with the men patrolling the science center. "Team 3, Status report." He received a confirmation before we moving on to team 4 only to hear static. Black Manta narrowed his eyes. Someone had taken out his men. He swept his gaze out and primed his heat beams. There! One of the patrols had two water bearers strapped to his hip. Without saying a word, he let loose the heat beams only for him to be punched on the side of the helmet, rocking his head sideways and messing up his aim. The hot red beams took out the main cable primed to lift up the ice structure and it slammed back onto the ground in a massive clash. The whole thing cracked apart to Black Manta''s consternation but he was too busy dodging Superboy''s attacks to assess the damage. On the other side, Aqualad was darting in agilely, attacking Black Manta''s men with a slew of weaponry and winning. "Damn brats! You think you have the power to stop Manta? Let me show you how wrong you are!" The supervillain shouted, his heat beams shooting out towards the Kryptonian Genomorph. Superboy held his hands in a cross guard before him. Unfortunately for him, he was pushed back onto the wall and smashed onto it. The look on his face changed. So his new ability couldn''t block energy beams huh? Seems like it could only negate some physical attacks. Good to know. Black Manta turned his sights onto the ice structure. "If I can''t have it. No one can!" His armor opened up at the shoulder piece and small missiles exploded out. "He''s going for the structure!" Aqualad shouted but was too occupied fighting the rest of Manta''s agents to do anything. A look of determination appeared on Superboy''s face. His leg muscles tightened as he pushed off the wall, leaving more cracks running up it''s length and a brief shimmer of a red forcefield around him. He arrived before the missiles could land and spread out his hands. There was a single second of silence before a massive explosion of psionic energy blew out of Superboy''s body in a red wave, decimating the missiles which blew up prematurely as well pushing Manta away. The last thing Kon-El saw before losing consciousness was the beautiful shine of the ice making up the structure floating down on to the ground. His move had been indiscriminate and uncontrolled. He had destroyed what they should have protected. Then his body lost energy and went on lockdown. He stirred, feeling thirsty. "Wa..ter. Water." He muttered taking a minute to inwardly laugh about the irony of it all. An enchanted glass was handed to him as his vision adjusted to the bright light in the room he was in. His body instinctively feeling that the light was made to give off sun radiation which his cells soaked in with glee. Still, if he wanted to get back to a hundred percent, a trip to the surface would be needed. "You gave me quite a scare my friend." Aqualad''s voice sounded from the side where he was sitting, still dressed in the attackers black suit. "So it hasn''t been that long huh?" Superboy asked after gulping down the contents of the glass. Aqualad looked down at himself and chuckled. "It must have slipped my mind to change because of everything that''s happened." "So is everyone okay? The Queen? King? Garth and Tula?" Superboy wondered in concern. Last he checked, the palace had also been attacked. "Yes they are all fine. There were a few casualties among the palace guards but we managed to stop Black Manta from getting what they wanted and even captured Oceansmaster ." Connor slumped down onto the bed after Kaldur''s words. "Oh that''s good." Aqualad went silent, making Connor frown. "What is it? Is something wrong?" The Atlantean sighed without giving a concrete response. He reached for his hip and removed the pad strapped there before adding it over to Superboy, a news clip playing. Superboy''s face changed as his heart sped up. The video ended with him going scarily calm, placing the device on the bed next to him. He made eye contact with Kaldur. "Aden is a lot of things. Competitive, arrogant, stubborn, much like I am. But he would never...do something like this, Kaldur. As much as we clash over ideals...its not him. He''s not capable of this. We both know who''s responsible." Aqualad nodded. "The Light. They''re coming out of the woodwork. This latest scheme of theirs was too high profile." He sighed standing up. "I''m sorry my friend but it seems like we''re needed elsewhere." Connor nodded, standing up as well. Luckily, he had already gotten what he came for. All that was left was to get better at his control and that power he felt so deserving of...that power would be his. "I agree. Time to go home." (General P.O.V) "You have impressed us with your dedication towards completing the mission, Manta. Although you lost the specimen, you still managed to collect a sample of it." A clear voice came from the first terminal. The screen showing static. "Yes, most im''presiv monsieur. The sample is a very crucial step." A second voice added from another terminal. Manta removed the helmet from his face, revealing a face that resembled Aqualad closely. "I am more than happy to serve The Light." Back Together. (General P.O.V) (Saturday) "How long are we supposed to keep at this, blindfolded?" Wally complained for the umpteenth time. He was crouching in a horse stance, his hands stretched out before him. A flat plaque of wood was held above his wrists and on both ends of the plaque, was a round ball half filled with water. The balls were made out thin clay. The goal for this exercise as their torturer/ teacher had told them was to practice balance and coordination through subconscious body control. The half full nature of the clay balls made it really hard for them to stabilize in one place. So they had to keep the balls from falling to the ground or crashing against each other just by feeling alone. It was a task that was nearly impossible, given by the hundreds of broken clay shards on the ground. A pebble was released from the side that Wally leaned his head away from, extending so far back that he fell on the hard ground. A second later the clay balls fell and burst apart, splashing water onto the surroundings. Wally''s heart sank knowing he couldn''t escape the punishment for failing the task. Again. "Ouch. What was that?" He wondered out loud while getting up. "Hahaha Wall man''s scared of a little pebble. God, I can just imagine your face right now." Artemis teased him before her face changed a little. "Wait, how did I know that?" She exclaimed. A second pebble was released from the side, this one was much faster than the last. The expert archer''s brow''s scrunched up as she lowered her center of gravity. The pebble sailed above her head and slammed onto Wally''s nose. "2 sentences 2 pebbles. 1 more hour added for Wallace dropping his clay balls." The voice of one Richard Dragon said. "Wallace, Plaque up. Horse stance. No talking." The ginger haired side kick would have complained if he didn''t know that his punishment would only get worse. He didn''t even notice when he absentmindedly reached for the Plaque somehow knowing where it had landed. He settled on a horse stance, hands outstretched to his front with the Plaque lying above them like a bridge. Two weights suddenly made his hands sink a little as two new clay balls were placed on both ends. It only took a second for Wally to control the motion, sinking into a rhythm that stabilized the balls in each of their positions. That done, Artemis bit her lip. The earlier pebble had been meant for Wally. Which meant¡­she was in trouble. The first one came from the opposite direction of where she was expecting. From her back. She pulled her right leg behind her, blocking the pebble with the underside of her foot. The small stone was bounced off the heel and above her head, where she waited until it fell before hitting it like a soccer ball. A small clash like sound happened at her front, as the first pebble intercepted the second one. The action done without destabilizing the clay balls and failing her task. A smile appeared on her face before a small thunk! on the side of her ear messed up stance and she fell. "3 sentences 3 Peebles. 1 more hour added for Artemis'' masochistic tendencies." The blonde swallowed her outcry at the dig and stood up, going back to the exercise. Which was now extended for 5 more hours due to each of their slip ups. The whole thing had already been going on for 7 hours before then already. Something that was completely impossible anywhere else. (The next day) (Sunday) Day of the vine monsters attack. Richard smiled from where he was meditating. They were learning and with the Island''s help they had truly come far on just one weekend. "Remember, the body is the instrument, the mind is the control force and the soul is the engine. Strike with intent and not emotion. Emotion is the fuel for the soul not the weapon. Strike with intent and not logic. Logic is merely the raw form of intent and not the weapon. Intent is achieved by an awareness of the battlefield. Intent is the fight before it happens. Intent is the active state of your sixth sense, the culmination of your awareness. Understand this, and you will be impossible to defeat." Wally snickered at the contradictory statement. "Yes, Sensei and we can fly like an eagle and shatter boulders with a single fist." Artemis nudged the speedster with her elbow. Hard. "Ow." "Dude, did you forget yesterday?" She asked, referring to the punishments. "Which you''re both to blame for by the way." Boy Wonder pointed out from Wally''s other side. Richard cleared his throat. "It seems that I have failed to instill discipline in you. We shall rectify that immediately. Remove your blind folds." They complied, a sinking feeling coming over them. They all winced at the light coming from in-between the leaves and branches of the tree. "All eyes on me." They turned their attention from glaring at each other to the martial arts master even Batman respected, standing at the courtyard above the stairs from them. "This island is special." He started off easily, with a smile on his face. "It has a ley line crossing through it and a shrine dedicated to Zen Whu, the God of Martial arts. A figure of great power and martial skill in the Chinese mythology." Robin frowned. "Isn''t that a myth Sensei?" Richard shrugged his shoulders. "You tell me. You have a champion blessed by the Greek gods, the princess of an island made up of only women and an underwater kingdom sustained by magic and science that worships Poseidon. Through out history, The God''s presence has been felt. Either through embellished tales by humans which elevate their presence from strong mortals to divine beings or naturally occurring sentience in special places. Places filled with mystical power like this island. You cannot deny their influence." The three of them listened in rapt attention. "This island is a legacy of the O sensei school of martial arts." He smiled sadly. "I remember the first time my master brought my fellow disciples and I here. The trials we underwent were even more strenuous than what I have had you do. But although we complained, we understood. Progression and motivation. One fuels the other for a steady improvement and the island makes you actualize that improvement by opening your mind. That is why I brought you here." Boy Wonder nodded in understanding. "So that''s why¡­I feel my senses are heightened beyond anything else." He said, turning to Artemis and Wally. "You must have felt it too. Like¡­like¡­" "A scratch at the back of your head, showing you a hazy image of what is going to happen before it does." Artemis answered in amazement. "And I can vibrate my body now." The resident speedster said, his hand doing so with small sparks of yellow energy. "Not for long but I feel like I can phase through things now." "Without getting a nosebleed?" Robin wondered. "Yeah." "You have all improved, Artemis your awareness of your surroundings will aid you greatly in your archery. Kid Flash, you seem to be in more control of your meta-human ability and Robin¡­ your improvement is astounding. Your moves are more fluid and in synch. You can now better leverage your agility. Batman is known as one of the strongest combatants in the world¡­ your potential is not any lesser than his. All this is due to the boost granted to your comprehension by the Island." He stepped towards the huge boulder sitting on the corner of the courtyard and raised his hand. "No¡­" Kid Flash said in disbelief. "I was kidding about the boulder thing Sensei, don''t tell me¡­" "Shut up and let''s watch." Another elbow nudge and Wally turned to Artemis with a glower before his interest in Richard''s next move won out. "And in time¡­you might get to do this. This move is called the Leopard Paw." He said, his fingers held in a clawed form. Then he struck! His speed was so fast, none of them saw it barring Wally who only caught a blur. The rock exploded into chunks and dust. "That is the power of true martial arts." All of them were speechless. "Hey can¡­can Batman shatter a 2 meter tall boulder into tiny fragments?" Artemis whispered to Boy Wonder who nodded his head. "Batman can do anything." He answered without any confidence. "Dude that was sooo cool." Wally finally picked his jaw off the ground. "Thank you. Now¡­" Richard''s smile turned predatory. "Let''s go over your punishment." A collective groan passed over the three teens. (Underneath The Atlantic Ocean - Bio-ship) "Your control is still too shaky. The goal is not to split your telepathy into tiny streams. That might work but it is extensive and draining. Focus your mind, delve into one mind and then use the innate connection it has with the rest to connect to their minds into one singular unit made up of all." Miss Martian nodded after listening to Martian Manhunter''s explanation. She retracted her mental energy from the family of sardines that she had been trying to control individually, leaving only one connection. The mind of the fish was basic as expected. The exercise was not to dominate them as that would, according to Manhunter ''blur the lines too much for comfort'' but instead to guide them. Nudge them slightly in one direction. She used the singular connection she had, to tap into the instinctive frequency of sound they communicated with and with that, she found her connection to the rest of the sardine family grow. The load needed to keep up the connection was considerably lessened. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Miss Martian allowed herself a brief smile as the sardines swam in beautiful patterns and shapes. "Well done M''gann. Your control has gotten exceptional." "Thank you uncle J''onn." The Martian girl smiled brightly while controlling the Bio-ship to fly out of the water. They broke through the surface, both happy that she had completed the exercise successfully. "What''s next¡­?" Instead of answering, Manhunter went stiff as a transmission came through his earpiece. He pressed on the tiny device and responded to the transmission with a rumble of his deep voice. "I''ll be there shortly. M''gann something came up¡­" He started, explaining about the multiple attacks going on throughout the country. "I am coming with you." The green skinned girl said, as if challenging him to say no. Manhunter smiled proudly. "Of course." From there, the day only got more active for M''gann. She saved people, coordinated with the police to set up a barricade and used the Bio-ship to ferry out the ones too injured and take them to the hospital before they could lose their lives. And a few hours after everything had settled down, the news came in. "No. Aden wouldn''t. No matter how angry he got or impatient, he is a good person. I refuse to believe this." M''gann said and left her Uncle''s apartment with a multitude of feelings roiling inside her. There was only one thing she could do now¡­try and find Aden herself. The next two hours seemed to pass in a blur as she used the Bio-ship to scan for his mind in the places she thought she would most likely find him. L.A. Her search came up empty and she was about to give up and go somewhere else when an incoming transmission from Atlantis interrupted her search. Her worry was somewhat abated after seeing Connor and Aqualad. They exchanged a few words and M''gann used the Bio-ship to go and get them. Her heart skipped a beat in concern, when they gave her an account of the attack from Black Manta and Oceans master. Turns out they also knew of Aden''s accusation and the reveal of his identity out to the world. Which was a huge thing. She breathed a sigh of relief when they too informed her that they didn''t believe he had done it. It was too out of character for him. The talk ended with her flying to go pick them up from Poseidonis. (Washington DC) (3 hours after Aden''s identity had been revealed.) "Recognized Kid Flash B03. Recognized Robin B01. Recognized Artemis B07." There was a flash of light from the Zeta tube terminal and the three teens appeared. They had taken a Zeta tube from Japan and instead of leaving for their respective cities, they''d decided to come here for some answers. The best choice had been the Watchtower but unfortunately, you couldn''t use the Zeta tube to get to the Watchtower from just anywhere. Plus...the league seemed to be busy with something and hence had blocked off access. Robin immediately broke off from the team without even saying hi to Red Arrow, merely giving an absentminded wave, heading straight for the League''s computer. "Ok..." The taller teen frowned at the back of Boy Wonder before his attention was stolen by Kid Flash. "Hey Speedy." The speedster spoke up. "What''s going on? We just saw a viral video clip saying that Superman''s dead, killed by Aden..." The red themed hero shook his head. "I don''t know what that''s about either. I was occupied fighting a vine monster, one of Poison Ivy''s creations. The news clip surprised me too. Green Arrow was just called in to the Watchtower and he left without telling me why. I think they found him." "You mean Aden, right?" Artemis asked from the side, her hands crossed above her chest. "Yes, Archer girl. Your little boyfriend is probably in the League''s hands answering their questions." He told her bluntly. Surprisingly, the one who came to her rescue was Wally. "He''s not her boyfriend! And you don''t know Aden man, sure he''s a dickhead that seemingly cheats his way into power based on how quickly he left us all behind but he''s not a heartless monster." Artemis mouth opened in shock, matching the look of surprise on Red Arrow''s face. "Why the sudden change of heart Wally? Don''t you remember him breaking your leg and hurting your teammates?" Speedy shot back, rising up from his seat. "Look...I can''t really explain it because nothing has changed. I still don''t like the guy. Trust me, I don''t. But when you interact with someone so much in life and death missions like we have ...you get a sense of what they''re capable of. The lines they would cross and not. I will probably never have a decent or amiable conversation with the dude. We''re just too different. But part of being a hero, part of what my principles stand for...is sticking to the truth. And I''m telling you, Aden is not capable of something like this." "Tell that to Superman''s family. I''m going out. See you when you stop lying to yourselves to assuage whatever guilt you carry for kicking out someone who deserved it, out of the team." Speedy spat out and left. "Technically, he left by himself..." Artemis muttered under her breath but by the look the other Archer threw her, he must have heard it. The expression on Speedy''s face changed from angry to pensive as the light of the Zeta tube washed over him. The one thing running in his mind was confusion. It had only been one weekend but... The three teens seemed vastly different. For one, they were focused, calm and the way they carried themselves... Artemis had this quiet confidence, even with her back to the entrances of the library, something that he knew she wouldn''t have had before. For anyone in their level of skill, your body should always be facing the entrance in anticipation of an attack. They all seemed so... different, it was confusing. Wally watched Speedy leave and sighed turning to Artemis. "You know you don''t always have to provoke him right?" She scoffed at his statement. "He''s a prick. If I don''t do it...he''ll see it as a chance to throw around cutting statements about my skills and try to walk all over me." She defended herself to which Wally nodded. "Yeah but he''s just... highly competitive. Plus, anything he would say about your skills would be a lie. You''re frigging amazing Artemis." He held up a thumbs up, leaving her standing in place with her heart going miles. What just happened? "Hey guys...I just got access to the Watchtower''s systems. Seems like they''ve brought in Aden for questioning." Robin spoke up just as Wally arrived at his position. "Dude, I thought Batman told you not to hack the league computer again?" Wally asked. "I like to think of it as a strong suggestion not to hack into the systems. A very strong suggestion." The Boy Wonder replied cheekily. "Besides, why are you complaining? Because of moi'' we get to crash a party we weren''t invited to." "Lemme guess...you can hack the Zeta tube transmission as well?" Artemis wondered only for Boy Wonder to shake his head. "Not can...I already did." The reply came in first as he swiveled in the chair. "We are going to get in to so much trouble for this." Wally groaned. "Don''t look so worried Wall man. Infact I suggest you get traught." Another collective groan. "One thing I have not missed is your skewed sense of humor, Robin." A voice said just as the doors from the hall to the library were opened, revealing Superboy, Aqualad and Miss Martian. "M''gann! Kaldur! Connor! You made it." Artemis shouted happily. "Allright! The whole team''s back together again!" Wally added enthusiastically. "Yes. I have missed you guys a lot too." Miss Martian flew forward and hugged Wally and Artemis, lifting them up in the air. The boy Wonder ducked from the group hug and turned to the other two. "For the record, I saw you guys through the camera." He told them smugly. "You hacked the league database again didn''t you?" Kaldur accused gently. "Guilty as charged. The Zeta tube too." The rest calmed down and turned to listen as Kaldur cleared his throat. "I won''t waste time asking how the rest of you are doing. I am just glad we are all back together again. The situation is delicate. We all know Aden. We have fought with him, for him and against him. We all carry regrets about the way things happened. I wish we had more wisdom and patience that day. Maybe we wouldn''t have jumped to conclusions. But that is in the past. A time when our fear and prejudice got the best of us. We are all to blame. Including Aden. All of us made the wrong choices. But I want to make this right and I know you all want to do the same thing. If Aden is truly guilty, then let this be closure for us. If he isn''t then let us stand for what we believe is the truth. If that means going against our mentors, so be it. It''s what they taught us." He paused. "Aden is our responsibility, not the League''s." (Aden''s P.O.V) I gritted my teeth in anger. "Lex Fucking Luthor." A clip of me, highly edited to make it seem as if I was resting one foot on Superman''s chest as he laid on the ground bleeding was replaying on the screen as I sat on a chair in an interrogation room. The room was different from the previous one they had stashed me in the last time I had been here. Through my energy sense, I could sense wards all around it''s length, most probably to stop me from accessing my boom tube and although I could feel a slight difficulty in that department...It didn''t mean a lot when my boom tubes were backed by the power of my full dimension. Zatara, Batman, Black Canary and Wonder Woman were also in the room with me. Making the small space feel crowded. I could also sense a ball of tumultuous yet tightly controlled energy and another energy that felt so strong it could move the world just outside the door. Captain Atom and Green Lantern. Now back to the reason for my anger. I wasn''t even that mad about having my identity exposed...okay I was fucking angry but it paled in comparison to something else. It wasn''t even because Luthor, (who else could engineer such a scheme?) had made me public enemy number one by accusing me of killing Superman. It was because of what played after that footage. "We regret to inform you that due to injuries sustained during the fight against the monstrous vine creatures let loose in New York, Wild Cat has sadly passed away. Wild Cat was a member of the..." Fuck. Wildcat was a chill dude that I would never get to meet because of Luthor and The Light. The fact that he died despite possessing nine lives I think, was just so shocking and threw me off. Now I''ll have to see about getting my martial arts training from someone else. Someone who wasn''t affiliated with the League or the Light. Which left one of the baddest motherfuckers on the planet. Bronze Tiger. He was the second person on my list because as far as I could remember, he was a merc who stuck to his lane as well as being one of the three best Martial Artists on the planet. Lady Shiva was with the League of Shadows and Richard Dragon was probably a friend of Bruce. Which left only Ben Turner as my choice. Innocent (Aden''s P.O.V) "¡­And then I intervened before he could land the finishing blow." I concluded, the lasso of truth glowing golden in confirmation. "He is telling the truth. The Lasso compels him to." Wonder woman informed the other two. "Are you sure Diana? He could bypass that restriction the last time." Canary asked the Demi-goddess who shook her head. "Not anymore, I commissioned for the divine enchantments to be strengthened. The gods were strangely eager to help me, especially when Haephestus learned of a mortal able to subvert it''s immutable nature." I chuckled. "Not subvert, merely misdirect." And it was true about it being stronger, I could feel it. The Lasso had been very powerful before but now? Now it felt completely inviolable. My energy sense was on, trying to decipher the essence of the energy it used yet¡­all I got was the feeling of trying to collect water with a sieve or trying to hold a wet soap with very slippery hands. It didn''t take. I held up my hands feeling the divine influence of the Lasso at the back of my head, forcing me to be truthful. "So I answered all your questions truthfully. Batman even showed you the image he managed to capture before Lobo went off world." The Dark Knight grunted, standing in the corner. Due to this being League business, he had decided to give precedence to the actual league members. Canary and Wonder woman were interrogating me. The former due to her psychology expertise and the latter was the current president of the Justice League. There was a camera above the door that was transmitting real live footage to the rest of the League members. And Martian Manhunter was in the next room over, trying to sneak into my mind without me finding out. He was in a state of being that I found really strange, a pseudo intangibility that didn''t register in my air sense. Luckily, it didn''t seem like they knew about my ability to sense energy or someone''s soul. So their ploy didn''t work. I wasn''t going to tell them that though. Whenever I felt a brush across my mental walls I started thinking of Wonder Woman''s shapely¡­ fundamentals as well as she doing some naughty stuff with Canary and J''onn pulled back in a little disgusted understanding. I probably soured the opinion he had of me. Then again, what did he expect? I''m a teenage boy¡­of course that''s what I''ll think of! "It''s my word against Luthor, an evil genius megalomaniac with delusions¡­" I paused. Say what you will but Luthor could walk the talk. So I corrected myself. "Ambitions of grandeur. Think about it, how many times has he tried to kill Superman!? Ah! It was only time before he pulled this kind of crap. I was just unlucky enough to be the guy at the right place and in the right time. And now because of that, despite knowing who''s really responsible¡­the League can''t do anything because you''re all shackled by the law. I''m not." Wonder Woman shared a look with Black Canary who had been treating me with a cold shoulder ever since I was brought in. The implication that I was going to do something to Luthor was neatly grossed over. I was sure it would sooner or later come up though. They just filed it away as ammunition for later. "Then why did you agree to be brought in, knowing full well that we would interrogate you severely? And¡­hold you accountable for your past misdeeds?" The Themysciran princess asked. I leaned forward slightly. "Because, he." I motioned at Batman. "Told me that the League would recognize who the real enemy is. Because, I''d like to think the League would understand putting our differences to the side for the sake of taking down The Light takes priority over a spatting match against a 17 year old. And lastly because¡­I am actually innocent." I leaned back and let them mull over my words. Wonder Woman''s earpiece started blowing up. I caught the tell tale end of Hawk woman''s words and smiled a little. The team had arrived. Oh this is about to get very entertaining. "Keep them somewhere secure for the moment. I don''t want any interference before we''re done." She ordered making me smile a little lewdly, then I remembered I didn''t want to get punched as my cracked ribs were still healing and wisely swallowed my next words. "So¡­am I free to go?" I held my lassoed hands out and enquired. Batman pushed off of the wall, coming out into the light. "There are still a few questions you need to answer." Oh I guess now it''s his turn. Wonder woman didn''t look too happy with his intervention but nonetheless she didn''t oppose him. "Why did you lie your way into the Watchtower?" Oh shit. My mind went blank for a second. That question came out of nowhere. I could feel the influence of the Lasso, urging me to tell the truth. So I used my previous trick¡­ drawing upon the influence of the Avatar system security measures and answered. "I was trying to see if I could familiarize myself with it incase I ever needed to portal in for something." He narrowed his eyes. "It wasn''t your first time on the Watchtower. Why would you need to sneak in again when you could already make a boom tube to take you there?" "Yeah, you''re right." I started slowly. "But before that, the only places I could create a boom tube to were the medical room, the meeting hall and one of the private rooms. All places under heavy monitor. I was trying to look for places I could easily sneak in without being found out." He placed his hands on the edges of the table and loomed above me. "Why?" He insisted. "I thought it might be useful incase the good guys were ever taken out and the Watchtower, which is a technological marvel fell into the hands of the bad guys. The world would not survive." I answered with a shrug, though I was sure that neither of them bought the explanation. It was pretty weak but what could they do? The Lasso glowed to show I was telling the truth to the best of my knowledge. I felt another brush of psychic energy along my mental walls and pretended not to notice still lost in my fantasies about the two women infront of me. "Moving on¡­" I swallowed a groan. Seems like we were going to be here for some time. (General P.O.V) "I can''t believe they stuck us in a room like kids." Kid Flash complained while lying on the couch, an empty packet of chips was strewn across the table. Stolen novel; please report."We technically did¡­break into the Watchtower uninvited. It makes sense why we would be put on house arrest." Artemis pointed out. "Don''t you mean, room arrest?" Miss Martian tried to joke only for the joke to fall apart and for the rest to give her weird looks. She blushed and looked away. "Robin is better at this." Connor rubbed her back affectionately making the Martian smile. "Speaking of which, What is the Boy Wonder up to now?" Artemis questioned, prompting all of them to stare at Robin who was busy tapping something out on his holographic wrist computer, a cable run from the device to the terminal present in the room. "Hopefully not hacking anymore League systems, not after the severe warning we just¡­" Aqualad started out with authority. "Relax Kaldur, I''m just trying to see this from a¡­ different perspective." There was a hum and the screen installed on the wall came on. "Accessing League database for the viral clip¡­got it. Mapping out a 3D remake of the video using the Holo comp and¡­there. Oh¡­ I knew it!" Robin shouted in glee. The video was 5 second only long. The rest scrambled towards him as the device on his wrist projected a 3 dimensional outlay of the paused clip. The image showed Aden hovering on top of a broken Superman. Boy Wonder motioned with his finger at a point in the video abd explained the discrepancy. The rest gasped, being quick on the uptake. "We now have all the proof we need to show that Aden is innocent." He smiled. "But how are we supposed to get this to them, did you forget we are still on¡­"Connor stopped and looked at M''gann with a smile. "Room arrest?" The Martian girl preened in happiness. "I mean¡­I''ve hacked into the most secure database before¡­a single automatic door is child''s play." Robin stated. Everyone turned to stare at Aqualad. The Atlantean sighed before nodding his head in determination. "We have already come this far. Do it." (In The Meeting Hall) A live footage depicting the ongoing interrogation was playing as the rest of the League members, barring a few missing figures watched. Batman had asked almost any conceivable question he could. Going as far as to enquire on the nature of Aden''s realm. That question hadn''t particularly made the boy happy but he stuck to the truth yet still managed to be awfully vague. The interrogation had gone far and beyond the scope of the questions they needed to ask and although it left a bad taste in a few heroes mouths¡­it was necessary. Aden Strong was an unpredictable element. And finally¡­the interrogation was over. The holographic visual feed switched off as the league members all stared at each other with grim faces. "Well¡­that was both enlightening and¡­not. Everything he said is a version of the truth we either suspected or knew." The Flash stated. "He is right though, we need to marshall up a correct response to The Light''s continued schemes, sooner or later they will deal the world a blow that we won''t be able to recover from." The King of Atlantis pitched in. "Aquaman is right. I propose the same." Hawkman added in his support for Orin. "How?" Green Lantern Stewart held up his hand to stop any misunderstandings. "I am not saying that we do nothing. In combat situations like this, the strategy is to low-key carry out an attack on the aggressor without concrete proof of them making the first move. A covert operation. That''s not how the League works, despite already knowing the Light''s secret identities we are shackled by our principles. Which is a selling point. My question is how are we going to justify going after a monarch, a billionaire philanthropist not to mention the rest, lawfully?" The members went silent. "I propose we go back to our discussion on what to do with Maelstrom. It''s better if we deal with one thing at a time." Green Arrow spoke up. While his words had merit, it was clear to see that he still held a bit of vendetta against Aden. Before any of them could say anything, a young voice interrupted. "Nothing. Aden is innocent and we can prove it." Robin''s entrance was dramatic, the doors to the meeting hall were pushed in as the whole junior team walked in. "How did you¡­"The Flash started before he snorted. "You hacked the Watchtower''s system didn''t you?" Robin merely smirked. Some of the other Leaguers were not too thrilled with their actions however. "This is a private meeting. Time and time again, you have gone against direct orders and our authority. Last I checked this team was still in suspension." Stewart said in a no nonsense tone. "Explain yourself, Aqualad." Aquaman ordered. Kaldur stepped forward and saluted. "I apologize for our disrespect my Annax but frankly speaking...the League left us with no choice in the matter. Aden Strong was a member of our team. Not the League. He is our responsibility and we should have all been included in the proceedings. It is not only a blatant show of distrust in our capabilities but also a gross mistake to judge him harshly without sufficient evidence to prove his innocence. Evidence that only took Robin a few minutes of keen observation to acquire, while the League has experts more than capable of doing the same. At this point, we are wondering why the League seems intent in prosecuting him for a crime he did not commit." The Leaguers shared a look and some of them like did not look too happy by the conclusion of the mental conversation going on among them. There was a haze in the air and Martian Manhunter appeared through the walls of the meeting hall. "The floor is yours Robin. Show us this evidence." The Martian said, taking a seat. Robin and the rest released a sigh of relief as the tension in the room bled out a little. Boy Wonder stepped up and cleared his throat. A short tap on his wrist computer and he gained access to the projector placed in the middle of the long table between all the League members. The same image he''d showed the team appeared, this time enlargened. "Look at the shadow placement. It''s subtle. Very subtle but given the height of the sun in the sky¡­ Aden''s shadow should have extended a few degrees to the left. And his leg too, his costume is a unique blend of material that Batman went to the trouble of making, to not reflect any light whatsoever¡­the gray undertones should be even more faded than the cloak which is a personal recent addition, yet they seem to have the same visual shade. That is not the case for his right leg which perfectly blends in with the shadows cast from his cloak, making the leg placed on Superman''s chest a deep fake." The Boy Wonder''s explanation left the whole meeting hall silent in surprise for a few seconds. "Why would they go to the length of framing him and then leave behind mistakes like this?" Hawkwoman questioned while steepling her fingers on the table. "Because that was not the goal. They knew that this wouldn''t hold up. That the League would release a counter statement. The goal was to use that as an excuse to release Aden''s identity out into the public." The gruff voice belonging to Batman answered. The new group arrived from a different set of doors. Aden was placed in between Captain Atom and Wonder Woman with Batman at their front and Canary along with Green Lantern at the back. Surprisingly, Aden was not in cuffs as the teens had expected. He smiled at the team, hiding the turmoil in his emotions. He couldn''t believe that they were actually standing up for him. It made no sense whatsoever. "Man, with people like you, who needs a lawyer?" The Final Act part 1. This is a dedication to all of you. (General P.O.V) They had spoken. A mortal with the power to not only ascend to a divine being but also the feel of a Lord of Order and Chaos. A split between them. A true Lord of Balance with a slight lean on the side of sympathetic order more than pure chaotic alignment. They had been trying to locate him. To source him out but the enchantments placed upon Aden by none other than Lucifer kept him hidden from their gazes. It kept him safe from their hungry gazes. Until it didn''t. It happened without warning. A beacon of high tier power was suddenly revealed. The aura subtle enough to be felt by only the truly powerful yet not diminutive in any way. An accord was reached due to a fear of irrelevance. To maintain their Power and Influence, measures were taken. Lucifer Morningstar stood on the balcony of his palace, Mazikeen behind him and to the side. His gaze was cast below him, far and wide. At the trillions of demons. Most from different factions of Demon Lords. Time and time again Lucifer contemplated waving his hand and disintegrating everything. But he relented once more. Though different¡­some had once been his own brothers and sisters. Now the angelic glow had diminished. Changed into something other. Infernal. A demonic heritage that made it seem as if that was all they had ever been. "Are you sure about this my Lord?" Mazikeen asked formally. Lucifer had stopped concealing Aden''s aura. Which would spell unending trouble for the boy she had come to like. Maze herself was different. Her entire demeanor had changed. Now she was colder and subservient to The Morningstar just like her role dictated. Just like they expected from the consort. Azazel, Astaroth, Belzebub¡­and many more Hell Lords were always observing. She could feel their ever watchful eyes. Waiting for a slip up to scheme. Of course the schemes would be simple nuisances for Lucifer to deal with but to them every little bit of victory was enough. One would have thought that, based on the recent upheaval the dimension had gone through¡­they would keep their heads down but no. Lucifer was powerful but that didn''t mean he concerned himself with the happenings of the realm 24/7. Not to mention that the ancient laws demanded a certain conduct to be observed. It''s the way things had been. That gave them enough loophole to push and pull. "Are you questioning me, Mazikeen?" Lucifer''s soft voice drifted over to the Lilim who stepped back and bowed. He was dressed in a white suit, his hair blonde and black wings prominent behind his back. This was the persona they knew him by. His presence rippled with a substance beyond mere godhood, beyond conceptual essence. He was the True Archon of power. The shaper of reality. "Of course not my Lord. I only aim to serve your wishes." She smiled a little. "And¡­to counsel you when you request it." "Mmh." The Morningstar snorted in amusement. "I see. And to further extrapolate on your question, Maze¡­think of this as a test. The final one." He paused, his eyes glinting with a scarlet light. "I have never had to lower or debase myself to schemes against those under me, I won''t start now." Despite his voice being soft, those meant to hear it heard it and bristled in quiet fury. Lucifer smiled as if he was gazing down at a particularly adorable scene. "Oh, petty little creatures. You sought that which is not yours to have¡­and I find myself eager to see how you shall all fare against my pet champion. Should you lose¡­well then, we shall see just how powerful that small authority you proudly wield measures up to my whim." Maze straightened up and stared at the back of The Morningstar in fervor. She was already wet. This¡­this was the real Lucifer Morningstar. Lucifer''s gaze speared through the trillions of beings surrounding one thing. A dome of unbreakable glass and inside that dome¡­was an angel, glowing with tainted light. His brow scrunched up a little in curiousity. ''What are my intentions? Even I do not know. Have I truly changed this much? Were it my past self¡­no, I would like to think I''ve always been fair. I have not changed. My sight has only been opened to the reality I had chosen to ignore. I will do it differently this time. It should provide some entertainment value, I suppose.'' He turned his gaze from Alyssa to the direction of the dungeons where a man was chained. A man housing a Rhyming Demon. The reason the demons were all gathered here was obvious. After the angel and the rogue Demon had been captured, the princes used the excuse of an iron clad law, Lucifer himself had put up, to demand a live execution of the angel. To show their defiance to the Silver City. He could have simply abolished the law but unfortunately, his own power would rebel against him. Not enough to matter but enough to annoy him. So he made a bet. Aden had better not fail. Or else the lives of Blood and the angel were more than forfeit...their souls were in it for an eternity of torture. "I know you have another question Maze, spit it out." The Lord of Hell addressed the silent consort. "Not a question my Lord, merely a concern." She swallowed, timing her words carefully. "What if Heaven intervenes?" Lucifer didn''t answer. Instead he slowly raised up his head, followed by a single hand¡­the index finger outstretched. A pinprick of light exploded out, hitting the ever gray sky of the hell dimension and dispersing. "They won''t. I am the sovereign here. No one may enter unpermitted. The stage is set, it''s time for the final act." (Aden''s P.O.V) A different range of emotions crossed over everyone''s faces upon my entry. Every single set of eyes was on me. The League members did not look too happy to see me though. Gee, I wonder why? "Watch him." Wonder Woman gave the order to Aqualad and The adults all gathered a distance away to have a private conversation. They would probably have sent the junior team and I away from the room if they weren''t afraid I would use the boom tube and leave. Whatever assurance that gave them as I could still leave no matter if they watched me like a hawk or not. I stared at how they hurdled together like gossiping cheerleaders and felt like laughing. Would have, if it wasn''t for how awkward it was, seeing how eerily silent they were, most probably having a mental conversation. I turned to my 5 ex friends/ex teammates. I had a million questions to ask but of course, me being the asshole I was¡­ "So this is¡­ awkward. How''s your leg, Wally?" I teased. The teen frowned. "Thanks for reminding me why I hate you." I laughed, accepting I would probably never make any friends. "Come on¡­you know you deserved it. Plus, you got the speed healing thing going on for you, so you''re good. Probably." He looked like he was seconds away from attacking before he sighed and smiled. "You''re a dick you know that?" That earned him an elbow nudge from Artemis. Those two seemed awfully close. Glad to see she moved on from the one sided crush. "I identify as an Asshole, not a dick. There''s a difference." I educated him on some 2022 wokeness and turned to arguably the smartest of the team. "Robin¡­ you''ve grown taller." I observed. The still short teen looked me up and down. "Wish I couldn''t say the same for you." I chuckled. Yeah¡­I was close to hitting that good old 6 feet. These few months had seen me shoot up like a reed, might be the influence from the Kobra venom or any of my other powers really. And then my eyes landed on my favorite person in the team. "Hey M''gann. I missed¡­" The sunny Martian interrupted me by flying forward and slamming into me for a hug. I widened my eyes as I felt her warmth against my chest. How¡­how long had it been since I was hugged like this? The team weren''t expecting that either but I didn''t really see anyone who looked at the scene with negative emotions. Even Connor had a small smile on his face as he stared at The Martian''s back. I raised my hands and pulled her tight to me after a few seconds of hesitation. And for a few seconds I felt myself regain a semblance of the belonging, I''d left behind. This is what I''d sacrificed for my ideals. Was it worth it? Yes. But that didn''t mean I couldn''t miss it. Or that I couldn''t get it back again. The faces of Iroh, Saisei, Hakai and Breeze went through my mind. I pulled away, with an even more sincere smile. "I''m happy to see this world hasn''t tainted you M''gann. Your heart will always be your greatest weapon." She gave a teary smile. "I missed you. We all did." Her smile dimmed a little. "But I¡­ understand that things are different now. I wish they didn''t have to be." She floated back to stand with the team. I swept a gaze through them and confirmed what I was feeling with my energy sense again. "You''ve all grown stronger. But Connor you''re¡­a different beast altogether." I complimented. "You have no idea." Connor responded, tightening his palm into a fist. I felt my own battle mania surge. "I wouldn''t mind a spar actually." I told him and he nodded. "Soon. When there''s time." That fight would be interesting. The last time we had fought he hadn''t exactly been himself. The next time we sparred promised to be very fun. "Hey Archer girl." I addressed Artemis. "Hey Air boy." She replied before we both laughed. "That was so bad. Air boy? Could you come up with anything lamer?" Artemis rolled her eyes. "You just caught me on a bad day." She defended herself. "Yeah I bet." I snorted. "Good to see you though." I added after a few seconds. She smiled sadly at me, fidgeting with her bow. "Yeah¡­you too Aden." "And I think it''s time you tell them the truth." I added telepathically. She looked unsure so I pressed. "Artemis, you and the team came to MY defense. You really think they would judge YOU if they were willing to go to all this trouble for me? These guys are solid, you''ve all created something good for yourselves. You belong with them. Believe me." That finally got me a smile from her and a weird look from Miss Martian. I winked at her and turned my attention to the last but certainly not the least. "Hello Fearless Leader. You''ve clearly outdone yourself Kaldur. Mobilizing the team to come to the aid of a villain?¡­ shocking. But thank you." If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Kaldur''s face had the same calm smile on his face I was so used to. This time however it seemed¡­somber. Kaldur understood what they''d done. He could see that far ahead which made him the ideal leader. "We couldn''t stand back and let you be framed wrongly despite our differences. It''s not what a hero would do." I nodded and looked at them all. My emotions were prevalent in my eyes and I made no effort to hide my gratitude. "Thanks. To all of you. I didn''t expect this. I owe you one." We would probably never go back to where we had been before. That ship had sailed. And I knew we would clash a lot in the future. What I had planned would no doubt put us in opposing sides. But just for the fact that they had tried¡­I would owe them one. The conversation was timely interrupted as the League broke off from their own discussion. Wonder Woman stepped up with Batman and Zatara on both of her sides. I idly wondered how professional both had to be to not steal a glance of that ass...(sigh) puberty. "After careful deliberation and discussion, we have determined that Aden is indeed innocent." She stated. I frowned in annoyance. Her words grated me. "I am sorry for the way we treated you with suspicion Aden." Atleast she genuinely looked sorry. It wasn''t enough to get rid of the little bit of anger at the way she worded her earlier statement but I kept quiet. I was exercising tolerance. It was...hard. And the only reason I was keeping a tight lead on my aggression was because of Iroh''s voice ringing at the back of my head. My soul being had constant strain had likely contributed to some of my dumb decisions. This time I wasn''t going to be the one to mess this up. I spared a glance at The Team and nodded in understanding before turning to Wonder Woman. "Thanks¡­I guess, let''s just leave it behind us. We have more pressing issues." I sighed, atleast that shit is in the past. "Let''s get down to business then. So Batman and I had a few theories. The vine monster''s carnage was meant as a way to distract you. While you handled the plant abominations in each of your cities, Jason Blood and I dealt with the one''s controlling them." I walked forward to the huge table and looked at Robin. "Boy Wonder, do you mind pulling up a map of the country." He shrugged and tapped a button on his holographic wrist computer. "Thanks." I told him as a second later a map of the US appeared. I pointed at a spot on Northeastern Carolina. "Zoom in to this wetland." The image expanded as the region highlighted became clearer. "Aden¡­" Canary called but I raised a hand, distracted. "Just a second. According to Blood, this swamp is a place full of natural mystic energy. Wotan took advantage of that to boost Poison Ivy''s powers immensely while also blending Scarecrow''s fear toxin into the bud controlling the plants. In the meantime, Metropolis was left unharmed while Superman faced off against Lobo. By the time I got there¡­he was seconds away from Killing him. Chances are the reason why Superman went down so easily was because Lobo possessed either red sun tech or a Kryptonian ring. Both things that could be procured by Lex. The goal seemed like to kill him but it was too elaborate, so I''m thinking they needed something else. Probably his D.N.A or something. And it matches up well with what Ultra-humanite told me. Vandal Savage''s immortal body is failing him. He''s dying. This could be the last chance¡­ " "That''s enough." Batman cut me off and I turned to face him in confusion. "What do you mean?" A silent talk went on between Wonder woman and Canary. The latter was stuck with the duty of telling me why they all suddenly looked sus. "The Justice League will handle the Light¡­ without your help." "What?" I couldn''t believe what she was saying. I held up a hand. "Wait¡­wait lemme just process this." I breathed in. "So you''re telling me¡­that despite the fact that I''ve been cooperative¡­" Even in my growing anger, I could see individual members spread out to the sides, probably expecting a fight. A fight that I wanted to give them more than anything. "¡­and open to having a peaceful and levelheaded discussion on how we can handle The Light once and for all¡­you still stick to the same old stubbornness that got Superman where he is right now. In The FUCKING MEDICAL ROOM!" "You need to calm down son. Now." Captain Atom ordered in a hard voice. Green Arrow had his bow in his hands, Hal''s ring was resonating with will energy ready to create a construct, Black Canary''s shoulders were tense and stiff and I could feel magic brimming inside Zatara. Stewart''s body was outlined in a green shroud and the two Thanagarians took to the air. The only one who seemed at ease was Manhunter.They were anticipating a fight. Had expected it. Wow. I glared at Batman. "This is bullshit and you know it." Wonder Woman started talking, "The Justice League was created for one prime reason. To keep the world safe. But we will not allow someone else to fight our battles for us. The Light is our responsibility, Aden. Let us leave it that way." My hands tightened into fists so hard, that I felt the nails dig into the flesh of the palm. "Do you also agree with that?" My question was directed at Batman. The Dark Knight''s gaze was unwavering as he answered me, not even pausing for a second. "Yes. But not for the reasons you think. I had a talk with Iroh and while most of what he said would need a second reliable source to verify, I can confidently say that you''re trying to do the right thing. You can''t help it, Aden. For some reason, this responsibility to bring balance to the world is on your shoulders." Some of them stirred in place. Seems like Bats hadn''t told them everything. Uncaring of that fact, the Gothamite continued. "But this is our world. We get a say. And your current methods will not suffice for an encounter with The Light. With anyone really. The League didn''t kill when I was in it¡­they are not going to start now, for any reason." His words didn''t do anything for the anger and indignation I felt. "I never stated I would go for the killing blow. I am not a murdering scum. Extreme measures exist for those who will continuously plunge the world in chaos." I swept my gaze to the more ''desensitized to death'' League members. "Surely you can understand where I''m coming from. Stewart, you have had to kill for the United States Government. How is this any different? And¡­it''s not necessarily killing. I have constructed an impenetrable prison where Supervillains too dangerous for the real world can live out their lives in relative comfort. Some of them looked curious about that. I doubled down on it. "Zatara, imagine a world without Felix Faust and his tendencies to bring Demons over to terrorize the planet. Or Green Arrow¡­how many times have you had to fight and best Meryln only for the people in Star City to suffer each time he makes a comeback." For once Green Arrow looked dumbfounded and contemplative. "Flash, I cannot even begin to describe the clusterfuck caused by the Reverse Flash'' future or in his case past actions. Almost all the bad choices you make are as a result of your Rogue''s gallery''s continued aggression. You FUCKED UP the world Barry, with a full system failure in the timeline called Flash point because you couldn''t say fuck it and end some of these cruel bastards." Some of them looked ready to blow. They didn''t want to listen to my honest words because of how I distorted their world views. And it was true, I was preaching. The first person to lose control was unexpected though. "That''s taking the easy way. In time, these actions turn you into the same thing you''re fighting!" Black Canary shouted, losing her cool. Everyone became uneasy. It wasn''t easy to set off Canary. My words seemed to have had a major effect on her. She stepped up and placed a slightly trembling hand on my shoulder. Her closeness took me back to the past. When things were different and she was just teaching me how to use my sonic abilities. In her eyes, I could see anger, fear and pity instead of the small smile of pride she used to give me. I hated it. "How will you stand yourself in the future Aden? How will you be able to look at your hands and not see the blood of those you have killed? Can''t you see it will change you!! Make you into something you''re not!" Her voice turned soft. "How far can you possibly go before you break? Will you give up everything to save the world?" "Yes." I answered firmly, without breaking eye contact. "Why?" Canary asked. I contemplated the question. Thought it through deeper than I had ever thought of something else. And I got my answer. I could have told her my resolve was simply stronger than theirs. That my ideals were something I would die before discarding but I decided not to. It was high time I properly introduced myself. Shrugging off her hand, I stepped back and straightened. "Because, I am the Avatar, Master of all the elements. My task is to maintain Order and Balance. It''s my sole annd only purpose." I felt a pulse from deep within me as the words rang true through the room. This time I didn''t mistake it. My soul had grown stronger. A brief silence dominated the room as the League took time to internalize what had just happened. I complimented them inwardly because despite my overpowering presence, they never seemed fazed, still ready for a fight. The junior team were also in various states of battle readiness. Problem is¡­I had no idea which side they would fight for. I wouldn''t be surprised if they stabbed me in the back despite trying to prove my innocence a few minutes ago. So I did what they weren''t expecting. I stood down. "My time was wasted. But I didn''t come here to start a fight. If you truly wish to handle the Light on your own¡­then suit yourselves. Just stay the fuck outta my way. This is the last time I am ever extending an Olive Branch. One day you shall understand that the League¡­has outgrown it''s usefulness. If it were up to you¡­it would only be half a million lives to get there." Canary looked as if I''d slapped her. A boom tube appeared before me and I turned to catch a glimpse of the team. I gave Aqualad a nod that he returned imperceptibly before walking forward, only for someone to stop me, floating down between the Boom Tube and I, blocking my way. "One last thing kid." I raised an eyebrow at Hal Jordan, not really in the mood to deal with this clown. "What do you want now?" Green Lantern crossed his hands together. "Superman. How did you heal him? He has been in a coma for the past 2 hours despite being under artificial solar energy emitters." A reasonable question but I wasn''t going to answer him. First, his attitude pissed me the fuck off and second, I wasn''t giving up Saisei. No matter what. I looked back at Batman. At least he hadn''t betrayed my trust and told them about Sai. "Hey, I''m talking to you. Answer my question." "And I heard you the first time, Jordan. Fuck off, I ain''t telling you shit. Maybe put your ring and the extensive galactic knowledge it holds to see what''s wrong with him before thinking you can demand anything from me, after the kind of shit you guys just pulled." Jordan''s anger was almost a tangible thing. "You fucking brat." He hissed, his face changing. "You really wanna do this? You really want to fight me?" My bullshit meter was now close to ''fuck everything, let''s nuke this bitch.'' Equity appeared in my hands, buzzing with electric energy. "Aden no!" Miss Martian''s voice cut through the din. "Green Lantern stand down! Hal! Stop this!" Wonder Woman commanded, her anger getting the best of her. The green and black clad hero threw me another scathing look before flying out of the meeting hall. "I''ll go talk to him." Stewart informed Wonder Woman and followed after his fellow galactic police. "You!" The Themysciran princess turned to me. "Leave!" "Gladly." I snorted. The mood had quickly soured dye to my confrontation with Hal. "I will say this though. Just because I respect you, does not mean, I fear you." And you would think that Fate would let me have that one. That she would be considerate enough to me that I could leave them with that cool line but of course¡­my life is never that easy. Fate seemed hellbent on making me fight someone. Anyone. A yellow Ankh appeared over my Boom Tube and I felt a sudden snap as the energy from my Realm was instantly cut off. I could still make a boom tube but I didn''t think it was going to be that easy. Not when this new arrival seemed very interested in meeting me. What was even more worrying however was the sudden mission I received from the system. The title read¡­The Final Act. The Final Act part 2. (General P.O.V) "One would think you''d learn by now. Between the two of us¡­I have always had the better ideas." Kent Nelson addressed the golden helmet of Fate, in a white room that seemed to have no end in sight. "This is not up for discussion. The Lords have decided on the best course of action. I trust in their judgement." A hard voice came out of the helmet, ringing through the featureless space. Kent shook his head. "There is a difference between blind obedience and loyalty, great Nabu. You were once human like me¡­you understand why some sacrifices, no matter how insignificant the life of one matches up against the life of many¡­is wrong." The old man''s words made Nabu snort. "What do you know of sacrifice Kent?" "60 years stuck with you. Enough to understand that it is never simple. Let me break it down for you¡­" The old man was soon interrupted. "That will not be needed. Your incessant chatter is exhausting." Kent frowned. Fortunately he knew how to handle the grouchy bastard after nearly a lifetime together. "Well too bad for you because I am starved for conversation." He shot back, causing Nabu to growl but otherwise keep quiet. Kent cleared his throat. "The moral conundrum is such as this. You seek to sacrifice one life for the lives of many. In a pragmatic view point, the trade off seems worth it. But then, you come to realize that the single life you sacrificed could have saved more lives down the line and because you decided to play God, you doom them all." "The likelihood of such a scenario happening is abysmal. Our sights stretch far and wide. Such a thing would not escape our sights. We would make the right decision." Nabu answered. "So in that scenario, you would sacrifice the lives of many for one person just because that person, may or may not prevent a disaster in the future?" Too late, Nabu understood Kent had trapped him with his own logic. "Do you not see the discourse?" "Then what choice would you make, Kent Nelson?" Nabu questioned after a period of silence. Kent sighed. "Truthfully¡­I do not know. What I do know however is that wanting to save someone does not come with conditions. And my darling Inza would skin me alive if I didn''t do my best to save all of them." The aged sorcerer laughed, remembering his feisty late wife. ''Soon my dear. Soon. These old bones have outgrown their usefulness. Even Ted beat me to it Ha! The old cat would be so insufferable about it.'' "Your words are even more illogical. You would try to save them all? Even if it was futile and in doing so you all perished?" Nabu''s voice brought him out of his thoughts. "You do not understand, Nabu. We are creatures of emotions. To emote is to understand, to understand is to care, to care is to love. Even if we all perished¡­as long as you tried your best to understand their fear, to care that they are losing something as precious as life¡­then accompanying them to the other side should not be viewed as a tragedy but as the greatest expression of humanity. It is the reason why all the best positive emotions are shared." This time, the silence was longer. "I see. Human sentiment has clearly changed. Whether the change is an evolution or a devolution remains a mystery." Nabu finally said to which his friend and partner of many years laughed. "Exactly!" A shining door appeared on Kent Nelson''s side, glowing with a beautiful resplendent light. Nelson looked at the door with a somber smile on his face. "I believe the time has come for us to part ways, my friend." Kent''s face changed to a disappointed one upon The Lord Of Order''s words. Then he sighed and brightened up. "I understand. Great Nabu, it has been an honor serving alongside you to keep the machinations of chaotic forces away." He bowed and rose up a second later with a cheeky smile. "I pray that your new host is someone of great patience because you are not easy to deal with, old friend." Nabu surprisingly laughed. "That remains to be seen. He has the potential but potential takes time to be realized." "Don''t be too hard on the boy. He has shown a great aptitude and an even stronger moral code to do what is right." Kent supplied. What went unspoken was how much that sort of thing was dangerous. Pairing Nabu up with someone who believed in doing what was right for the greater good did not seem like a good idea. Unfortunately, it was out of Kent''s hands now. "Farewell, Kent Nelson. Farewell, Dr. Fate." Nabu bid him. Kent gave on last nod and then walked over to the door and opened it. His soul crossed over as Nabu broke the link between him and the helmet. In the real world, Kent Nelson had passed away 2 weeks prior. As Doctor Fate, his last mission had been to find his successor. The Lords of order had led him to a certain hidden village in Kenya. A place where mystics protected a hub of the green from taint and those with nefarious ends. And there he had found his successor. 2 weeks later¡­Kent Nelson truly passed away. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. (Aden''s P.O.V) I increased my perception to read through the updated mission before whoever this was stepped through, though I was very sure I knew who they were. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ (Chain Quest Updated) (Destroy Galiel''s Known Associates: 3/5) (Updated :- 3/4) (Associates remaining:- 1) (Due to the actions of the client who issued the chain Quest, one of the associates has already been dealt with. You made the Devil wait, wow¡­so much for good work ethic. As a result of this, a replacement mission has been issued) (The Final Act:- Save Jason Blood and Allyssa from the schemes of the Hell Lords, who seek to use this chance to undermine Lucifer''s influence in the recently tension wrought realm known as the Hell Dimension. The client wishes to test your mettle before this challenge. As a consequence, he has revealed your position to a¡­few interested parties. Think of this as a test. Survive, get to hell and kick a few demon asses) Mission Objectives:- Come out on top in the following Encounter. Find a way in to hell, preferably without dying. Defeat The Hell Lords. Just¡­Survive. Mission parameters:- -Mission Time limit- Do you really want to keep him waiting again? -Mission Difficulty- Hell (Pun Soooo Intended) Mission Rewards:- -> 25 training points for each objective cleared for a total of 100 training points, if all objectives are cleared. -> 100 training points for mission completion. -> One Boon From Lucifer Morningstar. -> Mysterious Reward. -> A New Perk. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ I read over the quest and struggled to keep my emotions under control. First of all, the rewards were insane. Secondly and most importantly...the mission was even more fucking insane. Go up against the Hell Lords and defeat them? Was Lucifer serious? Is he talking about Beelzebub, Azazel, Asmodeus, Belphegor and other high tier powerhouses in hell? Because if that is the case...then current me is fucked. I was under no delusions I could take on a high level demon in their home ground and win. This quest was suicide. The last and most urgent thing to note however was the fact that before I even started on the clearly fucked up quest, I still needed to clear the fist level of this uphill battle. Which was to come out on top in the following encounter. The system''s words not mine. Which meant...as Doctor Fate stepped out of the Ankh...I had one more thing to worry about than the thing I should have been worrying about in the first fucking place! Mystical energy of a flavor that I...liked made itself known along with his appearance. Looking at the faces of the Justice League, I could see that none of them had anticipated this. Zatara stepped forward just as the Ankh behind the Lord of Order disappeared. "Great Nabu...to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" Zatara amiably greeted. I extended my telepathy out and for lack of a better word, gently ''knocked'' upon Miss Martian''s walls. She was maintaining a sort of telepathic monitoring system on the others, where she wasn''t actively reading their surface thoughts but aware enough that she could form a link or guard their minds incase of an impromptu attack. It was an advanced skill that I knew I couldn''t pull off yet. My telepathic abilities could be summed up in 3 facets. One...I could project my mental energy out for offense, 2, I could use my psionic energy to form a defense around my mind and 3, I could sense other people''s minds and try to communicate with them. Offense, Defense and Support. That''s it. The Martian''s eyes turned to me and I could feel her, sort of open the door and step out to talk to me outside as opposed to allowing me inside her mind. I hid a smirk at how careful she was being. Miss Martian was learning. "Aden... you''ve gotten better at the mind arts." Her soft voice held a tinge of excitement that made me almost smile, if it wasn''t for the circumstances. "Thanks M''gann. But let''s leave that for now, we have another pressing issue. I think...I think Doctor Fate is here for me. Things might get a bit ugly so I wanted to inform you and the others to be careful." The girl gave the equivalent of a mental gasp and I cut her off before she could say anything. "I am going to see if I can lure him somewhere else. A fight happening in the Watchtower could spell doom for most of the Team and League members. If things don''t go as planned, get the Bio-ship ready for immediate evac." "I...I... can''t! She''s out of range." Fuck. I could see the faces of Robin and Connor change as they immediately felt that something was off, catching on to the tense vibe. Doctor Fate was yet to say anything. All he did was hover in place, ignoring Zatara. His eyes swept through the room and found me. Yup he was definitely here for me. I said one last thing to M''gann before cutting off the link. "Ok, then just be on your guard." "Aden Strong. You must come with me." The voice that escaped the helmeted figure was two fold. One was deep and the other was relatively young. I also couldn''t help but notice how... familiar it sounded. Equity appeared in my grip as I levelled the weapon at him from across the room. It couldn''t be Kent. The energy signature felt powerful but uneven. As if the host''s own mystical ability was not vibrating on the same frequency needed with the helmet. Thus it was safe to say that Nabu had found a successor after I refused him. "Where are your manners Nabu? You''re supposed to say, pretty please." The Final Act part 3 (General P.O.V) Wonder Woman came to stand in between us, crossing her hands. "Doctor Fate. Any business you have with Aden should be conducted outside the League''s premises. You came here uninvited." She narrowed her eyes while I marveled at the steely resolve in her voice. "I can overlook that if you tell us precisely what you want with the boy." "I''m not¡­" "Can it." She interrupted my words without even sparing me a glance. I heard a snicker from the side and saw Wally trying to hide a smirk. Ok, running boy, take whatever small victories you can get. I turned to face Wonder Woman who was clearly playing the mother hen. Why? I have no clue. Maybe she sensed that something was off with the whole thing. "My business with the boy is of utmost importance." The power emanating from him almost doubled in intensity as he added, "and personal." Wonder Woman refused to back down. "Where is Kent Nelson? What have you done with him?" Oh. So that''s why she was sticking her nose in. I just happened to be on the way. If I remember correctly, Wonder Woman was with the Justice Society of America right? "Gone." That one word shifted the whole room. "Wait, sorry... Kent is¡­dead?" Zatara looked the most shaken out of everyone. I frowned, were they close? Probably. The magician circle was pretty much tight. "How did we not hear of this?" Batman growled out. He seemed almost¡­ disappointed in himself. Was he keeping tabs on the Justice Society? again, Probably. "Oh man¡­Jay is going to be heartbroken." The Flash said with a downcast expression. "How did he pass away?" Hawkwoman questioned the flying Lord of Order. "Peacefully." Nabu answered formally. "His last task was to find a successor to the Hemet of fate. Which he did admirably. He shall be dearly missed." Green Arrow snorted. "Yeah you seem so broken by it." The archer sarcastically observed. Loathe as I am to admit¡­Queen made sense. Nabu did not look particularly sad. Then again, being a centuries old Lord of Order¡­he must have lost quite a few wielders. "This conversation is testing my patience. Aden Strong, will you come with me or not?" I could feel through my sense the junior team positioning themselves to Nabu''s side, ready to jump in. Miss Martian also seemed to have informed the League members about my suspicion that Fate wasn''t here for niceties. Not that they needed it. There was a certain aggression and determination as he stared me down. Paired with the mission¡­it was obvious that my presence had really been revealed to the Lords of Order. Now the question left was¡­who else was coming for me? "No, he is not." Canary stepped in. "Not until you tell us what you want with him." I looked at her back weirdly. What the fuck is going on right now? "She''s right. The kid is insufferable. Fucking annoying but something about this whole thing doesn''t feel right. And¡­we need him incase Superman''s condition doesn''t change or worsens." Hal announced flying in with Stewart in tow. Ok these people were crazy! Meanwhile, I didn''t waste time. I was trying to break through the magical restrictions Fate seemed to have constructed to block me from making a portal, to create a big one for the team. Doctor Fate was a powerhouse. And getting captured by him wasn''t the same as the League. It wasn''t inconceivable he had a way to actually stop me from escaping. And even if I could, I wouldn''t escape¡­my time was limited. So the plan was fairly simple. Teleport out the squishy sidekicks who had had my back a few minutes ago¡­and take down Fate with help from the League. The junior team were insurance incase shit went south and the world needed protecting, if the League was out of the picture. But this dude¡­this dude went all out from the start. "Very well." A blast of magic exploded out of his body in an unexpected, massive shockwave that slammed everyone away. I disappeared in a single step and appeared before the Junior Team with Equity in my left hand. The palm of my right hand shot out as a wall of hardened air covered the front. My eyes widened when I started getting pushed back by the torrent of firepower. I brought my right arm to the front as well and channeled my bending through Equity. The wall of air glowed blue for a second before holding fast against the torrent. "What the heck was that?!" Wally shouted. His hands much like everyone else''s were shielding the eyes from the bright burst of light. "The power of a Lord of Order." I answered him grimly. A sudden boom reached us from Fate''s previous location. I waved a hand and the smoke from the scorched floor along with the destroyed seats and huge table cleared. Wonder Woman strained against the Ankh that had appeared to protect Fate from one of her punches. She flew back, just as two streams of green light exploded from the two gathered Lanterns. Hal created two gigantic palms on either side of Fate and slammed them together. There was a power struggle as the will constructs were held at bay by Fate''s arms. Stewart''s ring fashioned him a heavy duty machine gun that he pointed at the Lord of Order and opened fire upon, sending him to hit the wall of the room and leave cracks. Energy blasts from Captain Atom assaulted his position, digging him even deeper into the wall. Fate flew out of the wall like a bullet aiming for Wonder Woman only for The Flash to literally come out of nowhere and shoulder check him onto Hawkman''s nth metal mace. Fate was knocked away, rag dolling on the ground. He started to get up but arrows and battarangs sliced through the air drowning his body in explosions. Manhunter rose up from the floor like a ghost and put him in a hold, which gave Zatara time to cast his spell. "Mih dloh sngidnib lacigam!" Glowing yellow ropes appeared in a small burst of mystical energy below Dr. Fate, ensnaring him tight. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Whoa! That¡­was epic. Their teamwork was awesome to see. But even with that, I could feel that the Lord of Order was just starting. Now the Justice League was powerful¡­but there was no way they could win this¡­not when another massive energy signature made itself known. I felt space crack from pressure, followed by a red scar in reality. The League turned to face the newcomer with the same fervor they had when fighting Fate. This new energy signature felt like¡­a bunch of metal tools, lithium-ion batteries, Hard metal concert, dynamite, sharp paper cuts, tsunamis, cyclones and a messy room all put into a noisy blender and mixed together. CHAOS. I released a tightly held breath and turned to the team. I could feel the restraint placed on a bigger boom tube creation ease somewhat as Fate seemed to be tied up. "I am creating a boom tube for you guys. You need to get out of here." I told them sternly. "What! No? Are you crazy?!" Artemis shouted at me, notching an arrow in her bow. "Yeah! We''re not going anywhere!" Wally added, lowering his goggles. "No you don''t understand..." I started only to be interrupted by a whiny voice. "Nabu, you old piece of scrap metal, I told you to wait for me." The faces of the team turned pale. None of us could forget that voice. "I know Teekl. It''s not my fault this place is so easy to miss." Klarion the Witch Boy fully stepped out into the room. Zatara sucked in a deep breath before throwing Nabu an angered look. "What is the meaning of this! A Lord of Order working together with a Lord of Chaos?!" He looked like he was two seconds away from punching Dr.Fate. "Sacrifices must be made to ensure balance is restored. I do not need to explain myself to you mortal. All you need to understand is that standing in my way is defiance against the natural order." "What would Kent say?!" Zatara shot back, greatly incensed. "Nothing. He''s dead." Nabu''s answer was cold and logical, "And so shall you if you continue on with this fruitless endeavor. Give me the boy." "Blah blah blah...this talk is getting boaring." Klarion cut in, only for his cat to growl softly. "Of course I meant boring Teekl! I said boring didn''t I!" "Aqualad...you have to listen to me, The Witchboy being here complicates things. We can''t have a fight against the two of them. You''re not used to working with anyone else except your mentors. They are too powerful. Lemme send you away..." "Not happening." Wally stated and he was off. "Motherfu..." "We took Klarion down once. We can do it again." Superboy said and took a running leap. That was me you idiot. I was the one who took him down and that''s only because I was juiced up in some order energy! Gah. Teenagers! I turned to the rest. "Ok Fine! If you want to fight then listen to my plan...if we can get them to my realm, the fight will basically be over." Aqualad nodded. "Then let us do it. The League will handle Fate while we take on Klarion." Or at least that was the plan. A second before Wally could reach The Chaos Lord''s position, gravity increased exponentially. I took a knee and struggled to raise my head up. The others were in similar if not worse positions than I was. The League members closest to Fate had it worse. They could do nothing as the magical bindings Zatara had placed upon him broke into motes of light and the Lord of Order flew up. "Ytivarg esaerce..." Zatara began only for Fate to wave a hand and the magician to find his mouth similarly bound by yellow magical tape like he had done to the Lord of Order. I heaved, trying to rise up. Even breathing was a tall order. Was the gravity selective? The question rang through my head because I was aware that the Thanagarians would feel the effect lesser than the rest of us due to the nth metal they had. And also due to the fact that if this gravity was enough to keep me down...then it would crush Robin into a paste. Through my air sense though...I could feel he was still alive. The gravity made no sense either, seeing as Manhunter and Miss Martian were also suppressed. They could phase and control their mass. "I don''t want to harm you. That said, I cannot have you interrupting." Nabu declared. Come on...do something! I shouted to myself. A boom tube appeared below the team and I, just as Nabu spread out his magical energy, causing an Ankh to appear in between the Justice League. Then the Ankh started pulling them in like a giant magical vacuum cleaner. One by one the League members were promptly sucked in. The boom tube finally manifested, just as Wonder Woman slung Connor and Wally towards where we were with her Lasso. Their momentum in the air ended and they started getting sucked back into the vortex, only for my air rope constructs to pull them towards us. "No! I have a bone to pick with you!" Klarion cried out sending a snaking bolt of energy towards my body that I couldn''t dodge or block without letting go of Superboy and Kid Flash. Aqualad extended his water bearer with great difficulty, creating a shield that lowered the bolt''s power a little but not much. The shield failed and the energy bolt slammed into me, burning away the upper section of my costume, leaving behind slightly reddened skin. I winced in pain but managed to ensure, Connor and Wally both fell into the boom tube along with the rest of the team. I sighed in relief. The boom tube was layered. They were in Washington DC by now. The Ankh disappeared as The Witch Boy started throwing a tantrum that he hadn''t stopped them quick enough. Nabu floated down towards me just as the effects of the gravity wore off. "Aden Strong...you did not escape with your friends when you had the chance. Why?" An easy smile appeared on my face as I stretched languidly, my chest and abs exposed for all to see. Sigh...woulda wished there were girls left to admire my cut form but oh well. There was a satisfying crack! Sound from my neck. "Ah that''s the stuff." Equity appeared in my arms as I faced the two Mystical Lords. "Escape? Why would I?" That brought them up short. "Oh and Klarion... your shoes are untied." "What?" The Witch Boy looked down at his shoes in confusion. In that same motion, Equity came up and I pointed at him. "Bam." Teekl gave a cry of pain as an ultra thin beam of electric energy slammed onto his forehead, through his body and came out of his back. Klarion''s body started fading. "Teekl?" He disappeared instantly after his familiar was destroyed. Nabu looked shocked, if his silence was anything to go by. "I''ll reiterate...escape, why would I?" I chuckled. If I did...I would fail the first objective. Any way I see it, fighting head on was the only choice I had. And the fact that the mission was rated at Hellish meant I had a chance. Now without the Junior Team to get in the way...I could deal with this fast and move on to the other objectives. The League''s help would have been welcomed but even alone, I was confident with my chances. If I hadn''t been concerned with creating a way to portal out Aqualad and the rest...Nabu wouldn''t have known what hit him. "You picked the wrong day to be a dick, Nabu." The Final Act Part 4 (Aden''s P.O.V) "I am going to beat the crap out of you." The words were accompanied by Equity changing form into a 2 meter lance that resembled G¨¤e B¨²lg slightly. The red metal was glowing with heat. Steam escaped my mouth, the heat held tightly inside my body which led to a flush on the skin of my open chest. "Insolent." Fate spat out, as an Ankh manifested above his head. Magic blasts showered down on to my position relentless as I moved towards him. Electric energy sparked off my body while I dodged and weaved in between the machine gun like barrage. The floor cracked apart my position as I jumped over the chairs and remains of the large U table belonging to the Justice League. "Aah!" I shouted and threw Equity towards his position. The spear met a shield of energy but a layered boom tube appeared before the shield, portalling the weapon from his front only for it to appear behind him. Equity speared through Fate''s chest and I frowned when it turned out to be an illusion. An illusion that could apparently cheat my energy and air sense. I turned on my spiritual sense and felt the two souls, one belonging to Nabu and the other to his host appear to my side. I flipped out of the way, chaining my somersaults and cartwheels to pull away from the absolute devastation the Lord of Order aimed at me. "You are nothing!" He shouted and flexed more magical power, pouring it all out into a massive beam of order energy. I was backed to the wall, with the only direction being up, due to the debris covering the sides. Fuck that! Equity appeared before me without my urging and I wasted no time grabbing it, raising the lance above my head and slashing the beam in the middle. Equity parted the magic beam to the side with barely any effort. The wall behind me was unfortunately destroyed and without anything to anchor me, I was pushed through to the next room, which turned out to be the actual hall, which served as an earth viewing point along with housing the Zeta Tube terminal. My legs dragged on the floor, stopping only when I used Equity to slow myself down. I breathed out slowly and straightened. On that first clash¡­it was easy to see that unlike Klarion, Dr.Fate was very aware of his surroundings. That means cheap shots and trickery will be unlikely to work. Shit¡­I didn''t want to destroy the Watchtower but it seems that direct confrontation was the direction to take. Pushing him into my realm was also unlikely to work, seeing as he could sense when I created a boom tube. To further explain...the only sure way to put him down was to exploit the weaknesses inherent in all caster classes. Close range bombardment. Fate had demonstrated that he had more than enough power to go all Dragonball on my ass and while I knew I could also dish it out, there wasn''t enough time to look cool and kick his ass. Because what''s cooler than powering up while screaming? "Do you really think you can defeat a lord of order?" His voice left echoes ringing out as he flew in through the hole. "Meh¡­Lord of Order, only so-so." I stated while twirling the Lance in my hands. "Rude child. Can you fathom the depths of my power? I am backed by the Full might of the defenders of order, conquerers of chaos!" I could have called him out on his bullshit with a smart ass comment. About how much of a hypocrite he was preaching about upholding order, when he had showed more than enough willingness to work with Klarion. But the thing is¡­with people like these¡­being petty pisses them off more than being insulting. "You can fathom these nutz." I replied and Fate went ballistic. "You shall face a fate worse than death!" Sparks of yellow lightning ran up his body before he threw them out. My speed increased and I was off to his side, pulling out in a circle around him faster than he could so much as blink. The lightning left a trail behind me, failing to catch up with my moving form as I ran through the room, then up the wall. A vortex of super condensed wind started forming on the palm of my left hand, held behind me. The wind currents spun in place, glowing blue and warping the space around the ball that I tightly held under control. I jumped off the wall just as Nabu stopped his lightning attack and threw out another beam of magic. Flame jets shot out of my legs, pushing me up and avoiding the telegraphed attack. At the apex of my jump, I twirled in place, gathering momentum and creating a massive ball of wind bubble that enclosed me inside it''s protective membrane, just as I came down on top of Nabu. The Lord of Order, took the opening to send another beam of magical energy straight at me. Equity escaped my right hand after a strong throw and cut through the energy beam, separating it into to parts that washed over me. Nabu had the good sense to jump away from the weapon as it dug onto the floor where I had been and released the energy I had sneakily put inside it. A cloud of dust rose up from the explosion concealing my form while I dropped down towards Dr.Fate like a Meteor. The Lord of Order stayed his ground and pushed his hands out at the last minute, creating an Ankh. Only for me to smile and manifest a boom tube infront of the Ankh and another one behind him, making him aware of what my plan was. I disappeared in his gaze and he quickly turned around to reinforce the magical shield covering his back. Of course he soon found out that it was all a feint. The boom tube was meant to make him think I was going to portal through and appear at his back, having seen the move before with Equity. So when I disappeared into thin air which could be attributed to the invisibility skill I had gained from Air bending, he was fooled. My real attack landed on his back. The ball of spinning wind currents, twisted the film of magic covering his body, not really breaking it but contorting his body painfully, before I unravelled the wind sphere and he was blasted away into the air. I blitzed off using my fast speed to appear ahead of his trajectory, pulled back my hand and bam! Slammed a bone breaking fist onto the middle of his back. That would have destroyed anyone else. I could lift 110+ tons in my base form...how hard could I actually punch? The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Upon making contact, his body arched in pain as the breath was knocked out of him. A shockwave blasted from his front while I strained against the tight energy shroud covering him and decreasing most of the impact from my fist. He threw out his hand, sending an arc of mystical energy over me as I ducked and pulled up to his front. My right forearm blocked his outstretched hand as the left came up in an open palm and I let loose the equivalent of a flash bang, a skill I stumbled into when trying to mix my Firebending and air bending. Fate cried out, blinded while trying to fly away. ''Where the fuck do you think you''re going?'' I grabbed the bottom of his cape and swung him down. He smacked onto the ground heavily, letting out a pained cough. And then I gave him the Loki treatment in the hands of the hulk. "This!" Smack! "Is" Smack! "Why" Smack! "I" Smack! "Hate" Smack! "Capes!" I punctuated the last statement with an even heavier slam to the floor. Despite that, the bastard''s energy signature was still going strong. I swung him up by the cape and started spinning in place. The world passed around me in a blur and with a grunt, I let go of the Lord of Order before digging my foot on the floor and speeding towards him like a projectile from a rail gun. Pulling up next to him in the air, my palm enclosed the helmet covering his face and I drove him onto the chassis of the hall, cracking it from the fist of the impact. Then the air screamed as my fists shot out to land on his chest in a heavy barrage of punches. Afterimages were left behind and the spider web like cracks from the wall grew bigger. Loud booms sounded out as I lost all hope on leaving the Justice League''s base intact once I was done. "Muda! muda! muda! muda! muda!" I felt the structure behind him give away and we broke through, landing on the other side which turned to be a garden. Nabu''s costume looked to be in a state of disarray. The chest was battered and torn up, revealing dark skin which made me pull up short. The dark skin followed by the familiarity of the second voice were enough to make me suspicious on who I was dealing with. The only way to be sure was to remove the helmet. Upon a closer look...even the Helmet seemed...a little deformed under the grooves where my fingers had clutched. "Enough!" His energy signature instantly went through the roof and I belatedly realized I had done the biggest blunder, anyone in a fight ever does. Gotten distracted. Fuck. I pulled on my lightning bending even more to increase my already tremendous speed. To ensure I stole back the initiative...it was time to pull a Savitar. 300 mph...390mph...400mph...then I hit the peak of how fast I could actually go without harming my body, around 656mph. The silence that came with increase in my perception was disorienting. It never ceased to amaze me just how awesome and versatile my abilities were. Turning to face Dr. Fate, Equity changed into it''s Katana form. It was time to end this. Fate''s hands were held up and as a result, fast ( slow) moving, yellow magic bolts were released by the Lord of Order. A boom tube appeared in the direction of one. Unfortunately I had to discard it when it''s formation speed was so slow I felt like I could do it for hours. Instead, I slashed out with Equity and watched the slowed down destabilization of the magic as the bolt exploded. Then I ducked over the second, giving it the same treatment before arriving close to Nabu. I could see his brown eyes through the helmet widen imperceptibly upon my arrival but it was too late. My hand reached out and grabbed hold of the helmet. Then as if on cue...an indiscriminate blast of magic burst out of Nabu in a shockwave that sent me careening backwards towards the garden section. My form dug a groove through the soil, uprooting the trees and other plants before I smacked on the furthest wall away. I felt disoriented as I struggled up. Fuck...he had also set up a trap for me that I could not have avoided. I rolled out of the way, dodging the Ankhs that hit the wall and stuck inside like sharp knives, slashing Equity out in a wide fire arc that Nabu slapped out of the way. He responded with the same gravity spell from before, hoping to incapacitate me but I sank through the floor using a layered boom tube, coming out from above him. This fight had gone on long enough. But now...I had him right where I needed him. A vicious smile appeared on my face. My hands shot out as I pulled on all I had from my inner fire. Sparks of erratic energy crept up my body, making my skin shine as my ears popped with a sudden hum sound. I had never poured as much power into a streak of lightning such as this. I felt like giving it a cool name. Like... Thor''s Judgement, however all the concentration I could spare was utilized in making sure the energy didn''t explode in my face. Dr.Fate turned to face me in the knick of time just as a massive 10 meter wide streak of electric current rained down on his body. The difference between us however was that while I could use my superior speed to simply escape the range of the attack...he was stuck watching as his defeat arrived. An Ankh appeared to shield him but ultimately, it didn''t even hold up for more than a second. The lightning fried his brains out. His screams of pain were loud as fuck and made me feel bad. Could this be considered as senior citizen cruelty? Fuck that! He tried to kill my ass. The surroundings below me were scorched and burnt after I was forced to stop, wary that I would put a hile through the Watchtower. My body felt immensely tired. Channeling that much fire bending energy through it was not a joke. But at least I was still standing. In the middle of where the attack had landed, Fate''s body laid unmoving. His energy signature was dangerously dim and I couldn''t help but be thankful that the host he had was still relatively new. You see, there was a compatibility issue between them that I felt through my energy sense. Had I given them more time to solidify their bond...this fight would not have gone the way it did. Luckily Fate without a host was useless. Why would anyone want to their soul to be bound to a freaking helmet for all eternity or at least close to it is anyone''s guess. I landed next to him, careful to note any changes through my senses in case of a sneak attack. My hands grasped the helmet around his head and I pulled. I sighed out, both in relief and sadness. It was just as I''d thought...I knew the identity of the dude behind the mask. It was Masali, the Chieftain''s son who I had rescued along with his fellow villagers from Mammon. My first mission. How did Fate convince him to wear the helmet? From what I remember this dude was very stubborn. In any case, I shook my head and moved on to the next course of action. With the first objective cleared...I could now try to find a way to get to hell and complete the mission in one fell swoop. Oh but before that...a boom tube appeared below Masali and he was transported to an inescapable prison in my realm. A place where even Black Adam had failed to break out of. Now then, there was only one last issue remaining. Equity flew to my hand as I looked at the helmet in my other hand. No time to think about how dumb this is and then promptly, I brought it to my head and put it on. I had to save the Justice League before leaving. And to do that...I needed to speak to Nabu. My world turned white. The Final Act Part 5 (Aden''s P.O.V) "So¡­ this is where you hole yourself up." I commented looking around. "Might need some extensive interior decor." The helmet of Fate resembled the real life one in that it was more banged up after our fight than before. Damn¡­I can''t believe I could put out such a strength. Especially when you consider that he was probably capable of soloing the whole Justice League. Not easily of course but magic was versatile and potent. With enough ingenuity, you could take down anyone. "Aden¡­Strong. What do you want? Come to gloat?" His voice even sounded weak and unsure. Could it be really that simple? Hit the helmet a few times and Nabu starts needing a time out. Wow¡­the Lords of Order should have foreseen this and made it out of some durable material then. I''d suggest, Bullshit metal. Sorry, meant to say, nth metal. "Hardly. You put up a good fight. You lost, I won. That''s it." I responded, still weirded out by the surroundings. I couldn''t see the floor despite the fact that my feet were clearly standing on something. It felt like I was back at the gray space I''d been in before my advancement trial. Was it a soul thing or a mental thing? Infact what is the difference between them? Was I in danger just by virtue of being here in either forms? "Mmhh. Showing courtesy to an enemy. What brought on this change from your earlier uncouth behavior?" Nabu questioned, clearly missing the fact that my mind was miles away. Coming here had been a shot in the dark. A risk I had been willing to take because a) I needed to know what was so important about me that the Lords of Order and Lords of Chaos, put aside their differences and decided to work together. And b) find a way to save The League from whatever Fate had done to them. "Despite your current conduct however, I do not regret to tell you that your actions have led you to the same situation I foresaw." His voice broke me out of my conjectures due to the smugness dripping from every word. I looked at him in amusement. "Oh? And would you be so kind as to enlighten me on what you mean by that?" He saw the slight smile on my face but chose to ignore it. "You have put on the helmet of Fate. As such, you are now under my control." He confidently replied. "Riiiiight. What control are you talking about?" I looked at him dumbfounded, before bursting out in a fit of laughter. "What are you laughing for¡­wait¡­" Nabu asked, feeling insulted. However, a second later, his tone underwent a change. "How? How is this possible!? I cannot exert any control over your body!" I didn''t answer him. Instead, I closed my eyes and imagined a link forming to my body. The link established and I followed it. Opening my eyes, I found myself in the wrecked Watchtower, though everything had a certain yellowish tint to it. Curious about the way I looked, I held up my hand and found myself clad in a form fitting costume. it was colored a very dark blue that could be mistaken for black, with yellow on the belt, the cape and the clasp of the cape around my neck. in the middle of my upper chest, a crystal ball was stitched on to the costume. The suit didn''t feel as if it was an add on to my real costume. If anything it felt light, despite looking compact and denser. It didn''t obstruct any of my movements either. Bringing my hand to my face, I stroked the helmet and felt the depressions on it''s length from where I''d squeezed too hard. I wonder if Saisei could fix it? Probably. "This¡­is impossible." Nabu voice was full of disbelief. His presence was like a dim flashlight in the corner of my eyes. Or rather, the back of my head. I tried to shut him off and succeeded. His incessant and annoyingly formal voice disappeared and I was left alone, admiring myself. If I had his costume¡­did that mean I also had his powers. I tried but couldn''t feel anything. Which made sense as I wasn''t a Lord of Order. I turned on my energy signature and instantly felt faint as the criss crossing lines of mystical energy from an absolutely massive energy source covered me from head to toe. Unfortunately I couldn''t access any of it! A headache started blooming as I dug in deeper to find out why I was blocked from some much needed order energy. From what I remembered¡­this stuff was fucking useful. It let me go toe to toe with Klarion when I could barely best Canary even with my powers a few months ago. My energy sense probed deeper and I saw a sort of energy block that originated from the massive source which separated my energy nodes from Nabu''s. I snorted, finally getting an answer. Just like he couldn''t steal my body, I couldn''t steal his powers or use it if he didn''t want to lend it to me. Finding that out dimmed my excitement by a lot. At the end of the day, your own personal power mattered the most. This was the prime example of how borrowed power could be taken away at any minute. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. With the mission hanging over my head, I stopped wasting time and unmuted Nabu. "¡­blatant inconsideration. Never have I ever been subjected to such form of disrespect by a lower life form¡­" I let him finish his rant which actually went on for a few more seconds and when he quieted down, I got right down to business. "What do the Lords of Order and Chaos want with me?" Nabu didn''t immediately answer. "Come with me and you''ll find out." I looked at him weirdly before realization dawned on me. "Wait¡­you also don''t know!?" I was surprised. "Of course I do!" Nabu quickly interjected, which further added to my suspicion that he had no clue. I clutched my head, shocked. "Oh my god¡­they sent you after me, made you fight the Justice League all without expressly telling you why? Are you their dog?" "I Am No One''s Dog!" Nabu''s voice boomed out louder than I''d yet to hear him. "Whoa whoa whoa! I''m Just calling it like I see it. Either they don''t have much regard for you or it''s a strictly need to know basis. Which... wouldn''t make sense because you are a Lord of Order too." I looked at him unsurely before continuing. "Unless...there is an hierarchy in place?" "There is none." The aggrieved mystical powerhouse replied curtly. Upon my skeptical look he bristled in anger. "I have¡­my suspicions as to why they would want you." He said, more calmly. Inwardly I smiled. Nothing like manipulating someone to find out what they know. The other alternative was the stick which left distaste in my mouth when I recalled just how cold hearted I could be. I had crushed Aang''s copy with my words alone. I didn''t want to be that guy when it wasn''t required. Of course I would do so if it turned out to be a matter of life or death. I would be a fool not to use every single tool in my arsenal. "Would it have anything to do with the fact that I rebelled from the Justice League?" I played dumb. Which I kinda was but still...that question was way off from hitting the mark. Which was done intentionally. Clearly asking direct questions wouldn''t work on this guy. They would prompt the Lord of Order to figure out he was in a position of power due to the answers he had that I needed. Make it seem like a normal conversation however... and he would treat it as such. "You honestly believe that I would concern myself with such theatrics, sodden with idiocy?" He sneered. Actually sneered. I shrugged easily. "The Lords of Order are not mere mortals. Our task is to conserve Order. Whatever mortals like you and the Justice League get up to is none of my concern." He preached. "Yeah...I get you." My face suddenly changed. As if I''d just stumbled upon a revelation. "Then is it because of the fact that I refused to be your successor? Don''t tell me you still hold a grudge about that, told your superiors and thats why they want to get rid of me?!" My words increased in volume. "No! Do not disrespect my honor Mortal! I would never do such a thing. They only want you because you possess the unique essence of both Order and Chaos. Your potential is frightening and they along with the lords of Chaos might be wary because you truly have the power to instil balance to the universe. Rendering both roles ineffective and powerless!" Bingo. Nabu instantly went silent after that, but he had already said more than enough for me to get the full picture. The Avatar was the keeper of balance and master of all the elements. That fact was highly touted and preached all over the four elemental kingdoms of Avatar. Take that Mantle and bring it over to a world like DC, steeped in both science fiction, divine energies, mystical energies, spiritual energies, psionic energies and conceptual energies, you understand that the mantle suddenly has more relevance than before. And Raava was in actual fact the spirit of light and peace while Vaatu is the spirit of darkness and Chaos. Now, it has already been established that neither can fully exist without the other. And furthermore, a dark Avatar is still...an Avatar too. We already know I am not a conventional Avatar. I didn''t have a Raava spirit guiding me or something like that. I only had my Avatar state/spirit which was a different beast all together. Much more powerful than a regular avatar state, I imagine. My thoughts led me to a possibility that was both frightening and made a lot of sense. What if...I both had Raava and Vaatu''s alignment inside me, manifested in my Avatar State instead? What if I wasn''t traditionally aligned to one side of the evil vs good spectrum? What if I was a blend of both? Nabu had more or less confirmed it. I looked down at my hands in silence. Could I have just as much darkness in me as light? Was it why all my actions had had a bit of flavor of them both? Because I wasn''t a true Avatar? Does that mean...I had the potential for just as much bad as good? Like Superman...would it only take one bad day for me to lose sight of myself? The Final Act Part 6 (Aden''s P.O.V) I breathed in deeply. Using the spirit calming techniques that Iroh had showed me to keep calm, I was able to push the distracting thoughts away and focus. "I propose a deal." Nabu stated to which I shook my head in refusal. "No deal. Not until you tell me where you sent the League." "You are in no position to demand anything from me, Mortal." His response was full of disdain. I narrowed my eyes. "Last I checked, you were the one on the losing side. Does your honor demand less than letting go of your wrongly imprisoned captives?" The tension was palpable. "And just in case you were wondering Nabu¡­this is not a request." I gripped the helmet with my physical body and started applying a little pressure. The whole white space started shaking slightly. "I will turn you into barely usable scrap metal if you keep testing my patience. So I suggest you think strongly on your next words." My eyes were as hard as my tone. For a second, Nabu seemed as if he was going to call me out on my bluff, but when I increased the pressure on the surface of the helmet¡­he relented. "I rephrase¡­I cannot." I raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" "Because you thought it prudent to separate me from my host. I need a wielder if I am to access the Tower of Fate." I nodded. That made a lot of sense. "Ok, so this is how it''s going to go down¡­I will allow you to take control of my body and once the Justice League are safely out of your mystical tower of bullshit, don''t know what anyone would want with that many stairs, we can negotiate and come to an acceptable compromise." "Mmmh." Nabu hummed. "I agree." "Good." I answered, already thinking of how I was even going to accomplish taking a backseat and giving over the control. So far, the protection over possession that The Avatar State offered was seemingly absolute. Letting those walls down was a task I had no idea how to tackle. I also wasn''t sure that this was a good idea. What if I couldn''t take back control. Oh well...the other idea was to let Masali out, allow him to wield Fate''s helmet once more and hope beyond all hope he listened to me. Nabu was a stubborn bastard though, the chances of that happening were closer to nil. I calmed myself and pictured what I wanted. (A few minutes later) (Salem, Massachusetts) (General P.O.V) It was a calm evening in the park. The trees swayed gently in the wind and nothing seemed amiss. Up until a portal suddenly manifested in the open grounds. From within, a floating figure wearing a black and yellow costume appeared. The portal disappeared a moment later as the figure purposefully flew towards the middle of the open grounds. He stopped and held out a hand to the front. A glowing golden ankh appeared before him, the light washing out to reveal a brick tower that stood tall in the middle of the park, hidden from the view of non-magicals and commonfolk. Without a word, Dr.Fate sank into the tower and 5 minutes later, the doors of the Tower opened. The Justice League members instantly flew out. The ones with flight floated out of the ominous looking tower that in the corner of their eyes, seemed to shift out of focus, while the ones who couldn''t were standing on a platform made out of Green Lantern Stewart''s will. "Ugh¡­it feels like we have been stuck there for days." Green Arrow commented once they landed safely on the ground. Barry took off running, to scout out where exactly they were. "Ring, display current coordinates." "No need." Zatara interrupted Hal''s command to his ring. "I know exactly where we are. Salem, Massachusetts. This flavor of magic¡­it is hard to mistake." The rest of the League looked over at him in question when he turned to their back and stared at the open¡­ wait, the huge Tower none of them had noticed before stood prominent. Out of place in the middle of all the greenery. "Was that¡­always there?" Hal asked in confusion. "No¡­it''s magic. Meant to befuddle those unwelcome by the Tower." Zatara answered looking melancholy. "I am just surprised about when I became¡­ unwelcome as well." A somber mood fell upon them all. "Giovanni¡­I am so sorry. We all know you were very close to Kent Nelson. To not even be aware of his passing¡­it must be hard." Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Canary consoled in understanding. There was a sudden scarlet whoosh and The Flash appeared. "So I figured out where we are¡­" He stared only to see the knowing gazes directed at him. "Too slow Flash. We already know, we are in Salem." Green Arrow told him with a slight upturn of his lips, making Barry deflate a little. "We need to get back to the Watchtower." Wonder Woman spoke up, getting them back on task. "Zatara can you teleport us to base?" The Themysciran princess wondered, only for the veteran magician to shake his head. "Fate would have no doubt accounted for that and restricted teleportation by mystic means." Wonder Woman nodded and turned to Green Lantern. "How fast can you move?" Wonder Woman enquired. Hal shared a look with Stewart before answering. "Pretty fast. Give me 5 minutes at most to get there." "Good." "What about the nearest Zeta Tube?" Hawkman pointed out. "It is too far away. Approximately 67 miles from our coordinates." Batman answered displaying the readings from his holographic wrist computer. "I can get there in less than 5 minutes." The Flash pitched in. "Good. Go and find out if the Zeta Tube works from this side." He saluted before turning to leave. "Wait." Zatara called out. "We have another pressing issue." The Flash looked in between the magician and The Amazon, waiting for a decision. "What do you mean Zatara?" Wonder Woman questioned. "I mean¡­our ''gracious'' host has decided to honor us with his presence." The vitriol pouring out of Zatara was something that none of the League had anticipated. They followed his gaze and saw Dr.Fate flying down from the Tower. "You." Instantly everyone went on guard, facing the Lord of Order. "Atta¡­" Wonder Woman''s next words were cut off by a sudden rebuke from Martian Manhunter. "Wait! Do not attack. His mind¡­he is not the Dr.Fate we fought." Wonder Woman frowned and then in a no nonsense tone said, "Explain." "J''onn is right...his magical signature, though barely noticeable beside the Lord of Order''s is dimmer than before. This is a different host." "Does it matter? Fate is still the one in control is he not?" Hawkwoman said, twirling her mace. Zatara had to nod,but he also quickly added. "Be that as it may, Perhaps we should take a wait and see approach. I would rather not fight Nabu this close to the city." Zatara advised. Everyone else looked at Wonder Woman who gave a nod and they straightened up, ready to listen yet just as easily, ready to fight. Dr. Fate floated down amidst their wary looks and gently touched down. "I apologize for my earlier conduct." He started by saying. "You will find your base more or less damaged and to compensate for that, I shall allow you to call on me in times of grave need." Despite the apology given, Nabu managed to make it seem as if he was the one being courteous enough to even talk to them. And that fact was not lost on the Justice League. Wonder Woman bristled in anger, feeling her muscles tense in preparation to deliver a punch to the arrogant bully infront of her. "Wait...is this guy serious? That''s... your apology?" The Flash wondered, actually surprised by the mystical powerhouse. "You break in to the Justice League headquarters uninvited, insult us by blatantly disrespecting our authority, defy us by attacking one of our associates, imprison us in your tower for a long period of time, not even considering the fact that our assistance might be needed to help the innocent and...the apology you give is not even worth Stymphalian bird shit. How dare you?" The air screamed as the princess of the Amazons decided enough was enough and moved. Black Canary who stood next to her also had a cold look on her face. Normally she would try to calm down any of the members who went completely off the rails but this...this was well deserved. A certain thwack! Sound was released when Wonder Woman''s fist connected with the quick cross guard Nabu had elected. The force however, was enough to carry him off his feet and slam onto the wall of the Tower of Fate. The Tower shimmered brightly before dimming. All the energy from the impact was drained out. Dr.Fate slid down onto the ground and took a knee. Wonder Woman however was not done. Not even close. She stalked like a Lioness towards him, twirling a sword in her right arm. It was clear she wanted to vent. Infront of her however, Martian Manhunter floated up from the surface of the ground to block her path towards the recovering Lord of Order. "Get out of my way, J''onn." The threatening way she said it would have made a lesser man buckle under the pressure she was emitting. Manhunter merely smiled. "I understand your frustration. We all feel the same. But this is not the way, Diana." The president of the League and arguably the most warrior like, let out a shuddering breath to ease her anger before giving a curt nod and turning to The Batman. "Batman, can you please get a hold of the junior team? We need to know if they are okay, as well as get an accounting of what happened after our...brief incarceration." Batman, didn''t say anything but she knew the man had heard her, probably already done it and was waiting for her to finish up with the immediate concern, meaning what to do with the Lord of Order before them. "Gamma team will proceed to the Watchtower. We need to assess the damage and most importantly, ensure Superman''s welfare. J''onn will stay. Flash, get to the closest Zeta tube''s location and find out if the controls are functional." Stewart nodded, creating a shield bubble around, Canary, Captain Atom and Hawkman. Then they promptly flew off into the sky. Their speed jumped and the green streak of light disappeared. The Flash mock saluted and blitzed off, leaving behind a trail of yellow lightning. "Now what..." Her words were cut off, when a sudden burst of light escaped Dr.Fate''s form. The golden light washed out, illuminating the surroundings greatly before dying out just as quickly as it had appeared. Before them, stood a shirtless 6 feet, dark skinned boy who was very close to being called a man, with an helmet in his hands. "Oh man...that shit was trippy. Note to self, don''t ever do that again." Aden commented while staring at the Helmet of Fate. Nabu had tried to exert his full control and had refused to give his body back. Fortunately, it wasn''t as much of a struggle as he had thought. He didn''t even need to use any of the countermeasures he had out in place to forcefully take back control. Aden turned his attention to the front upon feeling the aggressive looks he was getting from the League. He held in a groan at Nabu''s dead social skills, along with holding up his hands. "For the record, when I told him to apologize, I had no idea his version of an apology involved inviting someone to punch me on the face." "Explain. Now." Aden raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Wonder Woman''s command. He really didn''t like the tone she was using when he risked possession, not that he was in any danger, to save them. He was about to tell her off. Not rudely of course. Rude was preserved for dicks like Hal or Green Arrow, when a soft comment from Manhunter, stole the wind from his sails. "Aden, please. Time is of the essence." He sighed, cursing the fact that J''onn was too cool and oftentimes too right. Then he explained everything. And at the end of it all, Aden clapped his hands and turned to Zatara. "Now for saving your collective asses...I need your help. Can you get me to hell?" To say the look on Zatara''s face was equal measures surprise, disbelief and shock was underselling it. Aden however knew that if there was anyone who could do so...it was Zatara. After all, he was one of the most skilled mages in the world and Libriomancy was broken as fuck. The Final Act Part 7 (Aden''s P.O.V) "Wait. Let''s backtrack and just stop. Leaving alone the fact that what you''re asking is an impossibly stupid idea, where is the helmet of Fate?" Green Arrow interrupted Zatara, before could answer. I turned my eyes to the archer. "It''s someplace safe. Where no one is going to use it for evil." He scoffed. "And we''re supposed to take your word for it? Hand it over kid." I sighed. Looking at the rest of the League, it was apparent they agreed with Arrow. "Look, I don''t want you to take my word for it. Don''t trust in what I say, trust in my actions. I rescued you didn''t I? If I wanted to use the helmet for selfish reasons why would I go to the trouble of getting you guys out?" In timely intervention, chatter came through Bat''s earpiece. The strange thing was that I couldn''t really hear it. Even with my super senses. An energy field that disrupted soundwaves from reaching a person a short distance away? Probably. "Copy." He then turned his gaze to Martian Manhunter. J''onn''s eyes glowed green and fluctuations of mental energy told me he had just formed a link with all the Leaguers present. Green Arrow sighed. "It''s like clockwork, isn''t it? I swear...they have to have a tracker that tells them whenever we are occupied." I frowned. "And am guessing I''m not allowed to know what''s going on? This is like summer camp all over again." Saying that, the attention was back to me. Though they all seemed less focused. "Just give us the helmet. You have no idea the kind of havoc you can unleash by using it." I shook my head at Hal. "Look am not trying to be difficult. It''s just from where I''m standing...there''s no one better to hold it other than me. For starters, I am already powerful enough without it. And secondly...Nabu cannot control me. You even saw it for yourselves. Ask Zatara...he knows that I''m telling the truth." The middle aged magician seemed to have swallowed a bitter lime when put on the spot, unable to refute my words. "It is true, only Nabu can release you once you have placed the helmet onto your head. But, be that as it may, the helmet is a mystical object of untold power. It should not be in the hands of a child. The power Nabu promises might be too alluring to say no to." The helmet appeared in my hands from the hammerspace. "Alluring?" I chuckled. "He can allure all he wants. I''m planning to use it as a vase." Then I sent it back to the hammerspace just to prove a point. Damn... I''m bad. "You need to stop constantly challenging the League''s authority. Using our own principles to get away with things will not always work, Aden. Make sure you don''t slip up." Batman cut in gruffly. He was right. I was acting kinda immature but...they were pissing me off. Here I was trying to secure Zatara''s help to save someone from a fate worse than death but they wanted to focus on the fucking helmet. I could do way more damage than Nabu even could. Maybe. Probably. I snorted. "And you guys fail at getting your priorities straight but, I am not going to waste time arguing with you. As I just explained, a friend is in grave danger and instead of focusing on that...you want to repeat the same old dance. If Zatara helps me out...we can talk about the helmet then." There was a brief silence before a thoughtful look appeared on Wonder Woman''s face. "Very well. You can keep the helmet with you." She gave a pointed look to Green Arrow and he swallowed his uproar. "For the time being, that is. But be aware, we shall revisit this issue at a later date. When things have calmed down considerably." She warned. I nodded and turned to Zatara. "Well, are you going to help me save a certain centuries old Brit with the Spirit of a demon imprisoned within him from hell?" Zatara''s eyes went wide. "Blood." The first place we stopped by was Madame Xanadu''s shop in New Orleans. The beautiful fortune teller did not seem the least bit surprised by our visit. "Giovanni, it has been too long." She said, getting up and hugging the magician. Zatara''s face split up in a soft smile as well, happy to see Xanadu. "Nimue, still as radiant as a rose in full bloom." He said with a bow, making me roll my eyes at the flirting I was about to be exposed to. "Not to be a buzz kill or anything but...I doubt Blood is enjoying his tan in hell. That place does not seem like a good vacation spot, you know?" That sobered them up pretty quickly, though I noticed an annoyed glint in Zatara''s eyes. I sent him an apologetic look for breaking the bro-code and cock blocking him. His eyes showed me he accepted my apology and that he was ready to leave it all in the past and move on...or that was all just in my head because I was totally bored when the two of them started triangulating Blood''s location through arcane means, while throwing around magical theories, speculations and words that a noob like me could barely understand. Not the first time I wondered if I should learn Magic, then after remembering that it would take me away from mastering my own abilities, I shelved that idea for later. Stuck with nothing to do and buzzing with nervous energy as the two Mystical practitioners talked, I walked around Xanadu''s shop just looking at stuff. I arrived before a shelf with old antique books written in runes. "Don''t." Zatara''s voice came, making me curl my outstretched fingers into a fist and letting the hand fall. Sour puss. I left the book shelf and moved on to another one which housed a row of potions. This shelf I could tell was for show. There was a vial labelled Love Potion, another labelled good luck charm and a few other mainstream potions. Things that a normal magic enthusiast would be all gung-ho about. I raised my eyebrows at a particularly eye catching pink potion labelled Aphrodisiac and turned to look at Madame Xanadu in question. The mystical woman felt my gaze and winked at me. Ooookay.Gotta pay the bills somehow and I don''t doubt that few things would sell faster than magical Viagra. Fortunately, it didn''t take long for them to divine Blood''s last location. Which had also given me enough time to think a lot about my plan once I arrived in hell. If the mission''s difficulty was any indication, this was not going to be a cake walk. "Alright, let''s move. The sooner we are done with this the sooner I can go see my daughter." Zatara said. "You have a daughter?" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I asked in feigned interest. The look he gave me made me raise my hands up. "Whoa, mother bear...I didn''t mean anything by that." He snorted as we made it out of the shop. Of course I knew he had a daughter, it''s hard to forget Zatanna. Beautiful and much more powerful than even her dad...what is not easy to recall about that? but there''s a certain thing people do called making conversation and Zatara was one of my favorite characters that didn''t have something tragic happen to him like all the time, as it seemed to do with most Superheroes. Dude was chill. Could perform magic tricks and had a banging daughter. So yes, I wanted to get to know him better as a person. Plus the real reason could be summed up in one word...MDP. We made it to an abandoned alley and stopped. A look of concentration appeared on Zatara''s face as he held up a necklace with a red gemstone in the shape of a tear before him. An object infused with a charm to locate someone. "Nees tsal saw Jason Blood erehw ot su tropelet!" There was a shimmer in the air before we disappeared and found ourselves falling from midair. I slowed us down through airbending and we floated downwards towards the ominous jungle below us. We stepped down on the moss covered ground, just as the pendant in his hands glowed brighter towards one direction. Our left. "Where are we?" I questioned. "Somewhere in the Amazon rainforest. If I had to hazard a guess...near Peru." Mosquitos were already buzzing around me. "Why would Blood come here?" I wondered, trudging after him through the foliage. "Places like these contain what we call, old power. This, girl he was pursuing must have been searching for something." I nodded before adding. "Angel." Zatara threw me a glance. "What do you mean?" "Well, I sensed angelic presence in her and Blood explained that she was an angel bound to a human girl by the cult of Neron. An angel called Cerial." I could see his interest. "Constantine chose to take her in because she had nowhere else to go." At the name drop, his hand tightened imperceptibly. "Oh... Is that right?" "Yes." I stopped him with a loose grab, thinking of something. "So I''m guessing you''re quite aware of what you''re getting yourself into." He gave a nod and turned to proceed forward. I didn''t let go. "It''s going to be dangerous, demonic and dastardly. That''s 2 more D''s than needed to explain how fucked up its going to get Zatara." I insisted to which the magician asked dryly, "What''s your point?" "I know that look on your face. You hero types are all the same. You intend to follow me to hell, don''t you?" The silence all but confirmed it. "Look Zatara...I know you know that I know you don''t need me to explain to you how much of a baaad idea that is." I stressed out the word bad. "I am coming with you and that is final." He stated, shrugging off my hold to walk away. I blocked his path by standing infront of him, our eyes level. Though he seemed a bit shorter than me, emphasizing just how tall I had gotten. "I know your honor or ideals compel you to want to go with me but trust me...this is unlike any mission you have ever gone to." He narrowed his eyes. "Are you insinuating I am incompetent?" I rolled my eyes. "Stop trying to look for ways to change the subject Zatara. In case I haven''t made it clear, are you ready to leave your daughter all alone?" His gaze instantly turned sharp. "Yes... because that is exactly what is going to happen if you follow me. I will be facing hell lords." At that some of his conviction died out. "You''re not a coward for staying back and choosing your daughter Zatara. Let me do this alone. I am more than powerful enough to escape if things go south." He sighed. "You do not understand. Blood...he saved my life once. What kind of friend would I be, if I leave my debts and favors unpaid?" I nodded in understanding. "Blood told me about that. And...he traded that favor over to me for saving his life as well." Zatara looked up a bit surprised. "We had deal that he couldn''t... complete due to some urgent matters." I waved my hand to indicate I was talking about this whole thing. "So he told me to look for you and ask for a favor. For Chronozon." Zatara sucked in a breath. "That is double the reason why I should not let you go alone." I shook my head. "No,no. Look, you can repay your favor to me when am back. I don''t need your help for this. I am more than prepared, are you?" Zatara snorted. "I am a member of the Justice League. I''m always prepared." "Ok first of all, it''s called humility. Learn it sometime." I tild him with a huff. "Secondly, Goddamit Zatara, think of the time difference. 1 day here might be a week there. Can you go that long without seeing your precious daughter?" He looked thoughtful at that so I pressed on. "Not to mention, what if I get stuck there and need someone to pull me out?" Zatara looked indignant but couldn''t argue against that. Finally, he sighed and nodded. "Alright, I cannot believe I''m saying this but you win, my boy." I sighed in relief. "Good. Now how about we get this show on the road?" We kept on walking for a few more meters before arriving at an open area in the jungle that looked absolutely devastated. Instantly, my senses were assaulted by a torrential pool of power. Natural magic even greater than could be found in the swamp where Poison Ivy and the Injustice League had made their base. So much mystical energy seemed to undulate in this space. The area also seemed to have the debris and ruin from an ancient settlement. I wasn''t as familiar with ancient civilizations so I was stumped. Clearly, Blood had followed Allyssa here for something. But for what exactly was the question. One I didn''t know we could answer seeing as a nuclear bomb seemed to have gone off there. The fallen trees were still smoking and the ground was heavily scorched. The faint smell of sulphur was also prevalent in the area. "My God." Zatara said, bending down and running his finger through the charred ground. "This ash... it''s the remains of a demon exorcised back to hell. A fight occured here." He informed me before moving a short distance away. Zatara sucked in a deep breath. I hurried to where he was and widened my eyes as well. There... on the ground was a pentagram or the remains of one. He bent down to study it before frowning and holding up the pendant. "It''s this... but on a larger scale." I bent down as well. "You mean a locator spell?" "Yes. I can''t tell much from the rest of the magic circle but it was global wide locator spell for something. Probably the fountain." I nodded. It made sense. Blood had said that she had stolen something from him, a Star Compass. An object that could help someone locate places with a high density of magic. Could this be where the compass had led Allyssaand Blood as well. I relayed that information to Zatara and he nodded. "Yes. This whole area sings with the magic of the old powers. It''s a nexus. A node in the leylines. Using a locator spell here could give you the necessary amount of magic to increase the range to a planetary scale. It was what she was planning on to find out the location of the Fountain of Imperium." He rubbed a little bit of soot away and pointed at the edge of the magic array where a few runes were curved. "Look at this place...it says "Lead me to that which cannot be found, hidden deep under layers of magic...the rest of it is unreadable. But that statement alone..." "Speaks volume on what her intentions were. And then something happened." I concluded. "Yes. My guess is that they started fighting and were ambushed by demons. It would make sense that the cult of Neron would keep an eye on her, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Or maybe it was a different faction. Lord knows Blood does not have fans down there. If they found a way to bring him back to hell, they would definitely do it." Zatara sadly made a lot of sense. And with a start,I realized that Neron might be one of the demons I would face. "Now what?" I Wondered. Zatara had not really given me the full details about his objectives. "Now, I collect a sample of Blood''s energy signature before I start fully preparing you to go to hell." He shook his head as if he couldn''t believe the words coming out of his mouth. On the other hand I was confused. "Wait, wait... I thought you were simply going to open the portal or teleport me there once we got here." I pointed out, feeling a bit disappointed. Zatara levelled a gaze at me that made me feel like an idiot. "Hell is infinitely large. If I created a portal or teleported you there without using a beacon to ensure you appeared as close to Blood as you could, you could be wondering around... lost. This is not an exact science. Magic is fickle and needs to be taken seriously. So be patient and let me make the necessary preparations." I took a second to internalize his answer before sighing and running a hand down my face. "Okay...okay. Yeah you''re right. I''m just worried that the longer we leave him there..." The rest of the words went unsaid. Zatara stood up with a serious look on his face. "Believe me I understand. But... your safety is important as well, my boy. If you can''t do this the right way, then you are not only dooming him but also yourself." I looked at his sincere eyes and finally agreed with a nod. "Excellent." Zatara smiled. "Next stop, my house." He cast the teleportation spell and I felt a thick film of magic pass over me, before we appeared inside a big personal library. Maybe this delay wasn''t such a bad thing. I needed to inform Iroh, the twins and Breeze that I''d be gone for a while anyway. "Daddy!" A surprised voice came in through the doorway. Turning our attention to the source, I could immediately see that Zatanna had to have more resemblance to her mother than she did with her dad. For instance, Zatara had green eyes while zatanna''s eyes were a bright blue. All in all, this girl was more than comic book pretty, she would grow up to be beautiful and the magic coming off of her was bigger than Zatara''s even at her age. Just...less refined and crude. "Oh Zatanna my darling daughter." Zatara closed the distance between them faster than the Flash and hugged her gently. He stepped back and looked at her sternly. "Did you finish your homework?" The girl rolled her eyes. "Of course, if you can even call it that. Dad...I want something challenging. Something truly worthy of my time and effort." Zatara did not look convinced. He must have been immune to the puppy eyes she was currently using. "You will get there in time, Zatanna. Magic is..." "Fickle and should not be wielded carelessly. Yes, I''ve been hearing that since I was 7." She said in a little frustration. "So you do listen?" The older magician said with a snort. "Occasionally." She stated cheekily. Then her gaze turned to me and our eyes made contact. She scrutinized me, before looking at her dad and asking in confusion, "Why can''t you hang around less weird people dad? First the League and now the Cape Killer." I felt like laughing at the insinuation. Yup, Zatanna was nothing like her dad. The Final Act Part 8 (Aden''s P.O.V) "Cape killer?" I wondered out loud. Zatanna looked at her dad then me, as if contemplating something, then she ran out of the library and came back with a laptop. She hit play on a clip posted online and instantly, I became annoyed. Seems like dear old Lex had chosen to die faster. To be completely honest, this was more of an inconvenience than a hindrance. Cape Killer huh? Funny title. Still, I was bound to go public sooner or later. This just hastened some of my plans. "Cool, they got a nice pic of me. Though, I''m stumped where they got it from." Zatara closed the laptop and turned to his daughter. "Do not trust everything you see Zatanna. Now, I believe introductions are in order. Aden, this is my daughter Zatanna and Zatanna I would like you to meet Aden." "Hi." I waved at her lazily. Zatanna eyed me with no less suspicion than when I came in but at least she had the decency to keep it polite. "Hello." But then...she ruined it. "I don''t trust you." She added. "Zatanna Zatara!" Her dad admonished her. I didn''t bother to hide the laugh that bubbled out of me. "Then you''re smart. I wouldn''t trust me either." Zatara sighed, shaking his head. "Could you please excuse us for a second Aden? I need to have a few words with my daughter." I shrugged. "It''s cool. In fact, I was thinking about stepping out for a minute, there are a few things I need to take care of before we can begin." Zatara nodded. "I don''t see a problem with that. I''ll be done with the array in a half hour or so." "Dad what..." Zatanna''s words were cut off when a Boom Tube appeared on my side without warning. The young girl''s eyes were wide as saucers as she looked on, intrigued. Without another word, I jumped in through the portal. The first thing I noticed was that Hakai and Breeze were playing in one of the pools located near the middle of sanctuary and that Saisei was strangely enough at the Sconiad tower, just sleeping. Iroh on the other hand was meditating in one of the mountains in the air dimension. I had decided to give him full access to both realms, barring a few private places. I would have enough time to see the spirits later, so I chose to have a conversation with my master first. My body disappeared and I found myself surrounded by clouds from every direction. I gently flew down towards a particularly tall peak and touched down behind the old master. "So, you''re back." Iroh said as a way of greeting. I walked forward and sat next to him, legs dangling off the edge of the peak. "I always forget how beautiful this place is. I''ve always had a love for high lands." I told him, breathing in the fresh and cold air of the air dimension. My spirit felt at ease. And there was truly no better place to meditate other than here. "Mmmh." Iroh hummed. "Is something troubling you?" He questioned making me stare at him weirdly. "What? Do I have something on my face?" His voice was laced with confusion. At that I laughed. "No master. I''m just a little surprised. You''re not normally that direct. I always have to navigate a jungle of cryptic statements, hanging metaphors and deep crevices of wisdom to get at the meaning." The old man looked at me from the corner of his eyes. "Well, I have to conserve the image of a wise and knowledgeable teacher don''t I?" His words made me snort. "Personally I think you just like to torture me for the fun of it." "Oh and also that." He added cheekily before a serious expression appeared on his face. "Well?" He looked at me expectantly. "I have to save a friend of mine from hell." I judged his reaction and found no change in his expression, so I continued. "And this time...I am so out of depth it''s not funny. I honestly have no idea if I can do this, Master Iroh. I am confident in my abilities. I have grown stronger and my skills more refined yet..." "Doubt remains, as does fear." He finished for me. I took a deep breath and nodded, admitting to him what I was afraid to admit to anyone else. Even myself. "Yes... I''m afraid. And to make matters worse, I refused help from someone who offered it with no real reason behind it." Iroh blinked his eyes. "Why?" My fingers tightened into fists as I mulled over the question. Why did I actually turn down Zatara? Could it be because of sentiment as I told him? At first glance, my suggestion for him to stay back seemed reasonable but I wasn''t sure that was just it. "I guess...I just got so used to fighting all my battles alone that the offer for help felt...foreign and uncomfortable." Saying that, I realized just how true it actually was. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I felt a gentle hand land comfortingly on my shoulder. "No Avatar has ever had it easy. Their presence is followed closely by calamity and danger, interchangeably at times but they always face some form of obstacle that they overcome." I held his gaze as he continued. "Doubt and fear have a place inside us just as confidence and bravery do. You cannot have one without the other. Do not be afraid to feel. Every emotion, has a major role to play in unearthing your potential, my young student." After giving that solemn advice he smiled. "If an Avatar has it easy...they would not be the figureheads of order and balance. Chaos will forever buckle against your control." "Well, that wasn''t ominous at all. I was expecting you to end it on a high note. A word of encouragement so strong, my powers will be stoked by my steely resolve and determination" I commented dryly. Iroh laughed in good nature. "I am surprised as you are. I must be getting rusty." We spent a few more minutes talking before I decided it was time to go. There was something I wanted to ask him but I figured it could wait for when I got back. Not if but when. I stood up to leave, only for Iroh to stop me by clearing his throat. "Aden, I might be gone for a short while when you come back." I stopped in place, my heart sinking. "Gone? Gone where?" I carefully asked, dreading his answer. "There is something that needs my attention. Something that cannot wait." He must have sensed my disappointment because he laughed. "I will be back. I have still not seen everything I can of this world. I would be remiss as a knowledge seeker to abandon that endeavor." I gave no outward reaction except for a smile but inwardly I was happy. Iroh had quickly become a figure of importance to me. He was someone I could confide in whenever I felt overwhelmed. And the things he was teaching me about spirit attunement as well as the various pointers about bending was not something I could do without. I wasn''t ready to lose any of that. "See you when I see you then, Master." I threw over my shoulder. "Oh and Aden, Take care of yourself." Iroh''s voice travelled to my ears just before I teleported out. The first one to notice me was Breeze. Which made sense because she was basically connected to all air. A light breeze ruffled throw me and I instantly noticed that I only had on a thin jacket offered by Madame Xanadu and nothing else beneath it. Fate had destroyed my trench coat and upper half of my costume during our fight. Maybe I should clean up before going to hell?...nah, I''ve kept Blood waiting long enough. I took a few minutes to interact with my spirits, with Hakai complaining about the fact that Saisei spent all his time napping these days. I assured her I''d check up on him and left the two girls alone to continue playing. Touching down near the tower, I could see the gentle movement of Saisei''s torso as he slept. The incident where he called me dad was still fresh in my mind. I honestly didn''t know what to feel about it. I was only 17 for chrissake. 18 in a few days but still. Whatever come may, I knew the important thing was that I wasn''t going to let anything happen to my spirits. I gently ran my palm over his scales, simultaneously using the action to see if there was anything wrong with him. My eyes widened after using spirit attunement. Saisei seemed to have formed a spirit link with Match, who was inside the stabilization pod. "Tower, display current progress of Match''s d.n.a stabilization procedure." I quickly gave the order. (Primary Directive at 62%) The answer appeared before me. Holy...shit. the Progress had jumped by more than 20%. Seems like the raw data gained from scanning Superman''s physiology helped immensely. I evaluated a few of my future plans. It seems like our weird little family was about to get another member. I wiped the slight steam that had gathered on the glass making up the front of the pod and my belief grew stronger. Match had seemingly...de-aged. before he''d looked like Connor, at most 18 years old. Now, he was a little over 15. There wasn''t a lot of time and I still had one final thing to do before leaving to Zatara''s, so I simply rubbed Saisei''s snout with a proud smile and disappeared into a portal. I stepped out into my room at the Lux. Looking at the time at the corner of my eyes, only 3 hours had gone by since receiving the mission. It had probably been more for the league while being stuck in the Tower of Fate. This also brought up another interesting question. What should I do with the Tower? I mean as the current wielder of the Helmet of Fate, I was the sole owner now. Meh... I''ll figure that out later. I still hadn''t decided whether I was going to hand over the helmet or not. Right now I was leaning on not. The League needed to show me I could trust them instead of the other way around. I still ended up taking a shower and cleaning up. Then I dressed up in my back up costume courtesy of Batman''s over preparedness. While the costume was size and shape adjusting, I could feel it was only a matter of time before it started getting tight abd obstructing. I had not only gotten taller but also bigger. My dad was a huge dude so know I had the genes for it but this felt... strange. As if my body was speeding up to compensate for something. Mmmh...I need a costume change anyway. Once I get back, I will commission the Sconiad tower to produce a much more durable costume than I currently had using materials from the realm. 10 minutes later, I was off to the last spot I needed to go, the church. I didn''t forget to pick up some sweet sweet donuts for the priest in charge of the parish. That old man and I had become amiable friends. It was good to see he didn''t treat me any different despite the fact that my mug was plastered all over the news. In fact, he had a few words of encouragement before he excused himself to go absolutely break the commandment of thou shalt not kill. From the way he was eyeing those donuts...they were done for. Left alone in the church, I closed my eyes and spread out my senses. A second later,I felt him. I opened my eyes and came face to face with the Hornblower, the Archangel Gabriel, provider of the blueprint to create reality. People usually forget how powerful Gabriel is when matched up against his two elder brothers but something told me that this angel was no less dangerous than either Luci or Michael. It was in the way he carried himself. I had seen the same body confidence and control in only Batman and Black Canary. Gabriel was a martial bad ass. This time he was not dressed in the combat armor he had on the first time we had met. Instead he had on, white robes. His body hovered a few inches off the ground and a certain light was exuded from his presence. An aura of great presence. I called upon my inner flame and run it through my body to get rid of the awe of the Light. I had touched upon this energy before so it was easy not to get lost in its splendor. "Gabriel." I nodded in greeting. The Hornblower studied me curiously before responding. "What are you?" His first question threw me out of loop though. "Last we saw each other...you were burning with the power of an elite being and now...you feel human." He explained himself making me laugh. "Yeah tell me about it. That form isn''t something I can access whenever I want. It''s... unreliable." His feet touched down. "I do not understand. How can it be unreliable when it allowed you to stand up to heaven''s greatest. Surely you jest, human." He responded. "It''s Aden. And trust me, if I had complete control over that state...I wouldn''t have come here." I read his expression. "And based on the fact that you came to see me, I can guess that you understand what I''ve come to ask." Gabriel looked at me for a few seconds before nodding. "You have come to ask for the authority of heaven. A way for you to have a solid backer and valid enough reason to ask for the courtesy of a guest, as an emissary of one Kingdom to another. You seek to make use of the old powers and ancient laws to have an audience with the monarch of the Infernal realms, Samael." "Precisely. Otherwise there is nothing stopping any demon from attacking me the second I step out there." Gabriel laughed at my words. A surprisingly gentle laugh. The look in his eyes changed. "I am impressed...Aden. Few would think that far." I shrugged. "Well, it''s my life on the line so..." We entered a brief moment of silence, before Gabriel gave his answer. After that the angel''s presence disappeared off into heaven and I left the church after procuring some holy water and stashing it in my hammer space. The next portal had me standing out of Zatara''s mansion, due to the wards around his home not letting me in. I walked up to the front door and knocked on it gently. It opened to reveal Zatanna. She ran her eyes over me and smiled. "You clean up nice." I walked in without waiting for an invitation. "Thanks, where is your dad?" The door closed behind us and she led me to the basement. "Follow me." We took the stairs down before approaching a metal door at the bottom. Opening it, an outpour of magical power hit my senses like a freight train. Whoa. How come I didn''t sense it before? Zatanna giggled from where she stood. "The basement is covered by mystical energy concealing wards." "Interesting." I commented, walking in. "You know...I can show you some magic if you show me how your portals work. A sort of trade off, what do you say?" She asked me, a little hopefully. "I say...ask your father first." The young girl bristled a little as I left her in the doorway to focus on the only other person in the room. Red candles were arranged around a massive and complicated array drawn on the ground. The pendant Zatara had used to locate Blood was on one point of the magic circle. It had changed color from red to blue, containing Blood''s familiar energy signature. The man was standing on the outside of the magic circle, yellow light pouring off his walking cane and into the magic array. "Oh Aden, you''re here. Let us begin." The Final Act Part 9 (Aden''s P.O.V) "This magical array is special. A normal one would put you within short distance of where Blood is but depending on the strength of the magic wards where he''s being held captive, might be a few hundred meters or even miles." I nodded as Zatara explained. "What makes this particular formation unique is that it turns your body into a ray of energy, allowing you to move through the layer separating our reality from hell, undetected and closer to Blood than a normal realm transmission spell." "What about the wards?" I questioned. "I was getting to that. The magic coats your body and turns it into formless and neutral mystical energy allowing you to oscillate in the same vibration frequency of the wards. So that means..." "I''ll be able to slip past the wards without restriction. Furthermore, it saves time. I wouldn''t have to look for Blood, I would just spear right to where he is. That''s brilliant Zatara." I complimented. "Hmmm." Zatara hummed in appreciation. "Yes yes, quite brilliant. You can thank Nimue fir that, she came up with the idea." His face changed a little. "But...it''s not all good news. For starters, this might not be a direct route to hell. Due to the nature of the spell, you will have to cross through a few dimensions bordering our reality before you get to hell, which I theorize is a few realms away in general placement. And you will be particularly...eye catching." He paused to let that sink in. The trade off was honestly good. This way, I could get Blood and Cerial out before anything else, which was the main objective of the mission. Dealing with the Hell-Lords would go over smoothly if I didn''t have to worry about the two of them. "Let''s do it." I confidently said. Zatara then handed me a brown parchment of paper square in shape. "And this is for?" I wondered, accepting it. "A way out." I raised my eyebrows in question. "I am aware of your portals so this is just in case something goes wrong. The parchment contains a magic formation. The ink used is made from the ashes of an Okami tree, an extinct but incredibly mystical tree whose roots can stretch and grow past this realm into others. If you tear it, the spell will activate and short of a truly powerful being far above the level of the Lords of Order and Chaos, no one can stop you from leaving." I eyed the simple parchment, turning it over in my hands to see a shimmering rune inscription on one side. It looked beautiful in its construction, with precisely drawn lines, curves and edges. "This must be very valuable." I observed. "It''s practically a life saving tool, thank you." I wasn''t going to be dumb and refuse it. Zatara nodded with a solemn smile. He knew the time had arrived and was probably wrestling with the decision to knowingly send a minor to a dangerous place. "Thank you Aden. And...forg..." I cut him, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "It''s fine." I smiled reassuringly, "I got this." Zatara stepped away from the circle and immediately, his persona changed. He was now the sole magician in the Justice League. A powerful individual that had battled the worst of the worst. His experience shone through his hand movements. Zatara had allowed Zatanna to stay behind and watch and I could feel she was awed just as I was by how expertly Zatara was controlling every smidgen of his powerful magic reserves. The incantations this time were made in a language I didn''t understand. His voice flowed, commanding reality to bend to his will and reality listened. The array below me lit up in a red light. Power flowed through the whole structure, forcing me to tone down my energy sense just to avoid the extreme sensory input. Before long, I felt an energy clad my form in its entirety and a click sort of went off. Instantly, I felt weightless as if I was floating in a cloud. The last thing I saw was Zatara''s grim and serious eyes then I was falling. Well not falling exactly, more like hurtling or shuttling through a myriad of realms. Most of whom were just crazy, incomprehensible spaces of existence. Some made sense. And a few stood out particularly. One of which was beautiful. A land dominated by a wondrous environment, filled with greenery, impossible creatures and a faceless figure whose features unravelled into sand, leaving behind two statements. "Be Careful. I''m watching." Then I passed through a grayish space where my body was rendered timeless and eternal. A place of great suffering. The only thing I spotted was the shocked look on the figures of what appeared to be humans, then I disappeared into a couple more realms that made no sense to my awareness. A realm full of swirling clouds and vortexes of different colors, I could feel had I stayed there...I would have become a part of the wondrously beautiful dimension. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I crossed over into another strange realm. This time a beautiful figure that called onto every debaucherous thought and lust traced my movement through the folds of space. The only thing I got from him was the feeling of being watched, by golden eyes. "Oh...A New plaything...See you soon. I hope you survive, little brother." The thought was funneled into my mind along with an unnerving laugh, then the presence disappeared and with a soft pop, I finally breached the layers of space into a grayish and dead realm. The air was both sweltering hot and chillingly cold, despite the fact that I was in an ethereal form. That''s how hell felt like. My senses spread out far and wide and if I had eyes, they would have been wide with shock. Wow...this shit just got real. Hell pulled out all the stops for this one. Over a billion energy signatures appeared in my senses. All of them more powerful than Red Arrow in base physical parameters alone. Half felt stronger than an Atlantean and a quarter were on the Justice League level. That was just from the aura of strength they put off. A small fraction on the other hand were stronger than Superman. Thankfully that was a very small fraction. Then a handful of them, that I could only detect due to concentrating my spiritual sense on the black castle all the demons were gathered before, were much more powerful than Doctor Fate. I''m willing to bet those are the Hell-Lords. My trajectory was aimed for the centre of the demon horde, after carefully spreading my energy sense out to understand why...I found out that the party had begun before me. Etrigan was fighting as best he could against a torrential wave of unending demons. He stood defiantly on the bodies of dozens of demons, dark blood pooling around the smoking area. His mouth spewed flames that spread out to keep the demon''s away, while he swung a huge sword to attack those who made it past the fire. A unique behemoth of a demon, standing at a crazy 50 meters, stomped his way towards him, wielding two giant swords, both dripping with hell flames. Tusks that speared from the bottom of it''s jaw to it''s face, along with the claws and sharp teeth made this particular one look more menacing than even the rest. Problem was, in a party comprising of over a billion demons, I could spot a couple thousand of this type of demon. Well time to make an entrance. (A few minutes ago) (General P.O.V) A cloud of darkness swept through the room, whispers trailing behind it in an ominous cacophony of different voices mixed together to create a truly scary being. It stopped a distance below Lucifer, who barely gave any indication on it''s presence, content to watch through the balcony as the demons grew restless and more inpatient. Fights were already breaking out and it was amusing to the high tier being to see them mindlessly battle just for the sake of it. Maze was the only one to acknowledge Azazel''s presence with a slight cock of her head. She was not in the least bit impressed by the Hell-Lord. To her it was clear what he wanted. "My Lord...I have a request to make." The cacophony of voices went silent as one grim one, spoke from the cloud of darkness. Eyes and mouths started sprouting from deep within, making the already eerie visage of one of the strongest beings on hell even more unnerving. "Well... don''t keep me waiting. Get on with it." Lucifer answered. It grated Azazel to be spoken to with such utter disregard. And judging from the royal consort''s face, he could feel she was ridiculing him. He was Azazel goddamit! He could command an army of trillions! The demons near the palace were simply but a small small small tiny portion of the forces of hell. Why should he take second to one such as he?! Azazel however said none of that. His voice was level and supplicated as he stated his intentions. "Our forces call for...an appetizer before the full course meal. They demand the blood of the son of Belial, to sate their bloodlust while we wait for the alignment and the toll of the last hour, to execute the Angel in defiance to the silver city and Him. For a unified hell...I believe this to be the favorable course of action." There in was the start of the scheme. Azazel and the rest of the... interested parties knew that Lucifer did not want the angel defiled, ravaged and killed. It wasn''t a matter of good or bad...it was a matter of pushing for it in a way that made him oppose them. To that effect, Azazel could highlight his stubbornness as incompetence and traitorous to the general public, plunging the whole dimension into disarray once more. That would open up the avenue for many of the plans they had for the earth to continue on without a hitch. The best thing was that everything was turning out perfectly. The Morningstar either choosing to follow their demands, veiled as suggestion or not was of little consequence. All that mattered is that all roads led to the same result. Chaos. Heaven would not be silent if an angel died on hell. There would be concequences. And hell would not be silent if the angel didn''t die. It was a win win. "The dirt on the bottom of my shoes." Lucifer calmly replied. "What do you mean, your majesty?" Azazel questioned. A second passed, then Lucifer turned to face the demon Hell-Lord. "That is where you are. Beneath the dirt on the bottom of my shoe." The Fallen angel smiled in amusement. "You believe yourself clever enough to outsmart me Azazel? Where do you get the defiance to stand before me with your poorly hidden intentions and plans to undermine my influence?" The air started getting heavy. Azazel felt pressured deep to the core of his being but just as quickly as the pressure had come...it disappeared. The Demon felt true fear. It was easy to forget that behind that facade of unassuming demeanor...he was no doubt facing someone who could undo him and his with merely a glance. Lucifer had a winning smile "Fine...do it. Offer the rhyming demon up to the crowd. Let of not be said that I am not a gracious and generous lord." Lucifer suddenly said. "My Lord..." Maze looked at him askance. The Morningstar waved her off. "It''s fine Maze." He grinned while staring at the sky, his eyes flashing red. "If anything, it''s perfect timing. Azazel...do what you must." He threw behind him. Azazel studied the Morningstar''s back for a second or so, before disappearing. A couple of minutes later, Etrigan found himself standing on a raised platform in the middle of a ravenous, bloodthirsty and murderous horde of his brothers and sisters. The rhyming demon''s face split up into an excited smile. A dull colored and wide bastard sword, that was slightly curved at the end appeared in his hands. "Now this, is my kind of fun." He didn''t waste time with a rhyme. Instead he shouted and ran forward jumping up to battle the sea of demons. And the waves rose up to meet him. The battle went on for a few minutes and the rhyming demon had wracked up quite a number of dead foes below him. However strong as Etrigan was, the numbers were nothing to scoff at. And sooner or later, he knew he would be overwhelmed. He just wanted to have as much bloodshed and mayhem as he could before that eventual reality. "It''s time Maze. It is time for the Final Act." Lucifer spread out his hands, the ashy clouds covering the skies of the realm seemingly parted before a ray of light speared through. Too bright for anyone to miss. The ray spoke of power and potential. A small smile appeared on Maze''s face, mirroring the one on Lucifer''s. "Well I''ll be double damned...the kid actually pulled through." Lucifer laughed as the ray of Light landed on a particularly large demon, splitting it apart from head to toe. "Trust me Maze...you are about to witness something you have never thought possible." The Final Act Final Part (Aden P.O.V) It was a conscious action to shift my form into my physical body. As I reformed in mid-air, the stench of sulphur, cinder and unwashed bodies, all hidden behind a faint scent of blood that grew prominent assaulted my nose. In addition, my emotions took a turn for the negative. Doubt, fear and anger. I reinforced my mental defenses, taking into practice what Iroh had told me about doubt and fear. The feelings assuaged and I was left with a steely resolve. The determination didn''t help with the smell and I felt like throwing up for a second, before deciding to take it out on the demon below me. Something about the nail that sticks out being the first to be hammered down. In this case, I was the hammer or more like the cleaver as Equity appeared in my hands. I gripped the sword tightly as it changed form into a massive form, the broad side growing wider into a Kubikirib¨­ch¨­ mimicry that was stronger than Zabuza''s sword could ever hope to be. Equity hummed in my two handed grip in appreciation at the mental compliment. My sword similar to me...was growing stronger. To add more momentum to my fall, I spun, the air providing no drag or friction, increasing my already crazy speeds to insane levels. The top of the head of the demon appeared closer and closer, my target none the wiser. Every demon concerned with Etrigan. With a sudden downward motion, Equity split the demon into two, although it didn''t quite reach the other side due to the huge size of the gigantic creature, extending a sheath of air on Equity''s pointy end more than made up for the difference. Hot blood sprayed out of the two separate parts, dousing everything close in a reddish black liquid that stank of sulphur more than the surroundings. Everything stopped. The activity going on around me ceased for a few seconds. More than enough time to do what I needed to do. Lightning sparked off my form before I disappeared from my position. Etrigan''s sword swiped out to land on the broad side of Equity. Great instincts. He pulled back to slash me from the side but I spun out of the way faster than he could react to and stepped to his back. "STOP!" As soon as the words left my mouth, Etrigan paused. I could feel him straining against my control. The teleportation talisman appeared in my hands but before I could tear it apart, something huge dove down towards our position. I couldn''t be sure if the Talisman''s activation was fast or not and when I tried to use a boom tube, I couldn''t accurately connect with my realm without a few precious seconds. All that mattered was to get Blood out of here, whether Etrigan wanted to or not. A torrential wave of black flames poured down from, I kid you not a mega huge gray dragon. The teeth looked the size of my arms so the beast was fucking huge. Not quite the size of the Behemoth I had fell but close. Atop it stood one of the figures I had judged as stronger than most of the League. They had on a spiked helmet with glowing red eyes. A gyrating vortex of air manifested above us, disrupting the flames and spreading them to the sides, to fall on the low ranked demons that were only now rousing from their surprise at my entrance. The demons cried out as they burned from the oil like flames. The dragon turned back and came back for a second attack. My outstretched hand suddenly closed into a fist and thin air strings tightened on the dragon, biting into and carving it to hundreds of huge pieces, that rained down around us. Etrigan buckled against my control and snarled, swiping out angrily with a clawed hand, I leaned back and kicked him away, saving him from the spear in the hands of the demon with the spiked helmet. I rolled away, evading the impact from his landing while sweeping out his legs from under him. The stranger demon was skilled just as he was strong. He used the butt of his lance to flip away, ducking over Etrigan''s fire breath that was so hot, I had to coat my body in a film of flame energy. A lull entered in the battlefield, giving me some time to hear what was going on around me. "Is that a human!" "Prey!" "... devour him." "I want..." "His blood." "His soul...His soul!! "His Lordship!" "Fight kill kill..." "Devour his soul!..." "Valuable soul...!" Lots of chants about my soul being precious and valuable. Which made sense since souls made hell go round and as the Avatar, although my spirit was weak...it''s quality was on a whole other level. Despite the clear ravenous desire to jump me...they held back. Afraid to step a foot within close proximity of the Helmet Demon. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The three of us faced off against each other warily. Equity changed forms from a huge sword to a short blade. "Agog." Etrigan spat on the ground. "Still following Neron''s orders like a loyal Dog." Agog levelled his lance at Etrigan. Standing this close to the guy, I could tell you he was imposing and had an aura that spoke of tremendous strength. His muscles were huge. His body fashioned in battle. "A dog with a purpose." The demon smoothly shot back. His voice was deep. Deeper than even Stewart''s. "Which is more than can be said for you, son of Belial. Shackled to a mere human to do his bidding. You are a disgrace to every demon alive." Etrigan looked about ready to attack but something held him back. He looked almost... cautious. Something I wasn''t sure he could feel. Agog looked away in contempt, turning his gaze towards me. His red eyes narrowed. "Human, You have a death wish to intrude upon the infernal lands before your time. For that, you will curse your brazenness." Then he lunged, a sonic boom erupted from his position, his body poised to crash right into me, fortunately something else occured. Agog had the wind knocked out of him when he collided into an air shield. The shield rippled with force. I distributed the power of the impact through it''s structure and then reflected it back to the source. A massive shockwave rang out, blowing Agog away into the air. His form carved a trail through the demons at his back, leaving behind a picturesque wake of destruction in his uncontrolled flight. Broken bodies and splattered organs. The boom tube I had been trying to create all this time manifested below Etrigan without his knowledge and he fell through with a surprised yelp. His eyes screamed of retribution and anger. "Damn you..." The words were cut off as the boom tube disappeared. The portal was connected to my fire dimension. I couldn''t have him running around in Sanctuary. 39 seconds to create a stable portal to my realm. That automatically canceled the usefulness of my boom tubes in a high speed battle. I also had ''that.'' but Gabriel had warned me to only use it sparingly. The power of a being almost on par with Lucifer being wantonly unleashed can cause cracks in reality. Cracks that might take time to heal...cracks that might provide a way in for things outside the ''making''. Key word being ''Wantonly.'' The hoard of demonic entities all converged upon me after seeing me blow Agog away. Their momentary fear all but gone as each scrambled to get a pound of flesh. I stood in place, waiting, feeling like a reed before a tsunami. Despite Gabriel''s warning on using ''it'', I couldn''t see any other way to officially announce myself. To be realistic, although I could probably fight and maybe take out thousands of the Legion of Hell, my stamina was not nigh-infinite. I could do it for a few days...but the numbers would overwhelm me in the end. No the plan had always been to fight smartly. I still had an angel to save and this time it couldn''t be done with pure brute force. I waited until there were a few more meters separating me from any of the demons and then...a horn appeared in my hands from my hammer space. The horn was a short shofar that felt smooth and warm to the touch. It looked normal, felt normal to my senses even...but a feeling of trepidation fell on every demon in the vicinity. I brought it to my mouth...and then blew it. It had been long since I''d used my sonic abilities. To be honest, I could probably take that ability to it''s absolute peak of devastation if I didn''t almost blow out my throat everytime I used it. Trying to channel the sonic waves through other parts of my body was not as effective as my mouth. There was just something... instinctual about it. Like...like how you could use your hands to move forward in a hand stand but your legs were much more suited for that task. So I had never been able to see the peak of what the sub skill could do. Gabriel''s horn was the Archangel''s symbol of power. Gabriel was the one to impose order and complexity into the ''making'' which was another word for creation. Hence, his power rivalled that of his two brothers. And the horn I had in my hands was an expression of his unique abilities. The horn could open portals, take command of beings with a lesser will than you, even the odds between you and your opponent no matter how strong they were by elevating you to their level, marshall up the heavenly host for the final battle, restrain an opponent and basically a lot more of high tier crazy stuff that I was barred from using. I chose none of those skills. Here''s a thought, what would happen if I combined the horn and my sonic sub skill? I took a breath, brought the horn to my mouth and blew it. A loud rumbling escaped out of the small horn. The sonic wave rippling out from my position as the epicenter and destroying anything it came close to. My ears rang, my skin sang and my body shook. Another wave erupted from the horn. The ground was destroyed, blackened soil and dust rising up in a moniker of a mushroom cloud as I blew upon it once more and for the final time. I couldn''t feel anything in my range of energy sense anymore. Every life had been cut off. Destroyed by the angelic object in my hands. Millions of demons, snuffed out like a candle light. I waved a hand and the cloud dispersed, the dust fell to the ground, revealing...a catastrophe. I stood on a lone pillar in the middle of a crater spanning hundreds of miles in every direction. The depth of the cave was tens of miles long as well, revealing a magma river flowing at the bottom. On the outskirts of the crater, a wall of blackened flesh along with sections of soil and rocks surrounded the edge of the crater, forming a long pile. One attack. I looked at the horn in my hands and my palm trembled. So that...that was the peak of what my sonic abilities were capable of when there wasn''t a risk of blowing off my throat huh? I was suddenly gripped by fear. If I went bad...God help the world. Turning back to the devastation caused, I knew I had made a loud statement. A show of power that made the upper echelon hesitate. I looked at The black castle a few thousand miles away and horned in on a figure standing at the highest balcony. Lucifer had a devilishly proud smirk on his face as my enhanced eyesight made contact with his. He was losing yet...it didn''t bother him at all. My eyes left his and fell on Maze, standing next to him. Maze looked happy to see me. I smiled and winked at her before I turned my attention to a raised platform on the courtyard of the castle. A platform with 9 thrones. Some were unoccupied. Others...well, let''s just say that despite my confidence even with the horn of Gabriel... beating them would be a tall order. None of the Hell Lords looked remotely afraid of what I''d shown. Interested, curious and hungry gazes yes, but terror? None. Let''s see if we can change that. Formal Challenge (General P.O.V) "You are sure of it?" Iroh''s voice rang out through the library. A typical tea set was placed at his front between him and the huge black owl perched on a metallic stand. "What exactly are you calling to question Iroh, my honesty or my observation skills?" The Owl asked in a stiff voice. Iroh rolled his eyes. "After centuries of knowing you, one would think you''d loosen up that stick stuck so far up your..."Iroh cleared his throat awkwardly, then sheepishly offered, "Have some tea to calm your nerves down." "Mmph!" Wan Shi Tong snorted and started flapping his wings. A blast of wind swept out through the room, ruffling the table cloth set below the teacups and kettle. Iroh''s beard was blown into an unruly shape, just as the owner of the Library disappeared off into the rows upon rows of book shelves. "Make no mistake Iroh... something used the link you have with this ''strange new place'' to cross over. You better inform the dwellers there that a great evil shall be soon released. An evil with no precedence." The words were the only thing left behind as Wan Shi Tong''s form flew out of view. Iroh''s face was solemn. He looked at the tea in his cup worriedly. "Aden..." (Aden''s P.O.V) My heart beat fast at the thought of my next move. I knew that what I was about to do would spell my doom or salvation. All eyes were on me but I only had eyes for one figure. Alyssa had...changed. Gone was the haughtiness of your typical magician. In its place was a demure and gentle angel. A shy girl with white wings, covered with patches of black and red at random intervals. I established eye contact with her and saw the despair warring with hope. Then I remembered what Gabriel had told me. ''Save her from an undeserving fate. Save her and heaven will honor you, Aden.'' He had given me all the tools needed to turn this from a losing battle to one I could win. I smiled softly at the angel, hoping to ease her worries. ''I am not going to leave you here. Not with these monsters.'' I promised myself. "Denizens of the infernal lands, I am Aden Strong." I amplified my voice to reach the castle. As stated before, only a few thrones, to be precise 4 were occupied while the rest remained empty. The first Throne had a curvaceous Woman with red skin and horns twirling up in the air gracefully. She looked like dangerous unhealthy sex. And the sadistically lecherous grin on her face as she stared at me, left no question as to exactly what I was in for if I landed in her hands. Goosebumps appeared on my skin as I shivered in disgust. The second throne had the most bizarre Demon I had ever laid my eyes on. It was a dark cloud filled with eyes and teeth all over it''s form. To better explain, he reminded me of Kurogiri from MHA, a show I''d watched back in my earth. Just a purplish smoke like being. The next throne was unoccupied. As was the second one after that but the next had a demon lord that was no less strange looking as the last one. He was in the shape of a gigantic bug. A fly. Well a Fly man to be exact. The wide compound eyes and the antennae on it''s head made it creepier than the others. Fuck I might be racist...speciest? I moved on to the last demon seated on the throne. Instantly, a feeling of maliciousness that hit me like a 12 wheeler truck going at top speed slammed into me. My chest seized up and I started wheezing a little. ''What...what the fuck...is this...'' I widened my eyes and groaned as the pressure increased. My legs shook and I took a knee, trying and failing to raise my head up. Anger bloomed inside me from within the Avatar State. But no matter what, I could feel that it wasn''t going to intervene. The mission difficulty was tagged as hellish for a reason and if the Avatar State took over, the mission difficulty would go down. It was all a theory but it was a theory that made a lot of sense. All in all, I''d resolved to always act as if I was alone in this...and now I truly was. The horn in my hands pulsed with a gentle light and I felt a gentle wisp of energy, enter my body and cast away the oppression I was facing from the last demon. I stood up to find my body soaked in sweat. The demons that had been riled up by my brief show of weakness settled down in caution as the horn glowed with power. The Arch Demon smiled at me viciously. He had blonde hair, cruel eyes, a hard face and was dressed in a green and white costume. Power just seemed to...roll off him in waves. I knew who this fucker was. Neron, the prince of lies. Zatara and Nimue had briefly explained to me who I was mostly going to face opposition from. Neron was responsible for most if not all of this shit. And he was much stronger than the rest of the Demon Lords sitting beside him. What that meant for me however...was that I was fucked without The Avatar State. And even with it, This was their home ground. Such a fight with beings close to being literal reality warpers was not good for my health. Luckily, it wasn''t all hopeless. With my momentum briefly cut off, I cleared my throat and started again. "I am Aden Strong, and with the authority vested in me as Heaven''s emissary, I hereby formally challenge you for the freedom of the angel known as Cerial. By the Ancient Laws and the First Circle, those who stand vigil in upholding the foundations of reality, Neron the prince of lies, do you accept?" (General P.O.V) Silence. The whole battlefield fell into an atmosphere of astonishment and surprise. The eyes of the female Demon narrowed. Her interest had been peaked. The cloud like demon on the other hand made no reaction and the bug like demon started screeching in laughter. But the last Hell Lord''s reaction was the most priceless. "Preposterous!" Neron rose up and shouted in rage. "To think that a mere ant would dare..." "Hahahaha what Neron, are you scared of a ''mere ant''?" The bug like demon mocked. Laughter followed among the rest of the demons. Uproar. "Such an... intriguing human. How does he know of such things?" Lady Blaze pitched in. Azazel shifted in his seat, one of his numerous faces sneakily looking back at the balcony above his head, and behind them. He could think of such a way but...Lucifer was not much of a schemer. He had power. He was imposing but he had never been the type to strategize against those weaker than him. This, Azazel knew. So it meant...Gabriel or the silver city were responsible. Yet, Azazel couldn''t shake the feeling the devil was involved in some way. "Sit down, Neron. Getting so easily worked up over something so trivial is unbecoming of your stature as a Hell Lord." Azazel ordered. Neron rounded up to sneer at him. "Do not talk down to me as if I''m one of your servants, Azazel." "Then act like it." Lady Blaze took a dig at the blonde demon with a small smile. "You''re embarrassing us. It''s unseemly." Neron''s eyes shot towards the female Demon. "What would you know, half blood wench? Your only on that throne due to Lucifer casting Belial out. If anything...a duke should have taken over. You...are nothing." The words were filled with as much mockery as Neron could inject in his tone. Lady Blaze''s smile widened. "Oh really, Prince of Lies? If I am nothing, then what does that make you? You had the chance to take over hell when his Majesty was...''occupied''" She tilted her head, bringing one long nailed finger to her lips. "How did that work out for you?" With every word, Neron''s eyes grew ever more angrier. "Such grand ambitions. You have corrupted so many pure souls throughout millennia and what do you have to show for it? Nothing. Just empty...air." Neron''s aura burst out as he started burning in a green fire. Beelzebub and Azazel instantly went on guard. The demons below them, those weaker than them, shivered as the oppressive power of a Demon Lord started crushing them. A nasty smile spread out across Neron''s face. "Fucking bitch...I am going to slice the flesh off your bones. Slowly." Lady Blaze rose up as well, a murderous intent no less than Neron''s exploding out of her. "Big, strong they''ve all fallen before me." She narrowed her eyes, her voice icy. "You want to join the list? So be it." The tension was almost tangible. To add fuel to the fire Beelzebub, The Lord of Flies started laughing. "Oh this is fun. Fight or Fuck but do something already!!!!" He boomed out, riling both of them. "Beelzebub Stop inciting the both of them. Blaze, Neron, is this the picture... Azazel started only for Beelzebub to interrupt. "Oi shut your trap hole you two faced swine! If they want to fight let them!! This is hell. Chaos incarnate!" And so Beelzebub and Azazel both ended at loggerheads, just like Neron and Blaze. The demons gathered all started murmuring in discontent as the different factions of each of the Hell Lords present begun trading barbs and insults as well. It didn''t take a genius to see where this was headed. Aden on his side was surprised by the sudden turn of events. It seemed like he had faded into obscurity. Tossed aside for the bitter politics of hell. He almost felt like his presence was unnecessary. He was even considering the fact that he used the wrong move. Sowing discord was proving to be a more effective strategy than any great show of power he might have demonstrated. And just as fast as it started, all the arguments and squaring off stopped. "Is this what my generals have been reduced to? Bickering like mortal children in a playground." This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. A soft voice sounded out. It was not overwhelmingly loud yet, it reached Aden''s ears clearly. As if the one who spoke was making a light hearted conversation. Aden could feel the reverence and fear spread out through the masses. The whole hoard of hell seemed terrified of him. Lucifer hovered inches off the ground before the Thrones of the Hell Lords. Grand, the Demon Lords and Thrones might have been yet...they lacked the sheer presence before the Morningstar. Satan, The King of Hell. "Forgive me, your majesty. I got carried away. It will not happen again." Lady Blaze lost the arrogance that had been apparent on her face, she bowed her head and stepped back. Lucifer''s expression was devoid of all emotion. "See that you don''t. Otherwise you will be joining your brother." A brief flash of anger appeared on her face, followed by another flash, this one of fear. "As you command my Lord." Blaze''s tone was shaky when she replied. Lucifer''s sight next landed on Neron. He narrowed them. "You forget your place, Neron." He then glanced at Azazel and Beelzebub. "As do you two as well." "Forgive us, Lord Lucifer, Conflict is inevitable once in a while. We are but creatures of habit." Azazel spoke up calmly. "Hahaha yeah what he said. I sometimes get fired up over the smallest things." Beelzebub added with a nervous chuckle. "Mmmhhh. I see. Very well." Lucifer then directly addressed Neron. "You have nothing to say for yourself?" Neron tightened his hands in rage before he forced himself to be calm. His green eyes made contact with Lucifer''s own red orbs that spoke of power beyond anything Neron could ever hope to gain and the prince of lies understood one thing. Lucifer only needed an excuse. 1 flimsy excuse and Neron would Join Belial, Mammon and the rest of the occupants of the empty thrones in the lowest pits of hell. Where regardless of who or what you were...all that awaited you was unending suffering. You couldn''t hope to escape, no matter how powerful you were. It was truly the hell of hell. It was so cold that it burned. So the Prince of Lies swallowed his pride. He had managed to avoid a direct screw up. What had saved him from Lucifer booting his ass over there was that he covered his tracks well. And Lucifer understood that should he do that...it would only mean more work for him. He was trying to bring hell back into a state of...relative calm and Neron was indispensable in such an endeavor. Demons followed him due to his charisma as the Prince of Lies. "I... apologize my Lord." He lastly bit out, feeling aggrieved by the whole situation. "That''s a good doggy." Lucifer mocked with a small smile. Neron fumed, livid inside. Despite the joke none of the Hell Lords dared to laugh. The king of Hell turned his back to them. Mocking the Demon Lords even more. It was customary to never show your back to a demon because of their traitorous nature. Hence for anyone to do that showed that they considered you a non-entity. Weak. Something not to be worried about. ''One day Lucifer, one day...'' Neron vowed inwardly. Lucifer turned his head to throw him a look over the shoulder. "I''ll be waiting then, little demon." Neron''s eyes widened, stunned beyond belief. His thoughts had been accessed without him being aware of anything. The rest of the Hell Lords figured out that something must have occured between them but apart from the curious glances they threw at each other, none said a thing. After reaching a sufficient height where Lucifer could be seen by all, his black wings spread out behind him majestically. Like a bright light in a dark room, all eyes were on him. "My loyal, devilish subjects, a Formal Challenge has been issued." He let that soak in. His eyes found Aden and his smile widened. "This human, standing before us, holds the horn of Gabriel, my younger brother and claims to be Heaven''s emissary." He made no effort to disguise just how funny he thought the whole thing was. And just like expected, an uproar escaped from the crowds of billions of demons. Shouts of tearing up Aden from limb to limb to devouring his soul, to molesting his dead corpse rang out. Showing just how ruthless the denizens of the Infernal realms could be. Lucifer raised his hand. "Preposterous, just like Neron stated." He announced seemingly in agreement. The look on his face turned serious. Aden''s grip on Gabriel''s horn grew tighter, as he was subjected to such a look. A look he had never seen from Lucifer ever before. "But...he called upon the Ancient Laws and the First Circle as witnesses. Had his claim been a falsehood, his soul would have been immolated. A true death. Anything making Aden Strong, Aden Strong would have disappeared into nothingness. A void of unawareness stretching out into the unending shores of infinity." Aden felt his heart shake. Holy Fuck. Had any of what he said been even a little bit untrue...then it would have been game over for him. Gabriel had told him to say all that as way to back up his claim but to know that he had been so close to the end was jarring. Even Lucifer''s words seemed like a warning to him. To never swear on the First Circle lightly. "Clearly...the boy''s claim is true, seeing as he stands before us, unaffected by the gathering of what Humans have been afraid of ever since their conceiving." A few scattered laughs sounded out. "And so, the challenge is...valid!" Despite all of them seeing it from far away, another uproar arose. Neron particularly looked as if he had swallowed a bitter lemon. His hard eyes found Aden''s across thousands of miles and promised retribution. Aden on the other hand smiled softly. He breathed out a sigh of relief, mentally thanking his luck that the challenge had been deemed valid. Lucifer allowed the complaints to continue for a while before he raised his hand again. Silence immediately dominated. Satisfied, the Morningstar turned around to address The Prince of Lies. "Neron, you were the one to capture the angel whom he seeks to save. As such, you are the challenged one." Neron stood up. "That gives you a few... advantages. For one, you have the benefits of choosing two out of the three customary challenges. Furthermore, due to the challenger not clearly stating what he shall offer in return..." Aden''s heart dropped as a slow smile appeared on Neron''s face. "You can decide what you want from him incase you win. So tell us, what is it you want him to stake?" A proud chuckle escaped Neron. He cleared his throat and used a voice amplifying spell to announce. "For starters, I choose the first challenge to be a one on one battle of skill against my chosen champion. Only one weapon shall be allowed to each combatants. No spells or powers." "Fuck." Aden muttered. Things weren''t looking too good now. He could feel the shackles imposed on him from the clause given. Once the first challenge begins...he would truly be confined to the stipulations given. Even energy sense, spiritual sense and air sense would be restricted. It almost made Aden wonder if Neron knew his weakness lied in his soul, body strength and weapon skills. Neron seemed giddy at the expression on the boy''s face. "The second Challenge shall be announced after the completion of the first one." Lucifer declared. "on to the last matter, What have you decided to ask for?" Lucifer questioned Neron, impassively. The prince of lies in turn simply closed his eyes. A few seconds passed before he looked straight at Aden and asked. "What is the most precious thing you have? The thing you hold dear above all else?" Upon asking that question, Aden''s heart skipped a beat. He hadn''t known what to expect but...this, this was almost out of his depth. If he lost then... He considered lying but the ancient laws forbid him from knowingly or unknowingly doing so. Everyone gathered waited patiently and in interest. Lady Blaze in particular leaned forward. She could feel something was... different in this human. He wasn''t like the rest. Something set him apart. Something hidden deep inside him. Aden briefly thought about what he held most precious. A few images appeared in his mind. His family back on his earth, his realm, his sword, Saisei, Hakai, Breeze and Iroh, his memories, his powers. He wondered if any of those were what he held most precious. But when his mouth opened, Aden was left astonished. The words left his lips, ringing with honesty. They resonated with him so much he felt himself tear up at the thought of losing it. "Me. I...hold myself as the most precious thing I have. Me and nothing else. I could lose my loved ones, the world could burn, my powers gone, my sword destroyed and my limbs cut off but as long as I am me, not corrupted, not controlled, not shackled then hope would remain. Hope that I have something despite the bleakness surrounding me. A will to brave the eternal void forever, as long as I am...Me." The statement shook everyone present. Their view on the human instantly changed. Such was the strength of the young mortal boy standing infront of them. A strength not born out of the codependence all creatures of emotions seemed to share, but one born out of an altruistic selfishness that was so relatable and endearing. Aden actually won a few fans due to that. (General P.O.V) In the DEEP reaches of space, The Sto-a star system located in Sector 0, Oa calmly floated in place. It was the home of the Green Lantern corps, housing the Central Power Battery. For a brief second the emerald green shining forth from the core of the Central Power Battery flashed an Aqua blue color before reverting to it''s former color. It was so brief, most would have thought they''d imagined it. All the rings connected to the Will emotional spectrum failed for a few split seconds, not enough to make a difference but enough to leave one sole Green Lantern dead from am attack in the Kalium Sector in a fight against a mysterious foe. As was protocol, the ring escaped his finger, leaving his floating body in space before shooting off into one direction. The trajectory was aimed at finding a new successor...but something was different this time. The ring was not headed towards a life form, the ring was headed towards a vortex of strange energy. In the planet Odym, A grey skinned figure dressed in a blue costume displaying the symbol of the blue Lanterns, floated serenely in place. His legs were set in a cross legged position and his eyes closed in meditation. The central power battery behind him seemed to briefly pulse in a different color and this roused Saint Walker. He looked out into space in contentment. "And so, hope blooms anew, ushering in an era of change." In the planet Ookara, Larfreeze was throwing an angry tantrum. "Mine!!! Mine!!! Mine!!!" He shouted, trying to use a construct to block the wave of energy resonating out into space. The energy rapidly rippled and and escaped from the sole Orange Lantern to disappear towards the void, leaving Larfreeze feeling very aggrieved and promising retribution to the thief. All these incidents went unnoticed by most. The sole reason why they happened was still reeling from the statements that had come out of his mouth. The Truth that he''d never thought he could utter, yet all of it was unfiltered. Neron''s laugh was boisterous. "Good! That''s more like it. If you are to lose this challenge, I choose you as the prize." Aden ground his teeth. He now understood why Neron had asked him that question. It wasn''t that he particularly needed Aden''s powers or abilities, no, this was to ensure that he made Aden suffer for disrupting his plans. Aden closed his eyes and called on his inner fire. He ran it throughout his system to filter out the negativity. The warmth underneath his skin was comforting enough that he even forgot where he was. He centered himself and when he opened his eyes, his determination was undeterred. To avoid losing himself, Aden guessed he would have to beat the crap out of whoever the opponent for the first challenge was then move on and complete the last two challenges as well. Neron narrowed his eyes, he had expected to break the human''s spirit but if anything, his resolve seemed much stronger. Lady Blaze looked on in appreciation, the boy just grew more and more interesting to her. Lucifer''s lips turned up in a small smile whole gazing down at the young man he had come to like. Aden truly thrived in conflict and Lucifer could not wait to see how far he would advance. "The first challenge shall commence immediately. Are you all ready?!" Lucifer riled them up. The crowds of demons chanted and shouted in loud voices that would have burst the ears of normal humans. "Good, then we shall move this to an appropriate arena." He snapped his fingers and the surroundings changed. Aden blinked his eyes and found himself standing in a sand filled stadium with numerous seats surrounding him from all sides. The seats were only occupied by high ranking Demons and dukes and on one side, 4 huge thrones were placed strategically. Offering the ones seated on them the best view of the activity about to happen. This was the first time Aden had ever stood so close before the Demon Lords and the power coming off of them was simply astonishing. His skin felt pricked by their passive aura alone. The Hell Lords also stared at him in different emotions. Neron was eager and impatient to torture Aden, for the perceived insult, Beelzebub was curious to see how Aden would stack against Neron''s chosen champion, Azazel couldn''t care less and only saw this for what it was, a move by Lucifer. He was already thinking of countermeasures incase the boy actually won and Lady Blaze was studying him up close in a way that made Aden particularly uncomfortable. He would have even been more uncomfortable if he''d known that she was looking for a consort. "Neron, who do you choose as your champion for the first challenge?" Lucifer''s voice rang out. Aden trailed the source and found him standing before a more massive and grander throne set above the Hell-Lords. Neron simply stood up, running his eyes through the gathered high ranked demons. "I choose...Agog to represent me in the first battle. Anyone else would be too overkill for this pest." His arrogant words were accompanied by a loud cheer from the hoard. The Avatar paid them no heed, content to keep silent in quiet confidence. They would soon find out who they were fucking with anyway. The horn in Aden''s hands disappeared into his hammer space and Equity appeared in its place. He twirled it just as the huge bars to the arena opened up to allow Agog in. Aden knew this fight was probably going to be the hardest fight he had ever been engaged in. Already, he could feel the Ancient Laws working to restrict all the rest of his powers. The compulsion felt iron clad and something he couldn''t break out of. Not alone. Maybe with the help of the Avatar State but with the mission difficulty set as it was, that was not likely going to happen, so he really was all alone. Agog stopped before him, his lance dipped low, silent and waiting. Aden adopted his own stance, following instinct given to him by Equity on how to hold it in its shirt sword form. The two fighters stared at each other. Eyes clashing in mid air. "Begin!" First Challenge (Aden''s P.O.V) For the first time in...ever, I felt my bending leave me. No, not leave but simply get locked away. The familiar heat I had grown used to below my navel had cooled off considerably. Up until then, I''d never realized just how much I relied on my bending abilities. It wasn''t all bad things I suppose. Agog before me grunted a little, leaning on his lance for support. The restriction had also hit him hard. His demonic energy was similarly shackled, leaving the both of us fighting in an even playing field. "Begin!" Once the word was dropped, dust rose up behind Agog as he took a running leap. He reached 20 meters at the apex of his jump and came down with the force of a wrecking ball. "Yarrgh!" A metallic clang! Rang out as I used the broad side of Equity to block the strike. The force pushed me to my knees with a grunt. Agog pulled back and shot his foot forward, aimed at my solar plexus, I spun out of the way, still on my knees and swiped out Equity, lengthening the blade to a saber form. The edge of the blade met the long shaft of his lance and sparks flew out. I used the impact generated from the clash of weapons to pull away in a roll, standing up swiftly just as the pointy end of Agog''s spear shot towards my head. I leaned back and watched the bladed end sail over my face then get pulled back to aim for my neck. Equity changed to it''s short sword form and diverted the shaft of the lance to the side. I grabbed his weapon near the blade and tried to haul his body towards me using my superior strength. I had him just barely beat out in that category. Yet he outclassed me in my base speed. I could have traded my strength for his speed in this particular fight any day. Speed was key in a weapons fight. The moment I touched the lance, spikes appeared on its length and stabbed into the hardened skin of my palm. I winced in pain and let it go just in time. He had tugged it, aiming to shred my skin into strips of flesh. Ducking under the fast stab of the spear, I pointed Equity at him and the sword suddenly lengthened from 12 inches to 50 meters. Agog tipped back out of the way and stepped to the side just as Equity changed form into a heavy sword, slammed down onto the ground and cut into the arena. Agog twirled his spear to his right hand, then blitzed towards me covering the distance in a split second. Equity changed form into the short sword once more and I brought it up to block his slash, only for him to pull his hand back and throw the lance at me. I widened my eyes as the Lance hit the handle of my weapon in such a precise angle that I was forced to let go. Both weapons flew away to land a few meters from the two of us. Agog came in with a devastating punch to my right cheek, I intercepted it, but was too slow to evade the next combo which was a second fist aimed at my kidney and once I doubled over in pain, an elbow strike to the top of my head. I blocked the elbow with my forearm, feeling the muscles of my hand seize in pain. The distraction caused by the pain kept me from seeing the knee strike to my face that threw my head and body back. I almost blacked out from the hit. My body sailed through the air disoriented but not too out of it to use a technique Canary had taught us on how to tuck and roll. Surviving a fall was the first lesson we had had with her. I got back to my feet, ready for his follow-up move. My forearms came up in a guard across my chest, successfully blocking the hard double kick from the demon. The force behind the attack sent me flying towards the wall of the stadium. A breath of air escaped my chest at the tough hit. Everything was beginning to hurt now but I wasn''t done. Not even close. Even as I said that, my condition looked sorry. My nose was broken and I had a split lip while my opponent looked no worse for wear. "Agog!! Agog!! Agog!!" The hoard cheered for him. The noise shook the stadium, reminding me of a football match only this was much much crazier. They adored him while all I could hear about me were insults and threats. Oh well. You can''t have it all. I left an impression of my body on the hardened stone and flipped away from the his knee strike. While in midair I held out a hand, landing on the ground just as Equity flew into my grip. Agog had meanwhile bounded off the wall and was coming down on top of me with his fists held together for a hammer fist. Equity was held behind me, concealed. His fall brought him closer to me and I waited until he was almost on top before slashing out my sword to horizontally split him into two. The swing was unfortunately diverted by a timely intervention from his lance, which sped from the side to knock Equity back. He gripped his lance while I used the momentum from the pushback to spin. Equity changed form from the saber to a replica of Thor''s Stormbreaker. As it was a bladed weapon, Equity could take on it''s form. The only difference was that the hammer side was much bigger than Stormbreaker''s. I heaved and with a grunt landed a massive strike to his side using the hammer. Agog shot off like a bullet escaping a gun. He slammed onto the bars closing off the arena from the outside and bent them. Equity changed form into a Katana as I took a second to rest a little. The crowds that had been cheering for Agog were now a bit quieter. I could feel their shock and surprise at the turn of events. None had expected me to make a comeback from the heavy onslaught Agog had dealt me. To be honest, that attack had mostly been a lucky hit. But they didn''t need to know that. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I eyed Neron, who was sitting imperially on his throne and brought a hand to my nose, fixing it in one swift jerk. My eyes teared up and I blinked to clear my vision. A drip of blood fell down my nostril. Lazily wiping it off, I pointed Equity at Neron. The demon ground his teeth but said nothing. Those few precious seconds I''d bought helped get rid of my fuzzy vision. Agog could hit, alright. It felt like I was fighting someone much physically stronger than me despite having the definite edge in terms of raw power. In other words, he could leverage his strength better than I could. And it all started and ended with his footwork. Somehow the way he moved allowed his muscles, to all work in tandem to exert the level of force required and that was it. If I was to win this, I needed to somehow get to that level over the course of our fight. That or find a way to hit him with another surprise attack. Something that was definitely easier said than done. Agog fell to the ground after extricating him from the now folded bars with a wince. A hand held his chest gingerly as he eyed me from across the distance in a cold frustrated anger. "You are unrefined. Like impure iron. Had you been given enough time...then this battle would not be over so quickly. As it stands, I have over a millennia of experience. Give up human." Those were the first words he''d spoken to me ever since we''d both faced off in the arena. The crowd roared in approval. Mostly. It was surprising to hear Agog get insulted as a few demons shifted sides to chant my name. ''Hello, mom and dad, you won''t believe this but I''m famous in hell!'' All jokes aside, I smiled a little, feeling my injuries get healed by my enhanced healing. "So it only takes one hit to get you talking huh? Good to know." Agog narrowed his eyes and stated, "Fuck you." I raised an eyebrow at the uninspired insult and shrugged. Uninspired it might have been but...why fix something that isn''t... I didn''t have enough time to complete that thought as Agog decided the time for talking was over. He gripped his lance on his right dominant hand and sent forth slashes and swings that had me scrambling backwards to evade. This time he was relentless. Abandoning conventional skill to just go at it using his experience. It almost felt like he was teaching me how to fight using a lance. The possibility of it being a trick entered my mind but when I jumped away to make some distance, Equity flowed out and changed forms from a short sword to a replica of the Lance on Agog''s hands. A brief smile of satisfaction flashed on his lips before his face changed into an expression of anger. "You dare human!" His spear dipped low and rested on his right leg for a split second before I looked back at his face, all the while paying close attention to his hidden message. ''Watch my footwork.'' He leaned forward and I immediately dodged to the side, the lance in my hands coming up to deflect the slash aimed at my chest from the right. Agog pulled back while shifting his left leg. I jumped over the swing from the shaft, aimed at sweeping my legs from under me and slammed the lance in my hands down at his form. Agog brought up his own weapon in a slanted positioning, causing Equity to slide off the length of his lance in a shower of sparks. Agog shoved me away, to which I transitioned into a low roll and got back up a few short meters away. Agog came in fast. The pointed end of the spear was dipped down, the broad side facing me for a reason. He lacerated the ground with the blade, leading to dust rising up and covering my eyes. Knowing I was fucked if I couldn''t see, Equity immediately changed forms into it''s Dragon Slayer form and blocked my front. The swing of the spear landed near the handle of the large sword and scraped by my shoulder, leaving behind a torn sleeve of my trench coat and a gushing wound. Luckily I''d timely blocked the hit that was racing towards my heart. I ducked and turned Equity into a whip sword, slashing out in a spin to send him back while I blinked my eyes open. The sword whistled through the air and I heard a wince come from my right side while I blearily blinked my eyes. They cleared up and I was finally able to see more than a blur. Agog was cautiously walking around me, looking for an opening I''d wager. My heart on the other hand was slamming inside my chest. That had been too close for comfort. It was clear that while he was willing to show me a few pointers, probably to make the fight more interesting for him, his main priority wad still to win. And the fact that he had almost skewered my heart with his Lance due to a dirty trick, showed me I wasn''t fighting at my level best. And...I didn''t know if I could. He was a demon, deviousness was in him. "Enough posturing! Agog, finish him!" Neron spoke up from his throne and Agog stiffened. He looked back up at his lord and nodded his head. When the helmet wearing Demon turned to me, he was deathly serious. I breathed in to center myself and bring my full focus to surviving this. Equity hummed in my hands comfortingly. It was time for the final clash. In an unseen signal, we both disappeared from our position. There was a clash in midair, which resulted in a massive shockwave that raised the dust in the arena and blew upon the demons in the stands as we used our full strength to fight. The impact threw us both back. I landed, my feet digging furrows under me and shot back towards Agog. Our strikes made the air hum. A slash was deflected here by a hack. A stab aimed at my belly was diverted to gouge flesh off my hip, a kick was evaded in favor of leaning back and colliding my fist with his chin. He moved with the action but was out of it for a few seconds, his spear coming up through instinct alone to block my own from stabbing through his chest. Dark blood poured off his chest from the slash I had inflicted on him while he flipped away, using the butt of the spear to ward me off. I moved in with purpose. I could win this! I could actually...My feet faltered. The knees lost strength and I was left clutching my chest in agony. Pain squeezed the breath out of me, while my skin started feeling hot and feverish. What was happening? I looked at him where he was holding his spear, pointed out straight at me and came to the likely conclusion that I had been poisoned. "Your...spear is poisoned?" I questioned, the wounds inflicted on me by the spear felt numb. How had I not noticed it before? I looked at the skin of my injured palm and saw the green tint coloring my dried blood. The wound was still healing but not nearly as fast as it should have. Instead of answering the question, Agog snorted,his eyes shining with riducule. "This is hell, and I am a demon. What did you expect? A fair battle? Yield or die." I swallowed. No matter how stubborn or confident in my skills I was, this was my loss. It was already getting hard to move. Though I could tell my body only needed some rest to flush it out of my system but as stated before, in a high speed battle like this, the slower one would probably lose. I looked Agog in the eyes and although my heart burned in rage, both at myself and my opponent, I muttered the words I had been afraid of, ever since the fight had begun. "I yield." The Victor (Aden''s P.O.V) I...lost. The thought rang through my head a million times over yet, it felt alien. Untrue. However the reality was apparent. I had fought, given it my all which now that I thought about it...was not the ultimate level of effort I could put out. The battle had ended just as I was getting in the groove of things. It had ended before I had hit the peak of what I could do. A grey hand appeared in my vision. I looked up from my downcast position and met Agog''s red eyes. "You fought valiantly. Your skills only need a little polish and maybe next time the outcome will be different." Despite the situation, I smiled a little, grabbing his arm and letting him hoist me up. "Next time? Are you implying you want a rematch?" I asked him with false cheer. Agog snorted. "Aye. In a few centuries perhaps." With that, the demon turned and walked amid the thunderous cheers and applause from the crowd. He stopped midway and looked at me, from the corner of his eye. "I have neutralized the poison, per the terms of the challenge, you are allowed to be at your best before each task." "Agog!" Neron shouted angrily from his seat. Agog stiffened imperceptibly and smoothly bowed. "Apologies my Lord." I threw a glance at Neron. So he had planned to pressure me into the next task while I wasn''t completely healed huh? Agog telling me that had just ruined his little scheme. A shadow appeared above my head. I looked up and saw Lucifer dressed in a marvelous white suit, his hair blonde and black wings gently swaying in the air, up close my senses were going haywire around him. My powers had instantly come back after the fight so I could trust in my energy sense once again. Having them restricted showed me just how much work I needed to do on elevating my physique and close range skills. I didn''t want to be caught off guard like that again. I...had lost. Lucifer smiled at me, his red eyes full of humour. "Are you ready to continue Aden? Or do you need a time out?" The demons around us all started laughing at me in ridicule. I stretched my body a little, eyes set on Neron as I answered. "I''ll take the break." This wasn''t the time to act reckless. Taking time to heal up was the correct thing going into the next challenge. Neron snorted. "Coward." I said nothing, only promising to make him eat his words when I won this. "Hahaha I think not. I call it having a head between his shoulders." The demon lady sitting on one of the Thrones said. She eyed Neron from the corner of her eyes. "Something I''m sure you don''t." Her taunt made Neron fume but one glance at Lucifer and he calmed down. I looked at the female demon, wondering why she had defended me at all. She noticed my attention and winked at me. I looked away after that and a second later, my surroundings changed. I found myself sitting in a bench inside a garden, that resembled a particularly beautiful spot in a park back in L.A. "I was never really one for places like these." A soft voice called out from behind me. I didn''t need to look back to see who it was. A smile spread across my face without urging. " I missed you." I said, honesty pouring off my words. I plucked a blade of grass from the ground and ran a finger along it. "This feels... incredibly real." I stared at Maze in question just as she propped down on the bench. "Yet it lacks something." She completed, taking the blade from my hands, only for it to turn into a stream of scarlet light that disappeared into midair. "It''s a projection. A mental one. It can''t interact with the one who created it but I can imagine it feeling like real to anyone else." She explained. "Wow." I said, in intrigue. "Any reason it resembles a real place back on earth." I nudged her gently with my shoulder. Maze scrunched up her nose. "Don''t get me wrong. The gray and smog filled skies of hell do it for me but...I wanted something to remind me of my time spent in the human world." She stared at me with a look I couldn''t quite decipher. "Of you." My cheeks heated up a little and I was shocked to find out that Maze could still leave me a stuttering mess after all this time. I looked away and sucked in a deep breath. "Welp I wasn''t expecting that." I chuckled a little. "But it''s good to see you again too Maze. Nothing is the same up there without the two of you." "I bet." She leaned back on the bench. "Lucifer put the building under your name." My mouth opened wide as I threw her a surprised gaze. "Come again." She giggled a little. "Yeah. Think of it as my parting gift. But no wild parties with regular tramps." I rolled my eyes. "If you want to tramps, I told you I could introduce you to some supernatural ones. Trust me, they can suck..." "Ok ok ok TMI!" I hurriedly cut her off, seeing where this conversation was going. Maze laughed as she did everytime she managed to make me flustered. "Still, what were you guys thinking leaving a nightclub to a teenager? Don''t I need like...a permit for that?" She shrugged. "He''s the Morningstar, permit schmamits. And who said anything about the nightclub. He left you the complex. The whole building is listed under Aden Strong. You''ll find the papers in your room." Her explanation didn''t satisfy me at all but to be honest, it was high time I got myself a base on earth. "You know what?", I shook my head. "I''ll just think about this later. Something tells me I''ll need my whole focus on the second task. If I lose this, I lose it all. But if I win it, I''ll make it to the Third Task and hopefully end this." Maze sat up straighter. Her fist, placed on the knee was tightened. "You have to be careful." She stated. "Don''t you think I know that?" I shot back in a huff. "I''m trying Maze...There''s no one else to do this. No one else to come and save her, so it falls to me. And I''m afraid...I''m afraid that I only have what it takes to save myself or her, but not the both of us." I felt a gentle hand fall on my shoulder. "You''re wrong. There are plenty of beings capable, if not more, of storming to hell and trying to bargain for her release." She chuckled. "She''s an angel Aden. A part of Heaven''s host, you think they would ever let one of theirs stay captive in the infernal realms? The other factions would ridicule them and if there''s anything Metatron likes...it''s to prove the superiority of heaven above all." Her words pulled me out of my worry. "So stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You''re not in this alone. No matter how much it feels like it. Trust me when I say... someone has your back." I raised my eyebrows. "Does that someone wear a white suit with blonde hair, red eyes and black wings the color of the night?" I asked hopefully. Maze snorted, crossing he legs and stretching her hands out to rest on the frames of the bench. "Fishing for some info are we?" "Yes." I admitted. The Lilim sighed, contemplating on how to answer. "Look Aden, just do your part. Kick some ass and leave the rest to whom it concerns." She didn''t give me a direct answer but that somehow eased me. Her face changed however, a serious look crossing over it. "But you still have to be very careful." She held up a hand to silence my next words. "You invoked the ancient laws and even worse, The First Circle." She threw me a look that told me how foolish that move had been. Damn you Gabriel and your perfect logic that I saw no flaws in. Damn you. "That means in the eyes of those who matter...if you lose, you shall keep the end of the bargain. There is no escaping that fate." She paused to let that sink in. "Keep your head in the game and remember...you are more powerful than you realize." I felt a sudden brush of lips against my cheek and a second later, I was all alone in the garden. Maze had disappeared yet by staying in the garden,I could feel her presence all the more clear. "Thanks Maze." I looked down at my body and the state I was in. My wounds had almost healed enough for me to do some meditation. I crossed my legs and took in a deep breath. The familiar heat of my inner fire was warm beneath my navel. It rose up with barely any urging, filling me up with luscious heat that ran through my body, burning away the remnants of damage done by Agog''s poisoned Lance. In that position, I started thinking of the second task. I needed to make sure I won this. And according to the rules, I had one chance to choose the challenge. I couldn''t allow myself to lose this next bout because if I did, I would inadvertently lose the whole challenge and end up as Neron''s slave for all eternity. So I had to pick the challenge for our second clash and I had to pick it in way that stacked up the odds in my favor. I stiffened as a devious plan appeared in my mind. The match with Agog had shown me that I couldn''t rely on fair play. To that end, I had to exploit the rules of the challenge as well as my opponent. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. If things went the way I was planning...then I wouldn''t have to worry about the third task at all. It would instantly become meaningless. And even if the third task still happened despite the plan that was now becoming fleshed out, I still had one more card up my sleeve to play. The helmet of Fate, Equity and Gabriel''s horn was a combo no one would take lightly. Really, Neron would regret ever fucking with me. For this to work though, let''s hope he''s as cocky and arrogant as he seems. After a meditation session that lasted for 2 hours or so, my skin released waves of heat and my body was now back to tip top shape. I rose up and looked at my palm. The skin looked unblemished. Just a few white scars that remained from the holes stabbed into it from Agog''s lance. I tightened my fist and felt the power inside me buzzing with the current of my inner flame. I looked up at the sky. "I''m ready." My surroundings changed once again and I found myself standing in the middle of the Arena. A few things were different however. For starters, there were a few demon hawkers dressed in various food establishments names, selling...food to the spectators. A particularly loud demon dressed in a t shirt with a McDonald''s Logo was hawking the crowd, Vanilla shakes. Like what in the hell? Get it? See what I did there? The damage from my fight with Agog was nowhere to be seen as well and below the Demon Lord''s stand, Alyssa or rather Cerial was present. She was still encased in a sphere of clear glass. Her face stared at me with worry. That stopped me short...she was worried for me. I forced a smile on my face and nodded in what I hoped was assurance. She didn''t buy it so I decided to simply turn my sights to the asshole responsible for all this. The chants and outcry from the demons sitting in the stands quieted down when I raised a hand. The demon Lords all leaned forward to hear what I had to say. The Fly Demon who I was now sure was none other than Beelzebub just based on mythological and biblical texts blinked his large compound eyes owlishly. Azazel seemed more interested in Lucifer who was calmly sat above them, face hidden in the shadows of the castle with only glowing red eyes visible. Lady Blaze had her head cocked to the side, the other hand propped under her ample assets. Nope. Not going to look down there and Neron...the bastard had the look of anticipation on his face. A small snide smile full of arrogance as he looked down on me. Dick. "Neron, at the risk of sounding obvious, you won the first round." A few murmurs sprang up. I cleared my throat. "That ends now." Silence. Then...laughter. The sound filled the whole amphitheatre, taking me back to a few unflattering moments back in highschool. Let''s just say...this perfect face wasn''t always so smooth. "Did Agog hit you too hard in the head?" Neron laughed. "You''d like that wouldn''t you?" I smiled. "But no, Prince of Lies. I just figured out a way to beat you." All traces of humor fled from his face. His green eyes shone with an intense light. "Oh, pray do tell." The stadium had quieted down considerably. "Easy...by stomping your ugly mug to the floor. By breaking your bones till they''re nothing but dust inside your flesh. By melting your face off your skull. By cutting off your dick and balls and shoving them down your throat. By stringing up your dead corpse by the entrails and watching these other sick fucks sitting their fucked assholes in the stands fight over who gets a piece of the stripped, split, pulped, shredded remains of what was once your body." I paused amid the shocked pin drop silence. "I am not going to just best you Prince of Lies...I am going to emasculate you, I am going to tan your hide, punish you in ways that daddy dearest couldn''t. I am going to be your nightmare." The air chilled, a layer of frost covering the whole arena. The cold anger on his face as Neron established eye contact, was one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen. My heart skipped a mighty beat, pumping so fast that it sent my body in a hyperactive state of fight or flight. My nails dug into my skin while I carefully did everything in my will to not lose the lazy and mocking smile on my face. The smile said...''come and get me.'' First step, the subtle manipulation to make him lose his shit, success. On to the second step. "I don''t even care about what the next challenge is going to be. You can even choose the strongest demon you got to do your dirty work for you." I shrugged. "The only thing I want...is to choose the location." A suspicious glint appeared in his eyes. I pretended not to notice it and spread my hands, looking around at the stands. "I don''t think it''s going to be completely fair for me to tackle the next challenge while surrounded by such... loathsome looks." It wasn''t even an exaggeration. My words had clearly set the spectators off. And now we were back to the name calling, threats of my life, sexual harassments and you know...the standard fair. I stepped back a little, avoiding the Plastic cup of a vanilla shake from the McDonald''s demon dude. "You suck!" His voice was particularly distinguishable from the rest. I snorted while erecting a shield of air to block away the projectiles from the stands. "See...What if one of them gets the bright idea to jump in while I''m completely crushing you in the next challenge?" I asked I what I hoped was a reasonable tone. "He has a point." Beelzebub droned from his seat. One look from Neron and he went silent. Though there was a level of interest fir me that had not been there before on Beelzebub''s face. A seductive laugh was heard from the last of the four thrones. "Hahaha are you scared Neron? I find the terms quite... agreeable." The prince of Lies face went beet red, he looked at Lady Blaze and ground his teeth before staring back at me and coming to a decision. "Fine. You choose the place." And with that I knew Neron had fallen for the bait. Hook, line and sinker. A bloodthirsty smile spread across his face. His killing intent beared down onto my shoulders that I felt as if my body was about to break. "But you''re not getting off so easy human." He rose up to his total height, his presence overshadowing everything and everyone present save for the silent monarch content to watch the proceedings from the balcony above. "I have grown tired of this farce. The next challenge is a fight to the death. I no longer require your...services." He laughed maniacally. My face had changed into an expression of unfiltered terror. "Despair for your next opponent is...Me." A look of utter hopelessness warring with a determination was what they saw when they looked at me. Yet, inside I was rejoicing. Rejoicing because whether he knew it or not, Neron had just signed his death warrant. "The fight shall...sh...shall happen in my dimension. A deserted...a deserted island." I closed my eyes, pretending I was trying to center myself. I increased the heat inside me to a high degree, making a trail of sweat fall down my forehead as I gulped in fear. I would never been a great actor but the good thing was that I wasn''t just acting...Neron was fucking scary. At the mention of my dimension, almost every demon perked up. Beelzebub looked ready to take Neron''s spot, alternating to look between us eagerly. "Did he say earth?!" "Earth, humans...souls!!" "Road trip!" The hoard were quick to mistake my words. I mean if you were a demon, you would assume that when a human said '' their dimension'' they meant earth. Unfortunately, Neron was too lost in his blood lust and impatient to kill me that that little detail went... unnoticed. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Azazel eyes seemed...off. They were a bit narrowed in suspicion. He could feel that something was off with the whole thing. Luckily he was content to keep silent. I didn''t want him saying something to Neron to make him reconsider the deal. Lady Blaze on the other hand looked at me knowingly. Hers weren''t suspicion. She knew I was trying to fuck over Neron in some way. Neron''s eyes blazed with...hunger. An insatiable thirst upon hearing where the fight would happen. Of course earth was the most attractive prospect to someone like him. I threw a glance at the red eyes staring at us down from the shadows and felt...a feeling of pride emanate from Luci. By now it was pretty obvious what the plan was. All that remained was to officially announce the start of the second and hopefully last challenge. Almost in unison, everyone looked up at the balcony, where the King of Hell was. A shadow that turned out to be Maze, jumped off the balcony from behind Lucifer, black bat like wings appearing from her back in midair. She flapped the limbs I had never once laid my eyes on before and hovered above us. She threw an impassive look my way, although I could tell from the glint in her eyes she was a little worried. All anyone else saw however was an ice queen, Lucifer''s consort. "As per the agreement made by both parties, the next challenge shall occur on the Challenger''s chosen location." She paused. "A fight to the death. Whoever remains shall be the victor. The conditions set have therefore automatically changed the stakes of the whole challenge. Hence, due to to this development, both parties will evaluate what they will offer to the one who wins." Neron took that as his cue. "Nothing has changed for me. In the unlikely event that this... misguided child fells me, the damnable angel shall be freed." He spat out, looking at Cerial in disgust. "The only thing I shall demand from your corpse..." he trailed off and started laughing creepily. "Is your sword." Equity hummed in my hands. I looked at it and felt a coldness grip my heart. My finger gently rubbed the crossguard of the weapon. I clenched my jaw and answered him. "Deal. But that is never going to happen." "We''ll see about that." He responded with a grin. I swallowed my reply and took a knee, ignoring them all for what I was about to do. My awareness stretched out to encompass the whole arena. Using my air sense, energy sense and spiritual attunement, I could account for anything in a range of about a few thousand meters. Not terribly huge but the information overload was manageable as long as I didn''t keep it up for too long. A yellow light sprang up from below me, enlargening with a sudden pulse and hum. Then the Whole structure started sinking into the boom tube. I knew why it had been easy to create a portal now than before. It must have been Lucifer''s doing. In Hell he had the absolute command and now that I had leveraged myself to a position where I could end this mission once and for all...it made sense that he would loosen the restrictions placed on hell to allow me to create a boom tube. The light show ended and the hoard were all surprised by the change of scenery. An ocean that spread out endlessly, a few dark spots, which were islands, the only thing breaking the uniformity of the water. I breathed in the air of my realm and floated up like a god. Which...in essence I actually was. At least here. The authority I could command filled me up, casting an invisible aura of power around my body. With each successive understanding of myself and my spirits, I increased my connection with the realm itself. So I was currently not as strong as I was when I faced Mammon in Connor''s body. By my estimation I was more than two times stronger. I could feel everything without using any of my senses. I was everything. The water, the greenery, the rocks, the very air...my heart beat in the same tune as the realm...and the demons could feel it. They stirred with restlessness as my Realm subconsciously rejected them. The lords especially Neron could feel the hostility the very air housed for anything impure. "You lied!!! This is not earth!" Neron shouted, priming his power, whether to escape or attack me was inconsequential. He had lost. I looked down at the stadium and waved a hand. Immediately, spacial manipulation was locked. Many demons rebounded back to their seats once they found out that they had been tricked and tried to flee through opening rifts. Those that failed decided to turn towards attacking me. Despite the fact that the Ancient Laws would have worked in my favor and destroyed them, Equity appeared in my hands. It buzzed with power. Dark shadows rose up in multitudes, flying towards me in clear hostility. I looked down at them imperiously. They dared to act so... casually before me. Tainting the santuty of my realm by their very presence. I didn''t want to just destroy them. That meant leaving behind corpses. I wanted to burn them excessively till they were nothing but ash, drifting in the wind. I held on to that cold resolve and striked. The Katana cut through the air. A blue wave of fire exploded out of the sword. My eyes widened imperceptibly as I swiped away the text box that had appeared in my vision. I had merely willed to make my flames as cutting as my blade. Less emphasis on explosive power and more on quick dispatch of the infernal hoard rising up to challenge me, yet I had unlocked a new Subskill without even trying. The fire beared down on the Demons, tens of thousands of them and ate them up. The smell of sulphur saturated the surroundings as it passed over the attackers, the flame arc falling down on the stadium. A compressed air shield appeared at my urging and protected those that had chosen to stay seated on their stands. The blue flames washed over the now shimmering stadium and decimated the island it was on. The palm trees were uprooted, dust and steam rising up as an aftereffect while the bedrock sank beneath the roiling water. The ocean water pulled in to occupy the now empty trenches made from the destroyed shoreline. All that was left was the amphitheatre, seemingly floating in the open water. I twirled Equity in my hands and floated down slowly. A strange look passed over my face as I stopped in mid air and looked out towards one direction. "Guys, I need you to stay as far away from this place as you can. It''s not safe." I ordered my curious spirits who had felt my presence and were now hurrying towards me to see what the commotion was all about. "But..." Hakai tried to argue but I cut her off. "No buts Kai. Take your sister and brother and leave. Breeze, I can feel you sneakily switching forms to a cloud. Don''t do it." I warned the precocious spirit and all I got was the feeling of disappointment. I sighed. "Look, I promise to take you guys out for a visit anywhere on earth you want, if you do what I say." I said enticingly. "Disneyland!!!" Breeze and Hakai shouted in excitement. Ho did they even know about Disneyland?! "Alright, it''s a deal. Now go and play somewhere else." Sure enough, feelings of happy excitement came through the link and I felt them go back they way they came. I missed the look of curiosity on Lucifer''s face. "Now where were we?" I coldly asked as I finally stepped foot on the arena. "Damn you. You tricked me! By the ancient laws I demand a recourse!!" Neron dictated. "Recourse?" I laughed, staring at the gathered demons whose moods had swiftly changed. Even the other three Hell Lords looked tense at my every move. They had probably tried to break through the restriction I had placed on portalling out and failed. "Where do you get the nerve to demand any form of recourse, Neron?" He made to speak but I held up a hand and silenced him with my authority. A throne made from ornate gold, carefully carved precious stones and the symbol of Raava on the head rest appeared behind me just as I leaned back and propped myself on it. The Throne floated serenely in the air. "You''ve said enough for today." Neron threw me such an aggrieved look of anger,I almost missed the fear that briefly flashed across his face. "Let me make something clear to all of you." I announced, throwing a wide glance. "I never said anything about the challenge taking place on earth. I believe my correct wording was, ''my dimension'' ." A chuckle escaped me. "And it''s a place where I have full authority over anything and everything." As my words fell, the sky above us shifted from day to night, back to day. I flicked a hand and time reversed, reverting the state of the destroyed island to what it was before. "Using your own arrogance, anger and hate, I manauvered you into a position where you fell for my plan. And the worst part or the best part to me I guess." I shrugged, pointing an accusing finger at Azazel and the Blaze. "They felt something was off." This time I laughed even harder. "But because of your own prejudice, pride and hatred for one another...you now find yourself in this position. So tell me, Prince of Lies, what is your next move?" Neron threw heated glances to the rest of his colleagues and quickly came to an obvious conclusion. He let go or rather...stepped down on his anger. "We have to work together." Even as he said that, his greatest sin of pride warred with the decision. I could see it had taken everything for him to state that but my attention was not in any of them. Even the monologue was a way to hide my telepathic communication with the one figure who despite my authority in this place would still pose a threat I could not trump over. Lucifer mulled over my question without replying so I asked it again. "Who do you want left alive?" The answer soon appeared on my mind in the form of only two names. And just like that, the fate of everyone else had been sealed. The Conclusion (General P.O.V) Back on earth, not even 30 minutes had gone by since, Aden had left for hell. But in that span of time, so much had happened. For starters, there had been a break out at Arkham Asylum with Batman trying to curb the widespread disaster the inmates were pouring out on Gotham. Then the Trench had decided to attack 4 of Atlantis'' city states which had needed full league response upon Aquaman''s request for assistance. The team, 10 minutes after getting back together with the League had been split into two groups sans Robin. Robin was with Batman handling the Arkham issue. The first team consisted of Superboy and Aqualad who were strong enough to survive the pressures of the sea and Artemis who could control the Bio-ship, coordinating the Justice League and Atlantis'' soldiers to fight off the Trench. Even with Atlan''s trident, King Orin had found it hard to control the underwater creatures. It was like their minds were overtaken by a deep lust for chaos. The second team consisted of Miss Martian and Kid Flash who were with Canary and Martian Manhunter at the Watchtower. Black Canary was tasked with coordinated all the teams and sending updates on the situations. Manhunter and his niece on the other hand were trying to dive into Superman''s mind to attempt bringing him back while Kid Flash was mostly there to watch over their forms. (Aden''s P.O.V) Oftentimes characters in movies, anime or comic books who are said to be higher tiered than almost any other character in the setting, never show the upper limits of what they can do due to never being pushed to that level. I think of that perceived peak of their power as the best example of a cushy, ignorant comfort zone. One of two things will most definitely happen. One, if they ever meet their equal, they will either get beaten so badly for their complacency or two, beat the other guy so soundly because of misjudging their actual power. Both roads lead to one eventual destination, stagnation. Why the rant huh? Simple, my conjectures were being proven correct by the utterly poor showing the Demon Lords were showcasing when they attacked me at Neron''s urging. All power, no finesse. But I''m getting ahead of myself. Let me back track a little. "We have to work together." I heard Neron suggest to the other three Hell Lords. A slow smile appeared on my face I leaned back into my throne, crossing one leg over the other. "He''s right you know." I called out. Their attention all came to rest on me. I ran my gaze around them. "As it stands...none of you can hope to match me. And so to give the Prince of Lies a fighting chance, something he never granted me, I shall allow it." I felt a change in the conditions of the fight. As long as Neron did not oppose the change...it was now a fight of one vs many. My words were met with anger from the Demon Lords. Two of them, while not flattered by my statements had the good sense instead of jumping in for the time being. However, before Neron could use his power to attack me, an unlikely figure butted in. "Impudent brat! How dare you act so arrogantly before us!!" Beelzebub was quick to interject, his form monstrously ballooning up in size. "Whoa." I commented in a little intrigue. Beelzebub reminded me of Mnemoth. Good times. My smile stretched even wider, gaining a touch of eagerness. Let''s see what you can do. (General P.O.V) His throne was crushed under his weight as the now 20 meters tall, fly man jumped off the stands and exploded into billions of buzzing insects. The chittering bugs were coal black with large scissor like pincers and an aspect of energy that felt distinctly similar to a darkened cave with no visible end. Gluttony. "Is he?" Lady Blaze questioned from where the rest of them were still sitting, seemingly unperturbed by Beelzebub''s outraged charge. "Fool. Changing directly into his demon form to attack a mere human! Bah!" Neron ridiculed. One of Azazel''s numerous pair of eyes narrowed. Was Neron this disillusioned? Hadn''t they all beared witness to the death of thousands of demons against the child''s fearsome power! (Aden''s P.O.V) The cloud of insects covered the sky above the Stadium. Magical shields were deployed by the high ranked demons remaining. They seemed worried. Fear dictating their actions as Beelzebub''s form flew around, winding like migrating locusts before plunging down towards me. I stayed put. One hand propped on the frame of the throne to support my chin while the other was around Equity''s handle. "Let''s see what you got, Demon." I muttered. "Realm, record the biometric signatures of every creature not native to the dimensions and start a file titled ''Deciphering the demon form''. I want to know if its magic that allows them to shift their physical bodies into an aspect tied directly to the essence within them or a conceptual feature woven into their unique genetic map. And while you''re at it, start a contrast file titled Angels with a particular focus on an evolutionary path or relation between a demon and an angel. Cerial will serve well for the second subroutine." The answer came in seconds. (Affirmative) And then I was swallowed by a dense cloud of bugs. At the last minute, I phased my body by vibrating my molecules along with anything I was in contact with by merely wishing. Anything was possible for me in my dimension after all. A panorama of energy registered in my senses as he passed through me. My spiritual attunement told me that he didn''t possess a soul. Not like a mortal being did. A demon was a different creature all on its own. It''s an ambiguous essence of state. Offshoots of the presence yet warped, changed into reflections of what they represented in the past. I wonder if I can ... My inner energy rose up from within me, taking form into a blue flame that flickered around my body. Seemingly weak yet it burned deeper and more thoroughly than anything I had ever controlled before. A screech escaped the dark cloud as it manifested behind me. Beelzebub took on his humanoid form and fell to the ground, his body burned, the wings blazing blue with my flame. He reached out a hand towards Lucifer, pleadingly. "Help mmmm..." His charred remains, fell to the arena ground and broke down into ash. Terror gripped every being around... "No..." "How?!" "He...he killed a Hell Lord! What chance do we have!!?" Lady Blaze gripped the frame of her throne in fear. "I...I can''t feel Beelzebub anymore." Azazel have no response while Neron simply gritted his teeth. His mind was working overtime trying to come up with a plan because...things were not looking too good. I looked at the stands, particularly the demon who had asked that. After my brief mental conversation with Lucifer, I understood things better. "Look around you. At your compatriots, your colleagues, your... accomplices." My statements had them doing exactly that. "Notice anything...strange?" I questioned. Even I hadn''t seen it before. It took Lucifer pointing it out to me to understand. My eyes wandered to the three Hell Lords present and I witnessed realization dawn in their eyes. I smiled. "Now you get it." The throne behind me disappeared yet I remained floating above the hoard. The center of their terrified gazes. A part of me wondered absentmindedly, ''how had he known that we would get to this point? How did he plan this?'' Unfortunately, being cryptic and mysterious was always part of Lucifer''s whole schtick. Infact, he reminded me of Iroh in that particular aspect. I wonder what would happen if I introduced them. There''s an idea. I discarded that thought process and brought my attention to ending this once and for all. Azazel''s form billowed out like a huge blanket before I could say anything. The interesting thing was...he didn''t attack me. No, he did something even dumber. "Lucifer!!!! You planned this! Damn you Samael!!" Hell flame shot out of his body and wrapped around the balcony set in the castle above them. The stone was quickly licked apart by the terrifyingly hot flames, the demons escaping their fate only because I used my authority to shield them. It wasn''t time for them to die. They could prove to be useful still. I took a step, covering the distance between me and the castle in a split second, and appeared before The Lightbringer''s front. The balcony was behind me as well as Lucifer''s confident presence. Black Flames spread across the length of the walls, propelled through the anger of the Hell Lord, seeking a futile result, the death of Lucifer. Stalwart, I stood between the impossible task and the too enraged Hell Lord to understand the fruitless endeavor of his impulsive actions. "My first time truly saving someone and I went for the devil. Talk about overachieving." I threw that over my shoulder, smirking when I heard a soft laugh. "I give you a 4 out of 10 for the quip." Luci told me, taking a sip from the wine glass. Maze, was standing behind him, gently massaging his shoulders, rolled her eyes. I reoriented my body and stood horizontally on the vertical wall, looking down at the approaching enormous plumes of hell fire. I could end this in a heartbeat. So why didn''t I? Simple, I had just gotten another Subskill and unexpected or not, this was as good a time as any to see how effective blue fire was from the common flame. I had seen it could hurt Demons just as the holy flame I had wielded with the Light did to Mnemoth, though to a much less degree. Beelzebub could attest to that. Yeah...he wasn''t dead despite looking like a pile of ash...just imprisoned in the same place I kept Black Adam and Masali. Equity changed form into a thick lance made of dense material, looking more like a staff with a blade at the end than a regular spear. I slammed it down on the wall, cracks spreading out from the point of impact along the black surface of the huge structure. "You shall not pass!" A blast of blue flames exploded out downwards like a Tsunami, set straight for a collision course with the hell flames. Like two monsters fighting for survival, the blue and black flames roiled around each other, entangling and pushing for dominance, each aiming to swallow the other. I swung out Equity, controlling the flames like a maestro to cover my sides as the hell fire was no joke. As a consequence, a tornado of flames manifested from between us before eventually unravelling into a purple fire that covered our surroundings with no discernible victor. I slashed out with Equity, getting rid of all the black smoke floating about from the clash of both flames. Azazel saw me. It felt like he''d been ignoring me all this time but now he SAW me. Saw my power, and it made him surprised. Neron and Lady Blaze covered his flanks, ready for a fight. The female demon looked mildly unsure of what to do. She was tense, alternating between staring at me and the balcony above with caution. Neron opened and closed his palms like clockwork. I jumped over the purple flame still burning and landed between them and their wrecked thrones, right next to the glass sphere housing Cerial. Standing so close to her, I could tell that this wasn''t Allyssa. Not in the ways that mattered anyway. I could feel her soul slumbering deep within the form of this beautiful angel looking at me with hope and amazement. Amazement at my power. All overshadowed by a string desire for freedom. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Her eyes shone with so much yearning it almost momentarily threw me out of loop. With such a look, my determination to see this end blazed even higher. I couldn''t keep on wasting time. Each second that passed increased the chances of something meta happening. It was the way of this reality. Plot in other words. So fuck, trying to see the upper limits of what I could do with my blue flames. I needed to get this girl out. And seeing her imprisoned in such a way, a thought on how useful some of these demons could be if I spared them and offered a deal came to my mind. I looked over at Lucifer''s balcony and made a request. "Do I need to kill them all?" I felt his amusement through the mental link. "Aside from those two, I honestly do not care what you do with the rest." He answered back, making me nod towards him in gratitude. I laid a palm on the glass sphere, smiling softly at the captive within. "I am sorry for keeping you waiting. Just gimme a second and I''ll get you out. Oh and Gabriel sends his regards." Tears welled up in her eyes and she started crying in happiness. I looked away at my opponents and cleared my throat. The mission objectives now made a lot of sense. This was as much a rescue mission as it was a judgement. I now understood my role in this and what I needed to do. Balance had been upset. And it was up to me...to restore it. "I''m sure you now understand what is happening." I addressed the gathered demons. "You conspired against your King''s rule. Seeking to usurp his authority and invade earth under the direction of these 4.... oh sorry now 3 Hell Lords before you." All were silent. "But the worst thing you could have done...was let your greed and hunger for power cloud your judgement, which is standard fair for demons...I mean who can blame you? But to go as far as to continue scheming against the Morningstar, rightful monarch of the infernal realms, despite the mercy he showed you, I find you guilty." Even as the words left my mouth...I felt something change a little within me. My words were stated with absolute conviction. I relied on my realm authority to impose the meaning onto the world. My mouth moved on its own. "As the Avatar, Lord of Order and balance, creator of the Elemental dimension, emissary of heaven and champion of the Morningstar...I find you guilty and offer you two paths. One of eternal servitude and the second...of death. A wave of power washed out of me. A sigil with Raava''s symbol branding itself on my forehead, glowing blue. I breathed in... feeling connected to my realm more deeply than I had ever before. Time stopped. Space froze and I was left aware amid the unmoving forms of my enemies. I looked at my body and felt...a new feeling. A feeling that was more intricately woven into my being than any of the elements. Lucifer stirred. It started with a slow clap and then the Morningstar simply appeared before me, hand clasped together. I was too busy reveling in this new feeling to overly react. He walked around my form, watching me with an intensity that made me feel as if he could see deep within me. "Fascinating." He finally commented. I agreed. I moved my palm through the air, leaving behind an afterimage echoing visually. What had I done? I felt on the cusp of a strange feeling. As if I was about to disappear into something. Something wholesome yet empty. Something that called out to me to drown my soul in its depths. I found myself ready to meld into its boundless entirety. The world started breaking away before me, cracks that appeared in reality. My eyes had finally opened to the truth about my purpose. A purpose that transcended the dopamine dose from regular heroics. A purpose of balance. A purpose of... The sound of the snap of a finger brought me back. Only marginally though, my mind drifting back into that state of conceptual existence almost too easily. One with...a light slap landed on my cheek, yet my spirit was instantly jarred. I blinked my eyes at the action. "Shut it down Aden! Close off your being to that Domain." I could tell he was right. With every once of my will and self I closed the door I had opened accidentally. I found myself breathing heavily while my throat seized up in discomfort. I massaged it lightly and looked at Lucifer in question. "You have been screaming for 1 full minute now." He offered. The look of intrigue had changed into something else. One of concern yet strangely, no surprise. I narrowed my eyes. "What..." I cleared my throat a little, panic at my mind almost unravelling into something setting in. "What just happened!?" Lucifer merely raised his eyebrows. "Someone is in an awfully testy mood. Given the circumstances, I''ll let it slip." His eyes briefly glowed red. "But next time do not raise your voice at me." The warning reminded me who I was talking to and normally I would back down and just leave it as it was but not this time. I had had enough of it. I had almost lost everything I had worked and bled for. I glared at him. "I have entertained all of your requests and listened to your orders. Never once, did I refuse to do your bidding but what have I gotten in return? Nothing! Cryptic statements and half truths. I have risked my life for you! And You''ve kept things I should know, hidden from me Lucifer!" I took a breath, adding calmly, "I am tired of it. So please, if you possess the slightest bit of gratitude and respect for me...tell me what I need to know. Give me straight answers for once, goddamit!" We looked at each other in silence. The expression on his face had changed into one of deep thought. I should have been afraid. Terrified for speaking out to him like that. However, my mind was on that phenomena that had just occurred. For a brief moment there, I had felt the overpowering call. A promise of freedom. "You''re right." He finally said, sounding surprised by his words. "All this time, I''ve seen you as a fragile human. Incapable of handling that which would break a regular mortal. Even your revered justice league members would be left...changed by some truths." He stared at me, in quiet curiousity. "But you''re not a regular mortal, are you? What just happened more than confirms it. An existence from beyond the Overvoid. I cannot believe I would ever forget that." He chuckled in amusement. "Straight answers." I reminded him, keeping a tight lid on my annoyance. A slow smile worked it''s way onto his face. "I suppose you are not going to let this go, are you?" I shook my head. "Very well. Let''s start with the incident." The sky above us suddenly changed to a dark and featureless black canvas. The fact that I could perceive this without color meant... "An illusion." I muttered. "Yes. You''re quite right. No on with our history lesson, in the beginning....blah blah blah Michael supplied power, I supplied imagination, Gabriel supplied form...blah blah blah, Creation happened." The sky changed to reflect his words. With it suddenly exploding in light before spreading out and in its wake, leabing behind various galaxies. "Now, after creation... that''s when things got a little bit... interesting. Born from Time and Night, ambiguous extra-existential beings, came The Endless. Children blessed or cursed with being the representations of the aspects of life. Whether mortal or immortal, that which possesses life is bound to them intrinsically and cannot escape their influence." The scene above us changed to show featureless yet distinctly different beings based on their silhouettes appear from the union of time and mother night. I felt...a strong pull towards them, my hand rising up to touch upon their forms. "Each of The Endless is not just tied to what they represent, they are it. From Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair and Delirium, they are powerful, unkillable and are as much victims to their own power, as they are the wielders." The view didn''t change much, just focused more deeply on each one of them, with information about what they could do, appearing in my mind. I had never been a DC fan but if I had to hazard a guess...I would say, there were probably a handful of characters who could beat these guys. Two of them gave me a particularly weird feeling. The one named Dream and another called Desire. It almost felt as if I''d seen them before. Still, one question remained. "And why are you telling me this?" I wondered, still failing to see how I was connected with these aspects of reality. "Because you are like them." His words stunned me to silence. Heedless of my surprise, Lucifer dropped another bombshell. Infact he looked almost happy to see my dumbfounded reaction. "You laid claim to a conceptual authority. Of which, only you can say, though the whole ''order and balance '' pretty much confirms what kind of concept it is. And because of that, it makes you more than just an equal to the Endless...it makes you one of them. A sibling." The revelations were too much for my mind. "How...? Why.. what am..." I rubbed my temple and turned to Lucifer, who nodded solemnly. "I understand that it is a lot to take in. And I won''t lie to you, that knowing any of it will make your life easier. The interest that was on you before will more than likely skyrocket if anyone realizes what you are now connected to. About that..." His hand landed on my shoulder, his eyes blazing with seriousness. "Do not let it get to your head Aden. Whatever concept you are now connected to will devour you as you are. Do you UNDERSTAND me?! Do not. Even if it''s a matter of life and death, do not access that authority before your soul is strong enough to bear it. As you are...you wouldn''t even last a single split second." "But..." I started only to be cut off. "Did you not listen to what I just said? You would need to be as powerful as a high level god like Zeus to even dream of surviving another touch. Promise me?" Lucifer had never acted this extreme before. It was unlike him. "Do I have to lock your memories of the event?" He threatened after I''d taken so long to answer. "No...no, I promise." I shifted in uncomfortable uneasiness as a binding appeared inside my soul. A binding caused by my words to the Morningstar. "Can''t take any chances, lad. This is your welfare we''re talking about. I still need you alive for something. Plus, now you know to never promise anything to a powerful being. They can exploit that." The annoyance on my face at the invasive action slipped off. I was miffed but knowing myself, I would have tried to access and try to control that level of power. So in a way, it was better this way. "So what now?" I asked him, to which he shrugged. "You carry on, complete the task and get Cerial back to where she belongs. In any case, my curiousity has been sated." I frowned. "Curiousity? What are you talking about?" The red eyes came back along with a devilish smile. A thought made its way into my mind. I spread out my hands to the side. "Wait, was all this a plan? Did you orchestrate events so that I would be pushed far enough to actually touch upon a concept?" Despite the unlikeliness of the whole thing, I found the prospect of Lucifer going to such lengths to sate his curiousity more and more feasible. It had to be grating for him when he realized he couldn''t see my future. So given the chance, he would try to put me in a position where I was pushed to the limit and see how I respond to search stimuli. Hell! He''d said it before! All in a bid to understand me. An enigma. The enigma, outside demiurgic influence. "Don''t flatter yourself." He rolled his eyes but I simply narrowed mine. There was something he wasn''t saying. I crossed my hands over my chest and levelled an impassive stare at him. "You''re only half correct. Yes, I gave you the mission to dispose of these... nuisances because I wanted to see how far they could push you. But you blew my expectations out of the water. For starters, you came prepared and when you lost the first round, you understood that you had to change tactics to take into consideration your opponent''s strengths and Weaknesses." He praised. "You adapted and not only have you, Aden Strong, brought entire legions to their knees and turned out to become the Demon Lords'' undoing, you managed to do so whole suffering no loss. You have earned my respect as well as an appropriate compensation for such a marvelous showing." His tone was sincere, halfway changing to unexpected pride. "The other reason was that I needed to clean house and make things simpler for my new replacement. Which is why I requested you to spare Blaze and Azazel. They will be valuable advisers to Maze when I leave the throne in her hands." "Huh." I snorted in disbelief. "I''m guessing you have a plan on how to deal with Azazel...you know to make sure he doesn''t get any more ideas." I told him. "Do not worry about him. You will find that I can be quite... persuasive when I want." A section of Beelzebub''s throne floated along the ground, through my air bending and stopped below me. I sat down, suddenly feeling tired with the last few hours. "This is all so...weird." I raised my eyes to find his gaze. "I thought that it would all be clear cut." I explained. "You know, fight the Hell Lords in an epic battle, save the damsel and that would be the end of it. To find out about a possible relation to the Endless due to my touching of a concept, that you probably planned every step of this to sate your curiosity and that you''re leaving hell in someone''s hands despite that being the whole reason the scheming behind your back happened is... overwhelming. Too much." I sighed. "Does Maze even want this?" Lucifer had his hands inside the pockets of his pants, leaning a bit heavily on one of his legs while his head was slightly tilted to the side as he stared at me. "Maze understands that as I am... ruling hell should be in someone else''s hands. Of the two candidates I had...one of them is too inexperienced and the other is Maze. It''s clear who should have the keys." He said pointedly with a deep gaze. "No..." I did a double take. My mouth opening up comically. "Don''t tell me...were you seriously thinking of leaving the keys to the infernal realms with me!?" He shrugged. "Look around you, Aden." He spread out his hand to indicate my surroundings. The clear blue skies that had been revealed once he''d pulled down the illusion, the beautiful environment outside the arena... "You are a Realm Lord by right. If anything that merits a consideration." He clapped his hands. "Now. How about you unfreeze time and end this? I have better places to be, my young Padawan." I let the star wars reference slip by without comment, that''s how done I was with the whole day. Using my authority...the world trembled a little and sound came back. Neron and Azazel jumped back upon finding Lucifer so close to them. The Morningstar simply smiled at Azazel and Lady Blaze. "You are both coming with me. Let''s talk business." Then they disappeared without much fanfare. The arena was left occupied by two figures. Neron and I. In the stands, the hoard were in various states of emotional upheaval. Thousands of them were dead, Beelzebub was dead( to their knowledge) and now Azazel and Blaze were simply gone. The only Hell Lord left was Neron. Green smoke started pouring out of the Prince of Lies. He made to speak, probably shout out insults or use his silver tongue to get out of this but I gave him no chance. Equity was buried inside his heart before he could even move. "Devour." I gave my sword the order, recalling that it could drain the power from powerful beings and enhance it''s abilities. I was eager to see just how powerful it could get with the addition of demonic energy. Neron tried to remove the sword but I imposed a 200¡Á gravity upon his form. His body trembled to keep stable before the pressure became too much and he fell to the ground, a crater forming behind his back. Bones creaked and blood poured off his orifices from crushed organs and burst veins. I stared down at him. "Finally, I see fear in your eyes Prince of Lies. Let me dash any dregs of hope left in you demon." My jaw became hard. "You will not survive this. Not because the ancient laws decree it based on the conditions of our challenge but because you are a thorn. I would be a fool if I ever let someone like you live. I will destroy you, sending your being into oblivion. Your fate is to cease to exist, Neron." He remained furious, eyes burning red with rage and discontent. Even as he withered, with Equity''s length glowing and pulsing with a green color, he remained defiant until the end. Something I could respect. Equity rose to my hands slowly without urging, leaving behind a husk of the former HellLord. A husk that broke apart into flakes of ash and disappeared with the wind. And just like that...I felt Cerial''s glass cage break apart from behind me. Neron was dead and the challenges were over. Equity felt...more alive in my hands than before. Our connection had grown deeper but I could tell it was still in the process of evolution, so I sent it to my hammerspace and turned to address the hoard. Millions of demons seated in a mega huge stadium. No cheers or insults from before. Now all that remained was fear. A snort escaped me. I had achieved all this in less than 5 hours. Blue flames appeared atop of each Demon''s head. Flickering beautifully. "I give you a choice. Life under me or death. Should you choose life, touch the flame above you and you shall be transported to a prison before I decide how I want you to serve. Should you choose death... attack me now." Clouds of demons rose up as a Tsunami, falling down towards my form like a hailstorm. 99% had chosen death. It seems that not even fear could destroy their pride. It makes sense I suppose, they were all high ranked demons. I smirked. Well then, I just got an easy way to train my Combustion bending along with perfecting control over the blue fire. Plus...I already had one Hell Lord in my custody. Blue Flames (Aden''s P.O.V) I waved a hand and the speed at which the mass of demons coming at me, instantly slowed to a snail''s pace. I looked at Cerial, who seemed mildly surprised at the sudden turn of events. The glass sphere keeping her captive broke into small shards that fell to the ground. I walked over to the angel, who was only now standing up to her full height. She looked down over herself, her lips separating in a little shock. "¡é€¡Ì¡ã€€^¡ã€&?" The first words that escaped her mouth felt...glitched. As if reality could not register the meaning. I chuckled, gaining her attention. "If you were wondering if this was real or not, trust me it''s very...oof!" Her small body suddenly launched out and hugged me tightly. I got over my surprise very quickly and patted her back in comfort. She broke away from the embrace with flaming cheeks. "Thank you." I felt as if I could get lost in those blue eyes. I blinked and smiled back. A boom tube appeared to our side. "This portal will take you to earth. You''ll appear in the home of a friend of mine. He knows about you. Tell him I''ll bring our mutual friend over once he''s...calmed down." That...was the fourth mountain Etrigan had destroyed since I had booted him to the fire dimension without a word. She looked unsure, looking back at the slow moving forms of what was to be the test subjects to my new Subskill. "Oh this?" I pointed at them. "Don''t worry about it. I can handle them just fine." I said in what I hoped was assurance. Cerial nodded after a second and then gazed at me seriously. "Thank you." That one word filled me up. It left me feeling content. Even the possibility that I might have lost everything during this whole ordeal did not feel so grim. Something about that word told me at the end of it all, I wouldn''t have had any regrets worth living with. "You''re welcome." I answered her back. With one final look of gratitude, the angel flapped her multicolored wings and entered the portal. The boom tube disappeared behind her and I turned to face my opponents who were already adapting to the time slow I had activated upon them. Ok...time for some lesser known facts. Technically speaking, I couldn''t do everything in my realm. What I had was a restricted reality manipulation as long as I was in my realm...but, there were things I couldn''t overdo due to compromising the integrity of the realm. For example, I could increase the gravity upto 200¡Á that of earth but with a heavy restriction. I could not keep it going for more than 5 minutes. To apply gravity that could last for days sustainably, it would be 10 percent of that, which was 20¡Á that of earth. Bummer. The time slow cast on the demons was meant to decrease their individual speeds to 10% of the slowest in the hoard. Meaning no matter how fast you were, you would be confined to a small percentage of your slowest member. For some reason, I could not go past 90% and the only instance I stopped time fully was when I was connected to that mystery concept. I also couldn''t keep it up for long without bringing risk to the realm. Something told me I needed to upgrade it a few several times for it to be a non issue. Luckily, with this latest mission, I had enough pull and influence to ask for a few favors from the good guys magicians. The only stable time manipulation that I could keep up indefinitely was maintaining a time difference of 3:1 between my realm and earth. Meaning 3 days inside the Elemental Dimension would be comparable to one. And...I was going to absolutely abuse that. 2 actual earth days remained to my birthday. I wanted to have attained some reasonable progress by that time. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. With Cerial out of harm''s way, I stretched my body out, removed my coat and was left with only a slightly loose blue t-shirt on. It wasn''t part of my uniform but at some point you come to understand that while tight clothes give you a really amazing look, they are not that comfortable. In an actual fight, you needed something that was easy to move in but not too loose to become a liability. ''Ok, here goes nothing'' I said to myself as I stopped the Time Slow cast. Immediately, I was besieged from all sides. The magical energy registering in my senses was crazy...and for lack of a better word, impure. My eyes widened! I couldn''t risk tainting the main dimension with demonic energy. I slammed my foot on the ground and immediately space overturned between the hoard and I. The enviroment changed as well. Gone was the arena and the castle, now it was just two forces staring at each other from the ends of a long stretch of land in the fire dimension, far from the family of dragons that made this place their home and lacking the usual pillars and mountains. The whole place also looked recently destroyed. I had teleported everyone out of the main dimension. All 6,660,043 demons who had declined my offer of leniency. The 3,000 who had taken it were imprisoned in the most secure place I could build in the elemental dimension. "Gahh! Come here!" Etrigan snarled from behind me and jumped up with his sword, ready to split my body into two. Sheesh, he sure knows how to hold a grudge. A portal opened up and swallowed him before he could fully reach me, sending him to a special place for time out. And with that, it was time to get crack-a-lackin...oh god, why did I say that. Ny inner energy buzzed from within me. The distance between the hoard and I shortened considerably when I blasted off towards my opponents like a speeding bullet. A few miles were covered in a handful of minutes. I got to within distance where I could smell the noxious fumes of sulphur and blood before jumping up to the sky, then came down in a spin of blue flames. I slammed to the ground at their front and released a wave of blue flames that swallowed a couple hundred demons at the very front. The plan was to use every move I could pull off with regular fire with blue fire while trying to maintain the same consistent effectiveness. A feral smile was plastered on my face. Fire was my favorite element. This...this was scratching my pyromaniac itch. I avoided a geyser of poisonous liquid from a toad like demon and jumped back, landing with a fire stomp that managed to destroy the mole like demons trying to reach me from the ground. My foot outstretched to the front in a stabilized stance, hands blurring when I sent out fire balls with my fists that took out each approaching demon. The hoard were now covering all of my sides. Luckily that also managed to work well against them. With my awareness of the surroundings, I could easily avoid strikes that would then take out their allies instead. I swung my leg out, a blue flame scythe taking down dozens to my front then immediately landed in a rotation that transitioned into a low flip, with flames spewing out of my feet to create some space between my opponents and I. The burning cries of burning demons sounded out as I took a leap to the sky. Luckily, the blue flames seemed to have a more deadly effect on these common demons as compared to a Hell Lord like Beelzebub. My feet pushed me into the air in a massive leap, blue jet flames bursting out of my heels to propel me. I noticed that the speed while smoother than with yellow flames, lacked an explosive quality which meant it was marginally slower. At the apex of the jump, I hovered in mid air, holding my hands up to create a large ball of blue flames. Attacks like ice spikes, hell fire lances, poisonous breaths, bone projectiles and other elemental moves, thrown at me, did not make it past the zone of super heated air surrounding my vicinity. Smoke filled the surroundings as a result and from within that smoke, something huge peeked out. Something that glowed blue with repressed power. Something that I was concentrating with all I had to make sure, remained stable before I could cast it down. The demons started freaking out, the attacks coming in even more relentlessly. Some chose to run away from the blast zone. The blue sphere of flames reached a maximum size of close to 50 meters in diameter and I let it fall. It was slow moving yet warped the very air on its way down. This needed a cool name. "Cruel Sun!" I did my best impression of Escanor while peering down at the demons. Judgement day had come and it burned with the intensity of the actual sun. The attack unravelled upon reaching the ground into a cascading torrent of vexed and turbulent flames, taking out thousands and thousands of the hoard, spreading out like a flame burning a piece of paper. It was a beautiful spectacle to watch. Ruined only by the cries of mercy and pain from the burning demons. My lips were set into a thin line as I hardened my heart. This brought me no shreds of joy, yet it was necessary. I had offered them leniency, due to pride and arrogance, they turned it down. Then again, what creature wants their freedom to be shackled? I didn''t bother giving myself an excuse. It was a flat mathematical fact. 8 billion earthlings over 6 million demons who had been conspiring to kill and enslave them was something I could live with. So with a mechanical focus, I moved on to the next attack. The flames burning in the surroundings gathered to one point in the sky and spread out thinly to cover a distance of 2 miles in all directions. "Flame shower." I muttered silently and bore witness to the death I wrought. That was how I spent the next three days. Stand-In (General P.O.V) A day later after the issue of Arkham asylum escapees and the Atlantis attack had been resolved, most of the League had decided to go home and rest. A shift rota had been quickly drawn up with The Flash and Captain Atom taking point. Usually Red Tornado''s help would be indispensable in this kind of situation due to his cyborg physique not needing sleep. Unfortunately, finding him had hit a dead end on all fronts, though Batman had still not given up. On another issue, Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian had similarly hit a dead end in their efforts to recover Superman''s mind from the effects of the healing he had received from Aden. After an extensive meeting that ate up 2 hours, the League had come to the decision that his family and girlfriend had to be notified of his condition. As the League''s president, Wonder Woman had taken up that responsibility along with Black Canary for emotional support, when the distraught Martha and John Kent heard the news. Lois was even more heartbroken. She ended up kicking Wonder Woman and Black Canary out. Luckily, Connor showed up a while later with takeout from Lois and Clark''s favorite restaurant. They stayed up for hours, with Connor listening to stories about Clark. Stories that Lois was only too happy to tell. And now a few hours later, the Batwing was gently landing on an ice ridden landscape in Antarctica. The hatch opened once the craft had fully descended, and the first person to jump out was Connor. His mouth was slightly wide in awed amazement. "Up close it looks so much bigger than the pictures he showed me." Batman landed on the ice with nary a sound and started to immediately walk towards the Fortress of solitude. "Naturally." Kaldur intoned, landing on the crunchy snow behind Connor. His descent was more audible than Batman''s but looked just as smooth. "Hurry up. We do not have all day." Batman ordered from the front. The two teens stared at each other and Connor shrugged, hurrying after him. Kaldur calmly kept pace with him as they walked towards the mega structure constructed through alien means. Batman soon stopped at what seemed to be the entrance to the Fortress. His gaze drifted down to a doormat on the floor. Connor following his gaze remembered something and bent down to lift it up. Under the doormat was a simple key that dully sat on the ground with cracks running out from its epicenter. "He told me about this." Connor informed them, with a rare but fond smile on his face. His fingers ran along the notches on the key. "Curved and molded from an asteroid. This key weighs 500 tons." He added, shocking Kaldur though Batman looked as impassive as ever. Connor frowned and asked the Dark Knight pointedly. "I hope you don''t expect me to lift that. I can barely even move it." And that was when he was using his tactile telekinesis. Batman ignored him in favor of pressing a few displayed Keys on his holographic wrist computer. A Panel on the side of the huge door slid off, revealing a terminal with a few touch pads constructed on the crystalline surface. Batman tapped a few more Keys in quick succession. "Override, Zulu Zulu Alpha Zulu Bravo. Designation, Night Bird." Connor and Kaldur watched intently as the terminal lit up blue, followed by the audible hiss as the door opened. Batman gave a small smile. "I have my ways." The three of them walked inside, the two teens were awed by just about everything. This was the base of one of if not the strongest superhero in the world. And they were standing inside it! Connor''s jaw was wide in a strange emotion as he studied the two statues depicting a man and woman holding up a globe. Clark had shown him pictures. These were his biological parents. Jor-El and Lara. "He told me he''d bring me here whenever we found the time." Connor found himself speaking, lightly touching the symbol of the house of El branded onto one side of the wall next to the two legendary figures. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Kaldur listened in, lightly touching the clone''s shoulder in quiet understanding. "I am sorry, my friend. Take ease in knowing the League will do everything in its power to bring him back." Connor closed his eyes and calmed his breathing. "Yeah...yeah, you''re right." He found it easy to reply after a few seconds. The only other thing he wished for was that M''gann was with him there. "Identify yourselves." A slightly electronic voice commanded as a man in his forties appeared before Batman who was leaning forward on one of the screens displayed. The Dark Knight straightened up and studied the floating vaguely humanoid robot that had just come from one of the dozens hallways. "Stand down Kelex, I believe these are...not merely uninvited guests." The Artificial Intelligence created from the true essence of the dead Jor-El had shimmered into being before the console, Superman had installed for others to better interact with the crystal based technology of Krypton. "Jor-El." Batman acknowledged. "Batman." The AI responded with a small smile, then his gaze went to the two teens gathered in place. He particularly studied Connor, who was dressed in a t-shirt displaying the Symbol of the house of El. Jor-El seemed to understand something by the brief look of surprise that folded into acceptance on his face. "I see you brought along interesting company. Would you mind introducing me?" The AI enquired. Connor took that as his cue and stepped forward with no one''s direction. "I huh... I''m Kon-El." The Jor-El copy merely smiled. "I was created from the d.n.a of Superman by an evil organization, to take his place in case he ever turned from ''the light''." The teen could not hide his disdain for the word. Lex Luthor''s evil band of would be world dominators, would forever be one of his least favorite things. Right next to Monkeys. The smile on Jor-El''s face remained, though a touch of concern could also be seen inside his eyes. Connor tightened his palms. "I have since escaped from their clutches and I''m now spending my time trying to do good. Like...like..." "Superman?" Jor-El offered. Connor shook his head. "No, like Kal. He taught me that the man behind the cowl is just as important if not more than the one we see flying in to save people from a burning building. Because it''s when we interact with people in our true selves that we understand what good truly means." "Mmmmh." Jor-El hummed. "I see. And you are?" The question was directed at Kaldur. Connor hid the look of dissatisfaction on Jor-El''s simple reaction just as Aqualad stepped forward. "I am Kaldur, a friend of Connor''s, Kon-El''s earth name. Much like he, I seek to follow in the footsteps of great heroes like Superman and make the world a better place." "And I am Jor-El. I find it simple if you just refer to me as that. Otherwise the truth is a little more complicated and I do not believe we have the luxury of time." He turned to Batman who was busy combing through the console with practiced ease. "Based on the terms of your database search, I take it that something has happened to my son?" And so they told the AI everything. From Superman''s battle with Lobo, to getting healed, to going into a coma that he didn''t appear to rouse himself from. At the end of it, the technological ghost of the smartest scientist from before Krypton was destroyed was left feeling more than just concerned. "The radiation from your yellow sun should have fixed any and all issues pertaining to his health." He observed, walking closer toward a terminal made of Kryptonian crystal material called sunstone. "We believe the issue might be...soul related." Connor offered, crossing his hands on his chest. "As mentioned earlier, the data our associate telepaths got when they dove into his mind, shows a normal psyche, his mental faculties indicate no anomalies. What was missing was his mental imprint, they compared it to a clean but empty house." Batman added. "Mmh." Jor-El sighed. "I don''t know how I can help you with this. Krypton''s database contains scientific information, data on star maps and multiple alien species. The most I can find on anything relating to the soul or the spirit is texts on Rao the God of Krypton." The pair of teens looked at each other. "And?" Connor insisted to which Jor-El shook his head. "Not much information on that I''m afraid. The crystals prioritized useful data and information. Something that could have helped my son not only fit in but also help the people of this planet. Anything else was discarded." Connor clenched his jaw hard enough that he felt as if his teeth were going to crack. Another dead end. "Where''s the gym?" He asked before storming off into the depths of the fortress anyway. Jor-El looked at his back in quiet understanding. "He is so different from Kal yet...I cannot help but compare that stubbornness and determination to a member of the house of El." Jor-El commented, to which Batman nodded before turning to Kaldur and nodding towards Superboy''s direction. "Kelex, follow him and show him the way to the training room. Batman and I need to talk." The robot pulsed in confirmation before following after Kaldur and Superboy. 2 hours later, Batman, Superboy and Aqualad left the Fortress of Solitude. On Superboy''s lap, lay a case, opened. "Are you sure about this?" Batman asked softly. He could relate in a way to what Connor might have been going through. Bruce had after all lost both of his parents when he was just a child. Connor took a few long seconds to consider his answer. "Yes. Yes, I am. The World Needs Superman. Especially now that the Light have grown confident in their schemes." Connor narrowed his eyes. "I cannot shoot heat visions, not yet. Neither can I use ice breath or many of his lesser known but useful abilities. But I can now fly, I can punch and kick and save people but most importantly, this symbol will serve as a beacon of hope for them. I can''t replace Superman but I can more than do well as a temporary Stand-in." In the case, a Superman costume was neatly folded, sized down to fit the young teen. The crest of the house of El sat prominently on the chest portion of the suit. Batman smiled from his position in the cockpit. A genuine smile. The Monster (General P.O.V) 2 days. 2 straight full days. That''s how long they had been fighting. Fighting to survive this...monster. Marofak charged with his clawed hand, his tiny wings beating fast behind his slim back, the spine and ribs prominent inside his grey leathery skin. His heart pumped as he swung out wide, his claws detaching from his fingers to shoot towards their enemy. One lone human. Marofak watched in surprise as the human managed to grab a small imp like demon and use it as a shield to block the claws the former had shot out. The demon was perforated with the claws, followed by blue flames covering his body as he burned to ashes in a pitiful moan. The ash drifted away to reveal the cold eyes of Aden, watching Marofak with a scary intent. The high rank demon instantly felt fear grip him and he scuttled back in terror, trying to outran the scary human. Aden slashed his hand out, sending a blue scythe of fire cutting down 100+ demons near his position. Marofak felt the heat burn his skin slightly, saved only by a spiked demon taking most of the damage in his stead. ''I...I have to get out of here!!'' Marofak thought, using the numerous numbers of his kind to duck and weave from Aden''s sight. Then the world overturned. One minute his wings were flapping in a zig zag pattern, then the next a blast of yellow flame exploded from his left, the shockwaves washed him over, buffeting him to the opposite direction with a burnt left side and broken ribs. Marofak tumbled through more of his species, his body bowling over a large number of the demons hurdling to reach the human. Another blast happened. This one was far from him yet his ears popped from the loud noise accompanied by a tremor that broke apart the land under him into cracks. Marofak heard the groans and screams of pain from his friends and colleagues, while he struggled to get up, only to find out that something huge was blocking him. He heaved while blinking his eyes to see through the dust and managed to roll off what turned out to be the charred head of a behemoth demon. The huge detached head had landed on one of his legs. The whole limb was smashed to paste yet he couldn''t find it in himself to curse his luck because he had managed to get away with his life yet again. Marofak winced in pain while his wings flapped extra hard to counterbalance the effect of losing one of his legs. Everywhere Marofak looked, he was met with destruction. Charred bodies which was supposed to be impossible! They were demons dammit! Heat was nothing to them! Yet that blue fire not only managed to roast the skin off his left side,it managed to turn other demons into ash! They should have taken the cowardly way! Marofak finally listened to that small voice at the back of his head. But it couldn''t be helped now. Things had turned out bad, but there was a chance for survival. There were still thousands of them left! Yes! They...they could fight this! "So you still survived that huh?" The young voice intoned from his front, instantly startling Marofak into reaching behind his back and searching for his sword. A breeze blew through him. The weapon that had been behind his back before was missing! How...? "Looking for this?" The human asked, wielding a long black blade that exuded a miasma of black from along it''s length. Marofak was a demon of greed, so seeing his possession in the hands of another, not to mention a human no less sent his anger soaring, momentarily eclipsing his fear. That sword was made from so many precious souls! How dare he?! "That''s mine!" He hissed with gritted teeth. The human looked at him before casually splitting a demon trying to attack him from the side, top to bottom in a move too fast for Marofak to see. Then he aimed his hand towards the two separating parts, popping sparks sounded from the palm of his hand, then a vortex of swirling concussive force and thermal energy exploded outwards. The body of the demon along with hundreds more, were decimated in a fiery explosion that singed the last patch of hair off of Marofak''s chin. "Still too widespread." Aden complained, barely being audible to the shocked demon bearing witness to what had to be a disaster. "Mon...monst...monster." Marofak said before he could control himself. "Mmmh?" Aden turned his attention to the demon. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "I suppose to you it would seem that way." The human shrugged, his chest muscles rippling in casual power under the hanging threads of his torn t-shirt. His hair was ruffled and his skin covered in dust, sweat and soot. "Yet to me, you demons are exactly that. The difference between me and other humans is that I have the power to push back." Marofak blinked his eyes and the human disappeared from his sights. There was a pop of displaced air in his last position along with a loud impact from Marofak''s back. The demon didn''t think before swinging his hand backwards. "Tsk. Combining Combustion into my high speed lightning movement skill, doesn''t seem to be as effective as I thought it would be.". Aden mused, one finger raised to block the limb from a town buster demon. "The loud noise gives away my position to the opponent. Maybe using my sonic Subskill in conjunction with Lightning bending and Combustion bending to bleed out the sound might wield different results?" Marofak finally found his voice. "Ple...please..." He pleaded for mercy. "Oh." Aden''s focus shifted to him. "I forgot all about you." His smile turned deadly. "What to do with you..." He stated, stomping on the ground which resulted into cracks that blazed with blue fire. The ground rumbled, destabilizing the demons and finally crumbling down to reveal a molten pit of blue lava. The heat was oppressive and did short work of the demons who fell inside. Aden on the other hand was left standing on a pillar in the middle of the 60 meter wide pit. "Do you like it?" He asked Marofak who shakily nodded without looking down. "Oh come on. You didn''t even take a look." Aden grabbed him by the back of his neck and turned the demon to face the pit of death. "I got the idea off a simple, almost childish thought. If my fire is yellow and I can now easily change my flame''s color, then why can''t I do the same with my Lava''s color as well. I know, I know, it''s molten rock and scientifically unsound but that''s the thing," Aden chuckled a little. "Fuck science." Then he let go. The last thing Marofak saw was the quickly approaching molten blue death. He flapped his wings to fly up but instantly felt a wave of pressure fall on his back. He didn''t need to look up to see the cold gaze of his killer. His last thought was, ''why did I choose to fight!'' Then heat. Aden looked down at the demon who had been a nuisance up until now, it had been a tall spindly thing, content with taking pot shots at him from the side with it''s poisoned claws. The claws doubled as the projectiles it used to shoot out and boy were they were painful. He assumed. Aden was running off a record of not getting hit even once. It was a way to test himself. A blast of air, slammed down like a blanket onto the desperate demons trying to fly out of the pit, only for them to get pushed back. Aden looked around and noticed that only a fraction of the demons remained. And they were rallying for another pushback, all gathered surrounding a female succubus with her cohorts. "He''s only one human! We can take him out..." They were having a party without inviting him? How rude. A highly concentrated explosion blasted out of his heel, throwing him forwards, cutting through the air like a speeding bullet. His flight speed above the lava pit. A small tap into his inner energy and streaks of lightning, escaped his feet, as he skated towards the hoard in a bright but too fast to register beam. ''Wonder if I can turn my whole body into lightning? Maybe then I can approach a quarter of the full speed The Flash has access to.'' Aden didn''t bother with subtlety. He landed like a meteor, using the loud impact from his descent, to enhance the sonic properties of the move, sending forth a shockwave of noise that killed everything near him. Or so he thought. "Now!" The female voice shouted. Undulating crystals had, in a timely fashion rose up from the ground, surrounding him. The blast of sonic wave hit the crystals and instead of crushing them, they bounced back towards the source. Aden raised an eyebrow as the shockwaves buffeted him uselessly. "Using my own attacks against me? I am a Grandmaster aerokinetic. You want Power, I will show you power!" He told them while waving away the dust that rose off the ground. Deciding that he had already seen the full effects of his Sub skills, Aden raised up a hand to the sky to finally end this. The heat from the molten lava in the pit a ways off from them rose up in thick blue fiery streams, feeding into a massive sphere of fire. They lost all hope. "You saw this attack before, bear witness to it''s strongest variation." His face took on a solemn expression. "You were all worthy opponents. Thank you." A tornado of wind blew in from all directions to join into the gyrating ball of flame. "Attack him! Kill him!!" Magical attacks flew out at him from all conceivable angles. Flying demons diving in to attack him at close range as well. This was a last and desperate attempt to save themselves. An air shield, the strongest one Aden could create, manifested around his body, taking on the city destroying attacks with barely any effect. The blue sphere gyrating above them, a combination of the hottest blue flames and the most violent winds he could create turned white as it charged up. It pulsed and resonated with the sound of their pumping hearts, beating wildly. It was shocking that such a beautiful thing could pose as much danger as some of the more energy aware demons felt. One of them, breathed out. "Yeah... we''re fucked." Then the Avatar brought his hand down in a chopping mode. The white ball of superheated flames and turbulent winds fell down almost too slowly. As one, all the demons stopped their attacks. It was too late anyway. A second sun unravelled in the burning wastelands of the Fire Dimension, destroying more than 50 square miles of the hard ground, leaving behind a lake of blue molten lava, a testament of one of the most intense battles that Aden had ever been in. A few seconds later, the young man stumbled out of the portal into his room in Lux. His bed welcomed his sorry state as Aden immediately fell asleep. He did not even bother to acknowledge the figure seated on the lone chair in the room, watching him in interest. ::-----------------------------------------------------------:: The time skip is coming very very soon. I''m serious ??. Dreams (Aden''s P.O.V) Sand...sand on my ppft! I spat out the grains of sand in disgust, wiping the corner of my lips while standing up from where I had been lying on the ground. Before me, laid a particularly extensive stretch of dry land. Sand dunes crested on the horizon to the sides and a large mega... I stumbled back. "Whoa...that''s one huge ass gate." At first glance, the entrance was more than 100 meters tall, constructed on a wide wall that stretched out to the opposite directions. It was similar to the ice wall, found in a show back on my earth called Game of Thrones. I looked down at my body and pinched my hand. The feeling of pain was muted yet I could perceive my body clearly. That meant I was a mental projection. I was dreaming. The clarity in this dream however was too vivid than anything I had ever had before. Could it be a lucid dream? Only one way to find out. I bent down slightly and thought about what I wanted. To be Superman. One minute I was dressed in a loose t shirt, then the next, a blue and red costume hugged my body like a second skin. The best part about the Kryptonian material was just how comfortable it was. Was it like this in real life or was I cheating? I crouched down. My fists facing downwards, as I controlled... something to realign the graviton particles to push me up to the sky. A ripple spread out through my body and down to the ground. The sand vibrated, floating up in streams 2 meters around me. Then I was off like a shooting star. Hands laid out to my front in a Superman pose, the air not even making it past a shield that covered my body in a sort of bubble that I could just barely perceive. Was this Superman''s bio-electric aura? It was a passive skill that I had read about in one of the continuities. Getting past the wall, I couldn''t believe my eyes when I saw just how beautiful everything was. A beauty that perfectly represented everything a dream should be, hellish structures and nightmares set against a background of tall mountains and beautiful boulevards that led to peaceful gardens. A tall arching bridge leading to a massive castle with mythical creature gargoyles that curiously stared at me. The bridge was weird as well. Long one minute then short the next, with billions of people just wondering about, their mental projections connected to each of their dreams yet separate to avoid invading each other''s dreaming. I frowned at how much my conjectures made sense. It almost felt like this information was being provided to me by the realm itself. A few rounds flying in the sky and I had a better picture on the layout of the realm. The castle lay in the middle of it all. It acted as a nexus point to everything. That''s where I needed to go. Instantly my flight momentum increased to lightning speeds in a breeze. The closer I got to within the castle, the bigger I found it actually was. I stepped foot on the balcony and dropped the Superman costume and abilities. It was all well and good but besides his physical parameters, solar absorption and super vision, my power set was better in every way. Though the bio-electric aura was very useful. Maybe I could come up with my own variation of it. "What are you doing here?" I heard a voice coming from the left of the hall I had just entered. The question was from a no nonsense looking woman, with specs and a book held on her chest. She was dressed in a black suit and stared at me with suspicion. I raised my hands to show I meant no harm. "Umm, sorry, I just found myself in this place." I lamely replied, shrugging in the process. While still having her guard up, she nodded. "Alright, I believe you. But I will need you to follow me." She ordered while turning back. "Follow you? Lady I have never even seen you in my life before. Where do you want to take me?" This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. All of this was too weird to do what she said without getting some basic information first. "To Lord Morpheus Of Course, the King of Dreams. Popularly known as...The Sandman." She threw that over her shoulder. One thing stood out to me. "The king of Dreams? Do you mean... Dream of the Endless?" The woman''s eyes widened a little in surprise. "What?" "That''s enough Lucienne, I shall take over from here." His voice was smooth, authoritative and calm. It also came from no discernible direction. "As you wish my Lord." Lucienne adjusted her specs and bowed her head a little to the huge mural whose details I could not make out, inlaid on the wall of the hallway. She studied me some more before turning on her heel and walking off in a calm upright gait. "20 bucks says she''s a librarian." I commented after briefly observing her whole demeanor. "You''re right." The King of Dream''s voice, this time came from my back. I turned and saw him. My body tensed as I could clearly feel connected to him in some way. Nebulous it might have been but it was deep. He had on a Plague doctor''s helmet, garbed in full black and with a sack tied on his left hip and a chain with a ruby wrapped around his palm. "How..." "For now you must awaken. Awaken and the next time you rest, I shall find you." It almost felt like I started sinking back into reality. My eyes widened and I grasped to hold on to...to anything yet looking at the owlish gaze from the King of Dreams, I realized that this conversation was over. "Beware of my sibling. The one with golden eyes. Beware of Desire." I came to without much fanfare. I think...I think I''d been dreaming? Might have been a nightmare because my body felt tense. However for the life of me, I could not remember anything from the dream except flying. The dream felt important though, which was the reason I was slightly obsessing over it. At the end of it all, I shrugged and decided to move on to something a bit more immediate. "Welp, so the countdown begins...early happy birthday Aden." I said, lying in bed, wide awake. The clock showed it was 10:22 in the morning. I had been awake for a minute or so, just thinking. I sighed, sniffing a little and realizing I stank of something akin to burnt rotten barbacue, sulphur and smoke. I turned to my side, further soiling the sheets under me with soot. The amused smile on the other occupant of the room''s face set me off, making me sigh and turn to the opposite direction, only to find him sitting on the other side as well. Fucking reality manipulation bs. "Wow, you''ve clearly outdone yourself this time." Lucifer commented. "I cheated." Was my reply, knowing he was talking about the battle I had just come from a few hours ago. He hummed. "So you did. That''s how you get to outlive people. More than most, you should understand that life is fair. That extra edge is always welcome." He shrugged. "To the smart ones that is." I snorted. "Tell that to the millions of demons I sent to oblivion." My tone was subdued. "Oh?" He instantly perked up. "What is this? Are you...are you feeling remorse?" The devil chuckled. I closed my eyes, the ceiling of my room getting replaced by darkness. "Its. Not. Easy." I responded rather curtly. "Taking a life...I feel like my hands get soiled with this black...sludge. Stain that I can''t wash off." "I understand." He stated. "I very much doubt it but...okay." He moved past the jab with practiced ease. "A part of you feels like life is sacred and should be respected. Preserved. That''s an illusion. The reality is you''re not feeling bad because they died, you''re feeling bad because they died by your hands." That stopped me short. Fuck. He was right. And that only raised moral questions on what kind of a person I was. As if sensing my conundrum, Lucifer laughed. "It doesn''t mean you''re worse than others Aden, it just means you''re human. Now, are you going to get your ass up, take a shower and follow me to Hell for the final and best part of our transaction?" He made some really good points. I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and sat up. "What are you, my shrink?" My question made him chuckle. "You couldn''t afford me boy. But...I am in contact with a particularly good one. The best part?" He smiled that devilish smile I was getting used to. "You can even pay her with sex." "I''ll huh... I''ll think about it." I lightly coughed, looking away. "There''s no shame in..." Lucifer began but I was already walking towards the shower, the door mercifully cutting off his statement. I breathed in and looked at the mirror. The face staring back at me looked like a stranger''s. A thin layer of stubble was forming on my jaw. The strong chin I inherited from my dad paired up nicely with the square jaw leading up to brown eyes. Not particularly good looking but a solid 6 if I had to hazard a guess. I turned on the faucet and splashed water on my face before looking up and blinking my eyes in surprise. The black sword I''d gotten from the demon instantly appeared in my hands from the hammer space and slashed out behind me, held tightly in my grip. Only, I hit nothing. But I could swear... For a split second, I could swear I saw golden eyes belonging to a beautiful pale face with a cheeky grin. "I must be tripping..." I decided to chalk it up to exhaustion and mass murder. "Man I loved this T-shirt." I stated to no one in particular while tearing off the strips of blue that remained stuck to my form from the battle. Then I used the shower to get rid of the grime, ash, sweat and dirt covering my body. A hour later, I came out feeling much much better. The Fun Part (Aden''s P.O.V) The first thing I did after cleaning up was order a meal. A medium rare steak that I devoured in seconds down at the restaurant. I took a second to just observe the whole establishment. Lucifer had had it changed from the Sunset Boulevard to simply Lux. I honestly had no idea how I was going to handle a hotel on top of the billion other things on my plate. The staff seemed to know who I was as well and treated me with respect. A young pretty waitress even going as far as calling me, Mr.Strong. They must have endlessly wondered how I seemed to just randomly appear in the hotel without exiting or using the entrance like a normal person. Oh my god, maybe they thought I was a shut in! I snorted at the thought and made to get up when I felt someone sit on the chair opposite to me. Long black hair, a handsome face with piercing blue eyes. The third of the big three. "Well, to what do I owe the pleasure, Gabriel." I asked with a small upturn of my lips. Of course I knew why he was here. Infact I had been expecting him ever since I''d gotten back. The youngest of the demiurgic trio coughed lightly. "Don''t act the fool." His tone was cold and formal, making me frown a little. "Or else I might start to think of you as one." He added with an easy smile,the tension draining out. I laughed in disbelief. "As far as jokes go, great first attempt." He snorted a little as I waved the pretty waitress over to our table. "What are you having?" I asked him while sipping from the tall glass of orange juice before me. Yes I love Oj, sue me. "I do not require sustenance." Gabriel responded staring at the menu I was handing him with my left hand, strangely. The waitress patiently stood in place, waiting for the angelic being before me who looked for all intents like a handsome lawyer meeting a client, to make a choice. "He''ll huh...have a salad." The waitress eyed me with a blush before quickly walking off, unfortunately she didn''t see where she was going and knocked over a server carrying a plate of food. I used the air to fix his footing and balance the plate in his hands before he could make a mess. The Waitress apologized and scurried off but not without giving me a weird look. Mmmh...strange. "You seem to have a different variety of abilities. More than most human practitioners of magic or...meta-humans?" Gabriel asked, sounding unsure. "I am still learning a lot about today''s world. Blink and you humans have already come up with a thousand more ways to harm one another." He explained. "It''s like clockwork, isn''t it?" I questioned with a smile. "Almost a century ago we had one of the worst wars ever seen in history. And now, such destruction has been relegated to the norm. Do you know how many people die on a monthly basis due to superhero and Villain fights?" I questioned. "Over 10,000." And yeah I''d been shocked as well. "The number fluctuates based on the villain''s latest schemes or how long they stick to the prisons the Justice League put them in." "Yet, they are hailed as humanity''s protectors. The situation would be drastically worse without their presence, would it not?" Gabriel asked in curiousity. An argument I''d heard before. I leaned back. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Maybe you''re right. But the problem is that none of them are seeking to change the status quo. It''s an endless cycle of capture, escape, death then capture." He raised his eyebrows. "Some would say they are trying to preserve their morals and values. The same thing that gives them that altruistic nature to do good." At this point, I knew he was testing me. "Are you sure? Let''s get real. I don''t believe in altruism. You would have to be broken to put yourself in constant pain and danger, saving someone and expecting nothing back. Looking at the League''s line up, some were brought to this life through vengeance, guilt, duty and how they were raised. Even an innocent child, someone untainted by the reality that is living, puts itself first. It is not true altruism if you feel good about helping someone." Gabriel cocked his head to the side. I raised a hand to cut off his next words. "But that''s besides the point. What I mean is, that sooner or later, treating the symptoms will just not work anymore. There needs to be change." "And you aim...to bring about this change? Even going against those on the side of good?" Tsk. He''s trying to box me in. "Heres the thing." I narrowed my eyes. "You angels are not the benevolent beings, with a hard on for all that is holy and pure like you would have everyone believe." Gabriel''s face was carefully blank. I smiled at the cute waitress as she placed the plate of green before Gabriel. "If you were, you wouldn''t have a place to call home. You''ve destroyed more than your share of beings, Gabriel, so I know you understand what I mean. There is no right or wrong. Not in the ways that truly matter. It''s all about the power to enforce the values you want onto society. And. That''s. The. Problem!" A few people turned to study us and I realized the frame of the chair was twisted in my palm. "They have the power to change things for the better yet none of them does. So yes, I have taken it upon myself to truly help people. When two bulls fight, the grass is ultimately the loser. But I''m working my way up on having something to say about that." The horn appeared before us from my hammerspace, hidden by my new invisible skill to everyone''s eyes but Gabriel. I then got up. "Thanks for your help Gabriel. Enjoy your salad." I walked towards the elevator feeling more than a little worried. That outburst had felt out of character for me. I pressed the button for my floor and stared at my hands in question. What the fuck is going on? I thought I was done with this. With blowing up. I thought I was learning! I thought I was getting better! Bam! My fist dug on to the metallic chassis of the elevator, making it shake and grind to a halt with a screeching sound. Fuck. I need to get in control of whatever this is. First of, I hurried towards the security room and used telepathy to make the guards monitoring the cameras forget. Then I deleted the footage of me going ballistic on the elevator before portalling to my room. Once there I settled into a meditative pose and tried to calm my spirit. Body refining was activated without much urging, the heat running across my veins and body, soothing it and clearing my thoughts somewhat, though not as much as I wanted. 30 minutes in, I stopped and rubbed my eyes. That was probably the best I was going to get out of it now. I had a lot on my mind and that was messing with everything. The next portal that opened up, did so in a lavish garden, manifested into reality by Maze. I stepped through and started walking towards the large castle peeking through the trees. Without enough context, you wouldn''t think that this garden was actually just a projection. I picked a rose on the way and admired it, breathing in deeply. A portal swallowed me on my next step, taking me to the balcony I''d seen Lucifer on, looking down at the challenges I had ultimately won. Good times. The change was immediate though not as pronounced when compared to the outside. Negative feelings slammed into me like a freight train. The smell of sulphur hang over us like a noxious invisible cloud. "Aden...glad you could make it." Lucifer said, commenting from a red couch that looked plush and comfortable. Maze was seated on the arm of the couch, one hand slung over the top of the seat, watching me with an intense gaze. The whole set up was weird, another couch this one gray on the side, with a huge tv screen opposite them, a bag of popcorn on the table between the couch and tv. The screen was playing a scene from the movie Face/off only in this world, it didn''t star Travolta or Cage but some other actors. One of whom looked almost identical to Richard Gere. I''d watched it and while it didn''t have the same zany appeal of the one I knew, the special effects were much better. This world''s tech was just more advanced. "First of all, I only have one question...last I remember, this castle was still back in my dimension, attached to the stadium..." I trailed off suspiciously. "Oh that...that was just a replica. A copy." Lucifer waved off my concerns. For a second there, I''d been worried that he could just access my dimension without my say so. Who knew what level of BS power he was working with? I sent my awareness to my dimension using the ever present link I had and confirmed that yes, the castle and almost destroyed stadium were still where I''d left them. I stepped up closer to them, doing my best to not keep staring at Maze''s body for too long and handed her the rose in my hands. She turned it around in her fingers before opening her lips in a little shock. She recognized it. She could touch and feel it, something that wad supposed to be impossible. But with my air bending, it was easy to give it form underneath the illusion plastered above it. "How?" I shrugged before answering. "I have my ways." I told her before propping my ass on the second empty couch beside the table. "What is this, movie night?" "Yes. It''s a... thing we picked up on earth." Lucifer snorted. "And funnily enough a very good way to understand humans and what passes for social concepts without having them scream while torturing them." Oh right, I''m friends with the devil. The tv screen went dark as he fully turned to me. "But that''s not what you''re here for, now is it?" I sat up straighter. "Yeah. Got it in one." "Soooo, ask. I can feel the burning question just on the tip of your tongue." Maze looked between us in confusion. "What do you want in exchange for John Constantine''s freedom?" The smile on Lucifer''s face threatened to split it into two. "Like I said...this is the fun part." Make Your Choice (Aden''s P.O.V) The air suddenly got frigid. Even for my tastes. I pulled on my inner energy to stave off the shivering while looking around at the location Lucifer had brought us. A frozen wasteland everywhere my eyes fell. Nothing registered in my senses. No life, no movement, no heat. "What is this place?" I asked the other two. Usually hell was...well ''crowded'' isn''t the right word but it wasn''t so... abandoned. "This is... what happens when you piss off someone you reaaaaaally shouldn''t." Lucifer answered, grabbing my attention. "I''m talking about me incase you still haven''t figured that out." He added, making me roll my eyes. "Well, let''s get a move on, this place gives someone the creeps." He stated, shivering in what I was supposed to interpret as fear? I stared at him slack jawed at the audacity, watching him walk away. "Ignore the drama queen." Maze comforted me. Atleast someone understands. "If anything this is the ideal vacation spot." Aaaaand scratch that. I shook my head for the umpteenth time while hurrying to catch up to the Devil and his consort, though...I wasn''t that eager to stop walking behind Maze. Damn that... "Take a picture... I''ll burn it along with you." She threw over her shoulder making me laugh. "Sorry. Can''t help it and neither can you. I feel like you added a little more sway just to mess with the one of us suffering from the malady called Puberty." I pulled up next to her and stated, nudging her slightly. "Is it working?" Maze asked me with a seductive smile. "That''s enough Maze, leave the boy alone. He already has problems getting a girlfriend. Anymore and you might break him." "I...huh...I can get a girlfriend!" I sputtered at the unexpected dig from Lucifer. "Really?" He chuckled. "The waft of your puri..." "And what''s that ahead of us?!" I cut him off, not ready to have a conversation about my love life or the non-existence of one. I took a step and flew ahead, the chilling wind moving around me, leaving a path open that allowed me to see where I was going. The fact that the chilly winds buffeted Lucifer and Maze''s position was not my fault. Nah huh. Not at all. I reached the edge of what turned out to be a giant sink hole in the middle of the ice land. It sank to an opaque bottom, darkness clouding the white walls just a few meters down the length of the whole thing. Lucifer whistled from beside me. "That''s very deep. I wonder what could be down there." "Stop trying to make this seem like an episode of Relic Hunter. You''re as far from a hot Tia Carrere as it gets." I grumbled. "Nerd." Maze muttered under her breath. "Ok, enough games." Lucifer spoke up, with a slightly serious look on his face. Though I could tell from his eyes that he was amused about something. I instantly went on guard. "No...no, you can''t be serious." I told him. "Wow...you catch on real quick. And yes, the reason why this entire section is closed off is because it''s a special place. And what makes it special is..." He stopped before he could snap his finger. "Instead of merely showing you, how about you see it for yourself." And with that my body locked up for a second as I slipped into the hole, the darkness claiming me. I looked into the eyes of Lucifer just as I fell and understood that this was payback for the wind thing. "Oh for fuck''s sake." My momentum came to a slow as the air moved to embrace me. I couldn''t see anything and while the option of going back up was very enticing, especially because it seemed to get colder the deeper I went, what was the point? I''d already made it this far. I spread out my hands, creating a ball of bright yellow flames above both palms, lighting up the surroundings in a burst of visibility. My eyes should have adjusted to the darkness without relying on lighting but this darkness made no sense. It almost sucked everything inside it. Then, I floated down while studying the walls on every side of me. A layer of frost covered the walls. My boots started freezing from the chill but a snake of blue fire washed down my body like a shawl, keeping me warm against the drop of the temperature. I floated down for many minutes. At the 20 minute mark, I finally felt something through my senses. Labored breathing. There was still no signs of heat or anything too indicative but I heard something rattle and knew I was at the end of my descent. Another sound became apparent, the drip of something akin to water. Might have been water. What I saw next, sent chills through my spine. It instantly reinforced to me why I wasn''t wrong to destroy the demons that had refused to surrender. This...this was fucked up. "Bloody...hell...come to...come to continue where we left off?" The voice was surprisingly powerful given the situation the owner was in. He had his head bowed so he couldn''t see me as my feet touched the ground. I took that chance to properly study the prison and it''s prisoner. Chains hung from the left and right of Constantine, holding him up by the hands, with manacles, stuck to his hands through spikes going through the joints between the wrists and palms. Blood drops fell to the ice covered ground slowly, forming a puddle of red on both his sides. His blonde hair was long and cut in Patches. It fell down to his chest and he looked thin. Like a bag of bones. "What the fuck did they do to you?" The chains holding him rattled as he shifted in place. Likely surprised by the new voice. "Go fuck yourself Mate. Neron...you piece...piece of overgrown monkey balls hair... your... your tricks won''t work..." I couldn''t help it, I laughed. "What a way to make a great first impression, John." I stepped closer to him and knelt at the foot of the raised platform he was suspended upon. His blue eyes met mine and opened a bit widely in shock. "You''re not... Where''s the right prat?...I have a few more...words to have with the bumbling fool!" I reached into my hammer space and pulled out a bottle of water, holding it up for him to drink. He drowned the whole thing in seconds, coughing slightly as he chocked on it. "Thanks." He said, his voice losing its scratchy quality. "Now who the fuck are you and where is Neron?" "My name is Aden. Aden Strong." I introduced myself. "I know who you are, John Constantine, exorcist and demonologist extraordinaire. About Neron..." I winced. "That might prove a challenge seeing as he''s...ashes drifting in the wind." The thoroughly tortured man stared at me askance. "I killed him, I mean." This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I explained. "I heard you the first time. Just working on believing." And I could feel his disbelief. Which I ignored in favor of studying the chains holding him captive. I moved over to one and touched it. "Careful!" Constantine''s words were too late as a numbing feeling overcame my fingers. A layer of frost crept up the digits. Quick thinking saved me before I lost some appendages. Blue fire blazed along the skin of my palms, melting the ice and burning the skin of my hand. I gritted my teeth at the pain, cradling the palm to my chest. "Goddamn...That hurts!" Constantine seemed to find the strength of his voice as he admonished me. "What sort of twat touches an enchanted chain meant to hold down a magician!!" "Fuck you Constantine!" I shot back in anger. "I don''t see your ass trying anything to free yourself from the damn things! And how was I supposed to know they were enchanted?!" "It''s called common sense, you prat!" He responded. "Oh that''s rich coming from you, seeing as I''m not the one in chains!" My voice dripped with anger at his shamelessness. "What do you know?! You think I wanted to be stuck here willingly?!" The chains rattled as he buckled aggressively. "If I try to escape these fucks go after..." He suddenly cut off his statement, clenching his jaw tight and sighing. "Allyssa right? Or Cerial." I shrugged, feeling his body tense in surprise. "I don''t really know how that whole relationship works." They were two souls inside one body. Just like Etrigan and Blood. The latter two needed a phrase to switch over. Was that the case with Allyssa and Cerial? Probably not. "How do you know about her?" His voice was measured, deadly serious and overprotective. As if posed to attack me if I had harmed her in any way at all. "Oh I guess news doesn''t reach you down here." I replied. "Tosser." Constantine''s insult washed over me easily. I stepped back and eyed the chains. "I guess we''ll start from the beginning. But first..." I looked at Constantine in contemplation, before a small smile worked it''s way on to my face. "You might want to cover your ears,oh wait, you can''t. Sorry in advance." He stared at me in confusion that changed into a painful surprise the next minute. I opened my mouth and let loose a point blank sonic scream at the chain strapped to his left hand. The air rippled out in a sonic wave vortex, slamming onto the chain links and shaking the whole underground structure. A stream of fire escaped my hand in a massive wave that destroyed the icicles falling at Constantine before they could turn the fowl mouthed brit into a pin cushion. "Bollocks! Are you mad?!" I rolled my eyes, "Oh come on, you weren''t in any danger. I aimed the attacks at the chains." "Exactly! You aimed them at the bloody chains despite explicitly telling you to leave the damn things alone!" I sighed in frustration. "Do you even wanna get outta here?" "No. Hell no. Fuck no with a glimpse of side boob." He refused vehemently. That makes no sense. No sense at all. "Pussy." I smiled at his fuming form, teeth gritting in anger. "Oh you little brat, you''re lucky I cant move." I tried a variety of different attacks. Fire did nothing, combustion bending only brought a larger icicle down on our heads, Lightning merely fried Constantine as it ran down the length of the chain (I wasn''t too bummed out by that). And trying to cut the chains with the black sword sheathed in a layer of vibrating air simply nicked the soul blade. A disconcerting wail escaped the blade, giving me the sense that I had hurt it. After that, I sent it to the hammer space. All the while, I had made sure to tell Constantine everything that had happened. From Allyssa attacking Blood, to stealing the Star Compass, finding a mystically attuned place to cast a spell to pierce through the veils hiding the Fountain of Imperium''s location and teleport her there, to Blood arriving, to them fighting before Neron''s forces had taken advantage of their battle to capture them, to my involvement, to the challenges, my eventual win and how I was now in negotiations with Lucifer for Constantine''s own freedom. Of course, I heavily emphasized that I had only won mostly due to Gabriel''s horn giving me the power to push through the challenges. Something that matched up well with it''s innate ability to pretty much increase the bearer''s strength to match his opponent. Giving someone like Constantine information about my realm was dumb. Dumber than dumb. Of course, he would find out about it soon but the only people who knew about it, had no idea just how powerful I got by virtue of being inside the dimension. Lucifer knew, as did Iroh and Mammon. But I said people. One was a demon, the other a spirit and the last was a ball of bullshit power wrapped up in billions of years of experience and a side dish of deviousness. "Dammit. I''ve tried everything I can without bringing this whole thing down on us." Constantine snorted. "Give it up. Nothing will work." I ignored him in favor of trying to find a different way to tackle the problem. "Why are you doing this anyway? I can assure you that no one else would be going to such trouble for a bloke like me." "Is that self pity I hear in your voice?" I asked, standing up and moving around the room to stare at the bolts holding the chains up. Maybe if I can open a boom tube at the spaces inside the chain links then...no it probably wouldn''t work. something tells me those shining glyphs carved along the wall are a countermeasure to someone who finds a smart way to solve this as opposed to the straight forwardness of direct attacks. Constantine barked out a laugh. "Bah! You wish. No, I''m a realest. Human nature rarely surprises me anymore." "And yet Allyssa was trying her best to come for you." I told him, a dancing steak of lightning appearing on my finger like an unstable laser beam, trying to burn through the bolts. I kept the current small yet sharp. Constantine winced a little at the small shock but didn''t complain. "Yes, she tried. Not because she cares, which I''m sure she does but because of guilt. I wish she had just lived her life free of the accursed thing." His tone took on a melancholic note. "Unfortunately for the lass, we all have our own share of demons. It just takes getting to know them and the countdown up until they try to drown you." I paused what I was doing to mull over his words. A brief silence dominated the space between us. "You''re worth saving John. Everyone is." I finally said, though the statement felt hollow to me. "You don''t sound like you believe that." I stopped and turned to him. "You''re right. I don''t. Just something someone once told me. I''d rather kill some people instead of trying to save them and let god sort them out...but I understand second chances. I just don''t have mercy for the ones who fuck that up too." "Mmmh... You never answered my question. What are you getting from bargaining to free me? And this time, don''t try to change the subject... you''re surprisingly good at that." He insisted. "Ok fine. You want the truth?" He jerked his head in a nod. "Hit me." "It''s really simple... I''m done with all this demon crap." I admitted. "What do you mean ''done with all this demon crap.''" He copied me. I comforted myself with the thought that I was about to leave him stunned with my next words. "You see John, I''ve fought Galiel, Mnemoth, Mammon, Agog, Beelzebub, Neron, Azazel, Blaze oh and like a million other demons." I listed out. "Out of that line up, the only ones to survive were Blaze, Azazel and Agog." If it was possible...his lower jaw would have completely fallen off his face. "So yeah, I have had my fill of dealing with demons. But because this world is fucked, that doesn''t mean Demons are done with earth. I can''t exorcise them from humans either so...I need a replacement or rather a comeback. The world needs John Constantine." And with that I turned away from him to study the chains some more. There was the option of using Dr.Fate to unravel the spell woven in the chains. He was a master of the mystic arts after all. However that was the last alternative. Fate and I had come to an understanding but... ultimately, I had ended up not needing his help in the challenges, so who knows if he would honor that agreement? Plus, I didn''t want Constantine to know I had the helmet of Fate this early. I walked around and under the chain links, careful not touch one of them. The goal was to pay more attention to the glyphs on the wall. Maybe it was a formation? In that case, perhaps sabotaging it would allow the whole thing to untangle. The expert demonologist must have figured out my next plan of action as he spoke. "There is no point. The enchantment uses a clause in my contract with Neron to keep me here. Now that he''s dead and I am still not free..." Constantine looked up at me, dashing my hopes, before adding, "...It was probably passed into someone else''s hands. According to the terms, It should either be the one who killed him or..." My eyes widened. "Someone strong enough that such stipulations wouldn''t work on him." We came to the same conclusion, our eyes establishing contact in mid air. "Lucifer." We both said. "Yes. Someone called?" A smooth voice answered from behind us. "Speak of the devil." I started. "And he bloody well appears." Constantine completed. "Well, now I''m just feeling flattered." Lucifer shamelessly replied, enacting a small and graceful bow. "Lad, you have no idea who you''re dealing with." Constantine warned me in a serious tone. "Stop that. You''re the savee...let me do my job so that you can get back to destroying your lungs with more smoking." I admonished playfully, my eyes never leaving Lucifer. "Can we get this over and done with? Some of us have better things to do." Maze grumbled from Lucifer''s side. "Maze, dear, you do not sound too happy to see me. I thought domination was your thing?" Constantine teased her only for the Lilim to roll her eyes. "Keep it in your pants Constantine. You''re an asshole. I''m an asshole. Even on paper that just stinks." "These two huh? It''s almost like...get a room, am I right?" Luci asked me, seemingly unbothered by the byplay occuring infront of him. "Dude... she''s your consort..." I pointed out, only for silence to dominate the space before everyone burst out laughing. Everyone expect for Maze and I. "Oh how innocent." Lucifer shook his head while staring at me as if I was an adorable little thing. "They''re demons Lad. Ever heard of shamelessness? Yeah...they invented that." Constantine added from his chained position. Maze simply showed him the finger. This was getting out of hand, I still needed to find a quiet place and check out my mission rewards and the new sub skills description. The banter while amusing was also kind of annoying. I cleared my throat. "What can I do to earn his freedom?" The room instantly cooled down. "Lad..." "Shut it Constantine, let me do this. I have to do this." At my words, the scruffy looking man settled down with a curious gaze. Lucifer walked forward a little. I had constructed a permanent swirling fireball above us after reaching the bottom of the hole, so his features were plain to see. He had on a soft smile on his face as he stared at me. "You know Aden, you have left me impressed at every single turn. You understand your... shortcomings and are always eager to take on any challenge and give it your all." He praised. "So I decided to give you a little gift. Think of it as an early birthday present." How did he even know that?! "However...you can only have one of two things." He held out his left hand and a lone sheet of paper appeared. Constantine''s demon contract and then his right hand rose up as well to reveal a swirling spark of blue energy enclosed in a transparent sphere, the size of a tennis ball. From the corner of my eyes, Maze stiffened slightly. "On my left hand, you have the key to Constantine''s freedom. Tear this and he gains back all he''s lost." Lucifer stated holding up the very thing I wanted. A small smile worked it''s way up my face. This choice was fucking easy. I didn''t even care about what the other thing was. The Morningstar chuckled at my expression, as if amused by something. A second later I found out why. "And on my right hand, you have the key to solving one of your immediate issues. The essence of Vandal Savage''s abilities. His meta-human gene. His immortality. Make your choice." My mind went blank for a few seconds. "Oh come ooooonn!!!!!" The Alternative (General P.O.V) In the Threshold, the realm of Desire of the Endless, Lord of desire, satisfaction and fulfillment, a beautiful androgynous figure stood in a chamber filled with their sibling''s sigils. Desire paced slowly along the wall holding all the symbols of power. "The time to convene is upon us, my siblings, yet...none of you except for dear despair seem eager for this conversation." They stopped and smirked dangerously at a sigil in shape of a mask and a long spine. The helm of dreams. "Are you not the least bit curious on what news I have?" The smirk on their face froze, an interested spark appearing in their eyes. "You''re always welcome in my chambers...big brother." They said, languidly stretching out across the comfy seat in the room. Light steps sounded out as a form materialized from sand. Lord Morpheus'' face was stone cold as he stared down at his younger sibling. Someone who had been the cause for much of his pain throughout their long lives. "They''re not coming for they see this for what it is...one of your many many schemes." His voice was deep and smooth, managing to convey his disdain very well for the anthropomorphic entity at his front. "Aaww, now that just breaks my heart." Desire answered back, though in actuality, they didn''t seem too bothered my the information. Dream walked closer, trailing his eyes along the wall, where the Endless'' sigils were framed. "I do not understand why you keep this futile game afoot. One would think that after testing my patience for all these eons, and my forgiving you at every turn, you would know that all your actions are ultimately... a fruitless endeavor." Desire laughed. "Is that so...Killala..." That word caused the shadows in the chamber to expand, as a shroud of grim mystery clad Dream''s form. "You would dare?" The question came out as a thin whisper. For the first time during the whole exchange, Desire''s smirk fell off their face. "Do not forget, big brother, where you stand. This is my realm." A tense mood hung in the space between them. "We have all come to an unanimous decision. Stay away from the boy. No contact until we learn more about the circumstances surrounding his possibility. I could feel your gaze piercing into the mortal realm. He is...an enigma. A miracle. One that should be treated with caution, not malicious intent. I warn you Desire, step out of line and I guarantee...this time you will regret it." With that, Dream''s presence faded into thin air, leaving Desire all alone in the chamber. Their mouth twitched, a black tail swishing behind them slowly. "Stay away? Stay away!??" A creepy laugh bubbled out of them, to the point they clutched their ribs and folded upon themselves. "Oh my sibling..." Desire moaned. "Why would you tell me to stay away... when you better than most understand, we are but slaves to our... desires?" His yellow eyes penetrated through the walls of his realm to land on a figure clutched at the rooftop of a building in Las Vegas. "I can''t help it..." (Aden''s P.O.V) More than 6 hours. 6 fucking hours spent scouting this whole city, before I remembered I possessed sensory abilities and used them to locate my mark. Las Vegas was different from L.A or any place I''d ever been before. It felt in a word more, alive. Which I guess was an obvious observation, based on the fact that it''s whole deal was based on having a good time. Still, the energy the city gave off felt a bit...dirty. Not in a bad bad way but...yeah. I was crouched on the rooftop of a building, in one of the most expensive sections of the city. The casinos here catered for the truly filthy rich. An opulent building stood tall at my front, light shining through it''s transparent structure. The upper society, driving expensive cars with some of the most elegant women I had ever laid my eyes on, walked around, chatting and enjoying themselves. It was currently inching closer to darkness and I was busy following my mark as she navigated the social scene with grace and expertise that totally outshined every other woman present. Underneath that beautiful exterior however, was a demon. To be precise, a succubus called Calliope that drained men of not only their vital life force but also their overflowing bank accounts. Using that money and beauty, she had managed to build an empire and this hotel was only one of her many properties around the city. I was going to kill her and send her back to hell. It was the alternative presented by Maze. Lucifer had given me a choice. Choose between Constantine''s freedom or Vandal Savage''s meta-human gene. One would give me a good relationship with a badass magic expert and the other was even more useful to my personal power. Savage''s meta-human gene was coupled with a high speed regeneration factor. Which meant I could actually use my adaptive physiology to finally get to the upper limits of physical power I wanted. I could train under 20¡Á the gravity of earth, go skinny dipping in hot lava, subject myself to all sorts of extreme temperature, poisons and basically come out stronger than ever and with resistances to basically anything. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I could forge my body anew. Make it into something that could support the upper limits of my sonic abilities. Internal lightning bending to increase my speed and reaction speed. All of that would be as easy as breathing. And all I had to do for that monumental amount of progress was kill one demon. Kill one demon when I had taken down millions? ''Get outta here.'' I thought with a snort. Yet... something was different about her. Especially how she registered in my senses. Now...demons did not possess a soul. That was an indisputable fact. But, she did. Or at least her core was wholesome. A bundle of self energy wrapped up in the bare hints of immortality. Calliope had the stirrings of an artificial soul! It was enough to make me question almost everything I knew up until that point. Did Maze know this? Was it the reason why she particularly wanted to get this demon back to hell? I didn''t lie to myself and think that just because I had destroyed a lot of the infernal beings, the others had fled back to hell in fear. The had to be thousands of more demons loose in the world. Most of them contracted while others were here to tempt mortals. Even in the city, I could feel the pulse of many different demons. I was planning on doing some clean up when I was done with the weird mission. So why her specifically? I brought up the mission log once more. The rewards section had been placed at PENDING. Probably in response to the new mission Maze had given me. I''d also found out that the system had divination abilities to some degree, otherwise the chain quest would have been completed with the whole challenge thing. That one last mission I needed to carry out had been a mystery up until Maze had issued it. This was normally Lucifer''s job but the King of Hell had been thrilled that his replacement was taking charge and immediately agreed. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ (Chain Quest Updated) (Destroy Galiel''s Known Associates: 3/5) (Updated :- 3/4) (Associates remaining:- 1) UPDATE!!!- (Last Associate) (Due to the actions of a being with the AUTHORITY of a level 12 entity, an update to the chain quest has been prompted. Galiel''s last associate Calliope is still loose in the world. Take her down and see the completion of the chain quest. Mission parameters, objectives and rewards have been updated accordingly) (Due to the actions of the client who issued the chain Quest, one of the associates has already been dealt with. You made the Devil wait, wow¡­so much for good work ethic. As a result of this, a replacement mission has been issued) (The Final Act:- Save Jason Blood and Allyssa from the schemes of the Hell Lords, who seek to use this chance to undermine Lucifer''s influence in the recently tension wrought realm known as the Hell Dimension. The client wishes to test your mettle before this challenge. As a consequence, he has revealed your position to a¡­few interested parties. Think of this as a test. Survive, get to hell and kick a few demon asses) Mission Objectives:- Come out on top in the following Encounter. - Complete. Find a way in to hell, preferably without dying. Complete Defeat The Hell Lords. Complete Just¡­Survive. Complete Update! Take her down mercilessly. Incomplete. Mission parameters:- -Mission Time limit- Do you really want to keep him waiting again? -Mission Difficulty- Hell (Pun Soooo Intended) Update! -Mission Difficulty- Normal. Mission Rewards:- -> 25 training points for each objective cleared for a total of 100 training points, if all objectives are cleared. -> 100 training points for mission completion. -> One Boon From Lucifer Morningstar. -> Mysterious Reward. -> A New Perk. Rewards PENDING! -> 20 training points. -> One more added boon from Lucifer as opposed to the initial singular one. Rewards PENDING! +---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If I completed that Last Associate mission, I was practically free from the Chain Quest and could take other unrelated missions. But still, something rubbed me the wrong way about this whole deal. The mission difficulty was set at normal which meant as compared to every other mission, this would be a cake walk. Maze wanted her to be cut down mercilessly. There in lied the suspicious element. She didn''t want me talking with her. Mmmh...I studied her for a few more minutes. At the half hour mark and just as 7 rolled around, though from the way the city instantly went alive you would know that the party was just beginning...she excused herself and left for her penthouse. Momentarily disappearing from my sight but not my senses. I rose up from my crouch just as I felt her pour herself a drink. Time to end this thing and collect my rewards. The black blade I had taken from one of the demons appeared in my hands. The saber seemed to blend into the natural surroundings and with a little tweak from Sai, the nicked part was fixed. Sai had unfortunately disliked the blade the first time laying his eyes on it. But it was a good replacement for now as Equity completed it''s evolution. The winds lifted me up and I flew above the streets, clearing the distance between the two buildings in a single second. I aimed for the skylight, smashing through the glass and landing on the ground, blade poised to slice the Succubus from head to toe. Calliope''s eyes widened, too slow for her to do anything as the blade fell. Then... "Noooooo!!!!!" That single shout, stopped my blade at her forehead. A trail of blood ran down her face from where the blade had touched her skin. I kept it there as I turned to look at the source of the shout. The cry had been gut wrenchingly heart broken and panicked but the reason why I did not follow through with the action was the familiarity of the voice. Standing in the doorway was a very familiar figure. "You?" I asked the girl who had served Gabriel and I during our talk at Lux. In L.A. The cute girl had been very curious and interested about me, to the point where I had felt something was up. To find her here... defending a demon... "What is the meaning of this?" I asked coldly. "Paige...leave! Now!" Calliope shouted, gritting her teeth. The cute girl looked between us, hands trembling as she shook her head. "Mom!! No! I''m... I''m not going to leave you here..." She defiantly begun only to be interrupted once more. Wait, mom? "Paige, you will listen to me and GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Then Calliope stared derp into my eyes...almost pleadingly. "Your business is with me, Demon Bane." Demon Bane? What the? Paige flinched but stood her ground. "I have a better idea, no one is leaving." I decided. The wind blew through the room and closed the door behind Paige with a loud bang. Calliope''s gaze turned devastated, as a pink mist escaped out of her form, swirling around the both of us like Sakura leaves. I used the wind to get rid of the sudden attack but I could already feel a stirring from deep within me. Dammit! I jumped back to create distance between us, calling onto my inner energy and running it inside my body to get rid of whatever she had done to me. I cursed myself. If I had been a little more ruthless...none of this would have happened. Guilt and Pleasure (Aden''s P.O.V) The heat from my inner flame running through my body staved off the sudden arousal my body screamed with. I swallowed, doing my best to keep my eyes above Calliope''s neck. Their scents were alluring and oh so very tempting. An air bubble shimmered at my front as a ball of condensed hell fire washed over me, swallowing my defense sphere in a torrential wave of almost sentient flames. Calliope had smartly taken advantage of my distraction to attack. Instead of pressing the advantage however, she chose retreat. "Paige! We are going now!" Bat wings exploded out from the Succubus''s back. She didn''t spare me a glance while grabbing her daughter''s hand forcefully. As occupied as I was with trying to burn the pink mist that I had breathed in unconsciously, I wouldn''t have paid them no mind anyway. I was too shocked. Whatever this mist was, it didn''t affect my mind. Instead, it focused it''s effects on my body. My enhanced healing did not take it as an injury or sickness either, so I was stuck with relying on my body refining along with adaptive physiology to get rid of the status effect. The crash of a window called my attention to my target. I looked at them and caught Paige''s green eyes wide with fear, just as they fell out of the building. Fuck! Can''t let them get away! Steam escaped my mouth as I intensified the heat, feeling my insides cooking but my body''s reaction eased. It wasn''t over, not even close. I needed somewhere I could meditate and burn it out of my system but it was just enough to move. The wind sphere surrounding me warped in shape, seeking to trap the hell fire in a cocoon that I could simply expel to my realm and avoid burning down the whole district. Like an umbrella unravelling the wrong way, the black flames were trapped inside my wind sphere, then sent to the fire dimension. Too bad I couldn''t store the energy as it was in my hammer space. If I did I could acquire some really awesome firepower. The luxurious room had already been turned into a smoking wreck. The smoke flowed out of the hole in the window, visible in the light filled surroundings. I waved it away and took a step into the empty air. Casually walking forwards on an invisible air platform, while I used my senses to hone in on Calliope and Paige''s location. "Oh my god!" "Is he...he fucking is! Bruh, He is walking on air!" My form started gathering interest from the people under me. "Oh man that is sooo cool!! Must be an act!" One of them said. "I know! And a few seconds earlier I saw a woman fly out of the same building with something held in her arms. She flew north. This place is awesome!" North huh? I focused my senses on that direction and barely pinged off a very low flying form. I narrowed my eyes. Got you. For the hint, I decided to repay the guys under me. I spread out my hands and allowed gravity to take a hold of me. Amid the screams of frightened tourists, I fell. Plunging through the ground like a missile from ww2. I could see their eyes, opened wide with fear and exhilaration and when I was only 10 meters above their heads, I reoriented my body, to face north in a horizontal position and then a burst of yellow light exploded out of my feet. The sudden action from activating the jet flames, pushed me forwards at incredible speeds. I stepped on the metaphorical gas. My attention divided in three ways. One, to fucking enjoy this because it never got old, two to not lose Calliope''s form through the winding city and three to keep on burning the effects of the succubi Aphrodisiac from my system. "Whooooo!" I screamed in delight as I flew down Fremont street in downtown Las Vegas, laughing at the 25 speed limit sign near the sidewalk. Scores of people pointed out at me just as I passed through, catching up quickly to my target. Calliope must have sensed me as she quickly took a sharp turn, momentarily getting lost through a few buildings. I followed her relentlessly, kicking off to the right to change direction and not loose her trail. Something fast moving dove down from the roof of a building, heading towards me. Calliope slammed into me, a sword with burning black flames along it''s form, slicing through my air bubble like it wasn''t even there. The Ebony blade appeared in my arms and blocked her blade. The clash sent us both tumbling through a building being constructed and on to the roof of another 5 storey building. I rolled away from the explosion of black flames that engulfed 5 meters around her in fire. "I have no quarrel with you Demon Bane!" Calliope snarled, the green eyes she shared with her daughter glowing with fury. "You''re right." I answered back getting to my feet lazily, "I do not want to kill you. So make this easy on both of us and go back to hell willingly. Otherwise..." I left the statement hung, unfinished. "So be it." Calliope answered not the least bit surprised by my response. She had expected I wouldn''t back down. That was probably the reason why she had sent Paige away. I couldn''t sense the former at all, something that raised a lot of questions on what kind of heritage she actually possessed. When flying away with her mother, Paige had managed to lower both of their presences to the point where I had almost lost them. Was it conscious or...I turned back to the fight when something started happening. Black flames washed over Calliope''s body. The heat no less oppressive than Lady Blaze''s hell fire. "I have faced down worse foes. Stronger beings. Creatures of magic so powerful, you would not survive a confrontation. You will be nothing more than a name added to my list, boy." With the effect of hell flames licking her position, the statement was admittedly very cool. "Cheap talk, lip service bullshit. In other words, Bite me bitch." I responded, twirling the blade in my hand in preparation for our confrontation. There were a lot more questions that I needed before I could go for the killing blow. Otherwise she would have been dead already. A weird look crossed over my face when the hell flames disappeared. "That you Raynare?" I blurted out as the feeling of arousal intensified by tenfold. Calliope had...changed. If before she was gracefully beautiful, now she was sinfully hot. Dressed in black leather bikini, with high boots, intricate tattoos glowing across her arms and midnight black hair, she cut an amazing figure with the 8 hourglass body shape she was rocking. And my dick noticed. A low heat that burned on my groin, quickly became too much, distracting me even more. And now I was back to where I started. Fuck, I need to finish this quickly. "Such a cute little boy." Her throaty voice sent shivers across my body. The Ebony sword slashed through the air, preceded by my first step. A sharp clang run out as the slim blade in her arms, burning with black flames blocked my first strike. I leaned out of the way, my skin barely getting glazed by the tip of her thin tail. I stepped back to avoid her clawed hand, which swung wide through the air, only for her to use it to build momentum and transition into a kick aided by the mighty flap of her wings, I grabbed the kick to my chest, grunting a little, after noticing the not insignificant force she put in it and threw her across the roof. Calliope spun through the air, using her wings to fly off towards another building, preferably to escape. Ok, this is dumb. No more holding back. I held out a hand and air constructs covered her path, crept up along her feet and bound her tightly. She let out an alarmed shout trying to escape but my patience had thinned out. "Stop Struggling." The power behind my words slammed into her mind as the combination of the sonic Subskill and my telepathy worked wonders to control her. It wasn''t a skill I loved using. Or that effective really. Had she been calmer, she would have probably broken the hypnotic effect. Calliope''s bound form landed before me and I belatedly realized that I was fucked. The things I wanted to do to her and her to me...oh god. Especially when you consider that the air construct ropes, invisible as they were, emphasized her body the way it did...All that left me itching for some milf loving. Her eyes blazed with anger, flames leaking out from her skin to try and destroy the bindings holding her captive. I had even covered her mouth, deciding to first meditate before having a chat with this devilish woman. I crossed my legs in my usual pose and delved deep within my body. My nervous system appeared on my mind, the nodes of energy scattered around and pulsing with power. My own Inner heat rose up to defend against the effects of Calliope''s succubus powers. A few minutes later, I got up, the arousal at a manageable level. During that time, Calliope had stopped struggling, though the way she stared daggers, told me exactly what she thought about me. Yikes. I levelled my sword at her. "Let''s get one thing clear, the only reason you''re still alive is because I hate getting played. Clearly there are a lot of things I wasn''t told. When I loosen the binding across your mouth, start talking." I used the most menacing voice I could. I did as promised, undoing the binding taped across her mouth. "Tuh!" She spit at me. I wiped the saliva off my coat without a word. Now, I''ve always been respectful to women. My parents raised me right after all. That said, the one thing I had come to learn during my stay in this world, was that image was everything. How you portray yourself is the difference between being treated seriously or getting taken as a joke. Case in point, Toyman. A dude that could build fucking robots but was at best seen as a nuisance and at worst the cause of Metropolis'' property damage fund rising up by a smidgen. He was a joke character with a lot of power. His image sucked. On the other end of the spectrum we have Victor Szasz, no powers yet everyone and they momma took this dude seriously. Ergo, if you wanted people to take you legit, you had to have a certain image and attitude. I whipped out my hand and slapped the demon across her face. Calliope''s face was whipped to the side, a trail of blood dripping down her torn lip as she blinked her eyes to get rid of the sudden vertigo. I crouched down infront of her. "You...you...you slapped me?" She said in disbelief. "Duh." I looked at her, cleaning out my ears with my pinky finger. An expressionless look on my face. "It was either that...or kill you for being a bitch." I waved the ebony blade in the air, bringing it close to her neck threateningly. The point touched her throat and pierced a bit of her skin. She swallowed in fear, not moving. Her green eyes had lost that furious glow from before. "All I need to do is just...push a little and it''s game over." I whispered. Then I sent the ebony blade to my hammerspace, making it disappear from my hand. She breathed out in relief as I smiled softly. "But that would be a quick way to go." My soft smile turned predatory. Her fear intensified, connecting the dots. I cracked my fists. "It would be such an insult to your resilience right? I mean you''re a big bad demon after all. You''ve faced down your share of monsters and come out on top...you can probably handle a beating to the death..." "No! Stay back!" Her bravery held up only to the point where I started approaching her slowly. I stopped. "Then start talking." She took a shuddering breath, closing her eyes and the back of her head resting on the wall behind her. "Promise me that you''ll leave my daughter out of this." I cocked my head in thought, extending the tense moment even further. "She has nothing to do with this! Promise me, you bastard!" Calliope barked in desperation. I nodded. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "I promise you that I''ll leave your daughter out of it. Now talk...what''s your purpose in the human world?" Calliope seemed to pull in on herself, the defiant anger she''d possessed, going away, replaced by a far away look. One of pain. "It was a few centuries ago. I fell for a...human." she smiled a little in reminiscence. I raised an eyebrow at that. That was... surprising. The air folded at my back in the shape of a comfy chair, the buoyant nature of the air currents gently holding me up in a seated position. I had a feeling that what I was about to hear was going to be heavy. "He knew nothing of the world in the shadows. Our meeting was one of chance. His family had been invaded and he had lost everything. The only thing saving his life, a magic formation in the basement where the blood from his injuries had seeped through. I felt the call, full of desperation and want. A human soul driven to the very edge of despair. such a soul would be tantalizing. Valuable. And so...I answered." Her voice turned cold. "I later learnt he was an ancient magician, who had hypnotized himself to believe he was the only survivor from a massacre. Everything had been a carefully crafted plan. After losing a battle where he was cast out of this plane, he tricked a mystical arts practitioner called Dekan Drache into giving him his body and soul, therefore enabling him to leave his imprisonment from the other dimension." Ok that just took a drastic change. "Upon his escape, he found out that he had lost all his powers and Dekan''s magical potential was weak. So he came up with a devious plan. He used a one way link to connect his soul with Drache''s, in order to hide his putrid and dirty one, then tortured Drache''s soul, taking him to the peak of soul destruction before giving him a ray of hope. Demons consider such souls as valuable because our innate nature craves for that which we do not have. Salvation. All this was in order to capture the interest of a high rank demon, then to imprison them and have them serve him, teach him infernal magic and to order around." She spat out. "Why go to all that trouble just to sermon you?" I wondered curiously. It seemed like too convoluted a plan. "Normally when magicians use a magic formation, the only thing they can sermon is a low level demon. To get a high rank Demon like a succubus, you need either of three things. Something belonging to the demon which might be hair, skin, teeth, nails or horns, a powerful incantations that calls on to the demon''s true name and lastly, a very valuable soul. He had neither, so he devised a way to..." "...Make it seem as if Drache''s soul was valuable enough." I finished. "Who is he?" At that she clammed up. "You do not understand the danger you will put my daughter in if I happen to mention his name." She genuinely looked upset, her eyes fleeting around us. "You''re a fucking demon. Why are you so scared of one little magician?!" Where was the defiance she''d shown me. As I was currently, she had to know I was a much more valid threat than whoever she was talking about. Wait... "You''re not afraid of him, are you?" At that Calliope looked away. "You''re afraid for Paige." I concluded. "Keep her name out of your Fucking mouth!" I snorted. "I don''t think you''re in a position to demand anything of me." I pointed at her bound form. "In any case, why don''t we finish this story. I''m guessing you escaped?" She was still fuming but in the end, she answered nonetheless. "It was after Paige was born...my life in the human world had shown me how humans could be ruthless like demons. In some cases even more, but I also saw some that had the capacity for good. One of them helped me to get a stable life. However I knew it wouldn''t be enough. I wanted...I wanted to give my babygirl everything she could ever want. The best protection, the best things, the best life. So I used my... unique advantages to move up in life and a few weeks ago, Maze came to learn of Paige''s existence. She feels that she can only protect her if she''s in hell, somewhere she can see her niece all the time." "But you disagree. So why send me to kill you then?" I asked feeling more and more stumped. None of this was making much sense. "And one more thing. If you are bound to a demon contract then how comes the magician let you leave?" She swallowed, "I...I... don''t know. I think, I think he considers it a game. A promise that I would come back. That no matter how far away from him I go...he will always eventually find me." The whole thing was starting to add up now. "That''s why you''re wary to utter his name. You''re afraid to capture his attention, making him decide to come for you after all this time." I rubbed my chin in thought. "And as to Maze ordering me to kill you, I would say it''s politics. She is the new king or in this case, queen of hell." At that Calliope looked up in shock. "Maybe she thinks bringing you back, a high rank demon to hell will be a nice opening to her reign." "That does sound like something she would do." I nodded, the Ebony Blade appearing in my hands. "Yes, I agree. Totally sounds like Maze." The succubus eyed the blade with fear once more crossing her features. Besides the fear, was resignation as well. She had accepted her fate. "Now, don''t look so glum. When you die here, you''ll simply reform in hell, brand new. You can thank the innate connection you possess to the infernal realm." I told her in what I hoped was a comforting tone. When demons died on earth, their sense of self was simply sling shot back to hell due to their demonic heritage. If they died in hell, it was game over and if the died in a realm such as mine that completely cut off any links to other realms besides the connection I alone possessed, it was game over as well. All the demons I''d killed on either dimensions were truly dead. Back to Calliope. Despite the heart breaking story, I couldn''t hope to fail this mission. That''s where the sacrifices things come in. The world needed both Constantine and me at my best, more than it needed Calliope. And I also did not want to ruin my relationship with Maze. She was my friend yes, but now her worth had elevated greatly. she was going to be a valuable ally. I raised the sword up high, ready to strike her down. "Don''t worry about your daughter, I''ll make sure she''s kept safe." I promised and meant it. The last thing I saw was a small smile of relief on Calliope''s beautiful face, before I swung the sword. Then...darkness. My senses were immediately rendered null. I lost the connection with my air bindings due to the sudden surprise of sensory deprivation. Thinking fast, I pulled on my inner energy and exploded with furious blue flames, setting my surroundings in fire and pushing away the darkness, allowing me to see and hear in a distance of 3 meters surrounding me. A fire snake formed around me, spinning in place, condescending into an almost white yellow fire ball that exploded out with me at the epicenter. I heard a pained shout. The surroundings were revealed quickly before the darkness encroached upon me once more. It wasn''t something I could push with air bending as well. "Paige! What are you doing here?! I thought I..." Calliope started only to be cut off by her daughter. "Don''t worry mom, I''m not leaving you here alone with...!" Her voice was muffled once more by the darkness that finally occupied my vicinity. Paige''s voice started echoing throughout the rooftop. "No! Don''t take my mom away! She''s the only thing I have." I pulled my hand back and threw the blade where I last remembered Calliope''s form had been. There was a clang before a swarth of black flames sped out from the position, almost invisible to my eyesight. A flick of my wrist and I batted away the hell flame, left hand coated with my own blue flames. Then the darkness disappeared. The first indication that the worst possible outcome had happened was the red text box that appeared in my vision with huge letters spelling, ''MISSION FAILED!'' "No..." I murmured in disbelief, seeing no signs of either of the women. "Gah! Fucking Dammit!" I was mad at letting them slip away. My fist dug onto the wall of the small structure built on the roof top of the building. I was pissed off. I hadn''t considered that Paige would come back. Neither had I thought that she possessed such potent powers. Did she awaken them upon seeing her mom about to die? Even my fucking energy sense had told me she was a normal girl, so what the fuck was this shit!? I leaned on the wall and just slipped to the ground like a puppet with cut strings. My head rested right beside the Ebony Blade dug into the wall. I stayed there for 2 hours, just...thinking. This was the first mission I had failed at. The worst part was that I could have finished it quickly. I could have trusted Maze. I didn''t and now...I could only make one choice. I felt sick to my stomach. Having faced down demons and all manner of creatures yet always succeeding, this was what did me in. ''Time to make your choice Aden.'' I thought belatedly. Constantine or Power. The sickness came back again. I... couldn''t choose. Not now. I...needed to distract myself. So I stayed up there just staring at the sky. I couldn''t help but notice just how beautifully the moon shone above me. It cast a pale light in the surroundings, forming Shadows. I realized off handedly that that must have been how they managed to escape. It seemed like Paige had awakened darkness and shadow manipulation. "Such a chuunibyu superpower. Good for her." I snorted. Back to the moon, I couldn''t help but keep on staring at it. With nothing to do but pass the time up until my birthday in...I looked at the time. "2 hours till you''re officially 18 Aden. You don''t have your family nor your friends to celebrate with...what is it Uncle Marcus always said?" I laughed remembering the memory I was thinking of. "Oh yeah...that he''d sneak me some real beer once I turned 18. Not the cheap shit you found at teenage parties. I still don''t really understand how he considers a Henny the best thing since sliced bread." I stood up, suddenly coming to a decision. "Why don''t I find out..." I stared at the moon "..and find out in style." Anything to forget the clusterfuck that had just occurred. A portal appeared behind me and I stepped inside, layering it to lead to my room. I got a couple thousand dollars and stepped out into the L.A night, a warm coat strapped around my body to keep me warm. Luckily, there wasn''t a time difference between the two cities so there was no disorientation. "Now...where can I find someone willing to sell liquor to a teenager without asking for ID." At the end, my patience got the better of me and I ended up going invisible and stealing a few Henny bottles. before leaving I placed about a thousand bucks on the counter next to the dude manning it. He looked at the money in shock, and I left the store laughing at what he probably thought were ghosts. The momentary humor did not last that long however. I was trying hard not to think about my fuck up but instead ended up overthinking about what I could have done differently. The guilt was real and for the first time in a long time... I really felt depressed. And lonely. And a lot more negative feelings. A deep sigh escaped me as I stepped into an alley. I''d heard a sharp scream coming from here. "Yo, what the fuck do..." A thug asked, lifting up his grey wife beater to reveal a pistol attached to his waist band. Behind him 2 more dudes held up a girl about my age against the wall, one of them had his fingers under her short dress. This is some cliche'' type of BS right here. A blast of air pushed the guys against the wall painfully. I heard a crack from one of the men''s hands but simply didn''t care. My expression found the girl''s. "Thank..." She begun. Her skin looked so smooth and soft, beautiful...sexy...I shook my head. Calliope really fucked me up. "Save it. What the fuck did you expect would happen if you walked around this place looking like that? Beat it." I pointed at the mouth of the alley, and created a boom tube without another word. Then I jumped in just as I heard a shout from her. "Wait..." The portal closed behind me and I looked around at my dimension. My presence was dulled to the point that my spirits couldn''t sense me. I didn''t want them to see me like this. It would only bring their moods down. Deep within me, I knew I was falling back to old habits. Closing myself off. I just...I just wanted to be by myself even though that was all I always was. It would let me figure out the next step. Once I got out of this funk of course. I looked at the pack of liquor in my hands. I''d gotten 2 bottles of henny, whiskey and an expensive wine that cost around 500 dollars. I wanted to know what was so special about it. With my realm having a physical link to the moon, I could fortunately create a portal to it''s surface without ever having been there. Otherwise, the journey would have been annoying as fuck. The closest place I could portal to would have had to be the Watchtower, which was still a long ways off from the natural satellite. I looked at the portal pulsing with yellow light before me. "Welp, let''s do this Neil Armstrong..." I stepped through the portal and landed slowly on my feet. The surroundings had changed but luckily a ball of oxygen surrounded my body allowed me to breathe. Talk about a wasteland. All I could see was sand, rocks and craters. Looking at the sky, it seemed like the earth was above me. stars shone beautifully around the open sky. No pollution or skyscrapers topping the skyline either. Mmmmh weird. I set the pack of beer down on the ground, only for it to bounce up and float a little. "This is some trippy shit." My voice was actually audible. Which made sense because I was surrounded in a sphere of air. I took a sudden jump and cleared about 50 meters of distance without even trying. So of course I had fun in the low gravity. Finally getting tired of the same thing. I laid my ass down on a rock after shaving off it''s top half and leaned on my arm, watching the blue planet. My first taste of the wine had me wincing a little. Sweet but also...not? Could I even get drunk? I mean it figures that with my enhanced body,that would be something I wouldn''t have to worry about yet...the arousal caused by Calliope had hit me hard. So maybe my body wasn''t as resilient as I had initially thought. Even now, I could still feel a familiar feeling below my groin. My balls felt so full. And it didn''t seem like it was going to go away soon. Fortunately, my body was still trying it''s best to filter it out. I looked at the clock at the edge of my vision. 1 hour and 6 minutes to midnight. Oh goodie. I drowned the whole wine bottle in frustration. I was turning 18 with no one in my family around. Maybe I should go back and chill with Sai, Kai and Breeze. They were my family after all. Being alone in such a monumental time was simply selfish. Just before I could stand up and leave, something pinged off in my sight. Space rippled a ways off into the dark sky and something flew out of the worm hole. Trouble. I left the pack on the ground, pulled on my inner energy and flew up, jet flames pushing me against the weak gravity of the moon. Space was different from the atmosphere in the moon. I felt a constricting force from all around me that I ignored in favor of blocking the way of what turned out to be a heavily wrecked spaceship headed for earth. The ship had purple accents around it''s form, with the hull being streamlined like a normal super jet. A section of it was destroyed, metal drifting off into space along with scuff marks and sparks dancing around the wrecked left side. It looked two seconds away from blowing up. I appeared before it and created a massive portal, big enough to let the ship pass through. It was so quick and sudden that the one controlling the ship did not have enough time to change course and ended up plunging inside. (General P.O.V) Inside the heart of a large statue of himself, Desire smiled provocatively. Their teeth shone prominently against their cherry red lips. Their yellow eyes twinkling in amusement. "You wouldn''t blame me for a harmless prank, little brother...right? In any case...call it a birthday present." (Aden''s P.O.V) I followed through the portal, forgetting about the pack of beer that would leave the astronomers shocked on the surface of the moon. The trail of destruction was evident. Broken trees and a scar on the ground leading to where the ship had fallen. I had aimed the portal for one of the far away islands in my main dimension that had a huge size. It was roughly as large as Madagascar. I flew down, informing Sai, Kai and Breeze to stay far away as I assessed the threat level of this new entity. They almost argued but I stood my ground. I didn''t want to put them in any sort of danger. The Ebony Blade appeared in my hands just as I stepped down before the wrecked ship. The entrance door opened up and something...no someone stumbled out. I widened my eyes in shock as I quickly ran Forward to catch her. She had red beautiful hair that glowed slightly. Green eyes and a beautiful face that was topped up with full lips meant for kissing. I swallowed. My eyes drifted down her body looking for injuries below her purple costume. "Are you okay..." Starfire held on to me with her strong arms, pressing her body into me in a way that managed to flare up the feelings caused by Calliope''s attacks. I started to pull away only to feel an animalistic need suddenly grip me. With every once of my being, I jumped back, breathing heavily. "Wait!..." "Goopta. Gotp...sachatii..." Her voice was hard and distrustful, green bolts appearing in her shaking hands. Starfire tried to point them at me but swayed in her feet. "You need to rest..." I quickly moved in before she could fall and held her in my arms again. My mouth opened slightly as her hands came up to surround my shoulders. My heart pumped wildly in my chest when her lips advanced towards mine. I know what she wanted to do. To learn the language I spoke for easier communication yet...I felt that something was bound to happen. Something I wasn''t sure I wanted to stop. She kissed me. The softest kiss I had ever felt. Her body melded into mine and the kiss went from necessary to a needful want. Sparks...no, Fire works exploded in my mind. A desire so potent, I felt my mind break at the thought of denying it. The kiss deepened, her arousal rising up to match mine. I ran a hand down her luscious hair, then gripped her ass with my left hand, a boom tube appearing below us, leading to my bed in Lux. The last thought I had was a half remembered advice from Future Aden. Something about...the thought disappeared from my head as starfire literally ripped the clothes off my back. ::--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: 5700 words. Okay guys, please don''t crucify me. I didn''t like this chapter all that much yet I felt like it was a necessary ending due to it connecting a lot of plot points. The Pairing is Starfire...MAYBE. shrug. But just like any true relationship out there, the romance will not be instantaneous. They will have their own share of problems. Trust, fear, hate, love, loyalty... I chose not to do the R-18 scene. If you feel the chapter was bad, I''m so sorry. I''ll try my best in the future but for now... I''m tapped out. I can only promise you that the third volume will make up for it. Volume 3 3 Months Later (General P.O.V) The bio ship touched down on the hanger silently. It took a few seconds for an entrance to form on the side of the Martian aircraft, followed by the beat of feet as the team shuffled out. "That''s the second damn time!" Kid Flash complained, limping out of the Bio-ship with an angry look on his face. "She broke my computer. So not traught." Robin added with a frown, fingers tapping the holographic device strapped to his wrist. "I was so close! I had a clear shot and then...bam! Darkness, no sight, no smell, no nothing. It''s so annoying." Artemis remarked in frustration, being the third to exit. "At this point I believe a change of tactics is in order." A tall beautiful girl advised while floating out of the Space ship. Robin stared at her with his mouth slightly open. He still couldn''t get used to just how beautiful and...and...unique she was when compared to other girls. His heart always skipped a beat when she smiled. "Earth to Robin." Kid Flash snapped his fingers infront of Robin''s face, making the younger boy throw an annoyed look his way. Kid Flash snorted, "Any more staring and your jaw will drop to the floor." Robin blushed and looked away. "I don''t know what you''re talking about." He denied. A chuckle escaped Kid Flash "Sure Rob." Starfire''s feet gently landed on the floor and looked around the Watchtower. A panoramic view of the earth could be seen through the invisible energy shields surrounding the whole structure. "So beautiful." She stated, her hands clasped between her chest. "Yeah. It took a while to get used to all of it." Miss Martian commented while flying towards her fellow alien. "You seem to have accepted it as your new home." Starfire observed. "I...I don''t know if I''m... ready to. Or if I''ll ever be." She added in a little sadness. Miss Martian placed a hand on the Tamaranean''s shoulder. "No one expects you to." She softly said. "Whether you see this as a new beginning or just a resting point before things work out... you''re not alone Kori. We''re here with you." Starfire smiled at the green skinned superheroine. "Thank you M''gann. You are very proficient in the ''cheering up''." Miss Martian laughed at the funny way Starfire worded her statements. It wasn''t that habitual for her but just enough for it to be noticeable. "Now...I am going to the Hub and bake something. The rest of the team needs my powers of ''cheering up'' to forget how badly the mission went. You want to join me?" Starfire shook her head, still looking out at the planet. "No... I think I''ll stay here a while. I have a lot on my mind." She replied. Miss Martian nodded in understanding and flew off towards the Team''s new headquarters, known as The Hub. Using Batman''s blue prints for the Watchtower, the League had managed to attach another structure to the Watchtower for the Black Ops team use. It was outfitted with the same amenities the Watchtower had yet remained a separate entity except for times when the two teams needed to work together. After Batman had resigned from the League, he had been offered the position as full time overseer for the teens. It was a position that involved his old duties of Mission assignment and strategy training for the Junior Team. Batman had refused at first but after Superman continued to be in a coma , the latter''s stand in had needed better guidance from someone experienced with how Superman went about safe guarding Metropolis. And no one knew Superman better than the dark Knight. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Not alone huh?" Starfire absentmindedly said, rubbing a pendant with a stylized yin yang symbol clasped along her neck. She could feel a warmth that she instinctively knew was his ''beacon'' to her. If she pressed her thumb on the Pendant...she knew he would come. No matter what he was doing or where he was...he would come. It was enough for Starfire to smile with a fond look on her face. They weren''t talking...yet, he would come. What if... "Star? You okay?" Robin, her smart teammate who was usually the brains behind most of their strategies, questioned in genuine concern. She hadn''t felt him walk over to her, which was something not just anyone could do. It was a testament to how good he actually was. Starfire had undergone rigorous training with the Warlords of Okara after all. "I am fine, Friend Robin." She answered, shutting off her train of thought into past memories. "Just Robin is fine." Robin chuckled slightly. "Oh am I not supposed to consider you friend?" Starfire asked in genuine confusion. "No no. We are friends. It''s just that the connotat..you know what, nevermind." A brief silence fell between the two of them. "It''s worth it." Robin begun. Starfire threw him a questioning look but the Boy Wonder was already answering. "Broken bones,torn skin, exhausted minds...they always seem to fade away whenever I look out and see that. It reminds me...this is what it''s all for. Call it what you will, the mission, the purpose, the calling. Everything." Starfire could feel the passion in Robin''s voice. He meant what he said. That made her reevaluate her own principles and ideals. What was her purpose? What did she want? She had survived her sisters machinations caused by jealousy, she had survived the experiments to bombard her body with high levels of ultraviolet radiation, even gaining something from it. Not to mention escaping her captivity, finding something she thought she would never ever get then losing it due to it all being a lie. The past many months had been a roller coaster of emotions. What was next for her? "Ok Anakin." Starfire teased Robin after his words. The younger teen barked out a laugh full of disbelief. "Did you just use a Star Wars reference?" Starfire Smiled as she turned to leave. It was time for a debrief after all. "Maybe I did." She threw that over her shoulder and floated away, thinking to herself, she didn''t have a purpose yet but...she was among friends and for now...for now that was okay. (5 minutes later) "Now that everyone is gathered, let us go over the mission." Batman''s gruff voice stated, waving a hand infront of him. He was standing at the head of the table, with the whole team gathered around it. A projection appeared in between the table showing what seemed to be a wrecked train, off its rails. "Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes ago, a report came in about the possible sighting of Red Tornado on a train headed out of city limits. The League was occupied with trying to stop Sabbac''s rampage through Fawcett City, so the scouting mission fell to your hands." "And we blew it. Big time." Artemis groaned, hiding her face behind her hands. "I wonder if the two incidences were connected. The timing seems a little too convenient." Robin spoke up. "Yeah. It does make sense. Especially when you consider what we found on the train." Kaldur agreed. "Initial test results have confirmed that it''s a body enhancing serum with traces of the block buster formula and an unidentified chemical. We have designated it as Variant X. The surviving vials have been sent to Star Labs for in depth scan." Batman informed them. "So they''re moving again?" Kid Flash wondered, looking around the table. "We have no confirmation on whether the Light is responsible." Batman responded. "Oh come on. ''Red Tornado''s possible sighting?'', ''block buster formula?'' and to make sure the League were non the wiser, a last minute distraction in the form of a villain rampage? We all know that memo. They''ve been quiet for long but...now they''re back." Kid Flash'' words made sense to everyone present. Batman narrowed his eyes. "That is not productive to our current discussion. Back to the mission." The visual feed displayed above the table changed to play a distorted clip. "This video file was collected from one of the surveillance drones tasked with protecting the cargo in the train." The drone seemed to sway out of the way of Miss Martian''s space ship. Said ship hovered over the moving train below, followed by the team jumping out and landing on top of it with barely any trouble. The weekly training from Richard Dragon was paying more and more dividends. Batman paused the clip. "Any thoughts so far?" "Yeah...I should have checked for any air surveillance devices. A short range EMP would have extended the time frame we had to gain access to the train. Especially when the Bio-ship would have been unaffected due to her shielding. Because of the oversight, we lost the tactical advantage of surprise." Robin said. Upon the team''s landing, Ivo''s Monqi drones poured out of the train like water from a broken dam and a fight broke out. It was clear to see that despite the surprise attack, the team was well equiped to handle the drones. A wave of telekinetic wave blasted out of Miss Martian, pushing all the Monqis away from their immediate surroundings. The Bio-ship with team delta in it moved ahead, out of the encirclement of the Monqis and closer to the cart where a red armored figure stood. Artemis and Kaldur jumped out while Robin controlled the Martian craft to move to the side and begin taking out the Monqis keeping Alpha team occupied. Then things went from relatively bad to worse. A cloak of darkness instantly fell over the surroundings. "The White Shadow and Darken." Batman concluded. The video file cut off as the surveillance drone lost control in the zone of darkness. The last thing seen were two grainy and badly taken images. "Two new players. As if this game wasn''t too crowded already..." Artemis pitched in. "They were very powerful." Starfire spoke up. "After Connor, Kori''s our heaviest hitter, yet...she couldn''t even push The White Shadow back." Robin was quick to point out. "Not to mention Darken''s ability to basically numb everything with her Umbrakinesis and...it''s a miracle that we only lost the cargo." The White Shadow and Darken (General P.O.V) "I don''t like this..." Black Spider whispered, hanging off a web that was attached to the high roof of the warehouse. "Shut your trap. It''s not your job to like it. It''s your job to do what you''re told." Sportsmaster snapped at him. "Wow... someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Black Spider whispered to the silent Cheshire. The young assassin was the height of professionalism. Her hand brushed over the Sais strapped across her hips. The darkness in the warehouse had gotten a little too deep. "Company''s arrived." She informed the other two. "About damn time." Sportsmaster walked forward and stood infront of the other two. A tactic to show who was in charge. "I''m a busy man. Are we going to do this or what?" A laugh sounded out from all around. "Where''s your sense of humor? I thought someone dressed like a walking joke would appreciate one." A deep voice questioned just as the shadows in the room roiled around to reveal 2 figures. A man dressed in a long overcoat with cut off sleeves and the tattoo of a dragon circling balancing scales on most of his right arm. A black saber that seemed to blend into the darkness surrounding his colleague was lazily strapped to his hip. His face was hidden behind a white mask with golden accents that seemed to subtly glow. The mask was a nice contrast to his jet black smooth locks that went down to his shoulders. Lastly a pendant with a yin yang symbol was strapped to his neck, falling over his strong chest left exposed for all to see. His abs shifted with every small motion he made under his light brown skin. "What''s that you punk?" Sportsmaster cocked his head, debating whether or not to drive the javelin on his back through the man''s chest. The guy in question sighed. "Villains these days...why so serious?" "I kill people. Nothing funny about that." Sportsmaster answered. "Oh on the contrary... there''s everything funny about that." He stressed, clearing his throat and pacing a little. "Lemme clarify...why kill someone when death is assured for them either way? I mean last I checked...no one lives forever right? You could just wait it out. Make their life miserable but not kill them." He stated in a curious tone. "Huh... admittedly he actually makes a good point." Black Spider observed making the man laugh. "If you think about it... you''re not really showing how badass you are when you kill someone... you''re just demonstrating your impatience." "It''s a game of fools." Cheshire agreed, if only to understand the man''s mental process. "The only difference is..." The man prompted. "We get paid." The female assassin finished the statement. "Ding ding ding! Someone get this femme fatale a cookie! I like the way you think." The man in the white mask complimented, unaware of the mounting anger in Sportsmaster. No one ignored him! Ever! "Now that the niceties are over and done..." Clang! A metallic sound rang out as two weapons clashed in mid air. "Tch. You got lucky!" Sportsmaster spat, looking at the javelin penetrating a few crates behind The man in the white mask. He had evaded at the last second and in the same motion, unsheathed the ebony saber strapped on his hip to block Sportsmaster''s follow up strike with a hockey stick. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Sportsmaster pressed his weight into the attack, aiming to destabilize his opponent''s footing and take the opening. A smooth strafe to the side put the man in the white mask at the Light''s enforcer right, his ebony sword dragging along the hockey stick with a sharp ring and sparks. A leg shot out from an impossible angle. Sportsmaster grunted after receiving the blow on his forearm guard and grabbing the leg. He heaved in exertion, pulling the man in the white mask to the ground in a judo move. They rolled smoothly, with Sportsmaster emerging on top. His fist shot out towards the face of his opponent, but the man dodged the move, winding his legs around Sportsmaster and pulling his head down for a vicious head butt on the nose. Sportsmaster winced and pulled away, feeling his nose break underneath the metal mask he wore, followed by his eyes smarting due to the pain. The veteran supervillain was distracted enough for a kidney shot to throw him up in the air for a few inches before the man in the white mask pulled off a spinning kick with his back still on the ground, sending Sportsmaster flying away with a dislocated jaw. There was a crash as he smashed onto the empty crates stacked along the wall. The clash of metal once again rang out when the mysterious man''s companion parried away the stars that had been aimed at him by Cheshire. "Told you the weapon would come in handy." The man told his companion, jumping up to his feet smoothly. "It''s a fucking knife." She held it up. "A piece of metal against the kinda shit we deal with on a daily basis. Beings that can''t get hurt by anything short of a missile." She shot back. Her look was the complete opposite of her companion. A dark cloak that was as long as a cape, hid most of her upper face barring her green glowing eyes. What could be seen revealed red full lips and a small chin. The cloak covered everything except for the two blades in her hands that were similarly made of a metal that seemed to suck in all light. She had on grey boots on her feet. "Are you still sore about that mission Darken? It was over a fucking month ago...sheesh. let it go." As if sensing what she was about to say, he quickly added through their mind link. "You''re still not getting a fucking scythe. Its huge, heavy and too chuuni. Your powers are already too cliche''." He said turning his attention to the mercs standing ready, waiting for a fight. "Ou..." Sportsmaster started while cracking his jaw back in place, only to be interrupted. "You''re satisfied right?" At his confused look, the Man continued speaking, an edge of anger apparent in his tone. "That''s why you attacked me. You tried to see if I was the real deal and not an imposter pretending to be The White Shadow. Because if that was the reason for your aggressive action...then you will leave here alive. Otherwise if your arrogance and overblown ego told you the smart move was to antagonize a fucking force of nature..." An aura of oppressive killing intent escaped his form. "I will fucking end you." Cheshire''s hands shook. She had...she had never felt such killing intent before. The Black spider was suddenly hit with Vertigo and slipped from his perch on a piece of machinery. His webs saved him from getting his head split open on the ground. For Sportsmaster...he was instantly wary. A part of him wanted to keep on pushing. A bigger part of him advised him to take the way out he''d been provided with. The only thing he was sure of...you didn''t get that sort of killing intent twiddling your thumb. It took reaping the lives of many many many creatures. "Yeah" Sportsmaster bit out bitterly. "Had to verify you were who you say you were." Sportsmaster finally conceded. "Great." The White Shadow said pleasantly, the killing intent vanishing instantly. "Let''s talk business." Black Spider looked at Cheshire and whispered. "Is it over? Please tell me its over...this guy is scary." Cheshire swallowed behind her mask, doing her best to look unfazed. "Do you ever consider...just dying?" She ignored her annoying teammate and walked forward with a briefcase in her hands, feeling like she was being led to the Guillotine. There was something eerily wrong with The White Shadow. He didn''t move like a person. Jade was an assassin, she knew the tics and tell tale signs that enabled her to read he mark even before she killed them. He on the other hand was too calm and... immobile. It was like she was looking at a fucking robot! Wait...she almost stopped walking, could that actually be it? Was he an Android like Tornado? Well if he was, they would know soon. She spared a glance at Sportsmaster and felt her lips turn up into a smile. Someone had thoroughly stomped on Crusher''s rep. She wondered what her father was thinking. Cheshire almost called him out for it before reminding herself that they couldn''t allow The White Shadow or Darken to see them divided. The green costumed league of shadows agent stopped before them. Darken shifted her footing subtly, an action that Cheshire almost missed. While she was not completely unreadable like The White Shadow... everything about her was...dulled to the extreme. Her voice sounded monotonous, her scent was almost non-existent, just the whiff of smoke and her body seemed to disappear into the shadows. Cheshire held up the briefcase and unclasped it. "500,000 just as agreed. For keeping the true cargo on the train safe despite losing the bulk of the shipment, you get half the fee." She revealed a neat row of dollars. "We only lost most of it due to your fucking robot monkeys, their explosions derailed the..." Darken begun before The White Shadow placed a hand on her shoulder, making her go silent. "Forgive my companion, she''s just exhausted. It''s been a long day." The White Shadow said amiably before his tone underwent a change. "Let''s cut the crap. We know why we''re here. I have been letting your guy look around my head ever since I felt the first touch on my mental walls." Cheshire stiffened, though you couldn''t tell it. Sportsmaster pressed a single button on a device strapped to his hips. There was am amused laugh that came from the projection that suddenly appeared in mid air. "Well well well...I was not expecting that." Lex Luthor commented. He sat on a brown office chair, hands clasped before him on the table. "How did you know that Psimon was around, tasked with reading your mind?" The White Shadow shrugged just as a figure made its way from behind a few abandoned machinery. The familiar form of the Light''s go to telepath appeared. He had surprise painted on his face. "You have your secrets...I have mine." "Tsk. That''s not how it works, I''m afraid." Luthor managed to convey that simple statement with as much mockery as he could. "We have been... keeping tabs on you so to speak. You are powerful, very skilled and...relatively professional." Darken snorted at that last bit. "But what steals away from that...is the fact that you are an unknown variable. That much power yet you have gone under our radar up until you decided to show up? We are the ones in the know yet... your presence caught us by surprise. So here''s the deal, White Shadow." Luthor leaned forward. "Remove your mask. Let me see who you really are behind the layers of ambiguity. Maybe then we''ll find a common ground." Self Sabotage part 1 (Aden''s P.O.V) If you stare at the void for too long...it starts staring back at you. Such a cliche'' sentiment yet...true none the less. Only in my case, my other half stared back at me. Red glowing pools of eyes to my glowing white ones. A counterforce to what I had been standing up for. A contrast. The black to my white. The yin to my yang. The dark Avatar. A hard fought battle had ravaged our surroundings. My mental space shaken to the core due to the battle for supremacy against my other half. I had tried balance. Chaos and darkness were not inherently evil. Just like Order and light were not inherently good. Just the pure expressions of reality. Structure could be founded from chaos giving birth to order. Order alone gave rise to mayhem by virtue of the continued existence of structure, eventually leading to chaos. It was a tug of war. Unceasingly difficult to balance fully. Things would have been much easier if I was Raava''s host. That would have still necessitated the presence of an opposite but that opposite would have been someone else. It''s a completely different thing when you''re your own biggest ally as well as enemy. My body had a white cloak of energy, white glowing eyes and Raava''s symbol predominantly on my chest. My body had a purple cloak of energy, red glowing eyes and Vaatu''s symbol predominantly on my chest... What?! I...I am the Avatar. Avatar Aden. The absolute monarchy of Chaos...no...it''s Order! Balance...balance...balance. None can exist without the other. I clasped my hands against my other hands. My face staring at my other face. The expression of malicious intent on one of my faces eased and changed to nothing but a blank visage. Like a statue, mirrored by my own other face...tranquil like a pond with no ripples. Two separate entities yet one. A force of existence. 2 principalities governing over all. Dualities. BALANCE. I sank into the depths of what I should have been pursuing all along. BALANCE. My soul united for the purpose of true control. BALANCE. Noble purpose. Noble sacrifice. Noble ascension. Noble descent. Mortality is reserved for mortals. Eternity is reserved for transcendental beings. All exist within the bounds of my domain. Equal share FOR all. Equal pain. Equal happiness. Equal death. Equal life. Equal strength. Equal weakness. Equal Equal. Unequal! Unequal!. EqUaLiZE! BALANCE... ''At what cost!'' The words slammed into my psyche with the weight of a sledgehammer. "Snap out of it child!" Iroh?! I lost control of it...Darkness and light bloomed. (1 month later) I couldn''t put it off any longer. The helmet of Fate appeared in my hands as I sat cross legged at the edge. Behind me was a lustrous island, further than that was an ocean that stretched out over hundreds of thousands of miles. Small islands and big ones dotting like holes poked in a white canvas. My realm. My beautiful realm...scarred. No! The admonishment was quick and fast. I corrected myself. "Not scarred...changed. evolved." I stared at the front. Before me, was the beginning of unreality. Of chaos so primal...the only way for a sapient creature to perceive it was an inky black. A true void. From within I could see myself, looking at him (me) with the same look I had on my face. We(I) agreed. We had failed to achieve...I had failed to achieve balance. I had caused this split by not understanding what I really was. Killing millions of reasoning beings was the final straw, and so my perception of my actions albeit necessary, fucked me over. I was not broken...but I was not innocent anymore. I had killed and the guilt however small it was...was the gateway for tainted darkness to take over. For my suppressed dark Avatar side to leer it''s head. Chaos was not evil but cruelty, negativity and darkness was an essential part of what gave life meaning. Good was important because it was separate from evil. And evil was similarly important. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I placed the helmet of Fate on my head and the world turned white. (Present) (warehouse- General P.O.V) "Wait." Darken held The White Shadow''s arm, stopping him from removing his mask. She glanced at everyone around, all of them waiting in baited breath. "Are you sure about this?" She asked, all a part of the plan. Her companion shrugged. "Don''t worry." He assured her, not sounding particularly nervous about revealing his identity to one of the most conniving supervillains in the world. "This is a show of trust." The White Shadow turned to look at Luthor''s face displayed on the projector strapped to Sportsmaster''s hip. "One that I''m sure will be generously rewarded by the favor we asked for." Luthor narrowed his eyes. "We shall see." The genius billionaire refused to commit to anything. The White Shadow''s hands fell. "That is not an answer Luthor." Cheshire brushed over her Sais. The dangerous tone their opponent/ potential ally had used sent her on edge. She looked over at Psimon. "I cannot read his mind. Neither can I read the girl''s." Fuck. That meant, mind blasting them was probably out of the question too. A hard fight it is then. She signed to Black Spider, motioning to him to take on the girl while her and Sportsmaster swarmed The White Shadow. Psimon would be useless in this fight. "Yes. It is not." Luthor agreed, quite easily. "But for this to work, you have to give before you can receive, my friend." Anger rolled off the White Shadow. "Those are not acceptable demands Luthor! I am a monarch! The prince of a kingdom. I demand you treat me with the respect accorded to my station!" A glint of interest appeared on Luthor''s face. Using his prodigious mind, he could already make inferences and come up with theories on the sudden appearance of these two. The way the White Shadow got angry for the perceived insult on his person and the quick rebuttal that he came up with shed light on many things about his origin. Luthor now knew his story and through that, he could push the buttons he wanted. An understanding look came upon his face. "Perhaps I was a bit too...rash." Luthor amiably stated. Sportsmasters eyes narrowed slightly but he like the rest of the Light''s enforcers knew better than to call him out for the act. This was all a part of the game. "But you have to understand. It is not only a matter of trust but an extension of professional courtesy. A responsibility you see. You already know who I am. Would it be fair if I didn''t?" A brief silence settled among them. Finally The White Shadow sighed. "You''re correct. However, Darken''s mask stays on. I do not trust how far your ''professional courtesy'' extends." Luthor frowned. "Surely..." "Her mask stays on. That is out of the question. Otherwise we are turning around and walking out." The White Shadow refused to budge. Luthor sneered on the inside. ''He''s clamoring for any shred of control. That means he thinks he needs the Light more than the Light needs him. Good. Let''s see how far I can push this.'' Luthor gave a curt nod. "As you wish but...you will allow Psimon to do an indepth scan of your mind as an alternative." "No." The refusal came too fast. He had expected it. Darken''s hands tightened on the blades in her hands, ready to attack. "I have sensitive secrets of the realm. Secrets that a leader should only be aware of. I will not put my kingdom, as broken and lost as it is in jeopardy!" Two words stood out to Luthor. Broken and Lost. So which was he? An exiled prince? A king from a conquered nation? A prince from a failed rebellion? All those scenarios led to one obvious conclusion, he needs resources and strength to either take back his Kingdom or get revenge on his enemies. The Light''s main motivation was to see the eventual rise of humanity. If Luthor could expertly annex this new realm...the potential for a surplus wave of resources for their schemes would be more than guaranteed. But first he needed to know the situation. "Hmmm" Luthor hummed. "That changes things by quite a bit." The White Shadow tensed. "If it does it does. I am not balking on that." Luthor raised his hands. "I understand your wariness for a deep dive into your mind, then what about a surface level scan? A way to...meet in the middle." The same silence stretched out between everyone present. The tension built up and Cheshire leaned forward, ready to explode out towards the two figures. "I agree." The White Shadow replied, the decision seemed to have been very hard, based on the way his muscles shifted under the long overcoat. "My liege..." Darken stated in surprise, trailing off. "We all have to make sacrifices Darken. That''s what father used to say." The White Shadow replied in sadness. "You''ve already made more than enough of them! When will it end?!" Darken harshly shot back. "Enough Darken. We will have this conversation at a later time." He shot her down. "Wow. Great acting. I can see where you get all the drama from." The White Shadow told her telepathically. "Thanks!" She answered back pleasantly. "I was being sarcastic." The White Shadow said. "I know." Darken replied making him snort. "But seriously, are you sure about this? You told me to get an in, we needed to be careful not to slip up during these early steps." "Yes I did. And everything has gone as planned. We have spent the last two months cultivating our image and reputation, you do not have to worry about anything. I know how Luthor thinks, so I anticipated for all scenarios. Dealing with Psimon is nothing." In reality their mental conversation had only gone on for around a second. "Stand down Darken." The White Shadow ordered. The female umbrakinetic looked unsure before merely nodding and stepping to the side. The White Shadow walked forward to stop closer to the projected image of Superman''s greatest archenemies. His hand rose up and removed the white mask hiding his identity. The first thing Cheshire noticed was the sharp blue eyes, then a brown face with traces of an Asian heritage yet a long nose and Chin that was distinctly found in Caucasian descent. The White Shadow was...a ridiculously handsome man. Cheshire objectively observed. He smiled without cheer, a small upturn of his lips. "Greetings, my name is..." Self Sabotage part 2 (General P.O.V) "Welp...this is unusual." He started. "Really? How so?" The bespectacled woman sitting across from him cocked her head to the side and asked. One leg was slung over the other, her hand was placed on the arm of the leather chair. She gave off the air of a stern professional yet underneath the glasses, those who knew her would have noticed a gentle light. He gestured at himself. "All this...the last time we spoke, I told you that the next time you saw me I would be... different." "Mmmm." She nodded attentively. "And...when I said that...I meant it literally. That I would PHYSICALLY be different." He waved at his face again, seemingly waiting to see a different reaction than the calm one on her face. "Yes, I do remember. You gave me a few keywords that upon mention would let me know that it was indeed you I was talking to." She flipped the book in her hands a few pages back, intent on reading them. "Don''t!" He shouted a little too loudly before an apologetic look crossed his face. "Don''t read them out loud. I''m embarrassed about what the audience will think of them." He added this time calmly, though his brain was still working out why the woman before him did not seem at all fazed by his new identity. Then again, working with Lucifer probably had something to do with that. Dr. Linda Martin frowned. "Audience?" He slung his feet fully onto the couch and rested his head on the arm. Dr. Martin watched the action calmly. It felt like nothing could shake her. He had been trying to disprove her of that notion by subtly pushing her buttons. They both knew it. It was a game. "Yeah, the audience. There''s a distinct possibility that reality is a sham and we''re all just a story being told. Or seen. Or read." He shrugged. "I didn''t take you for a conspiracy type." She wondered, asking without asking. "I''m not. I''m a hardcore realist but when you live in a world with all sorts of crazies running around, the scope of understanding and acceptance on what''s real or not is redefined." He waved at himself. "Take me for example. 2 months ago, I approached you as a black man and now my sweet chocolate eyes have been replaced by these blue lady killer orbs." He pointed to his eyes. "Thats what a normal person calls, freaky shit." "Ergo, you believe we live in some sort of... fictional world? Are you not afraid that that particular outlook is extreme and might cause some concerns over your own existence?" Aden in his White Shadow persona looked at the woman weirdly. Could she read minds? No, judging by the look on her face, it was clear she just wanted to understand his thinking process and maybe unearth the core of his problems. Anyone needing a therapist had them, don''t let someone lie to you. He laid his head back on the armchair. "Not really. My existence is already too fucked up." "Mmmh. Oh right, we talked about this during our last session. You said that you were facing... problems with your other half? How is that going?" She enquired, leaning forward slightly. He released a slow breath. "Yeah still fucksville on that front Doc. I tried...I tried so fucking hard but..." He trailed off,not really knowing how to approach that particular subject. He didn''t know how he felt. It sucked but the disappointment warred with indignation with anger with sadness to make it a slushy of negative emotions that only made things worse. "Let''s leave that for now, how is your sleep?" He sucked in a breath, finding it easier to talk once more. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "Fine, I guess." "No more nightmares?" She prompted. He smiled a little. "Not really. I think I have a guardian angel on that front. No new nightmares since the one with the...demons." His tone went slack at the end. Doctor Martin frowned in concern. "Lets...go back to that." He shifted uncomfortably in the couch. "It''s only for the purpose of understanding where we left off. It will only take a minute or so." She added to ease him. "Okay." He nodded. "How do you feel...concerning what happened?" He clenched his jaw. "What do you mean doc? My thoughts on the fact that I massacred millions upon millions of demons just to keep the earth safe? What should I feel? Guilt? Remorse? Happiness?... nothing? They deserved it. I offered them leniency and they refused so I took drastic and necessary measures. I am not losing sleep over that!" He found himself breathing heavily, already seated up on the couch. The therapist had a look of deep concern on her face. And while he hated pity, somehow it managed to make him feel as if someone was seeing him for him. He was about to apologize for the outburst, when she spoke up. "Have you forgiven yourself?" "What?" The question caught him by surprise. Had he? Did he even... "You should. Doing something bad to bad people does not change the nature of the action. But sometimes your intention is what matters. It is a very scary thought sometimes. Our guilt clouds the mind and makes you feel undeserving of your own forgiveness. Forgive yourself Aden or else you will never move forward." It was a sobering thought. He hadn''t forgiven himself. Not really. Just because he knew it was the right thing to do didn''t change the fact that it was a bad thing. Killing them was necessary and Aden wouldn''t choose another option if it meant putting what he said he''d protect in danger. "Say it with me, ''I forgive myself.''" Somehow those words were the hardest thing to come out of his mouth. He opened his mouth and just croaked. "I..." He closed his eyes and slumped back on the couch. "It doesn''t matter. I don''t have any regrets about what I did." Dr.Martin removed her specs and rubbed her eyes before placing them back on. "You don''t sound like you believe that." She tentatively said, knowing that a gentle approach would make it harder for him to lash out. He turned to look at her before looking away without a word. "I see. Let''s move on. Last time we spoke, you told me you liked someone. That you could see the potential of having something real there." It felt like the room got colder, yet she pushed on. "Is that still a thing?" "Nope. I fucked that up too." He said bluntly. "Could you clarify please?" Dr.Martin replied. "What''s this doc?" Aden snorted. "I thought I paid you to make me feel good about my screwed up life?" Dr.Martin tried really hard not to roll get eyes. Teenagers. "You pay me yes. And as you can see, the precious gemstones have been put to good use." She gestured around her immaculate office. "But I''m not here to make you feel good about your life. I''m here to guide you in working through what you need to. And we will not make significant progress if you insist on shutting me out." She said sternly. "Aden, please stop deflecting and face your pain. Locking away the emotions you don''t want by your admission, hasn''t worked out that well for you now, has it?" She finished softly. Aden sighed, knowing she was right. "That''s a low blow doc. But...but you''re right." She didn''t say anything except give a nod while waiting for him to speak up. "Star and I...it was probably never going to work. She was too fresh from the pain. Her sister had sold her out and then she''d spent months being experimented on by some sick alien fucks!" "Mmmh." The therapist coughed. "Sorry about the language doc." "It''s fine. Continue." She prompted. "Our first time was unusual, special and my kinda fu...huh screwed up." He chuckled, remembering the heat, the passion, the need yet hidden in a small part within them both...escape from the crushing loneliness. "Were it any other girl...I would have been slapped the next morning. They would have accused me of taking advantage of them in a vulnerable state but... actually that was not the case with her. Looking back at it now, I realize that neither of us were to blame for our actions. It''s clear that someone manipulated our desire to feel loved and brought us... together." He had a thoughtful look on his face. It was something he had always thought about. Someone was to blame yet...they gave him a gift in the way of a few special days. "Then what happened?" Dr.Martin''s voice broke him out of his reverie. His face changed. "I did the right thing. I told her the truth. I told her about the fact that I knew through my ''future self'' that we would find each other. That something special would happen during the night of my birthday. I told her everything. And it cost me her trust." He blinked his eyes to get rid of the stinging. "Oh Aden." Dr.Martin said, seeing the pain on her young client''s face. "You know...that''s why I doubt it sometimes. Love. Why was it that being open, being honest is what broke us apart?" He looked at her while asking that, seeking a genuine answer. "I cannot give you the correct answer. Human emotions are very complicated but...I can infer from what you''ve told me." She shifted worriedly in her seat. "Aden...have you considered the fact that you two bonded over your situations? For her to find out that you knew something like that...she must have felt like she was the only one without control. And trust me...not having control is a scary thing." He looked at the therapist and considered her words. "You''re right...but it doesn''t matter, no matter what she felt at the moment, doubting my intentions..." He took in a shaky breath. "I don''t have a lot of conditions for you you to be in my life Doc. Just trust me...that''s all." "Mmmmh." Dr.Martin hummed while writing something in her book. "Let''s go back to our earlier topic Aden, what is going on with your other half?" Aden felt like groaning. He understood that it was therapy and that they were supposed to work through his emotions but the failure was too raw...too fresh. "Well?" Dr.Martin prompted. ''Fuck it.'' "Ok doc, you win. let''s start from the top." Aden resolved. Self Sabotage Final Part (General P.O.V) "...and so, left with no other choice...I took a risk." Aden said. "What do you mean?" Dr.Martin asked after furiously jotting down something in her notebook. "Before anything else doc...you need to understand something. This other side...it''s not just a part of me...it is me." A chill spread out across the room, the shadows of the various furniture stretching out ghastly. Aden sat up with a thoughtful look in his blue eyes. "Infact...I can show you what I mean." He offered. Linda clutched her notebook tightly before giving a single nod. Instantly, a foreboding feeling took over her as Aden lowered his head. His shoulder length hair kept loose fell over his face obscuring it...until it didn''t. Red eyes and a rictus grin over his face, showcasing his straight white teeth greeted Dr.Martin. Her mind went blank for a few seconds, heart hammering as she made eye contact with his eyes. Linda''s psyche started unravelling at the seams. Thoughts of trashing her office were the least terrifying out of all the ones she had running inside her mind. What if I took this pen and jabbed it in my eye? I should steal an airplane and crash it at an occupied stadium, that would make more beautiful fireworks than the fourth of July... no! What am I... She shook her head and looked to Aden. To try to tell him to stop it. Then her eyes trailed over his form. The black shirt, folded over his muscular tattooed arms had her salivating thinking about...''I wanna fuck him. I wanna FUCK HIM sooo bad! I''VE NEVER FUCKED SOMEONE YOUNGER BEFORE! Her hands were going for her buttons when the feeling vanished like a wisp of smoke. "What the fuck was that!!?" Linda lost her cool, she staggered up to her feet, Aden rising up to help her now that his eyes were back to normal only for her to hold up her hand. "Stop! Don''t come close!" He stopped. Dr. Martin poured herself a glass of water, before drowning it down fully. She then started fanning herself with the notebook. She felt...out of control! Even now that the feelings had faded, there were undertones of the emotions she felt. It was like she was back in her twenties and not giving a fuck about anything only that was multiplied ten times over. She considered ending the session right there and then. However, she had no idea when she would see her youngest client again. ''Suck it up Linda. You have to push on.'' She took one last breath and walked back to her seat. "I''m okay. I''m okay." She proceeded to say, cutting him off before he could ask. Aden had a face full of regret. He sighed. "I apologize doc. That...that...I wasn''t thinking. I thought that...I thought that you wouldn''t be affected by it." "Its alright." She waved him off. "Just be careful next time. Whatever that was..."she shivered with a slightly haunted look. "It made me want to do terrible things. I felt like I was on the edge of a cliff and were I to fall over...there would be no coming back." "I call it the penance stare." He softly explained, his head clutched between his palms. "That... malicious warped energy is a personification of all my fears and... potential. There are a lot of things I''m afraid of doc but arguably the one thing that scares the living shit out of me is...me." He looked up. "You said that you felt like you were at the edge of a cliff...I feel the same. Only difference is while you have the possibility of stepping back to safety...I am standing on a rope separating two extremes. Chaos and order...and if I fall on either side...no one can stop me." He said ominously. Doctor Linda Martin swallowed nervously. It didn''t feel like he was lying... "Then don''t fall." She finally said to which he burst out laughing. The laugh was self deprecating. "I forgot to mention...the rope is burning on both ends." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. (The Elemental Dimension) "You''re fighting a losing battle." Nabu''s voice rang out as Aden floated in mid air, two orbs...one red and another blue roiled around each other, clashing, pushing and pulling. A web of golden energy, mystical power supplied by the Lord of Order to stabilize the fusion or at least the balance between the two opposing fundamental laws, surrounded the orbs. Aden floated alone in a rapidly changing environment. One minute his body would be in a white space then the next it would be in a reddish black environment. The alternation was uneven. Just like the rapidly changing surroundings. "Come on! Come on!" He pulled more of the power offered by Fate, the almost bottomless power Nabu had access to, overloading the connection to the helmet. "Stop! You are only delaying the inevitable!" In the main dimension, a golden glow suffused nthe horizon. It''s origin point seemed to be a chasm of dark energy, scarring and separating the dimension into two sides. One side was structure the other was amorphous reality. In between, a shirtless Aden, his body dripping with sweat that evaporated due to the coat of yellow energy he desperately pulled to save his dimension, floated. The helmet of Nabu was on his head. Iroh looked on with a serious gaze before turning his attention to the game of chess in between them. "He cannot afford to lose this." The old spirit stated. "You worry too much. The boy thrives in these situations. It is perhaps his greatest power." Lucifer said moving his bishop to D2. The game had been going on for sometime now and neither parties seemed to one up each other. Then again this was to pass the time not to defeat anyone. "I still prefer Shogi." Iroh commented before making his own move. "Mmmh." Lucifer looked at the board intently, sparing a gaze at the occupied Aden. "I know what you''re thinking... you wonder if I will intervene should it be required." Iroh brushed his hands over his beard. "Naturally. Aden is strong. But this...this more than just about strength." Lucifer snorted. "It takes a certain kind of strength to admit you need help of any kind. He hasn''t made a move to request for it. So my answer is no." He made his move, positioning the pawn in a way that forced Iroh to take it using his rook, unaware that it was just a strategy that would lead to him losing an important piece on the board, a few moves down the line. "Even if he did indeed request for help...would you?..." Iroh trailed off, shaking his head slightly. "Sorry, we both already know the answer to that." Lucifer narrowed his eyes. "And what do you mean by that?" Iroh blinked and refused to break the eye contact. "It''s your move." Lucifer glimpsed down at the board. They continued playing, as the fate of the dimension was being decided by the realm master. A whoosh of green color was tackled out of the air by a purple one. Kai blocked Sai''s way. They could feel Aden''s power and spirit fluctuating heavily. Sai wanted to go help their dad but Kai was blocking him! He felt the gentle touch upon his mind from Aden. Feelings of reassurance, care and love that assaulted the three Spirits from thousands of miles away. He had sent them that far out to avoid having them caught in the blast radius incase he failed. Sai swallowed his indignation and flew back down to the mega huge island that could have passed for a continent back on earth. A small boy, wearing a white body suit with the insignia of the house of El, walked forward to place a hand on his friend''s snout upon his landing. Match was unknowingly displaying a gesture of comfort while looking at the golden horizon. Back in Aden''s mental space, Nabu''s voice rang out once more. "Your spirit is too weak to sustain true balance between both sides. I tell you this not to weaken your resolve but to make you understand that this WILL NOT WORK!" "SHUT UP NABU! I am not giving up. Not yet! I fucking can''t." His fingers expertly danced in the air. Like molding clay, he pushed the energy together, careful not to destabilize it. Careful not to fuck himself over. The blue and red spheres orbited around one another, growing closer and closer... finally they touched. For a second nothing happened and then...the world exploded in Aden''s eyes. The blue and red shifting surroundings blended into a weird collage of colors that felt unreal, before giving way to a gray space. A gray space that hummed silently and ominously. Aden brought a hand to his front and saw the gray color of his skin which matched the greyness of this new space. "Where am I now?" He asked out loud, his voice spreading out in echoes. "Don''t you remember?!" Aden was not expecting the question that literally came from all directions. He tensed his body and looked around. "Behind you, stupid." He turned around and jumped away at the next second, landing a couple meters from his previous position. Before him was a dark red version of him. A small smile on his face. "How...?" Gray Aden could not fathom what was going on. Red Aden cocked his head to the side. "You insisted on denying me...for so long I had to watch you let that...that thing take over when I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE!!!" He roared in anger. "Order has no place in a word like DC. You fight fire with fucking fire Aden." Speechless. Gray Aden paced around the red version as he took in his words and came to a terrifying conclusion. "You mean..." Red Aden''s smile stretched out. "Oh yeah...I am the Avatar State. Your chaos driven Avatar State." (Back on earth- Linda Martin''s office) Aden stiffened. Linda picked up on it. "What is going on?" The boy had a look of abject confusion as he stared at his therapist. "Doc, did I ever tell you about what I really am?" Linda''s face scrunched up. "Well..." "Nevermind. I''ll explain it anyway." He leaned forward in his seat. "I am what you call a puppet. This body you see right now is merely an ability of mine that enables me to create and control one other unit. So while you might consider this all I am...my real body is behind the reigns and fighting to ensure, we continue our wonderful conversations. But that''s not the point, Doc." He sucked in a deep breath. "Self Sabotage. That''s what this is...those two words have been ringing inside your mind ever since we started getting deep into it...my question is this, why?" I Am Change Finally, we''re back to our MC''s p.o.v (Aden''s P.O.V) "This makes no fucking sense..." My thoughts were a jumbled mess. I could not understand just how any of the this was possible. I went from a normal kid to an inter-dimensional traveler to an Avatar to an hero to a convict to a realm master to a father to a mass killer to being on the cusp of losing myself all in the span of a few months! Like what the fuck! "Even while faced with the absolute and undeniable truth...you still falter." I ridiculed myself or rather this red version of me said. I could feel the connection between us. The space separating us was only a few meters yet... everything that made him him I could perceive. I could feel it in the same way that small voice in my head always whispered. Only it had grown stronger. And not only that...it was starting to bleed over. The Penance Stare. A unique ability that Unalaq never possessed yet I did... I was changing the more I had tried to achieve balance. One second I felt zen, methodical, logical. A resolve that demanded order and then the next, I felt illogical, spontaneous and malevolent. It was a trial in and of itself to limit the Influence both sides could exert on me when I was controlling my puppet. The perk had come in handy. If it wasn''t for it...I would have been stuck in my realm running interference without carrying out some much needed plans back on earth. Especially when you consider the mission I had gotten. :-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: (Chain Quest Activated!) (Let''s go Villain Hunting) First Mission:- (Destroy the Light) (Time to put your money where your mouth is. The League has been treating the symptoms to a terminal disease. Sooner or later, one of these fucks will accidentally press on the doomsday button while jerking off to second rate porn because they can''t get it up with a real female. My money''s on Luthor. He''s a petty jealous cunt. You destroyed approximately 23,072,452 demons, the light should not prove to be a challenge for you right? Wrong!! Fuck this up and the kiddie gloves are off. Despite their many failures to attain global domination, ol Lex and his buddies have a few tricks up their sleeves.) Members of the Light Taken Out:- 0/6 Mission Objectives:- Kill Each member of the Light to prevent the same old cat and mouse game. Carefully dismantle any countermeasures and/or dead switches they have in place in case they die. Reveal to the world their crimes. Mission Parameters:- Mission Time Limit:- 3 months and 15 days. Then it''s all fucked. Mission Difficulty:- Nightmare. Yeah you heard that right...you''ve killed demons and demon lords but trust me...this shit is on a whole other level. Mission Rewards:- 50 training points for each objective cleared. 200 training points for completing the mission 2 new perks. One unique ability from the Avatar world. P.S: The Second mission will be updated upon completion or failure of the first one. P.P.S: If by any chance the Light replace a member taken out, the new member shall also be included in the list. Hence, it is advised you take them all out in one fell swoop. P.P.P.S: You need someone to watch your back. Get a team. P.P.P.P.S: To aid you in this endeavor, a new system function had been activated. (New System Function!) The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. (Sentience Bundle) -Using a certain number of Training points, you can unlock a sentient character. This character will not be the original but a copy with all the abilities and skills the original possesses. 250 training points - Bender trainee. 500 training points - Bender practioner. 1000 training points - Special characters. 2000 training points - Expert Bender. 4000 training points - Master Bender. 20000 training points - Grand master Benders. 20000 training Points - Avatars. 20000 training points - Divine spirits. :-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: The rewards from the previous Chain quest had changed a lot of things for me. Mission Complete! (Associates Remaining: 1/5) Objective failed! Rewards tallied:- 100 training points. 100 training points. One boon from Lucifer Morningstar. (Claimed) A New Perk. (Congratulations!! You have received a new perk! Homunculi Puppet!) Homunculi puppet:- Through splitting your concentration, you can materialize and control one homunculi puppet with peak human physical parameters. The puppet does not need to eat or sleep and runs of an internal energy network that is sustained by your own stamina. Due to that, your original body enters a period of weakness and lethargic responses, so long as the homunculi is active. You can only use one bending art through the homunculi. Once the art is chosen, it cannot be altered up until the homunculi puppet is dematerialized. Elemental affinity:- Fire. Elemental skills:- White fire. White lightning. Perk list Updated:- Chi blocker. Adaptive Physiology. Hammer space. Body Refining. Homunculi puppet. ? ?Spark of Enlightenment. Training points:- 386 :-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: But even while idly replaying those memories, my mind was still stuck on those two words. When had I ever worked against myself? Linda didn''t make sense. Just like my life. Nothing was making any fucking sense! Self Sabotage huh? I thought about the conversation I was currently having with her. Even in this gray space, surrounded by nothing and standing infront of what was my biggest headache...those two words still refused to leave my mind. Self Sabotage. "Because what else do you call someone who never takes the easy way out? You have placed such...a huge responsibility on your shoulders and stubbornly refuse to see that, it''s not all about you. You push everyone away and go about every meeting expecting...no, wanting a fight. That mindset has cost you friendships, wisdom and patience. You say you are your biggest fear, Aden...and I agree. But you''re also your biggest obstacle." Her words registered in my mind through the link I had with my other body. A punch landed on my face, throwing me away. My jaw felt a flash of pain before going numb. "Bastard! How dare you ignore me to listen to that bitch whine about shit, while I am right infront of you?!" I picked myself off the ground and turned to him. "I wasn''t ignoring you...just, yeah I was ignoring you." I admitted midway, getting tired of all of it. A kick landed in my midsection and launched me off my feet yet again. My ribs cracked and it got hard to breathe and then it disappeared suddenly. But I barely noticed it. The same words running through my mind endlessly. Self Sabotage. Am I really my biggest obstacle? The simple answer would be yes based on what was happening before me. I was getting beat up by myself. I chuckled, lips stretching out over what was supposed to be broken teeth sustained from Red''s, yeah I''m calling him Red now, rant and blows. Self Sabotage...but it wasn''t as simple as that was it? It wasn''t as simple as him being the bad guy. It wasn''t as simple as him being chaos and hence rebelling under my control. The order Avatar State did not care for the notion of ''freedom'' so what was different? Self Sabotage. ...And then it hit me. The blows, the blows felt weak. A drop of red landed on my cheek and I understood. I looked up into my eyes. Into Red''s eyes. Tears falling over a too wide smile as punches landed on my face and defenseless body. I doubled over a particularly hard blow to the belly and coughed. "It''s me. It''s all me...I was looking at all of this the wrong way...it''s not a fight. It was never a conflict. I took it as a conflict because that''s just how I have been CHOOSING to see these things as. One battle after another. I fucking wasted 3 months! 3 fucking months when all of this could have ended with a genuine..." I looked up again, a trail of tears falling down my cheeks as well. "I am so fucking sorry! I accept you. The whole of you!" And just like that, a pulse of power spread out. Red stared down at me with a shocked expression. I got up to my feet and walked over to stand before him placing my hands on his shoulders. "I HAVE been sabotaging myself. You were never my enemy. You are me for crying out loud. Everything WE do is to better ourselves. And I couldn''t have done all of it without you. It was pretty obvious now that I think about it. The snark in my mission description, my leaving the team and striking out on my own the way I did, my Avatar abilities seemingly not following the same rules as a normal Avatar and my...perks! Every perk I''ve gotten has been something I''ve needed or useful!" "The system only handles the system functions. There''s no reason for it to have been issuing me perks unrelated to Avatar. It''s all been you! From the start, I suppressed you because I thought of you as unneeded. As the evil thoughts in my head. As the dark side...but you''re more than that... you''re my inspiration where my order side as been my determination. You''re my unpredictability where my order side has been my mechanical focus. My emotions to it''s logic. You are the fuel where he has been the engine. I see it now...I see it now and I appreciate you." For the longest time, Red and I stood there staring at each other and then he shrugged off my hold and turned around to start walking away. I watched his back. "An apology is just the start Aden...it won''t fix everything, but you now know what to do...just let me out to play sometime. It sucks being holed up inside you like this. He might like it...but I am change for fuck sake." His voice rang out as he stopped a couple meters away. He swiped out a hand, like brushing away a curtain to reveal the outside world. "Feast your eyes upon your own stupidity." He stated and I was shocked to see dark pockets of chaos spread out across my main dimension. "You really should listen to people who have been fucking with magic for eons. I fucking hate the guy, very much prefer Klarion, but Nabu was right. You cannot achieve balance between me and the other guy when your spirit is so weak..." He turned around to face me, the image of the cliff we were standing on, looking out to the spacious sea and islands of the main dimension fading away into gray again. "You have an idea on how to undo this clusterfuck...I know you do, because I''m thinking of the same thing. Use it, it''s okay. If there''s anyone else who has your back apart from White and I, it''s Equity." From Me, Of Me and For Me (Aden''s P.O.V) I instantly slowed the flow of power trying to maintain the balance between the two opposing fundamental laws. Chaos and order. One was untameable just by virtue of it''s nature while controlling the other was conditional. Reliant on structure being maintained. I was the only being in the whole cosmos with the ability to even exert that kind of control. But potential needs time to be realized. As I was, the tide of power would pull me down and I would be lost. Consumed and left nothing more than a puppet with base instincts. The drastic reduction in speed alerted Nabu. "I see. I felt your mind momentarily get pulled somewhere. I take it you have come up with a different strategy?" His voice rang out in my mind. "Yes." I responded, my own tone muffled by the helmet. I spared a glance at a certain mountain peak and watched as the two teacher figures in my life, both concentrated on beating each other in chess rather than help me. I still regret introducing them to each other. I smiled. I wouldn''t have had it any other way though. This was my mess to fix. And I would need my entire concentration for this. My body puppet turned into wisps of light and disappeared in Linda''s office, thoroughly freaking out the therapist. She was not amused by the ''I''ll be back.'' I managed to throw at her before dematerializing. Instantly, I felt my mind grow sharper and more focused. My body also regained some of it''s lost energy and I was back to a 100 percent. "You ready to save my world Nabu?" I wondered out loud, pulling Equity out of the hammer space. The first time in a while. By now it had already completed it''s evolution. "As per our agreeme..." Nabu''s voice trailed off as we both looked on in shock at the blade in my hand. Equity seemed to have changed yet not. The katana was still black, the edge still sharp but now a yin yang symbol was etched into the cross guard and the broad sides seemed to pull you in deeper and deeper into it''s black color. "Such...potent demonic energy! What is this weapon?!" Nabu''s voice rang out, pulling me out of my stupor. I ran a finger along it''s length. It was warm to the touch and I could feel just how capable Equity had gotten. I pulled my hand back just as Equity broke apart into dozens of knives that floated around me, each knife twirling in the air in a lazy drill and slashed out. The knives cut through the air in unmatched speeds, all aimed at Lucifer and Iroh. Serves them right for letting me do all the work. But really, they were the strongest beings apart from me in this realm. I wasn''t going to pass on this opportunity the see just how powerful Equity had become. Black trails not unlike the color of the chaos chasm I was meditating infront of, trailed behind the dozen knives. But my targets were not just anyone . A blue shield appeared on Iroh sides, blocking the knives with impeccable ease, 4 of the daggers bounced off the shield and crazily enough adjusted their trajectory to come in from the other direction. The 8 daggers targeting Lucifer merely went through him without touching him. I frowned and reached out to understand why that had happened. Lucifer had exempted himself from my reality, hence my weapon could not touch him. And then something crazy happened. Black flames begun burning across the daggers edge. I immediately cancelled the skill and called the weapon back to me. I wasn''t sure if I was ready for anyone to know that ability. Hell flames. Equity could now control fucking hell flames! That doubled with the effect it had to cut off a being from its power source, something I had selfishly guarded with only the angels and Lucifer knowing, meant I was almost unbeatable in a fight with beings in the same range of power. And if what I was planning succeeded, finding anyone strong enough to match me would be difficult. The daggers all flew back to me and clashed in mid air, shifting back into it''s Katana form. I turned the blade over in my hands, studying it while also slightly amused at how the two beings, one a spirit and the other the devil went back to playing chess as if nothing had happened. There''s a joke there somewhere. "Fascinating. The blade exudes pure demonic energy yet is fully under your control." Nabu observed. I remembered what Red had said, apart from my Avatar State, now states, no one had my back like Equity. The blade hummed in my hands at the praise. It was very close to being sentient, what it lacked was a spark. I was hoping to change that by combining Red with Equity. Yes. That was the plan I had settled upon. I could not achieve balance now. My spirit was too weak but if I had someone else to share the burden with, a nascent spirit made from me...then I could theoretically put a pause on the whole ''achieving balance'' thing up until I was actually strong enough to do it. It was the only plan I had that could work. Unfortunately, it came with its own complications. For starters, Red seemed to think that either of three things were likely to occur. One, his ego might merge with Equity and create one unique entity capable of controlling all the elements instinctively with no limits to its power yet incredibly difficult to control. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Two, Red''s ego would lay dormant as well as his power due to the chaos attribute not being compatible with the weapon form of Equity, or three chaos would prove too much for Equity and destroy the sword, thereby unleashing a torrential wave of chaos energy that would lead to the destruction of my dimension. Knowing my luck, I wouldn''t be surprised if that last possibility occured. I placed Equity on my lap and took a deep breath. "Nabu, lend me your power. I will need your order energy again to ensure the process goes as smooth as possible without losing control and destroying ourselves." "I see." The Lord of Order said. "You seek to bind your chaos affinity to the sword and make it an object of power, just like my helmet." I smiled. "Yeah...you actually inspired that idea. And I''m confident in it working because while your helmet is made of some tough material. And also inlaid with magical inscriptions to stop degradation of the base metal used to make it, my sword is different." I held up Equity. "This is not just your run of the mill sword, Nabu. This is a piece of my soul. Equity was created, from me, of me and for me. It''s an extension of who I am." The sword undulated in my arms. "This could be dangerous buddy, you''re sure you want to do this?" It couldn''t understand the words, but I could feel it understood my intent. And Equity was not one to back down either. I couldn''t help the smile that came onto my face. "Thanks." My eyes grew sharp underneath the helmet of Fate. This would work. "Let us begin." (General P.O.V) "Youngsters these days, so impulsive." Iroh stated, referring to Aden''s unexpected attack. "And yet I hear no real heat towards him. Dare I say," Lucifer smiled. "You''re proud of him." Iroh burst out in laughter. "Well, he learned the lesson all by himself without needing either of us to intervene. That shows neither of us were wrong about him." Lucifer shrugged, moving his queen to take out Iroh''s rook. "I just like tormenting him. Sadism is my character." "I can tell it from the aggressive way you play chess. But aggression is not always the answer." Iroh had sacrificed his rook to position his Knight close to Lucifer''s king. His pawn was similarly inching closer to getting promoted. Lucifer could only make one move. And both moves would still be disadvantageous to him. "I see." Lucifer smiled at the strategy. The old spirit was a worthy opponent. "Tell me more about your world." (Aden''s P.O.V) This time, there wasn''t any fanfare or huge manifestation of light or too many visible effects. It was a simple matter actually. Made easy by the fact that Red was fully cooperative. But say what you will, shoving this much power through Equity was not something without concequences. A symbol of Vaatu appeared on my chest. Then purple light started flowing across my skin, turning me into a smaller version of Unalaq''s Avatar State from canon. Power unlike any I had ever felt before came over me. In the Order Avatar State, my emotional responses were usurped and suppressed as the logic took over. The opposite was true for my chaos state. I felt powerful, giddy, impulsive and my emotions were so heightened, I could feel my face start scrunching up in different expressions. My control slipped momentarily as it became too hard for me to maintain that same concentration. I felt the realm shake as waves of power poured out of me chaotically. The wave of unbidden energy flowed out across my reality. "FOCUS!" The shout cane from within me, enabling me to regain a sense of control once more. "It''s too late." Nabu grimly told me. Looking out I saw what he meant and split my focus into two, doubling down on the separation process while also trying to ease the concequences of my slight slip up. The integrity of the realm was compromised and space fluctuated. I dives back infi the process and tried to hold on with sheer will as the chaos pockets scattered around the main dimension grew bigger, exploded outwards or imploded within themselves. And then something shocking happened. With my realm about to destabilize and break apart, devoured by a storm of chaos energy, I felt a rush of power from within me surge. Immediately, knowing I couldn''t afford to cancel the process now that I had already begun, I came upon an unlikely idea. My homunculi puppet materialized before me in a sudden vortex of energy. I touched upon the connection and sustained it, pointing what was the mental equivalent of signs towards the puppet. It complied. Everything stilled. I could feel through my senses, Lucifer and Iroh pausing their game in shock. I looked into the eyes of the puppet and made an obvious observation, I wasn''t in control of it. In place of the blue lady killers I had chosen, just to set both identities apart, I saw white glowing orbs. The Avatar State. Or rather the Order Avatar State. White. I felt him judging the sword in my hands. The red symbol on my chest and the purple energy I was covered from head to toe with, getting funneled into the sword. We stared at each other tensely. I wondered if this would raise issues later but now was not the time to care for that. "Do what you need to do." I commanded him. His gaze looked up from the sword to stare at me. "Do what you need to do but save the realm." After a beat he nodded in compliance and disappeared in a streak of white lightning. A flashing blue text box appeared in my eyes that I absentmindedly swiped away. "Now where were we?" Knowing that my dimension was in safe hands, I went back to making sure I completed this as fast as I could. Grabbing onto the mystic energy from Nabu and aided by his prodigious control, I weaved the chaos energy into a sphere of power that melded into Equity''s form. I felt a beat. Almost like a heartbeat as the process instantly jumped from mid way there to 90 % done. All without losing control of any more of the Chaos energy. "Almost there!" Nabu shouted. The last bit of energy flowed down my forearms and I felt something get cut off from me. Yet, a connection with Equity, greater than I had ever felt before slotted itself into my soul. I now knew without a shadow of doubt, I had gained something more valuable than anything I had in my arsenal apart from the realm. Blackness instantly took over but when I opened my eyes next, it was to a scene I never expected. "Star? Kori what...?" She looked into my eyes and placed a finger above my lips. "Shh rest up, we''ll talk later when you wake up." I could feel Equity''s warm pommel in my hands as I was lulled back to sleep. Priority A (General P.O.V) "Ai...this is not good. Not good at all." Iroh commented, his face tilted up at the Avatar State occupying Aden''s body. The wave of white energy that had dispersed out into the surroundings disappeared into thin air along with every pocket of chaos energy previously dotting the surroundings. The Avatar State spared them a glance before dematerializing. "What? Do you regret your decision to stand back and not intervene? A little too late for that don''t you think?" Lucifer snorted. Iroh eyed him from the corner of his eyes. "Don''t act like you didn''t agree with me. He needs to learn how to stand by himself." Lucifer spread out his hands. "And now we find ourselves at an impasse. What to do, oh what to do?" The devil said theatrically. "Nothing much from here. This dimension is stable. What worries me are the rest." Iroh frowned. The Avatar State had saved Aden''s dimension by expelling all the chaos energy from the realm. It made sense. The Order Avatar State could not control Chaos energy and according to Aden''s instructions, it was to do whatever it needed to preserve the well being of the realm. That left the energy needing somewhere to go. Too bad that resulted in a massive ''fuck you'' to a few other unfortunate places. Earth being one of the 3 closely connected places to the Elemental dimension. All the boom tubing Aden had been doing usually left behind a trail. That was enough for the planet to be instantly buffeted by a wave of Chaos energy. "I just arrived but a trip back to my own universe is in order. I shudder to think the effect of so much dark energy on the spirits." Iroh turned to Lucifer. "If I am right, your own infernal realms are at risk as well." Lucifer waved off his concern. "Maze will handle it. I''m not the Satan anymore. However, I have been planning to take a vacation somewhere far from my father''s eyes, your universe sounds mighty interesting." Iroh considered refusing. He really did but with the depths of power his new friend had, he knew he would just open a rift and follow him anyway. "Very well." The old spirit sighed. "However, there are a few ground rules we have to lay down." Luci had an amused smile on his face as he nodded. "As you wish, my friend." (Watchtower - Meeting Hall) "17 locations spread out across the globe. And that''s just from the initial scan using the Watchtower. 3 of them located on the states alone. This is the current situation we have." Batman clicked on his wrist computer and the image of the rotating sphere showing earth panned out to different screens all displaying the same thing. Dark portals. "Black swirling vortexes, that seem to pull in whatever is near them in a distance of precisely 10 meters." He pointed to a terminal showing an industrial area, overrun by the military. The area was cordoned off and the soldiers had guns pointed at the vortex. "6 of these 17 cases have been designated as priority A assignments." "Civilian lives casualties." Artemis stated out loud. "That''s priority X. Priority A is civilian lives endangerment." Robin corrected her only for Kid Flash to snort. "You guys can''t be serious." Kid looked around at both teams gathered. "Those vortexes share the features of black holes! The chances of anyone surviving are astronomically low." "Yet this mission is at it''s core a rescue one." Wonder Woman interjected. "We will not lose hope until we have tried our best." A chorus of nods answered her. "Mmh." Batman took over. "I was just getting to that. 7 civilians were pulled in by the vortex in Kyoto, Japan. The military has sealed off the entire block and is open to coordinating with the League. A similar case for Atlanta here in the US, 6 school children were pulled into the vortex on the playground. A cruise ship 3 miles off the coast of the Bahamas lost the captain. Then an entire ward of patients in England met the same fate. Also, a popular nightclub in Los Angeles called Lux, lost the bartender and 12 civilians. Lastly, Disney land. No reported Civilian lives endangered but Plasticman seems to have been pulled into the vortex after saving people." This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. He concluded and ran a gaze around the meeting table. "To reiterate Wonder Woman, we are not losing hope until we have done all we can. Both team members have been divided into 5 squads. As of now we''re assign..." "Alert non-authorized entry detected!" The alert came from the Watchtower defense systems, putting everyone on high alert. A flurry of movement occured as they all left their seats. "Computer, access the security camer..." Wonder Woman started before a voice interrupted her from behind them. The door to the meeting hall retracted with a hiss and standing at the entrance, holding an access card and looking surprised was Iroh. "Oh goodness. I hope I am not interrupting anything." "Iroh? What are you doing here? I thought the regular check up on Superman was scheduled for next week?" The Flash asked the question on everyone''s mind. "Yes, you''re not wrong but something came up." He made his way through the doorway and floating behind him in a blue platform construct made of spirit energy was... "Aden!" Starfire shouted in alarm and shoved Captain Atom out of the way, her eyes glowing green, wide with panic. "Star..." Robin made to follow her when, Kid Flash in a rare moment of sensitivity, grabbed his shoulder. Robin rounded to glare at him only to see his best friend shake his head. The Boy Wonder grit his teeth and nodded at Artemis towards Starfire''s direction. "We need to take him to the med bay." Artemis catching on, quickly suggested to Wonder Woman. "Do it. Meanwhile, Iroh will fill us in what is going on." The statement came out more as an order. The old spirit nodded his head solemnly. "What is wrong with him?!" Starfire demanded from the grandmaster Firebender. "He is fine. Just tired." Iroh waved off her concerns. Starfire looked as if she was going to push, when Artemis pulled on her arm. "Come on, follow me." The Tamaranean picked up Aden from the spirit construct, bring careful to hold the arm clutching Equity carefully and turned to follow the young archer. "Aah young love." Iroh commented absentmindedly, watching them walk off. The cheer immediately died off as he turned his attention back to the majority of the heroes. "We do not have much time. I brought him here because I think he is currently the only thing that can help you resolve what is happening." "Why?" Batman growled out. "I''m more interested in what the cause of these black holes is." Wonder Woman intervened shooting a strange look at the Dark Knight. Batman stoically gave no reaction. "How about you take a seat, my friend." Manhunter amiably offered. "To rest these old bones? Bless your heart J''onn." Iroh chuckled a little, his belly jiggling as he sat on Artemis unoccupied chair. "All that is missing is some tea." "We are wasting valuable time here! Each second that passes could spell doom for the civilians trapped in those black holes." The Flash implored. "Batman will stay back and get the full story from Iroh. The rest of us, we are moving out." Wonder Woman decided. " The squads are..." (Aden''s P.O.V) I couldn''t tell how long I''d been out of it. A glance at the corner of my vision showed me that 30 minutes had elapsed since I had been knocked out. I tried to sit up but a hand on my chest stopped me. "Star? Kori what..." "Shh. Rest up we''ll talk later when you wake up." I felt the familiar warmth of Equity as I was lulled back to sleep, noticing just how mentally tired I was. ''No! wake the fuck up!'' I shouted at myself, remembering with urgency that I wasn''t in the clear yet. I shot back up, amid Kori''s admonishing and sat on the bed. It was so fucking nice and painful to see her. My heart clutched in pain at what we had lost and I delved into my connection with Equity or anything really to distract me from her presence. And scent...and... "Wait this can''t be right..." Equity had reverted back to it''s familiar form of a rapier. I might have had a fondness for it''s Katana form because of the cool effect but without my urging, it naturally shifted into a rapier. But that wasn''t the reason for my confusion. "What''s wrong?" Kor... Starfire wondered from over my shoulder, her breath tickling my ears. I moved away, noticing the small twinge of hurt in her green expressive eyes. ''It''s too soon Kori'' I tightened my palm as I wore my long coat. The action gave me a chance to think a little. Something weird was happening. Equity felt stuck at 90%. A fraction of what should have been it''s full power was missing. A fraction of chaos. And last I remember, I was still in my dimension, so what was I doing in the Watchtower''s medbay? Through my air sense, I could feel Superman''s sleeping form in the next room over. "Aden..." I turned upon the mention of my name from Ko... goddamit, keep it professional, Starfire''s lips. "Where did I fuck up this time? I feel like I fucked up somehow." She laughed a little at my humor. The sound managing to uplift my recently bad moods. But even with the happiness to be found, a familiar ache made itself known. I knew what I wanted and I couldn''t have her. That soured the expression on my face. Starfire noticed it and sighed. "Can we please...have a conversation without it turning awkward?" She asked but before I could answer, I noticed the slight shift in the shadows of the room. "Shhh! Quiet." "They''ll hear us." "Huggsies!" I narrowed my eyes and created a large air construct, that dived into the shadow and pulled out a few ''interesting finds'' "Mum!" "Greenie!" "Stars!" "Mum!" A chorus of voices shouted out from the tumbling forms as I rolled my eyes in pleasant surprise. A small swipe of my hands and the camera at the corner of the room was promptly destroyed. Yeesh, Batman and the league would probably not be too happy about that. My spirits all swarmed Kori. Match tackled her left leg then held on while floating around. Sai flew in his dragon form that was suspiciously still tiny just like Kai''s to wind up in her shoulders. A puff of fire and smoke and his form shifted into a replica of a young me, 7 years old but way cuter. Breeze turned into a small tornado that blew Star back onto the bed with a yelp before settling on my ex''s ample chest with a proud look on her face, and Kai simply curled next to her, her dragon form like Sai''s shifting into a little human girl with some differences. For instance she had on purple horns in her red air that matched Starfire''s but her eyes were the same complete shade of glowing red to be found in my chaos form. Their happiness was plain to see. I knew they had missed Kori immensely. Star had really made my realm feel like a home just by her presence there. And just like the kids, Kori seemed happy to see them as well. I cleared my throat, putting on a stern look on my face, despite the happiness I was feeling. They needed to learn how dangerous this little stunt had been. How had they even snuck out of the realm in the first place? "You kids have a lot of explaining to do." I crossed my hands on my chest. Shake It Off Things will pick up speed soon guys... (General P.O.V) (In The Endless Garden Overarching All) "Another fork in the road. You know what this means, Destiny." Dream told the cloaked figure walking besides him. The figure had a book chained to his right hand. Whether to show that neither could escape the other, irony reigned supreme that the keeper of the authority over Fate could be shackled to something. "Your power was never absolute. None except the presence can boast of such a thing. I ask again, my sibling, do you know what it means?" Dream insisted, finally stopping. Destiny copied his actions, the multiverse he held in his hands, flapping open. Indistinguishable noises, whispers of reality under the cracks of stone, shifting winds that heralded the coming storm. Centuries in the past and millenia in the future. All something he had encountered and knew intimately. Almost too intimately. "The Morningstar kept him invisible to others. That cloak has been cast away. Our younger immature sibling wisely hid from everyone for 3 months. But now...now he can hide no longer and ''They'' move." The page was blank, only showing the insignia of authority, a symbol Aden knew very well. After all, it was branded in his soul. One side black and red the other side white and blue. The true Avatar symbol. "An enigma at its very core." Dream was inwardly surprised. This was the most Destiny had ever spoke. "I find myself, most excited." Destiny stated with his gravely voice. The sound of a book being closed snapped Lord Morpheus from his musings. He smiled at Destiny''s back. "Matthew, inform Lucienne I will be running rather late." The crow perched on his shoulder cawed. "By your leave Lord Morpheus." (Elsewhere) (Spools of The Strings Of Reality) (Caverns Of The Fates) "Arrogant." A voice announced. "Prideful." Another added. "Contradiction." The last one pitched in. """Punishable.""" Three voices sounded out in unison. The Kindly ones hovered over the end of a string that could not attach, hence could not weave. Fate was a fickle thing. How dare anything less than an outerversal entity not be under her providence? It was intriguingly upsetting. "The Morningstar hid him from us." Clotho sneered. "Not just us sister. From everyone, including ''his'' own gaze." Atropos added, her gaze spearing through veils known and unknown to look into the walking void, snapping the threads of those closest to him with every significant action. "It''s gets harder and harder to knit dear sisters. The strings do not braid as easily as before, where he is concerned." Lachesis complained solemnly. "His existence is blasphemous. An insult to mother Ananke!" Atropos raged. "Then I suggest you help me." A whisper in the wind. "Who?!" Lachesis looked around in surprise. "The" "Time" "Emperor." The norns announced in succession as to the possible identity of their uninvited guest. """Chronos!""" "Nothing escapes your gaze." Whispered the last dregs of will from the disgraced Titan Lord. "I have a proposal. While holding no true enmity with the boy, he alone can unravel reality, you recognize the threat he poses. Give him to me..." "An interesting proposal, sisters." Clotho spoke up. "Indeed." Lachesis agreed. "It''s a no... disgraced king." Atropos announced, contrary to what the source of the whisper was expecting. A brief silence reigned supreme. "You shall regret your shortsightedness..." And with that, the kindly ones were left alone. Plotting once more. "Fool! He is the one who does not understand." Atropos spat out. "So eager for a true demise. Associating with the boy at this stage is fool hardy." Lachesis said. ""Fool hardy."" Her sisters echoed. Lachesis'' fingers danced in the air above a spool of golden string. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "However what are pawns for if not to be sacrificed?" Clotho started laughing. "Devious, dear sister. Devious and necessary." Atropos complimented. "I believe The Time Emperor''s proposal to be of merit in part. Send a king to kill the peasant." Lachesis smiled. "Poetic. A few whispers through the ornate halls of Olympus and Fate gets her way." (Aden''s P.O.V) "Kai, I expected better from you." I chided the small dragon, hiding behind Kori. Infact everyone of them was doing so. Match looked around at his siblings and copied what they were doing, which was hiding behind Kori''s long legs and peaking out sneakily. Breeze stuck out her tongue from a top Star''s head, a gust of wind ruffled the sheets on the bed, making them fall on me comically. I heard giggling sounds from all of them and sighed. "Ha ha very funny." I swiped out a hand and sent the sheets off me. "They''re just having fun Aden. No need to get angry at them." Kori admonished me, rubbing Match''s head affectionately. On the outside I kept a smile on my face. "Having fun huh? You''re all grounded once we get back home." It was a punishment I copied from my parents. And trust me it worked wonders despite the cliche'' nature of the whole affair. "Dad no!" "Noo!" "Take that back!" (Who else but Breeze) Match once again listened to what Sai had said and repeated it. "Dad no!" Star and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Sooo adorable!" She said, pinching the little Kryptonian''s face. "Me! Me! Me too!" Breeze interjected, ballooning in size to a green haired little girl with mischievous light green eyes and a cowlick on a bang at the left side of her hair. "Alright alright." Star patiently turned her attention to each of the kids, giving them hair rubs. I noticed she was really good with kids. It didn''t escape my notice that Sai and Match called her mom... A soft smile appeared on my face. She was so beau... The door opened with a hiss and I instantly covered the kids with a cloak of air rendering them invisible. "Star...oh Aden, you''re up." Robin''s face fell upon seeing me. I cocked my head to the side. "Yeah, but you don''t sound too happy, Boy Wonder. Still salty that you''ve never broken my obstacle record?" I joked. "Yeah, that''s it." Robin dryly stated before turning around. "The other squads were deployed. We''re on standby duty. You missed the briefing but I''ll fill you in on the way to the console." He said while leaving. "Thank you Robin. We''ll be there in a minute." Kori responded with a smile. Instead of leaving though, Robin stuck to the door indecisively before his lips settled in a thin line. "I am not going to leave you here alone with him." Kori and I both frowned, for different reasons. Robin was making the mood tense and awkward. "Robin, it''s fine. We just have a few things to discuss and then..." "I''m sorry Star but I can''t risk it." That little shit. I mean I know we weren''t the best of friends but still, bruh what the fuck. "Are you suggesting I cannot handle myself? Are you calling me weak?" A little bit of anger escaped me once I saw Kori''s pissed off face. Her wrists were charged with green energy as well as embers sparking across the length of her hair. Damn...how the fuck did her hotness factor go to a 10? Props to Robin that he didn''t have a change in his expression. "You wanna tell her or should I?" He directed the question towards me, leaving me caught between a weird place. My annoyance and my confusion. "What in the hell are you talking about Robin?" I finally asked. "Iroh told us everything." His sights went back to Kori. "Aden is the reason for the, as Iroh called them, ''Chaos vortexes''. Can''t say I''m surprised..." That threw me out of loop. A foreboding feeling overcame me. I was still struggling to find out what had happened though. "Ok, clearly I''m missing something here." I turned to Kori, ignoring Boy Wonder because he was testing whatever little patience I had these days. "Star, what is going on?" Starfire looked between us and sighed. "Robin, excuse us." They entered a brief staring match before the Boy Wonder gave up and turned to leave. I tapped my ears and Star understood what I meant. "And no listening in. I mean it." The Boy Wonder snorted but pressed a key on his wrist computer. The slight hum detectable to my superior senses went off and I knew we could talk without anyone eavesdropping. "You might want to sit down for this." I frowned but did as she said. Then she told me everything. About how swirling pockets of energy had appeared in 17 locations on the planet. About how 6 of those were termed as priority A, something which I remembered from my team days to mean, civilian life endangerment. About how the League had marshalled up to go and deal with the 6 priority A pockets and save people. Despite Star missing the debrief, we were able to make conjectures based on what I told her to realize that Robin was right. This was my fault. I fucked up again. After the five minutes of ruminating on my mistakes, I got up, not even that aware of Star''s closeness when she sat next to me on the bed. Okay, I lied, I felt her warmth like the comfortable heat of a burning fireplace. "I need a glass of water." Without waiting for any input, I left for the bathroom, closing the door gently behind me. I sighed looking at myself in the mirror. What''s that old story about the donkey that saved itself from being buried alive? Oh yeah. Shake it off and step on the soil, using it as a foothold. Eventually... I''ll make it out of the pit I dug myself in. A blinking icon appeared in the corner of my vision. No not appeared. It had been there even when I was back in my dimension. I had just ignored it for more important things. I maximized it immediately. (Alert! Urgent Mission!) You just sent a being of order to deal with chaos energy...good plan on paper. But shit is about to hit the fan. Due to your broad instructions, the Order Avatar State had decided to save the realm in the most effective way it can... expelling all the unstable chaos energy out of the realm. What this means for the realm''s the energy ends up at? Well that''s your mission. Find out and stop it or at least mitigate any negative effects (or not. Chaos is fun) Mission objectives:- Get rid of the chaos pockets. Survive the machinations from the Kindly ones. Mission Parameters:- Time limit: Before the world is consumed by chaos you dolt. Or don''t. Mission difficulty: N/A Mission Rewards:- 50 training points for each chaos pocket dealt with. 50 training points for each opponent you prevail against. Training points:- 386. P.S:- This mission could go either way. Remember, trust in your power. Okaaaay. What the fuck. I splashed water on my face. This world is determined to drive me crazy huh? At least I got to see Star...though there''s a lot of awkward tension between us. But maybe I could use this to my advantage. If I completed this urgent mission, I could stack my team with some valuable players, taking the burden off saving the world from my shoulders as I concentrated on getting stronger. I had already decided that the first chance I got I was doing the Fire bending advancement trial. The inklings of a plan started forming in my mind. Maybe this wasn''t so bad? A swirl of light escaped me as I activated a perk. My connection with the Homunculi puppet slotted itself and I instantly acquired another field of vision. A boom tube opened and I stepped through as the White Shadow. Back in the bathroom, Equity appeared in my hands and I opened myself to the energy I had been wary to access. My heart instantly fell into the same wavelength as it''s pulse. I could feel it, chaos brimming inside. I could also feel multiple beacons calling out to me in the direction of the planet. Following the mission parameters, I knew something was going to happen. "In 1...2...3." "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!" The p.a system started going crazy. At the drop of the third number, vast energy of almost the same tier as the angel''s made itself known. I exercised my own inner energy to stave of the effects while stepping out of the bathroom. Star had a worried look in her face as the kids looked scared. She couldn''t feel it but the spirits could. A boom tube manifested by our sides. "Get in." I ordered. Kori looked ready to object. "What is happening?" "Get. In." I said curtly before adding. "I''ll explain later. Right now the kids shouldn''t be here." Starfire chose to trust me and ushered them through the portal. The last gaze she threw at me, told me I had a lot of explaining to do on why I relegated her to a babysitter. The announcement coming through the p.a system went silent and a second later, an enchanting voice spoke through it. "I am Phoebus Apollo, and by the authority of Zeus, my father and the King of The Gods, I seek out Aden Strong!" Oh Fuck. These fucks? Divine (General P.O.V) Robin''s frown seemed to deepen as he stood before the console. The mission was well underway and his focus should have been on that but his thoughts kept on straying. The look on Starfire''s face when Aden was dragged in unconscious set him off more than he liked to admit. "Bravo team to Watchtower, do you copy?" Captain Atom''s voice came through the comms. Robin looked around the control room and sighed. Stewart was supposed to be the one in charge but he was off repairing the hub''s training room after a particularly overenthusiastic sparring match between the two heavy hitters of the team, Starfire and Superboy...oh it''s Superion now huh? That name is never going to catch on. Robin smirked a little before the smile grew sadder, Superboy did not want to take over Superman''s mantle because he believed beyond the shadow of doubt that the Man of Steel would wake up. It had been three months though... "Bravo team, I read you loud and clear, confirm your location?" Robin absentmindedly responded to the call-up. "We are in position, Green Lantern is commencing a deeper probe into the nature of the vortex." Robin nodded at the answer. "All teams standby. Move on my signal." He passed through the channel with practiced ease. "Robin, this is Delta, status on Console?" Batman''s gruff voice sounded from the comms. "Lantern Stewart is finishing up some light repairs on the the Hub''s training room. You can blame that on Superion." Robin smirked a little at throwing Superboy under the bus. "Robin, status on Console unknown. Lantern Stewart communication device is not working." Robin''s brows scrunched up. His fingers running across the massive keyboard. "Accessing the Hub''s cameras...wait that''s not right. I can''t find him." Boy Wonder, clicked on the terminals one by one, failing to see the green and black costumed hero anywhere. "Run a full..." Batman''s words were cut off suddenly. "Wait! What is that?!" Robin exclaimed. He enlarged the image and widened his eyes. A trail of green light was flying away from the Watchtower towards...a shooting star? A meteor? "Warning! Warning! Unidentified object incoming. Proximity distance to the Watchtower, 20 miles...15 miles...10 miles." The alert came through the Watchtower''s system. "Console, report in. What is happening?" Wonder Woman''s voice blared through the channel. "Something, a...a ball of light is headed straight for the Watchtower. Green Lantern is on a course to intercept it. I''m sending the images to your Holo device Batman." In outer space, Stewart was hurrying towards something his ring registered as x energy, meaning divine power. Using the environmental shield, Stewart managed to contact the Watchtower. "Console do you copy?!" Robin jumped on that chance "Roger. Do you know what that is?" "Negative but I''m going to find out. Deploy the force field just in case we''re not dealing with a friendly." Stewart responded. "Willco. Keep your comms open." He then turned to the main channel. "All teams, the situation at the Watchtower is currently manageable. Stewart and I can handle whatever this is. In addition, we have Starfire and Maelstrom." Robin hoped he was doing the right thing. "Are you confident?" Wonder Woman asked. This was the Justice League''s headquarters they were talking about. Robin hesitated for only a second. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Yeah, go save lives." There was silence for a second. Robin was annoyed because he knew the League were talking through a private secure line. A minute later, Batman said something. "Lantern Gardner is enroute to provide back up should you need it." Robin swallowed his indignation, knowing his brief hesitation was what had caused the League to think of Gardner as an option. "Copy that." Robin did as advised promptly. "Bravo team, what have you managed to find out about the chaos pockets? Are they safe for entry?" "Console, we will handle the operation on the ground. Make sure you keep Superman and the Watchtower safe." Wonder Woman rebuffed and Robin managed to stomp down on his agitation. Turning away from the console, he looked at the entrance to the control room, wondering how long Star and... A burst of light suddenly exploded out at the front. It was so strong that it filled up the whole view of the camera. Robin blinked his eyes in shock. Then a massive blast on the left wing of the Watchtower took out the cameras on that side, red alerts flashing in the monitor. "Signal lost? So no aster." Robin swallowed, running out of the room while trying to reach Stewart. (A few minutes earlier) Green Lantern''s green aura protected him as he paused in mid space, looking out towards the incoming ''god.'' Stewart snorted. As far as we was concerned, there was only one God. So if this poser was here with less than noble intentions... His ring glowed green before a huge road stop sign was created between him and the light. He added a brick wall behind the sign for added protection. The ball of golden light noticeably slowed down, before finally stopping a few tens of meters away, revealing something strange. Stewart could feel the heat exuded by the new arrival even in space. The heat passing through his environmental aura. It sent warning bells ringing in his mind. The chariot was made of gold, 4 horses pulling it through space. A trail of golden clouds and light carved a fading path behind the chariot. On the chariot was a tall man with blonde hair reaching his shoulders, a golden circlet around his forehead and a bow strapped to his shoulders. The man was distractingly handsome. Almost too handsome. His skin glowed with an otherworldly light that was distinctly inhuman. A golden tunic covered his lower chest, attached to the back by a band on one shoulder. The man was cut like a Greek god (ah) and the ring on Stewart''s finger could not accurately scan him. "Identify yourself." Stewart spoke up, using the ring to help transmit his voice through the vacuum of space. "Feast your eyes mortal, upon a true God." His voice was melodious and contained a touch of arrogance. "Sanctify the name of the Eternal Blazing Sun, for you stand in the presence of Phoebus Apollo!" A halo of bright light lit up behind him in a semi circle, his face set in pious belief at his own majesty. Stewart tapped into his comms. "Aah...Diana it''s one of yours." When there was no reply, Stewart frowned and tried again. "Wonder Woman..." A feeling of dread overcame Stewart and he hurriedly covered himself in a tank behind the stop sign and the brick wall. Bright white heat washed over the constructs, breaking past two and pushing John back, the final construct just barely blocking the attack. "You dare ignore me, mortal? You stand before the god of the sun, art, music and divination. Where is your groveling?" Apollo asked with a sneer. Stewart''s face changed into a cold anger. Self entitled shit. "There''s only one God and trust me buddy, I don''t think he comes dressed as a pervert." A machine gun, formed on Stewart''s side, blasting out bullets as the Green Lantern himself, pulled in at close range, understanding that the Sun god was well versed in long range attacks. "I have no time for quarrelsome debates. Stand out of my way before I deem your life forfeit." Apollo gave the warning only for Stewart to ignore him. The construct bullets burned away within a distance of 5 meters from Apollo as he blazed with a golden heat, the horses strapped to the chariot neighing. Stewart arrived, forming a fireman''s suit around his body for more heat isolation, while an army knife formed in his hands. Apollo raised up a hand, a harp appearing on the crook of his left hand, lying on his shoulder. Then he strummed the instrument. The first note managed to stun Green Lantern''s mind. Stewart was too late to construct ear plugs as the wave of artistic sounds kept reaching his ears by divine means. His body froze in place, shaking with effort as he tried to break free. Almost succeeding but not fast enough. "Such a willful man." Apollo laughed a little. "Begone from my sight." His tone changed, divine solar energy, rushing out of the palm of his left hand, to drown out Stewart''s body. Green Lantern managed to increase the capabilities of his environmental aura, compressing it into a stronger energy cloak. His body was left unburnt by the wave of energy but the force of it all pushed him back. He speared through tens of miles before colliding with the left wing of the Watchtower with his back. The Force field shimmered as he bounced off of it, his body getting squeezed in between the relentless divine attack and the stalwart defense. Luckily, a drill formed behind him and he speared through before his environmental aura could be destroyed. A breath of air escaped Green Lantern and he idly wondered, how many damages were waiting for him to fix during this latest wreck caused by him. He broke past the layers of the garden, which had been fixed only 3 months prior before a huge statue of Superman stopped and cushioned his flight. Painfully. A whoosh of air escaped the Watchtower from the hole dug before the force field managed activate once more. "Fascinating...this orbital station would intrigue Haephestus." Apollo''s voice came from Stewart''s front as the former marine pushed off the broken statue''s arm pressing down on him. The God had teleported in. "You are still alive?" A begrudging respect appeared in the god''s eyes. "Perhaps I misjudged you mortal. Regardless, I am not here for you." His eyes glowed with golden light while John checked the charge on his ring <23%> ''Damn. A protracted fight seems like a bad idea. If I can distract him and recharge...'' "Then who are you here for?" Green Lantern decided to humor the Greek god. A brilliant smile broke across Apollo''s face. "Good! I see you''re a man of reason. Understanding that some battles cannot be won and acquiring a willingness to peacefully resolve conflict, shows your humility. I shall wrote a song for you! But first, lead me to Aden Strong!" Aden? That''s who he''s after? It makes sense in a way. Still. Any second now Robin... A cheeky laugh sounded out across the garden and a second later smoke bombs landed between the Green Lantern and the Greek god. "What is this?" The smoke bombs exploded in a green smoke that obscured Green Lantern''s position. Apollo sneered as he could already tell from his godly senses that someone else had decided to join the battle. Did they not know the meaning of the word futility? A blast of light washed over everything, pushing away the smoke and lighting up the whole garden. Using his divinity for the arts and music, the god tapped into the speakers across the mega structure. "I am Phoebus Apollo, and by the authority of Zeus, my father and the King of The Gods, I seek out Aden Strong!" Crashing A Fight (2 months ago) (Olympus) (around the time Starfire leaves the dimension.) In the hall of the gods, housing 12 thrones that were the Symbol of each of the Greek god''s immense power, silence dominated. Zeus had a stormy expression on his face. By his side was the Queen of the gods, her brows set in a perpetual sneer as she cast a ridiculing look her Husband''s way. "Hermes, how confident are you in your report?" Zeus bit out, his fingers digging into the stone of his throne. Streaks of golden lightning danced across his beard and an aura of barely restrained power hummed in the air. It had all started when, the Fates had given a prophecy. A prophecy that spelt of an uncertain future for the Olympians. Zeus had sent Hermes to find out what the cause could be. The initial thought had been an attack from the other pantheons or one of the children of the big three, scheming against their parents. Time and time again had shown just how much of a threat a misguided demigod could be. But this?! The prospect of a new Skyfather...of a new pantheon... Hermes bowed his head at his Father and the King of the Gods. His helmet was held underneath his armpit, the wings on his ankles twitching slightly at the passive oppression from the Sky father''s overwhelming power. His eyes strayed to the rest of the Olympians. Hera was her usual distasteful self, nothing new there. Poseidon had a an intense look on his face, most likely mulling over what Hermes had told them, Demeter was throwing worried glances at the figure who sat on Hades'' throne, which happened to be Persephone, filling in for Hades who was ''feeling under the weather.'' Everyone knew their eldest brother just did not have the patience to deal with Zeus. The two clashed on almost all accounts. And because the Underworld still needed it''s monarch to take part in the mandatory meeting the Skyfather had called for, Persephone had elected to go in his place. Zeus had been angry but could ultimately do nothing as he understood that now more than ever, they needed to be united. It was just one of the reasons he was Uber mad. Athena similar to Poseidon had a keen look on her face. It differed in that where Poseidon had the intensity of a raging storm, Athena''s eyes, gray like her father''s were cold and calculating. Dissecting the information given and coming up with conjectures and countermeasures. Apollo was slung over his throne in a casual pose. However for anyone who knew him they could tell he was lost in thought. He felt Hermes'' gaze on him and established eye contact, nodding a little. A silent communication happening between them. Artemis had a bow in hand, twining the string absentmindedly as she stared at her twin in suspicion. Apollo was acting...off. Hermes immediately moved to the next god, which turned out to be Ares'' empty throne. Hermes eyes passed over that clusterfuck and landed on Aphrodite, who had a coy smile on her face. The God of travel quickly averted his gaze when a familiar feeling of warmth invaded his groin. Not going to think about... "Well! Out with it Hermes!" Zeus roared out, startling Hermes from his distracted eyes. The latter caught the small reassuring smile on arguably the best of the Olympians, Hestia. "Oh sorry Father." He hurriedly apologized only for Zeus to snort in derision. "Save your apologies and answer me. How valid is your report?" Instead of answering someone else stepped in. "The Fates do not lie, brother. Misdirect, give vague answers yes, but not lie." Poseidon stated. "And yet time and time again, whatever they prophesy rarely ends well. Is that not enough to question their intentions?" Hera dryly countered. "Take heed husband. Whatever Hermes thinks he knows, he might be wrong." Hera threw a scathing look The god of travel''s way. Everyone knew of her hate for any of Zeus'' bastard children. "But surely this merits concern does it not?" Demeter implored. "We decided to separate ourselves from the mortal world after the whole Ares'' affair. To my knowledge, nothing has changed. I do not see a reason to involve ourselves now." Dionysus lazily said, sipping on a wine pitcher from his throne, ignoring the sudden chill that invaded the room. Especially from Hera. Ares was not a topic they discussed...ever. "If anyone should be concerned about this new development, it should be you Dionysus. A mortal well on his way to acquiring divinity? I''d say that warrants enough reason to investigate at the very least." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Artemis pointed out to which her brother merely threw her a stink eye and drowned his never ending wine. "Father, have you decided on what action you''re going to take?" Athena addressed Zeus. Being her favorite child, he looked at her in a much softer light and sighed. "We risk war with the other Pantheons should we misstep. And that would be all Darkseid and his hoard would need to..." "Attack." Apollo said with a yawn. "You would think that after all these years they would have done so already." "Do. Not. Underestimate the new gods." Athena''s eyes flashed with a grim light. "Silence! I have decided, we will not pursue the matter concerning the mortal. While the prophecy from the Fates should be heeded, we left the mortal world behind. It does not concern us." ''Fool.'' Poseidon thought. A few of the gods smiled while a few others frowned but none the less, accepted the King of the God''s verdict. But then Hermes spoke up. "Father...before you make your decision final, there is one last thing you should see." An annoyed look crossed over Zeus face. "Hermes, we shall no longer revisit this Issue." He ordered and looked around. "Now let us get on with the next thing on the agenda." Hermes looked at Apollo, who rolled his eyes and sighed. "The oracle...my divination, I cannot see his fate at all. He is a walking void." Apollo said, gathering attention. He leaned forward. "Father, believe me. You will want to see whatever Hermes has brought with him. It will only take a minute or so, insignificant to the eternity we have." Murmurs broke out, before Zeus slapped his throne. "Silence!" Everyone quieted down. "Hermes." His voice was low and dangerous. The God of travel felt like tapping into his prodigious speed and running away. He bowed. Despite the common insinuation that Zeis was a lumbering horny fool, no one could deny his fury was legendary when he perceived an insult to his person. "Forgive me father, for my insolence." A beat passed. "Brother, why don''t we give him the chance to present this new information?" Hestia who was tending to the hearth in the middle of the hall said her piece. She rarely rarely involved herself in the matters of governing like her siblings. Hestia was content keeping the flame burning. Zeus considered her words carefully. Hestia never asked for anything. "Very well. Hermes, the floor is once again yours." He told his son with narrowed eyes, who nodded gratefully at his aunt and reached into his pocket. His fingers came out clutching a roiling sphere of multicolored shifting images. "A memory crystal?" Athena enquired. "Indeed sister. And what is inside will shock you." Hermes replied in a grave tone. He turned to Apollo. "Apollo, if you will..." The God of the sun, arts, music and illusions nodded, reaching out and pulling the memory crystal into the palm of his hand. His eyes glowed golden as he accessed the memory and then using his minor divinity, all the Olympians were pulled into the illusion. A few minutes later, the illusion broke. Am aura of incredible power rippled out of the hall of the gods. The sky above flashed blue with lightning as all the minor gods below the sprawling city fell to their knees, in unwilling subservience. Zeus was pissed. (General P.O.V) "Now what?" Darken asked tersely, darkness roiling off her in waves. The White Shadow cocked his head to the side. "Easy. Now we fight." Darken looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Fight!? That''s what we''ve been doing for the last 5 minutes. And it''s not working! How are we supposed to take down self regenerating Blood monsters that look like a cross between an angel and a demon? There are easily thousands of them!" They were standing a few hundred meters before a massive black castle. The castle was surrounded by flying humanoid creatures made from chaos and magic. They had blackened wings that dripped with thick blood. beautiful porcelain smooth faces that cracked when you hit them and bled with the same black viscous blood. And were tall, dressed in tattered robes. Sharp claws speared out of their sleeves. Which is what they used to attack with. Sounds of fighting could be heard from afar due to The White Shadow''s superior senses. The creatures that had not arrived to swarm them were busy fighting someone else near the castle grounds. The vortex at club Lux had funnily enough, manifested where Galiel had conducted his illegal underground fighting ring. The place had been renovated into a basement, storing liquor. A bartender had been pulled in as well as a few people who had wandered down there. Using the negativity in the underground fighting ring, chaos had precipitated the creation of these murderous spiteful creatures that seemed to regenerate whenever attacked. However, The White Shadow knew that the key to breaking the whole dimension down was finding the lost civilians and saving them before their life essence which the dimension drew upon to give the creatures form was completely sapped away. "Come on Darken. Look on the bright side." He said swiping out his black saber, white fire slashed out in an arc that took out tens of the chaos creatures, burning them all away with a hiss. The white fire was proving to be scarily effective on them. It congealed into a snake construct that slithered away towards the castle. "There''s a bright side?!" She asked skeptically as spikes made of darkness speared through the creatures coming towards their flanks. The White Shadow placed a hand on her shoulder and the surroundings instantly blurred in her sight. Sparks of white lightning escaped his form as he stepped away. Darken noticed that they had crossed the hundreds of meters and were now before the castle and also...close to Wonder Woman and Superion. The latter was mob diving across the courtyard, taking out the creatures with a spin, a red shimmering shield surrounding his body. Wonder woman spared a glance at the new arrivals, her Lasso lashing out to grab a few creatures and then swinging them to a few of their compatriots. They clashed on each other and fell in a tangle of limbs. "Raarrrggh!!" The Amazonian princess yelled and took a leap, her sword coming out of her sheath and dissecting a creature in mid air before plunging the weapon into another one as she looped down from her leap. The two were being besieged on all sides by the creatures, trying and failing to get to the door of the castle. Some of the creatures screeched, a loud sound that grated on Darken''s ears and announced their presence. The White Shadow laughed, jumping up, aided by his white jet flames. Just as the snake construct he had created a few seconds before, crashed through the gate of the castle, taking out even more creatures. "The bright side is...we get to crash a fight!" Vs Apollo (General P.O.V) "In brightest day, in darkest night..." Robin, knowing he had to give Stewart the chance to recharge, decided to take the fight to the new arrival. His hands went to his utility belt, swiping the exploding birdarangs he had become so familiar with after years of doing this. Using the brief window of opening after Apollo''s flash bang of an attack, he threw the projectiles towards the self proclaimed god with excellent precision. "Let those who worship evil, beware..." The bombs exploded before reaching his position, the shockwaves rippling out yet doing nothing to the unfazed Olympian. Apollo run his fingers over his hair, straightening it. "I feel like I''m at a circus, jump monkey, jump." He pointed finger guns at the Boy Wonder''s position and started pelting him with light balls. "Oh crap! So not whelmed!" Robin was already moving across the ledge on the wall. He jumped and used a zip line to swing away, only for the line to snap from Apollo''s barrage. Robin saw the ground rise up so quickly to meet up with him. He would suffer nothing less than a broken leg if he didn''t do something. Pressing a button on his wrist computer, a current run through the flailing cape behind him, hardening it enough that he could glide. The fall was still hard. He tucked his knees to lessen the impact and rolled, with only a wince at the pain in his ankles. A shadow of his body was cast before him, making him realize that a light attack was headed straight for his position. The heat of the incoming attack was unbearably warm across his back, despite the heat resistant material of his suit. It was at that moment, Robin realized he was fucked...or was he? "Green Lantern''s light!" A shining viridescent shield appeared to block the path of the attack, saving the Boy Wonder''s life. Robin rolled away and hid behind a tree trunk, fingers moving fast across his wrist computer. "We need some big guns...of the Aden type." He muttered, panting slightly at the narrow escape. Despite his tense relationship with the older teen, mostly because of how Star...no, how Aden carried himself with a casual arrogance that grated on the Younger Boy''s nerves, Robin realized the stakes were high. With Aden, Starfire, Stewart, Gardner and Robin, the fight would hopefully end in their favor, after all, Wonder Woman''s fight with Ares could attest to just how powerful the Greek gods were. So Robin swallowed his pride and took over the P.A system. (Aden''s P.O.V) "Maelstrom, Starfire, we need you both in Level 2, of the Watchtower''s left wing. Level 2 is the garden incase you didn''t know." I turned away from the direction of the control room and started heading towards the left wing, just like Robin had instructed. I made it past the hallway, following the now very apparent sounds of battle at level 2 of the section. My air sense, energy sense and Spiritual attunement spread out, giving me an accurate read of the whole structure. My eyes widened at the absolutely staggering energy I could feel brimming out of who I guessed was Apollo. I sucked in air through my teeth as I realized that without going all out, this wouldn''t be a fight I could win easily. One step forward and my body streaked with blue lightning, flashing through the hallways and rooms like a beam of blue light. I made it out onto a balcony overlooking the luscious space garden and took a running leap, then let the artificial gravity pull me down. "Hello, old friend." I said to the wrecked garden, recalling the massive fight, Fate and I had had in the same place. While we had decimated and uprooted the vegetation...Apollo had gone an extra step and several things were burning. Birdarangs melted a couple of meters before reaching the god of the sun, the very air shimmering with heat covering the god''s position in a golden haze. A bright flash of green escaped a broken section of the wall, leading to the cafeteria which was built right next to the garden. Stewart, shrouded in his familiar green lantern aura yelled out as he threw a large boxing glove at the aurafied? god. The boxing glove was instantly consumed by a blaze of heat that extended out in numerous flame tentacles to swallow the Lantern. Huh. Apollo could control fire. Not unusual but... Equity hummed in power. It wanted a taste of that...fire. No, of that energy. I flashed, skating on the air and arrived before Stewart. The Katana swung out a hundred times in a few seconds, leaving behind trails of black after images in the air as I cut off all the tentacles. Apollo didn''t like that, I sensed the build up of energy from the front and smirked. Hold your tits for some DBZ shit. Equity changed form into a long lance that I strapped across my shoulder like Sun Wukong. An intense solar beam cut through the air and I answered back with a new skill I had painstakingly worked hard to control perfectly. My own super condensed beam of blue plasma. Following the principles of lightning being partially ionized plasma, I only had to streamline the process by equally distributing my inner fire to burn the neutral gases in the air following the path of the lightning bolt. What this accomplished was a straight, direct continuous beam of blue light that was so hot I could only channel it through Equity. The clash happened instantly due to the speeds of the attack. My feet dragged across the floor as I was immediately pushed back by the force of the attacks. The point of contact between both beams swelled as I doubled the power output pouring out of Equity. "Hahaha you''re strong! But I am stronger!!!" Roared the Olympian god. Immediately, the heat grew even more oppressing. The sleeves of my coat, started burning, before I pulled on more of my inner energy to then create a thin film resisting the divine energy from Apollo. Still not enough. I gritted my teeth and spread out my legs for more stability. The shift caused me to make eye contact with my opponent. His eyes shifted from surprise, to recognition (weird) to an intense battle lust with a wide smile that looked disturbing on his handsome face. No homo but wow. What the fuck is up with your face you, androgynous,''your gal is a BTS fan so I''m stealing her way'' kawaii looking bastard?! I felt my spirit surge up in response to that jawline. It''s been long since I had a good fight and this more than most felt justified. I took a step forward. My legs, especially the calves strained in power. A burn I had thought I lost pervading my muscles once more! The energy beam struggle was taxing on my stamina. Luckily, I had lots of it, though I wasn''t sure I could outlast a god. "Aden! You will risk blowing up the Watchtower! Tone it down!" Robin''s voice was barely audible through the intense clash. Sparing whatever attention I could I realized that he was right. You couldn''t feel it easily but the Watchtower was shaking. Tremors that only worsened as the swelling mass of divine energy and elemental power swirled around each other. The area around us was filled with burning tree remains and mist from the vapor of the evaporated pools of water. Maybe having an energy beam clash in the middle of an orbiting station wasn''t the brightest idea. A layer of green energy covered our attacks before the swell of energy could explode. Stewart. "Gardner! Direct the energy upwards!" Another green layer of will power joined the first one, covering the quickly destabilizing energy from the right, squeezing it and molding a sort of pipe that directed it upwards. There was a small beat of silence. A silence that had me noticing the small smile of ridicule on Apollo''s face before he snapped his fingers and the world exploded. I flashed away with a sonic boom, going with my fastest speed just as the suction from the depth of space tried pulling me away. I grabbed Boy Wonder, an air ball constructing around us and running out of the garden entrance, the air getting depleted inside the structure. My eyesight was a blur of interconnecting hallways before I stopped on a deck overlooking a swimming pool. The metallic door sealed shut behind us. The place was peaceful and comfortable. I dropped Robin and breathed out a sigh of relief as he stared at me with a stunned look on his face. "Thanks. For saving me...I mean." I held up a thumbs up. "Don''t sweat it. It was partially my fault anyway." Saying that his mood took on a drastic change. "Oh crap. They''re going to kill me." He hurried to a terminal near the elevator doors, undoing the panel and connecting a cable onto a port. "If I can reroute more power into the energy field then we can stave off the effects of space in the garden and any other leaks we might have..." He muttered, swiping away at the holographic screen. "Though I''m probably going to need the Lantern''s help just to make sure the Watchtower doesn''t break into two pieces! The structural damage on the foundation is too much!" Wow. I have never heard him ramble that fast before. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "Huh Robin..." I called out. "Not now Aden. I have to fix your mess!" Ok rude. I narrowed my eyes, backing away a little, knowing what was coming. "You and Star will have to deal with Apollo alone. Speaking of which where is..." "Ok first of all shut up!" I snapped, making him flinch a little. "I sent her away to my dimension and just so you know Apollo is headed...Ooof!" I must have underestimated the speed of the moving ray of light, breath left my lungs as I felt something collide with my chest, pushing me off the deck, onto the furthest wall of the room, through it with my back, a slight tingle as I plunged through a forcefield, aided by Apollo''s light projecting outwards enough to cover me and then out into space. The pricks of light dotting the wide expanse seemed to all move in the opposite direction as me. I could easily open a boom tube to my dimension but I was wary. The realm was still recovering from the whole chaos affair, if a fight were to happen there...I could set back it''s progress even more. Not to mention Star and the Kids were there as well. Starfire is many things and unfortunately stubborn is one of them. She would absolutely get involved and if that happened, it wasn''t a guess that Breeze would join as well and que...the domino effect. No, this fight, this fight I absolutely had to end out here in the outside universe. Equity appeared in my hands in the shape of a small knife, I twirled it and plunged it downwards, shadow flames dancing across it''s length. The attack glanced off Apollo''s form as our trajectory was suddenly shifted. A small pull of gravity pulling both of us towards the moon''s surface. The descent was not as fast as I was expecting though, giving me enough time to pull on my inner energy and ignite jet flames under my feet, stabilizing my form enough that I tried the same attack once more. A telekinetic force restricted my stab, keeping Equity at bay. In response I changed it''s form into a lance, the action too sudden yet Apollo in an impressive reaction speed, twisted his light ball form into his humanoid one. The blade of my weapon sliced into the skin of his arm, leaving behind a thin lacerated wound going from his bicep to the crook of the left hand. Golden ichor flowed, absorbed into Equity. "Bastard!" Apollo shouted in pain and anger. My eyes widened, Equity changing into it''s bulky dragon slayer form, a golden fist landed onto my weapon, sending reverberations of force echoing across it''s length and up my hands. I was blasted away, falling onto the ground before carving a groove across the surface of the moon. I tried to take a breath on reflex and found nothing, panicking slightly before simply opening a small portal beside me and pulling on the air. Sound couldn''t travel across the almost airless atmosphere of the moon but I could feel the tremor as Apollo landed. I rolled away from the beam of light that devoured my position into an all consuming blaze that extended out farther than I bothered to keep track off. I wound back my hand and threw Equity at him. A shield of light timely covered Apollo''s front, but I had an idea on how to fight him now. A gesture and Equity broke apart into dozens of knives upon landing on the shield, all burning with Hell flame and coming in from different directions. I flashed towards him without wasting time, a small hidden knife hidden under my wrist. First distract him with the obvious attack and then when he least expects it... The god of light breaking all my expectations, exploded before I could complete my plan. I shielded my eyes from the blinding light and moon dust, while digging onto the ground by way of Flame spikes constructs spearing onto the soil and hard rock. I swiped out my hand as Equity''s shards gathered in my palm in its lance form. The light died down and I finally had a complete view of the Olympian. I felt telepathic feelers touch upon my mental walls in a sort of psychic knock. Gingerly reaching out, I linked with his mind, tightly keeping my mental walls secure behind me. Apollo smiled. "Aden Strong. The mortal who slayed millions of demons, earning himself the moniker of Demonbane. I gotta say... you dissapoint." I cracked my neck, shrugging afterwards. "Yeah? Tell that to your arm." I pointed out, earning a tight smile. "A lucky move. Cheap shot." He replied, both of us walking around each other in some unseen signal. "What do you want from me?" I went right down to business. Things were happening on earth that needed my attention. "What''s the hurry? We have all the time in the world." I laughed in disbelief. "Trust me buddy, unless you have granddaddies ability, then you couldn''t be more wrong." The smile on his face set warning bells ringing. "You cannot comprehend the depths of power a god like me possesses. Which is why becoming one is no easy task. There are responsibilities, duties and benefits that come with the stature. One of the benefits being...a divine domain where, I can extend my control over reality. An example being... slowing down time." I scrunched my eyes at the bold claim, throwing a glance at the corner of my eyes. The speed at which the time was moving was very slow. Comparing that with the real time information I was getting from my homunculi puppet and it was clear what he was doing. I laughed. "Oh cut the bullshit, you''re merely increasing my reaction and base speeds to match your own perception by extending out that ability. I''m guessing you can do that because of your access to light divinity through your domain. It''s not true temporal manipulation, if anything it''s more like power bestowal." His face changed to a curious one. "Makes for a good way to have a long conversation in a short time though." "So you''re not as dumb as you look. How did you find that out?" He complimented, making me roll my eyes. "Dude, what do you want? You wanted to grab my attention so badly and now... I''m here." I pointed Equity at him. "Talk." "I suppose you''re right. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Phoebus Apollo, a god. And you Aden Strong have garnered not only our interest but others as well." That gave me pause. I had been stuck in my dimension for 3 months, so I hadn''t really felt the effect of Lucifer withdrawing his protection from cosmic eyes. "And why is that?" I wondered, making him frown. "You...you don''t know?" His eyes pierced into my own, as of trying to look for any hint of falsehoods. "Of course you don''t." Mmh. Interesting, things were heating up on earth with my Homunculi puppet. "Speak up. I don''t have time for cryptic statements, lord knows I get enough of them from those two." Apollo stopped in place. "Very well." He spread out his hands. "This will confirm it even more than just stating it." Without another word...his power bloomed. Light shot out of his orifices and his humanoid form was instantly encompassed by something...divine. I felt my eyes widen as a familiar feeling...started surging from deep within me, pulled out. Familiar yet, I had no recollection of ever accessing it. Apollo, completed his transformation into... something I had trouble looking at directly. It burned my eyes and rocked my spirit. He was now a 50 meter giant made up of only light. His body barely resembled a humanoid form, the limbs too mishappen. Too abnormal but not what was abnormal about it. He was perfect in his alienness. And I felt awed, completely gobsmacked. I was standing infront of a force of nature. "This is my true form. God form. A sentient bundle of energy, connected to a realm of power by faith, practice and heritage. You would have been consumed spirit and all...if you did not possess the same spark. You Aden Strong are a god!" And it was like that announcement, was all I was waiting for. Something deep inside me built up, gathering momentum as it bubbled forth, like an avalanche, I felt it call out to a substratum of reality. An impose. A demand. A request. An order for reality to bend to my will. Air started manifesting across the barren satellite, forming tornadoes as my connection to the white, something I had always locked myself out of...slotted itself back into my mind. NO!! ...yet I couldn''t help it. Light struck out of my eyes and mouth. Opened wide as I felt my body start changing, getting elevated to a level above the norm. A collage of colors burst around my head as my airbending changed into something else. A pool of energy no longer dependent on the Avatar system yet it didn''t feel as if I was trading up. Not yet! Goddamit stop!! My spirit started getting stronger, yet strings of Fate begun twining over it, seeking purchase through highjacking my connection with my new divinity. I said stop!!! 3 sets of laughter sounded out from the void. "Suppression." "Oppression." "Subservience." """You shall learn. Nothing escapes it''s fate.""" Anger clouded my mind. Instantly halting the process. The nerve... Nothing escapes it''s Fate?!! I am the fucking Avatar. "Who the fuck do you think you are!!!" I raged, my gaze spearing past the layers and layers of reality to stare at the three women, scheming my downfall. My energy sense bloomed out and I saw everything. For a single second, I understood it all. Apollo was frozen in time, as was everything. Or rather I was exempt from it. Equity shone with a purple color in my hands telling me exactly who was responsible for this. Somehow I had tapped into my chaos and now I was cut off from reality. From Order. I saw what was headed for Apollo and I, Steppenwolfe and Darkseid''s parademons, sent to capture an old god like Apollo and I, the possible key to the anti life equation. I saw the shadow of Chronos, fleeting about in the last dregs of will on earth near one chaos vortex then plunging inside it. I saw a broken museum, in which a schoolgirl was carrying out a ritual to attain a familiar, Klarion the witchboy watching her from folded space. I saw deep into Superman''s existence, his fate strings lost out into the void, stretching out towards a layer of reality different from the one I knew. Then the split second ended. A pulse of power exploded from my body as I stopped the ascension by force. The Tornadoes died out, the light pouring out of me disappeared. "No! Impossible! How did you do that!!? One more second and you could have been a god! An Olympian!" Apollo shouted in surprise, reinforcing my theory on what had just happened. "You coaxed out my divinity when you extended your aura. It wasn''t to have a long conversation in a few minutes like I had speculated. You were sneakily using your divinity to make me ascend to a god of your pantheon, shackling me to faith energy and to Zeus, the Olympians Sky Father." I calmly assessed. Apollo had a serious look on his face. "Tch... filthy monkey." His whole demeanor changed. The pretty ones are the ones with the ugliest sneers, I observed. "You gave up the chance at true power, just because you didn''t want to be shackled down by duty!? It should have been an honor! A worthy sacrifice to do whatever you want!" Spit flew out of his mouth. "True power?" I scoffed. "Don''t make me laugh. I was keeping this low-key because I wanted to enjoy the first fight I''ve had in some time but you ruined things for me." I looked at Equity in my hands. Feeling an instinct, urging me to reach out. "You will be the first to see this. I don''t even know what it is but...Chaos form... activate." All fluctuations of order energy I was releasing, ended. I couldn''t feel my connection to the elements either. In its place though, a volatile energy resonated between Equity and I. Equity lost it''s form, flowing up my hand and covering my whole body in a purple aura. Apollo stumbled back, his giant form sending tremors across the area. "What...what is this???!" I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I was no longer Aden Strong, the Avatar, Lord of Balance. I was Lord Chaos. I was destruction. I was impulsive action. I was freedom. I was power. I was darkness. (On earth) All the Chaos Vortexes stopped pulling in anything near to them. Their gyrating motion started resonating with something unseen. (General P.O.V) "Breaking news! The moon has just disappeared! Due to the lack of reports about catastrophic effects all around the planet, experts say it was not destroyed but merely turned invisible." (With Klarion) The Witch boy couldn''t breathe properly. Something...something oppressive to him and his kind was... "Do you feel that?" Child whispered, somehow knowing Klarion was present. The lord of chaos in the firm of a schoolgirl had been sent by the others after Klarion''s failure at capturing the anomaly. "This is not funny. Unfunny!! Unfunny!!" Klarion threw a tantrum, teleporting right next to Child. "I oppose a truce." He offered, the cat in his hands meowing tiredly. "Yes of course I meant propose Teekl! That''s what I said didn''t I?" He addressed the Familiar before turning to his fellow Lord of Chaos with a rare look of seriousness on his face. "If you don''t agree. We both die." Yall Fucked Up (General P.O.V) "So what do you think?" Captain Atom asked Green Lantern, ducking a long scaled limb, while shooting a blast at another tentacle to dislodge it''s hold on the cabin of a destroyed boat. "Nothing the first scan did not reveal." Hal replied, waving around a green flyswatter to destroy the numerous monstrous crabs that jumped at him from all directions. "A pocket dimension, dependent on the majority''s perception of the place. Why else would we have creatures straight from myths assaulting us?" The Flash answered through the comms in Hal''s stead. "Majority''s perception? What are you talking about?" Green Lantern landed on the lone deserted island. The portal they had used on the boat had emptied them out in a long stretch of hard ground, stuck in the middle of a very ferocious ocean. Captain Atom had tried to fly off into the horizon to map out the whole area but seemed to be flying in a circle. No matter what they did, the reality was that space was folded and without sufficient fire power or control over the pocket dimension, they had to find another way out. Of course that was easier said than done. Especially when they had to save the captain and crew mate who were stuck inside the cabin, held in the tentacles of the monster in the middle of the island. "It''s a popular Caribbean folklore. A creature known as The Lusca. It is said to be a giant octopus dragon hybrid, with the ability to control other ferocious sea creatures and..." The Flash went quiet, spinning in place to push back the hundreds of crabs swarming his position with pressure blasts. "And!??" Green Lantern asked, flying over yet another tentacle and getting closer to the creature. "Breath fire." The Flash answered just as a torrential wave of liquid like yellow flame swallowed Green Lantern under it. (Watchtower) Robin''s hands scrambled for his grappling gun on the utility belt, just as his body was pulled by the suction coming out of the hole in the chassis of the farthest wall in the room. He pulled the trigger and managed to hook the line on the frame of the stairs going from the deck to the swimming pool on the ground floor of the recreational facility. Breathing became harder, so his next logical move was to strap on a rebreather onto his face. Thank God for being ever prepared. With that done, he begun the tedious task of pulling himself back towards the panel on the wall. That is where the training exercises they had been doing with Richard Dragon came into play. His body was much stronger that it took only a little effort for Boy Wonder to make it to the panel once more. Bracing his legs onto the concrete ledge of the staircase, he connected the cable from his holo device onto the panel and pressed on a key. Instantly, the Forcefield managed to cut off the effects of the suction and Robin could breath easily again, though he started floating under the effects of zero gravity. But at least now they wouldn''t die. (Unknown Location) "Mimir, I require your counsel." A tall man, with an eyepatch on one of his eyes, called out to the giant flaming head standing behind a well that swirled with the wealth of knowledge. The whole enviroment surrounding the well was green and vibrant, a total contrast with Mimir''s blazing head. "Speak my liege, I shall endeavor to answer." Mimir''s voice was deep and raspy from disuse. The one eyed man, narrowed his left eye. "You are aware of the Norn''s prophecy, yes?" He asked. "Yes, I am." Mimir answered, electing to go silent afterwards. The one eyed man became angry. "Do not test my patience, Mimir. Enough of these games, tell me your honest thoughts." He commanded, with an aura of power. "The Odin force, such a potent energy." Mimir observed, his voice not the least bit shaky or afraid despite Odin''s ferociousness. "It will not be enough My Liege. Nothing will. Not infront of the darkness before all." Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. A thoughtful look appeared on Odin''s face. "It is settled then." The old god sighed. The Raven on his shoulder cawed at him. "Hush Huggin, I am no longer just a warrior. I am a king and the battlefield is no place for a wise one. Though it pains me to say so, the Legacy of the Aesir matters more than my own personal pride." Odin said, turning away. "A wise decision, my liege. Unfortunately, not all will follow the sentiment." Mimir''s words stopped Odin in his tracks. "Loki is imprisoned in the underworld Mimir and Munnin''s eyes stretch far and vigilant, he will not interfere in this. This I decree." The statement was followed by a blast of magick from his position. And Odin faded from the well of Mimir, leaving the head alone, lost in thought. "Not lost in thought. That would suggest I have an inkling or knowledge on how it will turn out. However, I truly cannot foresee how this will end. The gods seek conflict with a being unshackled by the laws that govern free will. Free will...what a joke." (Elsewhere- Apokalips) A flare in the air announced the arrival of the craft. A round yellow sphere that seemed to grow more and more tangible hummed as it powered down...from forth stepped out Lor-Zod. His left hand was a stump, missing the forearm from the elbow downwards. His face was pale and wet with a thin layer of sweet, red blood covered his hair as he knelt behind the huge hulking figure gazing off into the distance. Grayven, looked down at Lor-Zod and asked, "What happened?" (Aden''s P.O.V) I couldn''t explain it. One minute I was in full control of my emotions and then the next, the dam broke and everything poured out. I buckled, I flailed, I struggled and then I gave up trying to exert my control over the emotions I was feeling. So I did the next best thing. I simply aimed all my focus on Apollo, desperately trying to avoid the giddy, hateful, happy, bored, excited, surprised, angered and other tumultuous emotions I was feeling. My regular meditation sessions helped me stay a bit level headed. I instantly felt my homunculi puppet dematerialize. The connection compromised due to my current emotional situation, I hoped that Darken could handle the Chaos vortex with Wonder Woman and Superboy. "Ok Glowstick, time to have some fun!" A smile broke out across my face. Apollo instantly doubled, then tripled in size. Before Long I was staring at his 50 meter form shining like a star. "You want to fight me, mortal?! Come and face your doom!" He shouted, somehow his voice was projecting through the vacuum. Leaning forward, he started advancing, his footsteps sending earthquakes across the ground. Breaking sections of the hard terrain underneath them as he roared, charging straight at me. I raised up my hand and looked down at myself curiously. My body glowed purple. Vaatu''s red insignia lay prominent on my chest. I looked badass. I felt bad ass. My fingers opened and closed while I marveled at the feeling of strength I could exert. The pressure of power I had earlier felt from Apollo was almost non existent now. The aura of the god, stopped before me as he wound his hand back and punched out. The blazing fist rippled with waves of light and fire. My palm faced him as I went with instinct. "Dismantle." The word left my lips along with a wave of formless purple black energy. It was slow to move. Like smoke yet it left spots of black chaotic space, where it touched. Apollo''s fist speared through the cloud of energy and landed on my open palm. The flames and light along the limb were instantly snuffed out. No not snuffed out, I could feel something fill up inside me. A sort of energy reserve that was probably a feature of Equity. "Yes." My sword hummed in confirmation. Apollo tried to pull back his hand and failed, due to the second instinctual ability I could access. "Pull." A strong attraction force on anything I targeted. It must have looked comical. A 50 meter giant getting harassed by a 2 meter guy. "What is this?! What sorcery!..." I grinned, feeling more and more of his divinity get funneled into the energy reserve. "Not sorcery Apollo. Y''all fucked up trying to make me your bitch. So take it like a man and stop complaining!!" "No no...no!!" He burst out with an explosion of power that managed to dislodge the hold I had on him, sending me flying away towards a hill. My body slammed onto it''s walls, and the hill simply crumbled apart behind my chaos energy clad back. "I am the eternal blazing sun! You cannot fathom the power I possess. How dare you dirty my perfection with your tainted hands!! Die!" A beam of power greater than anything else washed out towards me, lighting up the surroundings to the point it seemed like daytime. "You wanna play it like that?! Fine!" Despite the unwieldy nature of my new energy, I could feel it''s potential was for more than just pure destruction. Curiousity took over as I accessed that other facet of my weird new abilities. "I am the darkness that precedes known matter. I am the before. The meaning of unreality. The true void. Under my inky blackness of illogical reasoning, drown in the purest expression of chaos, true darkness!" The light from Apollo''s beam disappeared under a sudden explosion of darkness. It was darker than what Darken could create. And within it''s folds, things existed. Things not meant for human eyes. Apollo went silent, stiff in fear as the darkness reached him, broke through the shield of light he was pouring out and pulled him down into it''s depths. I was entranced. Whatever this was, was not something I had ever seen before. It felt like I had stolen a piece of what existed outside of creation and manifested it inside creation. It felt alien to my small dregs of humanity left, yet I wanted to spread it out even more. I wanted to swallow whole galaxies, then the universe! Then the multiverse!!! I managed to wrest some self control and stopped myself, I could take the moon but that would be it. Something inside roared in indignation at the decision, there was no swallowing the natural satellite because I knew that without it, Earth would be in some serious trouble. Instead, I comforted myself with the promise that soon I would have more than enough enemies to have fun with... I mean, test out my chaos abilities on. More and more divine energy was getting funneled into my separate energy pool, getting siphoned faster and faster, the more Apollo sank into the depths of my darkness. Space above me rippled as hundreds of spaceships speared out of one huge boom tube, hovering above the moon. The spaceships were all distinctly alien and followed the same kind of theme. Black and red with the face of arguably the most dangerous New God in the universe. Darkseid. The conqueror. The destroyer. The curvy beams guy. You know...It wasn''t a stretch to say Darkseid and I would soon come to blows. Infact...I could barely wait for it. First the angels, then the demons and now it''s gods. I was basically fighting all factions. The wide smile on my face incredibly widened some more. "They''re here!" I got up in preparation to welcome my new guests from Apokalips. Fucking Everyone Up (General P.O.V) White flames washed over the horrific looking angel-demon hybrids. "Darken catch!" The White Shadow''s Saber streaked through the air, getting neatly snatched by Darken, who drove it through the hybrid aiming to rip her apart from the back. Dark spikes shot out from her shadows to tear through three more Hybrids, just as White Shadow flashed forward and jumped. Superion felt him charge towards his position and immediately turned to meet him. Only for the villain who had been giving the junior team a lot of problems, to speed past him and release a ball of white flames at the numerous hybrids that had just poured out of the crypts on the left side of the Castle. The blast of white flames took out the whole group, leaving behind ashes and the left section of the castle grounds destroyed. The White Shadow turned to stare at Superion. "You''re welcome." Superion snorted and rose up into the air with a shroud of red covering him. He pointed his hands towards another flying group of Hybrids and released a psionic blast that battered them off the air to splatter against the castle walls and windows. "A simple thank you would have been enough, you know." The White Shadow muttered, turning to get rid of more Hybrids. A few minutes later and the castle grounds were empty of the chaos creatures. Wonder Woman turned to The White Shadow with her Lasso held in her hands. "Speak. What are you doing here?" She enquired, her muscles shifting in readiness. Darken walked to The White Shadow''s side while Superion hovered beside Wonder Woman, ready to attack at any sign of aggression from the two villains present. "Relax, they''re not dumb enough to attack us in here. That said...be ready for anything." A telepathic communication passed between the two villains. "Well, curiousity mostly." The White Shadow answered. "Bullshit." Superion cut in. "Wow...I had no idea the Wallflower could curse. All you do is just...stand there or in this case levitate and brood." "Enough of this. We have more important matters to deal with." Wonder Woman decided to cut the questioning short because she knew getting a straight answer from him was not worth it. Infact...he reminded her of someone. She shook her head to get rid of the distracting thoughts. "Can we count on you not to stab us in the back while we try to save the people trapped in here?" Wonder Woman directly asked, not paying heed to the look of surprise that Superion threw her way. "A truce then?" The White Shadow earnestly asked. Upon the Amazon''s nod he added, "Very well." "Good." The mood eased as most of the tension drained out. As a collective they all turned to face the Castle. "Now wh..." The White Shadow instantly broke apart into blue motes of light, leaving the other three behind and alone. (Aden''s P.O.V) Apollo was still drying up, streams of golden divine energy disappearing off into the darkness to be absorbed by me. I could feel as he valiantly struggled to pull himself out, even going as far as trying to breach reality and teleport out. "All your efforts are futile Olympian." The thought speared past his panic to hit him with a fresh round of despair. A slow silent chuckle escaped out of me. ''And soon they shall wallow in their own weakness as well.'' I thought as the Apokaliptian ships descended low enough that I could feel their energy signatures. Big flash lights shone down at me, getting devour in my potent darkness. So I decided to make it easy for them and show them where I was. I swung out my hand. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Pull." The ship closest to me was suddenly tugged towards the ground. The engines started working in full force to push away from my force. Another smile broke out from my face. I reduced the effects of pull from targeting the whole ship to a smaller area. With an inaudible screech, metal started detaching and breaking apart from the ship. The parts cut through the air to come and rotate around me in a tornado of circuitry, metal pieces and engine shards. Digging deeper into the ship, a swarm of parademons flew out, in small pieces, blood and flesh streaming across the vacuum to join my tornado and before long, I had the whole ship disassembled around me. Nothing was spared. In unison, the other craft''s weapon systems begun to bombard my position with different attacks. Red energy blasts emptied out of huge futuristic barrels, intent on destroying me and leaving my body ash floating in the vacuum of that dead rock. "Dismantle." A purple field of chaos aura extended out a little to cover my immediate surroundings. The energy blasts that made it closer to my field at a distance of 10 meters all turned to formless energy that I dispersed. I didn''t see a reason to absorb it like I was doing with Apollo''s divinity. Speaking of which, the god of the sun only had at most 6 more minutes to live. 6 more minutes and I would have his divinity in my hands. I already had ideas on how I could use it. There was a pause from the weapon systems as they witnessed the unlikely scenario of me not only dispersing their attacks but also making it look so easy it was a blatant insult. The hatches on the ships opened up and thousands of parademons flew out. Ugly, tall, winged humanoids with heavily built and imposing figures. They had three digits on each hand, which were also clawed. They were clad head to toe in golden armor, with helmets that had hornlike protrusions that covered most of their heads save for the mouth, exposing their sharp teeth. Their armor also had numerous glowing red highlights, including an omega at the center of the chest. To complete the menacing look, a pair of ribbed wings on their backs, which they could retract seamlessly in a flash of light. Wordless screeches escaped their mouths in their charge towards me. Impudent. Digging deeper within me, I accessed the next ability afforded by my chaos form. And. It. Was. Glorious! I spread my legs apart in a horse stance, my hands moving around the low gravity of the moon in an hypnotic motion. I brought them closer to my hips and shoved them out at my opponents turned guinea pigs "Push!" The name of the ability was unimpressive but the effect was mind-blowing. A funnel of massive formless purple energy rippled out of my palms, blowing away a little bit of darkness as it fell upon the para demons and the Apokaliptian ships, denting and ripping them apart. Wherever the wave passed, everything in its path was shoved away to the sides and further back by the shinra tensei rip off. The only difference was that, my chaos attack destroyed everything wantonly. Energy and matter were all the same. And that was also it''s disadvantage as well as it''s selling point. The attacks were too dangerous and out of control. Almost half of the Apokaliptian crafts were destroyed. ''Steppenwolfe must be shitting his pants right now''. I thought in amusement. I wonder what he''ll do now. Especially given the fact that I was just getting started. I closed the boom tube supplying me with oxygen and breathed in... feeling my whole being, get suffused by the chaos gathered as a by product of my attack... Damn...I could absorb chaos and use it to fuel my body functions? Now we''re fucking talking!! But even as I realized the advantage of such an ability, it came with downsides as well. Chaos could not be controlled, not really. Fuck those flowery words, cultivation geniuses throw around about void and chaos cultivation bullshit. If you could truly control it then it ceased to be chaos. The classic case of having your cake and eating it too. What I was aiming for was focus and in the future, a check and balance between the two opposing extremes as I tried to achieve a way to remain a keeper of balance even in the case of the eventual entropy. But now the biggest hurdle I had to overcome was not taking in too much chaos and destroying the world. Order...grated at my nerves and the best and worst example of that order was humanity or any sentient creature really. Why? Because they all liked to pretend that I didn''t exist. That I wasn''t the DRIVING FORCE BEHIND EVERYTHING!!!! THEY LIVED A FARCE AND I WILL HELP SHOW THEM TRUE UNFILTERED CHAOS... Ah shit...now I''m bored with this whole thing. Thinking about such heavy topics made me lose any interest in continuing this charade with the Apokaliptians. I felt more than saw one very powerful energy signature jump out of the ship, aiming to split me apart with the axe in his hands. I ignored him in favor of raising up my hands. With it, tentacles of darkness speared out of the pool of dark surrounding everything on the surface of the moon, twining and twisting themselves upon the last of the ships present before dragging them to the void. The traces of panic from some of the new god crew members faded away, their will to live sucked out of them by the void. A different energy reserve started filling up quickly. I held up a hand and grabbed Steppenwolfe''s axe blade, with barely a strain. His muscles rippled with effort underneath the chain link like armor that clad his form. He was huge. The Darkseid commander looked insane with rage and fear. For who, I had no idea. Darkseid did not tolerate failure and what had happened here would be considered nothing but failure. I on the other hand...well I was the cause. "Tell me something Steppenwolfe, do you know the true meaning of chaos?" My eyes took on a red glow, making contact with his. "It''s madness." "What are you?!!!" His mind cried out in desperation as the chaos stare, drove him to the very depths of madness. Formless chaos, ever changing yet never changing. A contrast that was as disorderly as it should have been. I swiped out my hand and cut off his head. Given that I could now hijack the signal of another boom tube opened close to me ( a new ability) , a small boom tube appeared before me leading to where the Apokaliptian ships had come from. Apokalips. Without wasting time, I threw Steppenwolfe''s head in. It would raise some questions, make Darkseid stew a little and when they were sufficiently wound up tight...I would swoop in and murder their asses. Now it was back to a much needed family reunion. Which was also the reason that I hadn''t increased the rate at which I siphoned out Apollo''s divinity. I needed a way inside Olympus to get rid of this whole issue once and for all. Her arrival was announced by a massive golden glowing arrow, aimed at my heart. The eternal maiden sure was ruthless. My hand intercepted the projectile only to feel it explode in my hands. The energy was promptly absorbed into my divinity energy bank without truly harming me. "Well well well. Seems like someone cares about their brother. I wonder, did you come here out of familial affection or did old scraggly beard send you, Artemis." I asked her. She levitated at a distance of 500 meters away, looking like an ice queen. Wasted beauty to me. The response I got was millions of arrows all occupying my field of view. "Damn... going all out from the beginning? Smart." The Goddess Artemis (General P.O.V) (Phantom Zone) "It is time my love." Zod stood up from his meditation and addressed his wife. His wife, Ursa Zod smiled as she turned to order the Kryptonian soldiers behind them. Her face settled into a cold expression. Any positive emotion was reserved for her husband alone. "For long, we have endured such an unjust sentence. All because we dared believe in a Krypton that was strong. A Krypton that could stand tall and endure the test of time. For that the council punished us by confining it''s strongest warriors to a life of unfeeling. It ends today." Ursa then turned to Zod in anticipation. He had been working on something. What it was he wouldn''t tell her. Zod cleared his throat. "I have a mission. One of greatness, one of a path to unlimited power. Necessary and sacred, for it was issued by none other than Rao himself. Our god." Zod stopped talking as a look of confusion closed all their faces. Ursa herself frowned. "What is this you speak of my husband?" She asked, a touch of concern in her tone. "I apologize my love, for I have not been completely honest with you." He sighed, hands clasped behind his back, vision set to a far off distance. Despite the unexpected words, none of the soldiers broke their formation or interrupted. They were disciplined, patient and above all obedient to the last general of the Kryptonian race. "For 2 months now, I have been getting these visions. Impossible things that no one, except a true Kryptonian and more would know. Vivid visions of a time that was, the time that is now and the future we can forge from it." "I do not understand." Ursa spoke up. "But you have the undying loyalty of everyone here." Zod nodded With a smile. "I will not fail you." His eyes blazed with a ferocious light. "And so...I present you with a gift from Rao. A gift for his chosen children, a way out." Zod held out a hand to his front, his face burning with silent confidence. As if on cue, a swirling portal of pitch black, manifested before them all. The vortex begun pulling them in. The force was strong yet, they remained unshaken. Using their will, something forged from a long time in the phantom zone, they held themselves in place. "Now this...is a fitting anniversary gift. Thank you my love." Ursa sauntered towards Zod and kissed him passionately. Despite the fact that all sensation was robbed from them, Zod enjoyed the closeness of their spirits. "And soon, I shall give you the whole world my love." With that they stepped through the portal. (The Dreaming) "My Lord are you sure about this? This could very well be a variation of a Dream Vortex." Lucienne asked warily, staring at the swirling mass of chaos. Morpheus stepped forward with an intrigued look on his face. "No Lucienne, this is not any kind of Dream Vortex. I would feel it. This...this has his signature, I just know." His foot stepped through the bounds of the vortexes'' suction area but apart from his clothes getting ruffled, the Lord of Dreaming was unaffected. "Just because you know who''s responsible does not mean you act without caution. Please my Lord, step back into safety." The stern Librarian implored with concern in her tone. "You''re too worried Lucienne." Dream threw over his shoulder. " Have you forgotten who I am? In my Realm, I am invincible." "I do not doubt your power my Lord. I am merely concerned. It is okay to study the damn thing but why do you want to use it to create a dream?" A glint of excitement appeared in Dream''s eyes. "A talk I had with Destiny, Lucienne. Change...it scares us, makes us wary of progress. It is crippling in its fear, yet it is the crucible of reality. A foundation. For without change how can something be?" If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. (General P.O.V) Golden arrows numbering in the thousands fell like drops of rain. Aimed towards a lone figure standing on a hill in the mountainous highlands making up half of the moon''s terrain. The crest of the hill was the only area in the whole planet that was not covered in darkness. Aden''s purple form stood in place, blazing with power and arrogance like a war god. He watched as the arrows bore down on his position, a crazed smile that he did not seem to notice, on his face. He then swept out his hands at the volley of attacks. A pressure blast of chaos halted the descent of the divine projectiles. "Filthy male!" Artemis shouted out. She flexed her divinity, her bow resonating with the arrows stuck in mid flight. "Enlargen!" The arrows suddenly increased in size, the weight of some managing to break through the hold Aden had on them. They tore into his body as one, leaving him skewered on several of the arrows. Artemis shot off towards him at speeds no mortal could ever achieve. At least not one unconnected to the speed force. Her eyes blazed with untold fury. He dare he? How dare he hurt Apollo!! Her and her twin had grown up shunned by everyone. Her mother had suffered so much ordeal just to bring them to the world and when things were supposed to start going well, they went even worse. But they had had each other. The strength of their bond was their biggest advantage. Kill him! kill him! kill him! She arrived at the mortal''s position. Sensing her flight, he flowed off the arrows in a cloud of purple darkness before reforming a ways off on another hill, the darkness retracting away from him. Artemis landed on his previous position, a bow wound back and letting loose a single arrow that multiplied in number. From one arrow to hundreds. "You''re not getting away!! Where is Apollo?! WHERE IS MY BROTHER!!!" She shouted, her divinity spreading out to give her real time omniscience of her surroundings. It was her most useful ability during hunts. The cloud of purple ballooned out and exploded, taking out the arrows in a sudden wave of darkness that spread out to encompass Artemis. The virgin huntress, felt her domain start getting suppressed by the wave of power. She wisely strafed to the side, trying to use her divine eyes to pinpoint the Monster''s weaknesses. Her arrows, filled with astonishing amount of divine energy streaked across the barren landscape, unhindered in their path, yet at the last minute, they would be pushed back, corroded or the monster would let them land and simply remake himself somewhere else, completely unharmed by the torrential wave of divine energy exploding out. All the while, Artemis tried to pinpoint Apollo''s location yet her actions yielded no results. She could feel he was under the darkness somewhere but not where exactly. And she was wary to touch that darkness. If it could trap a sun god like Apollo then it would probably do the same to her. Her silver eyes were pools of hate, penetrating through the haze to see the cross crossing lines of existence that distributed life energy through a creature''s body. More arrows wouldn''t do the trick. The male had proven to be more and more tricky. Artemis'' size increased from her 18 year old looking body to a massive form of shimmering light. She didn''t need a bow for this attack. She was the bow. She could feel the gentle star light from Orion reach her form, strengthening her resolve and power. The projection of her lunar divinity expressed itself in the manifestation of another moon above her, shining down Light on the darkness covered moon. "Die mortal!" A shockwave of pure white energy exploded out of her, causing a pressure wave that decimated the surroundings, seeking purchase in the darkness yet failing to penetrate the first layer. Moon rocks and dust floated up due to the aura of her divinity being fully unleashed. A huge curtain of darkness rose up to block the attack and managed. The lunar light shining above her, changed into nymphs made of shimmering white who covered her sides, letting out millions then billions of arrows out at Aden. The arrows then landed on the wall of darkness elected by Aden to protect himself from the arrows, before the attack proved too much and he was drowned under by the Goddess of the Hunt''s power. The moon projection disappeared, followed by Artemis'' followers. What greeted her was a heartbreaking scene. The vile creature was dead but Apollo... Artemis flew down as the darkness from before fully disappeared, revealing the moon''s white surface and Apollo chained by black chains that were sapping out his energy from him. His face looked gray and filled with cracks. "Brother!" Artemis gingerly hugged him, a swipe of a hand breaking the chains and letting him down. He was unresponsive. His eyes were closed and she could feel she was losing him. He was fading away into death. Something unnatural had been done to him. "No! I am not going to let you go brother! Aunt Hestia!!!" Artemis cried out for help. Her grief too much for her to even focus on anything else. Suddenly her position blazed with yellow gentle flames. Normally teleporting from the mortal realm to Olympus itself was not possible without Zeus express permission. And given that, she had blatantly disobeyed him to come to Apollo''s aid, there was no way he would help her. But there was another Olympian who could. Hestia. When the flames faded away, Artemis stood before her fellow gods in the hall of the gods. "Please... Apollo needs help!" She hastily rose up. "What is the meaning of this Artemis!!" Instead of the reaction she was expecting, anger, shock and fury was present in everyone''s eyes. "Father...I don''t understand. What..." She begun, shrinking under his fiery gaze. "You intervened to go save Apollo without waiting for my permission and instead of doing that, you bring back the enemy with you!!" "What..." Artemis looked confused. "Ara Ara, don''t blame her. I fucked with her mind a little. Chaos is very good at that. Shitty control with everything else but with the mind...oh ooh trust me, it''s like an eager puppy." The new voice she heard, came from behind her. Instead of seeing Apollo...she saw someone else completely. A male...no a boy, dressed in a long coat that reminded her of the Dream Lord, a too wide smile on his face and his body blazing with a purple aura. The red symbol on his chest sent fear coursing through everyone present. Artemis stumbled back. "Aden Strong milady, I''m terribly sorry for the deception. It was necessary you see." He cocked his head to the side. "For an Olympian, you are very weak. I could have ended the fight in a..." "How dare you stand so brazen in my presence Mortal!!" Zeus roared out, an outburst of power leaving him. A demigod would have been sent to his knees by the aura and a mortal would have been squashed to paste, yet all Aden did was spare him a side glance. "Settle down old man and be patient. I''m not through insulting your daughter. Wait your turn, jeez." Persephone, sneakily brought out a camera and started filming the whole thing. The Bane Of Olympus part 1 (General P.O.V) "What is this my Lord?!" Lucienne had her eyes wide as the new dream took effect. It was a still a hazy form but the fluctuations coming out of the dream were honestly shocking. Morpheus had a grave yet curious look on his face. "This Lucienne...is a scheme. A scheme by my dear little brother." Morpheus suddenly looked up in surprise, before a small smile broke out of his face. The smile changed into a laugh. "Brilliant!" Then Dream started weaving the form of the dream, giving him more detail. (Aden''s P.O.V) (30 minutes ago) The goddess of The Hunt. What a joke. She was beautiful though. But her beauty paled when paired with the deplorable acts she had committed in the past. Artemis was far from the worst of the Olympians but she was horrible none the less. I exposed her to my penance stare and stunned her enough that I could invade her mind. The very first touch upon the natural divine walls the gods had against telepathy, and chaos rose up to corrode them. Like a piece of paper underneath a stream of water, they offered no resistance. It was laughable actually and ironic. Using Chaos to fight felt... clunky. That is because combat was an art. Complex and it required coordination to chain your attacks and understanding to factor in your opponents moves and respond in kind. That is a concept drenched in order. Chaos opposed that. Vehemently. I could dismantle just about anything, reverse gravity, rip holes in space time. Each action going against a perceived order. Dismantling, disassembled a target ergo, turning it back to chaos. Reversing gravity was going against the natural order ergo, chaos. Same goes for ripping holes in space time. But trying to chain these moves one after the other established an order and that directly countered the essence of what chaos is. So I was surprised that it became easy to use when invading someone''s mind. Then I realized that there was nothing as naturally complex, containing both concepts of order and chaos like a being''s mind. A sane person existed at the cusp of achieving balance against the Super Ego and the Id. It was a constant battle that neither side seemed to completely win due to the Ego mediating. So to chaos...it was like a challenge, one I took advantage of. I combed over Artemis'' memories. Filtering out the useless stuff and leaving behind all the most important information. That''s where I found out just how horrible the pretty face hid. Artemis had made it a habit to terrorize any man who saw her naked. She was merciless to even young boys. As long as you caught a glimpse of her, you were done for. Turned into an animal and chased by her Hunters to be killed as prey. It made me shudder that she took such pride and happiness in hearing the broken cries of innocent men. And there were centuries of these memories!! I had to filter out more memories and access her latest ones. Anguish and stubbornness accompanied her last talk with the king of gods. Zeus had informed her to wait despite her feeling that Apollo was almost at death''s door. She could feel his pain and terror through their twin link. But by disobeying him, she risked ruining the plan. Huh, so Zeus was under the impression that he could defeat me with a scheme? Oh...I see. I laughed as Artemis hovered before me with a dazed look on her face. I wonder what she was seeing. I also wonder how she would react to Zeus'' second plan. The first plan was to use Apollo to coax out my own ascension, imprinting a divine signature on me that was backed by ancient laws where I would automatically be a part of the Olympians upon my ascension. It would put me under Zeus has my Sky father and because of a certain clause sneakily included, I couldn''t willingly betray or act against my fellow gods without bringing my case infront of the council of 12 Olympians. The last thing about that, that grated me was that I would be a minor god! I wouldn''t get a throne in the hall of gods. I would be no different than Koalemos! Yeah, you know the god of stupidity! That was how much value Zeus placed on me?! Anger poured out of me in waves. The whole moon shook at my erratic emotions. I felt like destroying everything. Death is an easy way out for him. Oh no no no. I will make sure he loses everything first. My initial plan was to teleport there using Artemis and destroy them all with some hardcore ass kicking. I would still do so but there will have to be a few changes. For maximum effect you see. And the second plan? Well we''ll get to that later. Zeus sought to defeat me indirectly because of his fear. Well let''s see what happens when I reverse those plans on him. My homunculi puppet manifested next to me in the air. A boom tube appeared beside me in my White Shadow identity and I jumped in, disappearing off to my dimension. It was time for a talk with Black Adam. Meanwhile, I kept on combing through Artemis'' mind for some more information. (Elemental dimension- Hollow lands) The whole place was dreary. The ground looked deserted with a lone tree every 50 meters give or take and sand dunes dotting the terrain. Grey mist covered the air, thin enough to not obstruct sight or the glaring heat from the dark red light of the red sun above. The mist was also thicker in some places. This was a section of the main dimension, hidden deep within the layers of the core of the realm but in a different space. It was fashioned after Hueco Mundo from Bleach, sharing some of the features from the land of the hollows. For instance,the design. The whole place was barren. A few key differences between the two was that Aden''s Hollow Land had a weakening effect to anyone who stayed there for an extended period of time as opposed to Hueco Mundo''s immediate suppression of its visitors. The grey mist also made the occupants of the realm experience illusions. They could walk for 10 meters yet feel as if they had trekked for 10 miles. Any place where the mist was too thick caused even more severe illusions. This function was inspired by the Fog of Lost Souls, a prison in the spirit realm for humans. The Fog of Lost Souls was actually a spirit that made the prisoners relive their worst memories. Aden didn''t have a plan for that but he felt that soon, having a warden as the prisoners grew in number would be crucial. As the Realm Master, Aden was exempt from experiencing the harsh conditions. His steps were measured as he passed by a huge valley. The valley was easily hundreds of miles long and a cloud of gray mist covered everything inside. The mist muffled the noise but Aden could hear the mumbling of hundreds of thousands demons wandering about. That was the price they paid for trying to usurp Lucifer and plan an earth invasion. Aden had hardened his heart over this matter. They had kept their lives. That was more than enough mercy. He turned his attention to his front, sucking in a shallow breath. To his sides the chaos chasm run right through the Hollow Lands just like in the main dimension. He really needed to find a way to deal with this. The Order Avatar State had expelled out the chaos pockets but the rift of chaos looked like it was here to stay. He continued to walk forward until he arrived before a huge structure. The structure was fashioned after a pyramid. Huge and imposing. Lines of golden energy ran across the 2 suppressing chains running up it''s length from the bottom of the pyramid to the apex. Jet Flames appeared under The White Shadow''s feet, pushing him to the sky at crazy speeds. He pushed through the clouds and slowed his speed, lightly aiming himself to land on the small platform at the top. His feet landed, pulling the attention of the prisoner to him. Black Adam had seen better days. His costume was charred from the intense rays of the sun above, his bronze skin was wet with sweat and his hands were chained by mega huge chains that ran down the structure. His feet were left free, to allow a little degree of movement. Not that it helped. Any time he tried to jump off the platform, the chains would harden using his own power and he would stuck hanging them for 24 hours. At that time the sun rays would turn even harsher. It was a cruel punishment. "What...come to gloat?" The voice of the former Shazam champion sounded hoarse from disuse. The White Shadow smiled. "Not really. I have a proposal. Tell me what I seek to know and I''ll change the scenery a little for you." Black Adam spat on his feet. "I will only bargain for freedom." Aden was silent watching him with a certain intensity that Black Adam had never felt from the young hero before. Despite his powers not working in the state he was in, he could feel the tumultuous energy roiling inside the blue eyes of his jailer. "Fine. Have it your way." The White Shadow abruptly stated before turning to leave. Black Adam was surprised. "Wait!" He shouted through his chapped lips. "You''re leaving just like that?!" "Yup." The White Shadow floated out, intent on disappearing. Adam watched his retreating back and grit his teeth. "Fine! Fine! I will hear you out." Aden paused in midair before turning to Black Adam, a lazy smile behind his mask. "Nah... I''m good." And with that he disappeared. Upon his teleportation, the air in the Hollow Lands grew heavier. Black Adam felt the heat from the sun go from oppressive to straight up agonizing. His screams echoed out through the whole area, muffled by the mist. The White Shadow next visited Fawcett City. If there was anyone else with information on gods that he wanted to hear from Black Adam, it was the Wizard Mamaragan, the one responsible for creating champions in the first place. He hovered above the whole city, standing on a fire construct and spread out his energy sense, immediately widening his eyes. The city was a hot bed of divine energy. There were criss crossing lines in the air above it. Not enough to affect anyone but trying to fight Shazam here wouldn''t go that well. The city would aid him after all. "You leak of a power from before." A gruff voice said from behind him. "That of Chaos Lords and dark beings even the multiverse has wisely forgotten. Who are you?" The White Shadow turned to the source of the voice, coming face to face with an old man dressed in faded red robes that had a glowing yellow lightning bolt insignia on the chest. His long white hair fell to his shoulders and a similarly long beard covered his face. To complete the mysterious look, he had a staff in his hands, that faintly pulsed with Power. Aden blinked and found that his surroundings had changed. He was now standing on a stone floor with dust covering most of the chamber. Ominous statues were elected on the sides of the room, eyes blazing red everytime you swept your gaze at them. At the end of the room, was a raised platform with 7 thrones and the same Shazam symbol on the wall behind. The Wizard Shazam was seated on one throne, studying The White Shadow with a glint of curiosity in his eyes. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Welcome to my humble abode." The Wizard finally said with a nod. "Usually people offer a glass of water or a cup of tea." The White Shadow joked, walking around the chamber and studying the statues in a little interest. "Emphasis on the humble." The Wizard chuckled. "I have nothing to offer except the lessons I have learned from my own foolishness." "One might call it wisdom. You look like someone wise." The younger of the two observed. "And you look like a man on a mission. Tell me stranger, what do you want?" The Wizard''s question was met with a snort. "You''re not going to ask for my name?" The Wizard leaned back in his throne. "Anyone who goes to the lengths of hiding behind a mask must have a reason for it. It is not my place to pry." The White Shadow looked at The Wizard strangely. "I wish everyone shared the sentiment. I wish they understood that the mask is not to hide my face from the world but the opposite, to fully immerse myself in it without the pressures of a real identity. To act without restraint from social norms." Now it was The Wizard''s turn to re evaluate his young guest. "I understand." Noting that the talk was going off topic, The White Shadow fully focused his attention on The Wizard. The air between them suddenly grew serious. "I wish to know something. What would happen to the world if I were to kill a god." The Wizard''s eyes grew sharp. "That is a dangerous question." His wizened hands tightened on the staff he held in his grip. "With an equally dangerous answer." "And yet you will still tell me what I need to know." The White Shadow smiled underneath his mask. "How so?" The tension grew thicker. So thick you could cut it with a knife. "Because my next actions will be determined by your next words." The Wizard rose up to his full height. Magic and divine power crashing down on The White Shadow. The chamber trembled at the aura of power he exuded. "Watch it boy." The White Shadow''s face grew serious. His blue eyes flashed red as he responded in kind. Berserk energy clashed against mystic power, splitting the room into two. "I came here to bargain. But I am not opposed to destroying the Rock Of Eternity. Answer me and I''ll be on my way. With a one time favor for you to call on me any time you need." They entered a staring contest before The Wizard relented, sitting on his throne once more. Instantly, he looked his age. Tired and ancient. "The gods...that is not an amusing subject, stranger. They left the mortal world centuries ago. A council of all the old gods decided on this course of action, citing a few issues. For starters their worship was being replaced by other more relatable religions." "The old ways discarded for more merciful practices. Science and industrialization took over, mankind acquiring technical explanations for the world in contrast to the old stories passed down through generations on the god''s providence and punishments." He stopped, looking far away. "However. The gods are an essential aspect of reality. They hold a soft control over concepts that drive forth existence. They are real. Their power backed on faith but not dependent on worship. Not completely. Even the virtue of being known gives them relevance." He turned his brown eyes to Aden''s own blue ones, the red caused by accessing his chaos through the Homunculi having faded. "The death of a minor god would only cause a momentary shockwave of power through the divinity they possessed. Mortals would probably not notice it." He sighed, noticing the anticipation on The White Shadow''s eyes. "But that is not who you want to kill, is it?" He laughed dejectedly. "The true death of a Major God has far worse concequences. One like Demeter''s would have serious terrifying effects. The world would enter a period of famine as the crops themselves would dry up. The soil would refuse to yield and the seeds would not grow." "Tsunamis as the sea rages and monsters driven to the cracks of reality down in the ocean emerging, would happen in case it was Poseidon. The nine realms would face an upheaval and start merging and clashing upon each other in case it was Odin. The skies would rapture with billions of lightning bolts and tornadoes would lay waste to the planet in case it was Zeus. Does that answer your question?" The White Shadow listened to all that with barely a reaction. ''Count your lucky stars Apollo, you won''t die just yet.'' "It does. Now, for my final one. How do I prevent this from happening while still accomplishing my goal?" (Greece - Ruins of Hecate''s temple) A symbol depicting Hecate''s divine emblem which was a wheel with inscriptions in the detail was drawn on the ground. All things considered, everything had taken 20 minutes up until now. Aden''s real body was still combing through Artemis'' mind. He had left Apollo barely alive and imprisoned him in the deepest part of the Hollow Lands. Manacles which blocked magic and any type of power were placed on him, a function he''d copied from the Magitech power dampening cuffs and Equity. After the last detail of the wheel was done, The White Shadow silently thanked The Wizard while wondering for the umpteenth time why he had decided to help him. What was The Wizard aiming to get out of the deaths of the Greek Gods? Wouldn''t Shazam''s power be lost forever? The White Shadow shook his head and turned to the wheel. The Wizard had told him that to call on Hecate, he would need a sufficient enough sacrifice as incentive. "Sacrifice?" He snorted. "I''m using the universal trait of all women, curiousity...or is it gossiping?" He held out his hand above the circle and started pouring in his chaos energy. The power resisted and The White Shadow could see his hand corroding, with flesh slouching off. Before the chaos could take his entire arm off, there was a sudden explosion from the symbol. The White Shadow backed away as a majestic aura spread out. Bigger than anything short of Lucifer he had ever felt before. "Mother Magic..." He whispered to himself, a bit awed. These days nothing could surprise Aden that much but as colors swirled around Hecate''s position, The White Shadow could not hide his shock. His energy sense was going haywire. Hecate''s divinity felt like the purest magic ever. And she had lots of it. Not boundless but truly infinite. Aden pinched himself to get back his focus. "Well, this is certainly interesting." An authoritarian voice sounded out as the colors faded away revealing a beautiful woman dressed in gaudy purple robes, with black flowing hair and grey eyes. Through his energy sense however, she appeared different. For instance, she had 3 heads, a maiden, a middle aged woman and an old woman. The crone''s eyes danced around, before focusing on him with creepy intensity. The White Shadow wisely ignored that. He bowed to show proper respect. "Thank you for answering my summons mistress of magic. I only have one question." With that Aden looked up. "What would you give to see the end of the Olympians?" The smile on Hecate''s face spread wide. (Mount Etna) Finally, everything was set. All that now remained was one final thing after this. One final thing that would herald the end of Zeus and his Pantheon. The White Shadow chuckled, floating above a mountain. 5 steps to Zeus'' end. He wanted to scheme against him? Well Aden would show him what true scheming looks like. With that final thought, the flame construct under him disappeared and he fell. He only gave himself 2 minutes to end this fight. (Present) Hera placed a hand on her husband as she looked down at Aden in a little surprise and interest. "Do you have any idea who you stand before?" Aden shrugged, pacing around Artemis who was rooted on the spot, her mind going miles as she wondered about what had just transpired. He...he read her mind?... controlled... controlled her? A goddess!! "What''s with you people and cutting in line? Can''t you see she''s going through an existential crisis?" He asked ignoring the Olympians in place of a giddy smile at Artemis horrified expression. A lightning bolt flew out of Zeus hand, aimed at Aden''s back. The fully charged divine attack fizzled out upon reaching 10 meters close to him. The left over energy scattered across the hall, biting into the enchanted walls of the chamber. Instantly every god present felt a sudden weakness invade them. "Zeus! Your attacks are weakening us!" Poseidon roared out standing and turning into his god form. He grew to a tall height easily achieving 7 meters. Golden armor donned his form with his divine weapon, the trident appearing. Pillars of light shot out of all the thrones as every Olympian powered up, all except for Hestia and Artemis. None grew to Poseidon''s size however. The former was tending to her hearth while ignoring the show, a bag of smore''s were placed right next to her as she stoked the fire with a stick. "Shut up Poseidon! How can I allow such an insult to go unpunished?" Zeus shot back. "Then punish him you idiot, don''t destroy the hall!" As they argued, Athena made eye contact with Hermes and nodded imperceptibly. All of them could feel the power rolling off this mortal. He was...he was a monster. Yet, her father and uncle seemed content to argue instead of deal with him. A golden streak of light passed through the room a hundred times in a second. Hermes had officially attacked. Aden felt a light breeze blow past his clothes, taking Artemis away from him. Then another breeze blew past him, this time accompanied by a punch that turned his head to the other side. Then the scene repeated itself, a hundred strikes had landed on his body not doing any sufficient damage but these things pile up. Which was exactly what Hermes was going for. Unfortunately his next attack was caught. "Got you!" Aden smiled and with reflexes as crazy as Hermes'' managed to turn around in time for the sword swung at him by Athena to instead land on Hermes left hand. Golden ichor sprayed out as Hermes'' was dismembered. Aden pulled back his hand and slammed it forward on the Speedster god''s chest. Hermes was blown back so hard, his chest caved in and his body imprinted onto the wall next to his throne. Silence invaded the room for one split second before chaos erupted. Athena''s sword swung out crazily. Thousands of slashes in one minute, all aimed at delivering the worst injuries and killing. Aden''s fingers lengthened into purple whips with sword edges, blocking each of her attack and leaving behind slashes on her skin that exploded with chaos energy that started to corrode her power. Athena begun to slow down despite the fact that her divinity empowered her the more she fought. A particularly fast slash made her overextend her reach and Aden shifted his elbow into a hammer and drove it down on her back. Athena hit the ground so hard she left cracks on the floor. Aden mockingly kicked her to the side like trash. A Tsunami of water fell upon him next, seeking to drown him under. Aden''s mouth opened up impossibly wide, dwarfing his body in size and swallowed all the water away, leaving behind a shocked Poseidon. Aden reformed and chuckled. "Refreshing." "We cannot fight in here! Zeus do something!" Hera shouted just as Poseidon ran forward with his Trident poised to skewer Aden through. The god of seas let out a bellow that shook the heavens. Zeus ignored his wife and leapt up in to the air, his body blazing with electric power. Hera, spread out her her hands and created barriers above the thrones in the hall. The streaks of Zeus Lightning washed over the white shields and bounced off. She wasn''t known as the Queen of Olympus for nothing. Zeus charged up his power as his eyes changed form into pools of yellow lightning. A massive bolt, shot out of his hands, wantonly taking out both Poseidon and Aden. A roar of pain escaped the god of seas as he smoked, his large body seizing up in pain. He landed on his side, revealing Aden, looking unharmed as swirling black portals manifested behind him. "Damn Zeus, I understand a little argument between family but you took it too far... You fried out all his hair. He''s a surfer dude, dude! What''s he going to do without it" Aden asked, shaking his head. All the other gods in various states of either attack, fleeing or abject terror looked on in shock. "Father..." Dionysus muttered. "You have taken it too far Zeus!" Persephone barked. "Watch your tone Persephone. He is still your king." Hera interjected coldly. Demeter rounded up on her, face set in fury. "And you watch yours dear sister. My daughter merely points out the obvious. Zeus attacked without consideration for Poseidon''s safety!" "Silence!" Zeus'' authority as a Sky Father spread out to still the commotion. "Dionysus, how do I have a son like you?! A coward! Get of your arse and behave like the god you are! Demeter and Hera, you two squabbling gits should focus on leaving here today with your lives! Persephone do not think Hades will protect you if you call my orders to question again!" Hera looked as if someone had slapped her. It was always easy to forget that Zeus had led a battle against the Titans due to his philandering ways. He thought more with his cock than his head, is what all the minor gods said. But Zeus was still a Sky Father and fool or not, to keep that position for millenia was not a joke. A slow clap sounded out. "You tell em Zeus!" Aden cheered. The god of the sky, thunder and lightning gritted his teeth, his power doubling, then tripling and then quadrupling. It felt like he had no ceiling. "And you Mortal, I have had it with you the most!" He flew down towards Aden, who had black portals swirling behind him still. "Oh yeah...what are you going to do about it, Old Man?" Millions of lightning bolts washed out of his body wantonly. Zeus had gone berserk. Haephestus who had been silent up until this moment, sneakily stood up and departed, turning into a red flame that flickered out from his throne. He''d bailed. "Zeus! Stop this madness!!" Demeter shouted at her brother but her words fell on deaf ears. The wind grew erratic and begun pushing everyone away. Zeus wanted to destroy everything, in a bid to get rid of Aden. Then everything stilled. Like a shattering mirror, reality broke apart to reveal each of the Olympians seated on their thrones, their faces slack with horror written on them. A trail of saliva fell down some of their open mouths. Hermes had tears running down his cheeks. Dionysus had black energy covering his body, as he sub consciously accessed his madness divinity. Aden was seated cross legged before Hestia, a stick with a marshmallow lightly cooking over the campfire. Chaos energy was pouring into him like water from a broken dam. His purple figure lightly vibrated unceasingly. He took a bite of the marshmallow and nodded in appreciation. "Wow, this is really good Hestia." The 14 year old girl sitting opposite him, smiled softly. "I am glad you like it." Aden nodded. "Hey so back to what we were talking about before..." Hestia stared at him with a hard look. "You mean after you put my whole family under mind control and made them think they were fighting you to farm more chaos energy and prove that you''re stronger than us all?" Aden scratched his head in a little embarrassment. "When you put it like that, it makes me sound like the villain. Plus to be fair, I did tell them that I could do that." He shook his head "But trust me Hestia, everything I''m doing has a good reason behind it." "What could that reason be I wonder?" Hestia asked. "Your divinity is family right? Are you not tired of the constant clashes between your brothers and their children because of the arrogance borne out of being gods? In fact during the whole fight, they were busy tearing each other apart instead of focusing on the real threat. Me!" "Every family has its own problems." Hestia answered simply, making Aden snort. "True enough but how long are your problems going to last? Centuries? Millenia? Until the twilight of the gods? Something needs to change. I could have easily killed you all but I''m a pretty chill dude. The only reason I even attacked you was because Zeus sent Apollo to capture me like I was his property or something. Do you know how insulting that is?" For the first time, Hestia looked mildly ashamed. "Zeus is... difficult." "Really? Is difficult the world you would use on someone who was counting on me to kill Apollo, giving him enough reason to bear the full might of Olympus down on me without feeling pressured by the other Pantheons?" Hestia''s whole demeanor changed. An aura no weaker than Zeus erupted out of her. The fire burning in the hearth between them shifted from a warm comforting yellow to a sickly green. "Zeus would...nev..." It didn''t sound like she believed what she wanted to say either. "It''s not his fault. really." Aden uncharacteristically defended him. "Zeus is merely a tool. A tool for their use. They have a hold on him that will never unravel as long as he remains the Sky Father. And because of using that tool to suppress me, a monster like I, descended upon the sphere of the gods with the full intent to destroy you all." He went silent to let that sink in. "But I''m giving you a choice Hestia. To prevent the end of the Olympians...I need you." The Bane Of Olympus Final Part (General P.O.V) "This is the last one on this continent." Child told Klarion, she was seated on the shoulders of her gemstone anchor, Flaw. Flaw was a large lumbering humanoid shaped Familiar that had a smiley face as it''s expression. Child chuckled ominously as the last traces of the chaos vortex were channeled deep into the purple core inside of Flaw. "Wait, no fair! I wanna do it too! I wanna suck all the chaos away. Ain''t that right Teekl?" Klarion interjected petulantly, making Teekl meow and Child sigh at his antics. "Your familiar is right. Not only am I more efficient, I''m also backed by the others, ensuring my power and control are above yours Klarion. Let us leave, the more we waste time here, the more they will discover what we are planning." A huge red portal swallowed them from the forests of Mongolia. A few minutes later, a yellow magic circle flared out and two figures appeared where the Chaos vortex had recently been. An open section of the forest was left bare from the suction force and all the vegetation in a perimeter of 20 meters was sucked away. "Bloody hell! Missed the cunts again." Constantine complained, lighting up a cigarette with the flame that appeared from snapping his fingers. He took a slow drag and sighed. "That''s the stuff." His companion rolled his eyes. "For someone who just came back from hell, you seem pretty intent on making your way back there shorter." The phantom hero, Deadman zipped around in his red outfit, leaving Constantine behind to finish his cigarette. "Bite me. Do you know how long it''s been since I had this?" Constantine shot back. "Not long enough." Deadman quipped, flying around the clear perimeter before making his way back to where Constantine was. "There are traces of the same energy in the vortexes we came across." His tone took on a serious note. "I think it''s right to say they can unravel the chaos pockets, Constantine." Constantine frowned. (Elsewhere) The sounds of battle had long died out. The clash of weapons ended and an eerie quiet had entered the realm. Olympus lay in ruins. The hall of the gods was destroyed, permanently weakening the gods and the temples constructed around the hall were cracked and falling. The golden city housing most of the minor gods and the forest was abandoned after every god in the pantheon experienced the shock of the defeat of the Olympians. The forests surrounding mount Olympus were similarly left felled. The mythical creatures making it their home, hiding or running far away from the conflict of the gods. Or so Zeus felt through his awareness. He was missing the left side of his body. A sword slash from a a chaos construct splitting him from the shoulder down to his groin. Zeus was in pain. But more than the pain was anger. More than the anger was the fear. Why did he have to antagonize this mad man? Oh yeah. It was because of the Fates. They had given him a prophecy. A prophecy that stated, to regain his former glory he needed him to submit to his rule. Dammit! Zeus was not dumb, he should have seen it for what it was. Those old hag''s schemes. His right hand twitched as Hera''s blood flowed on the floor, coming into contact with him. Quiet steps heralded his approach. The purple figure looked distorted, now more cloud monster than a man. It was huge, intimidating and a darkness trailed behind it. A darkness that swallowed the fallen gods one by one from all sides, leaving behind Zeus on an island of clear visibility. Everywhere else was darkness. "You know Zeus, all this is a result of your arrogance. An arrogance born from always getting what you want. Tsk tsk tsk, dear old dad should have disciplined you better. Oh wait...you killed him." Zeus choked out a laugh at his words. "You know...not...not what you speak of!" He tried to inject as much venom in the words as he could. "Whaaat? I don''t? But the myths! I mean you Greek gods are either very creative to come up with something like that or most of that shit is actually true! Which is much crazier dude! You fucked a woman as a swan! How does that even work?" The monster laughed. "Dear old dad was a dick Zeus. Bravo on ousting his titanic ass. But instead of taking a different route, you chose to continue the Legacy." "I am nothing...nothing like him!" Zeus protested vehemently coughing out blood, feeling the last dregs of his consciousness start to wane. Then his leg was stomped on. The pain hit him like a lightning bolt. He opened his mouth in a scream but found his voice cut off. His eyes widely rolled around in their sockets. "Sorry had to make sure you didn''t faint. Can you even faint inside your mind?" The voice trailed off. "...Anyway it''s like this, you got daddy issues and on top of that, you''re the last born. Can''t say I blame you for growing so...dickish. But that doesn''t excuse your actions. You''ve hurt a lot of innocents Zeus. You have been the cause of so much pain and suffering. All your collective memories can attest to that." "But I''ve come to realize something...I don''t want to be like you. You have never given anyone a fair chance. Every encounter with an outstanding mortal has ended in that mortal''s unfortunate fate. Arachne, Cassandra, Heracles, Acteon, Medusa, Oedipus, midas even Prometheus, a titan who from your memories I can see was a pretty chill dude." Aden''s voice went monotone. "You gods are a sickness. And if I am on the way to becoming one...then I don''t want to be anything like you. Which is why I''m giving you a chance Zeus. One chance not to lose everything." The world splintered and Zeus found himself seated on his throne. His fingers gripped the arm rests to the point where they had dug into the stone of the throne. He traced his fingers across his left side, shocked out of his stupor from the sensation. He was whole. Zeus closed his eyes. All that had been in their minds. All of it had happened in their minds... "Zeus...what should we do?" Poseidon asked telepathically. The mood in the hall was tense and subdued. The Olympian gods had subconsciously decided to treat Aden with the same respect and wariness they afforded a higher being. "It''s useless to communicate mentally. If he is capable of controlling our minds then it figures he can hear us too." Athena interrupted. Eyeing the purple figure standing infront of them. "Isn''t that right, Aden Strong?" She asked out loud. Aden bowed, the purple Washing off his body, to reveal a young black man with red eyes. The symbol of Vaatu was branded on the skin underneath his clothes yet, it glowed visibly above the black t shirt and his familiar trench coat that screamed edgelord! in caps. "It''s a little too late to say this... seeing as I just fucked with your minds...but I''m a big fan Haephestus." He addressed the ugly misshapen god sitting on a throne that felt distinctly like a hot forge, metallic scent and hammering sounds to his energy sense. "Umm...thanks." Haephestus looked unsure on what to say. "We should like totally forge something once this whole thing is over, granted Olympus remains standing. I got a couple of ideas and...um resources." He said shadily, "...that I''m sure you would cream your pants upon seeing." A glint of interest appeared in Haephestus'' eyes before getting squashed by the somber expression on Zeus'' face. Zeus was actually silent. A mortal had silenced the Sky Father of the Olympians. Then again... Haephestus could remember trying to teleport away only to hit a massive wall of darkness. "Where is Artemis?" Athena asked. Aden had a confused look on his face as he turned his head sideways. "Whaaa? She was just here! No cap! What the fuck?" Then he shrugged in some really bad acting. "Sigh, I guess she fucked over to where Apollo is hiding his shiny ass. Anyway...Zeus don''t you have something you maybe wanna say?" They knew he knew they knew he was the one who had kidnapped Artemis just as he had done to Apollo. Both of them were in the hollow lands. Artemis divine energy was similarly being siphoned and stored. Unlike Apollo''s case however, Aden decided to go a different direction. (Realm, decipher the stored internal energy of being designated as Grade 1 Karen alias moon bitch aka pointy sticks maniac aka Artemis and come up with results on it''s composition, utilisation and production.) (Confirmed. Estimated time till completion of objectives: 6 weeks 7 days) That was the order he''d given to the Sconiad tower. He had yet to upgrade the realm which is why the time till he knew what exactly divine energy was, was so long. But that was in part due to how occupied he had been with the aftermath of the whole hell thing. Zeus stood up, every eye on him. Despite most of them disliking Zeus greatly, none of them could deny his Majesty. The white robes he wore enhanced his aura as he declared, for all to hear. Even the minor gods who were now wise to the fact that something was going down listened intently. "Olympus officially challenges you, Aden Strong to a competition to end the grievances between us." That was not what anyone was expecting. Hera stood up. "Zeus what..." She started only for Zeus overbearing aura to focus heavily on her. He turned to her with anger marring his features. "Sit. Down. Woman." Hera had a stubborn look on her face but she wisely looked away and obeyed. She threw a nasty look Aden''s way. He had them all by the balls. They practically had no leverage over someone who could put them in a mental illusion without even knowing. They could even be in one right now! That and the pain of their deaths was what caused them all to remain seated rather than sending attacks the Mort...no the monster''s way. A slow smile spread across Aden''s face as Zeus continued. "By the ancient laws, as the challenged you are permitted to state what sort of competition you want." Aden''s eyes snapped to Hestia quickly before focusing on Zeus. He really hoped she didn''t forget what they agreed on. Aden nodded, a serious expression appearing on his face for the first time since the whole thing went down. "I choose a one on one battle between both of our chosen champions. If you win...I will consider this matter closed, and not retaliate as I should. I will also give back Apollo and Artemis. But if I win..." he paused for dramatic reasons. Hey it worked in every reality show he''d watched before so...bite him. Every god seated leaned forward to listen in. "Then I will choose to oust Zeus from his position as the Sky Father." Protests immediately happened. "Preposterous! If you wish to claim the throne for yourself, that is never going to happen. Olympus would never accept you as Godking without the blood of a god." Dionysus laughed at the idea. The others all had faces of humor at the idea. Zeus was the Sky Father. It was entrenched in the annals of history. It was a fact. Insurmountable. Athena narrowed her eyes at Zeus'' unchanging expression. He was bitter. A minute later she understood why. "Oh no no no, you think I want the throne?" Aden backed out a laugh. "Oh hell the fuck no. What would I get out of leading a group of rapists and murderers?" He wiped a tear off his cheek as he bent down in laughter. The room had frozen over due to the sudden chill at his comment. "If he wins he has the right to demand I immediately step down and he will choose either one of you or my children who are gods to take the throne." Zeus bit out unhappily. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Immediately, a look of greed flashed in Poseidon''s eyes. Most of the gods stared at each other in shock at the unexpected twist. "What is your angle? Just because Zeus steps down and someone takes the throne doesn''t mean that we will automatically leave you alone." Athena spoke up, her aura surging out briefly. Why was her father even allowing this? "Call it what you want, revenge, retribution, judgement on past misdeeds...it is still at its very core, an insult. And you should know...our wrath is incomparable." Aden shrugged at her threats, a menacing throne made up of a polished stone and gemstones with an insignia of the Avatar on the head rest, appearing behind him. He sat down and crossed his legs. It was a throne he had commissioned to show off whenever he was in the presence of another monarch. The truth was that Aden had grown tired of others flexing on him. His hammer space had grown a bit bigger from a simple closet to a bathroom stall over the course of the three months. Aden had a theory on the two possible reasons as to why his perks seemed to increase their effects. One, it was due to adaptive physiology which maybe extended to things not directly linked to his self or they grew in power along with him. "Well, I''m hoping that the person I install on that throne...and trust me, I am going to do it, is wiser. You as the good of battle and wisdom should understand how futile your power and influence are before someone like I." He cocked his head and stared at them in arrogance. "And just in case you doubt my power for even a second..." He snapped his fingers. A boom tube instantly manifested beside him. A figure wearing a long coat with the sleeves cut off, showing his powerful body and a mask walked out. His blue eyes glowed with subtle power. His mask and upper body were covered in a black liquid that dripped to the floor, causing critters like huge black beetles, a snake with six heads and a squirrel with a flaming coat to sprout from the drops. A white flame washed over the floor in a swirling motion, destroying every single one of the creatures. "My word." Demeter gasped. "Impossible!" Poseidon stood up and slammed his trident on the floor, cracking the stone at the action. Hestia herself blinked wildly. "He is just a mortal!! How could he have achieved such a feat?!" Dionysus asked Haephestus. "Stop gripping my arm so tightly you fool!" Haephestus rudely shot back, but his thoughts were similarly running wildly in his mind. To him however he wanted to know if he could manage to procure the horns, bones and hide of the creature the new figure had in his hands. "Typhon, the father of all monsters." Aden announced. " A monster that Zeus struggled to defeat, not to mention kill. I sent my lieutenant to deal with him and he managed to do so in less than 5 fucking minutes." He chuckled, before waving a hand at The White Shadow. A notification had come in from the system. He was going to fail the mission as someone seemed to be dealing with the chaos pockets before him. Aden had decided to send his Homunculi puppet to figure out who it was. The White Shadow threw Typhon''s head to the middle of the hall before disappearing into the boom tube. Without missing a beat, Aden laid his chin on his knuckles. "So you tell me, Athena, tell me why I should care for your threats. I am the motherfucking Avatar." With every word, Aden released his full splendor. Something that he never knew he was subconsciously suppressing so as to not hurt normal civilians. "I should be dealing with other shit instead of entertaining you. That''s how insignificant you are. I respect you when I shouldn''t even bother. You have lived all your lives trampling on others, that the concept of ''shut the fuck up, lower your head to you betters and submit is alien to you. You should wish I judge your life to be less bothersome than waving my hand to snuff it out." A sound broke out of another throne as Aphrodite who had been silent through the whole meeting, her hands deep inside her robes let out a moan. Her eyes looked straight at Aden while she bit her lip seductively. A boom tube appeared under her swallowing the god of love and beauty. "I''m guessing we are all in agreement about that?" None of the gods spoke up. Haephestus even gave him a thumbs up. "Now where were we? Oh yeah..." The hall shook. The tremors increasing to the point where, a heavy weight fell upon Zeus'' shoulders. Athena stubbornly glared her eyes at Aden, even as she felt her whole self get submerged in the chaos deep in his eyes. Her legs shook, her bones grinding upon each other. A god was the epitome of existence yet she felt like she couldn''t breathe when breathing to her was not a necessity. Just when things started getting too unbearable...Athena lowered her sight, breathing heavily. Instantly the pressure disappeared. Athena raised her head and looked at her father. She saw an emotion she had never seen before in his eyes. Resignation. She tried to communicate with her eyes. Tell him that they could still win this but the fire of Zeus the Godking had been snuffed out. Zeus shook his head and stepped up. Every eye turned to him. "For Olympus, I choose my daughter, the pride of the Amazons. Diana of Themyscira! The Wonder Woman as my champion!" Zeus declared. Hera looked furious but she wisely stayed silent. She had to bregrudgingly agree that Zeus'' bastard child was a formidable warrior. There was no one else with more combat experience out of all their subjects. A teleportation circle appeared in the middle of the hall between the two parties. The light died down revealing a wary Wonder Woman, Superion and Darken. Aden whistled. "Well well well, I got to say a good choice in picking Wonder Woman. She particularly looks intimidating in that pose." He turned to Persephone really quickly. "Hey I really hope you captured that entry. I want some of the footage later." Persephone instantly gave him a thumbs up mouthing, ''I got you.'' "Cool chic. Hades gets one free pass in the future if he decides to fuck with me." Persephone rolled her eyes but couldn''t quite hide the smile. Meanwhile Aden could feel the gazes of the three new arrivals. Wonder Woman particularly was eyeing him with an intensity he had never felt from her before. "Thanks. I''ll make sure to tell him that." Persephone answered after a while. All the other gods sans Demeter who eyed her daughter with pride stared daggers at her. "Persephone you little..." Hera begun only to be interrupted by a furious mother bear Demeter. "Shut up Hera! Don''t you dare insult my daughter in my presence!" Their gazes clashed in mid air, showing that this was a normal occurrence. Aden''s gaze landed on Hestia, with a raised eyebrow. The goddess sighed from her throne. "Hera, Demeter, please settle down. Remember who the real enemy is." Her words were soft but everyone heard them. The bickering immediately stopped. "Sooo...you got questions Diana." Aden started only for Wonder Woman to ignore him and turn to Zeus. "Ha! How rude!" Aden gasped in mock hurt. "Father, to what end did you summon me?Man''s world needs me at this very crit..." "You are needed Diana." Zeus interrupted rudely. "Man''s world has other protectors. The matter before you is much more important and delicate than whatever new nuisance is wrecking buildings on the mortal world." "But..." Wonder Woman was left trying to convince her dad, while Superion floated over to Aden. "What is going on Aden? Where are we?" He asked. "Settle down Connor and chill. I promise to explain everything after I''m done with this. For now...get ready for the show of your lifetime." He rubbed his hands while standing up. Superion made eye contact with him and nodded curtly. He trusted Aden not to do them any harm. And without getting a better context, Superion decided to move to the side. Darken watched Superion with a raised eyebrow as he subtly positioned himself between her and the figures seated on the thrones. It was an unconscious move from him but she noticed it. She also noticed that the aura of power coming off the figures was almost overwhelming to half of her blood. She turned her attention to Aden and saw him wink at her. "You get me in the craziest shit you know that?" She projected out her thoughts. "Don''t worry, you''re getting a bonus after this." He assured. "I need the full picture." Diana decided turning her back to the gods. Zeus allowed her to try not really seeing the fault in that plus...it gave him time to think upon a strategy. With a half confused half enraged look on her beautiful face, the Amazonian turned to the Master of Chaos and Order. "Aden, whatever this is... whatever conflict you and the gods have, we can solve it peacefully." Aden snorted. "Now''s not the time for a speech Diana." He said bluntly. "The gods chose you as their champion. If you refuse to fight as I''m sure you''re... thinking, then let me bust your bubble, it will be tantamount to saying they''ve lost. And... I''m sure dear old dad has already told you the price he will pay for that." A glint appeared in Aden''s eyes. "Actually Diana... wouldn''t you want that?" He asked in an enticing tone. "Think about it...Zeus is not fit to be a leader. You have certainly not had it that easy but there were others who''ve face worse fates than you can imagine. So think it through...you don''t actually HAVE to fight you know." He could see that Diana was considering his words. The truth was that he didn''t lie. Zeus snorted. "My daughter understands her duty, Mortal. She will fight for the honor and glory of Olympus." Diana closed her eyes and made her decision. When she opened them, the one who looked at Aden was not Wonder Woman but The demigod daughter of Zeus. "I still do not understand everything Aden. But I can tell you with absolute conviction that the gods are an essential part of the world. My sisters and I have worshipped them for millenia. I am sorry but...choose your champion. This fight is happening!" Superion stared at Wonder Woman strangely. Her behavior was different infront of these...gods than her usual self. Then again, his eyes turned to Aden. Even he was acting differently. The casual arrogance he carried with himself was more intense. It was like looking at an extreme version of Aden. The young man in question jumped up from his throne. "Finally! I guess we are at the cusp of the main event!" He spread out his hands. "I..." "Wait! I have a request." Athena neatly interrupted. "Huh?" Aden lowered his hands and huffed. "Now what? You just ruined my whole routine but fuck it... what''s up Athena?" All attention was on her. "As the god''s chosen champion, I suggest that we fully equip my sister with the boons to see her through this trial. Unless you''re afraid that she might be too much for your chosen champion?" Aden rolled his eyes but inside he was happy. The plan was progressing smoothly. "Sucky attempt at manipulation but whatever, be my guest." In an unforeseen signal, all the gods in the hall raised their hands in the air. Light started glowing on their palms. Diana felt her body rise to the sky. The first boon she received was from Persephone. As the Goddess of spring, her natural boon could not manifest in a direct battle skill, so instead Wonder Woman was granted double the life force she possessed. Demeter followed her daughter''s lead, granting the Amazonian the gift of size manipulation that was inherent in all gods. Hermes granted her increased speed to her already crazy speeds. Poseidon followed next with the ability to control shockwaves, a Subskill of his divinity to cause earthquakes. Hera begrudgingly gave Diana godly sight. A spiritual sense that gave her an almost omniscient awareness of her surroundings up until a certain distance. Hestia then elevated Diana''s state. Her godly blood suppressed her mortal self as she was made as close to a god as she could get without actually ascending. This gave her increased physical parameters. Aden whistled, intently watching the whole process with his red blazing eyes. Almost there... Haephestus went next, he gave her natural affinity to fire for a direct means of attack. Athena then pulsed her divinity and granted Wonder Woman an instinctual understanding of how to use any weapon she picked up as well as her surroundings to fight. Dionysus was the second last to move. His hands shook as he breathed in and granted Wonder Woman an ability that would make her even more formidable when paired up with the other god''s abilities. ''Madness Enhancement.'' Aden thought seeing the clash of Dionysus'' red black energy swirling over the other divinities inside Diana. Lastly, Zeus hands glowed. His boon was simple. Something that Diana already possessed but he increased it to untold levels. His main divinity. Lightning manipulation. Diana acquired the ability to use all facets of divine lightning. The light show died down and Aden looked on in interest as Diana was revealed. She wore a form fitting armor. The Golden Eagle Armor. Something Aden knew her DCEU variant had worn during Wonder Woman 1984. This armor was a direct copy to that with the notable difference that it shone with divine energy. The energy seamlessly flowed from the bracelets of submission made from Zeus'' shield remains from the titanomachy to Hestia''s lasso to the god killer sword strapped on her back below her iconic shield. She looked like a goddess of war. The aura she was releasing was incredible. Superion''s hands tightened as his eyesight revealed to him all the crazy invisible colors of power swirling around her. Aden lowered his gaze, looking at his palm. A crazy smile was on his face. He...had recorded and dissected the whole process with the enhancement to his eyesight paired up with his energy sense. He could...he could do it. Time to end this farce once and for all. He looked up. "Impressive Diana. You''ve always been powerful but now...now you''re terrifying." "It''s still not too late to stand down Aden." Wonder Woman advised, hands on her hips. She felt invincible! Aden''s face changed. "Keep a leash on the arrogance Wonder Woman. That''s how we got here in the first place." Aden spread his hands out. "Here''s to hoping no one interrupts me again." He muttered. "As you have chosen your champion, it is my turn to do the same. But first, I have a request to make as well. Or two." He continued uncaring of the looks thrown his way. "To make sure everything is completely fair, I volunteer that Dream of the Endless be the referee for this battle." At the name, murmurs sprang out only to be silenced by Zeus words. "Silence." He then addressed Aden. "Boy, do you understand what old powers you call upon?" Aden casually shrugged. "So be it." "This is not how I anticipated our third meeting going...little brother." A mature deep voice said from the shadows of the room. There was no indication of his arrival. He just... appeared. Zeus immediately felt as if his strength left him. Shock pervaded the whole room. "Little brother? He...he...is an Endless?! But how!" Dionysus voiced out what they were all wondering about. "Oh hey Morpheus. Ran into some trouble with the Greek Pantheon. I really hope you don''t mind me calling on you like that." Aden said as Dream walked to stop before him. "Nonsense. We are family. As...awkward as the circumstances leading to that were, family sticks together." He turned to the Greek Pantheon. Aden''s figure underwent a second re-evaluation in their eyes. Who was he? One of Dream''s siblings in disguise? "Zeus." He nodded the Sky Father''s way. Zeus closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Lord Morpheus." "Hey why are all of you so shocked?! We haven''t even gotten to the main event of the night yet." Aden declared. "I was in the middle of choosing my champion, big brother." He further explained. Morpheus nodded in realization. "Is it related to that?" Aden nodded while laughing. "I needed a physical vessel for him." Dream shook his head as a throne casually manifested on the left wall of the hall of the gods, in between the two parties. "You have the craziest plans Aden. Plans whose chances of working are close to nil and yet...time and time again you prove the odds wrong." He settled on the throne as a portal of Sand manifested right next to Aden, it disappeared suddenly leaving behind a humanoid sand mannequin with no distinct features. "Surprise me." Dream stated. "Excellent!" Aden rubbed his hands together, inspecting the figure that was 6 feet 5. "You could have given him hair you know?" He complained. "I didn''t want to influence his creation that much. That way, you can choose the direction you want to go with him." Dream answered. "Tsk tsk, you''re wrong Dream. I won''t influence anything either. It is all up to him." Aden pointed at Zeus. "What?" Zeus narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?" Aden held up his hand. "Listen up everybody. My chosen champion is...the unborn son of Zeus and Metis. Conceived through Fate''s ordainment. His existence is unquestionable due to the 3 Fate''s decree. Born with the power to overthrow his father from the throne of Olympus just as he did his own father." "WHAT IS THIS!!" Zeus bellowed out, rising up to fill the room with all his power. "PREPOSTEROUS!!" Hera rose up next to her husband! All the other gods were in shock. "Sit. Down." Dream''s casual presence squashed their auras as Aden continued undisturbed. "Using the mystical energy of Mother Magic, The key to impossibility granted by the touch of her concept to weave reality, I call upon his self from the discarded timeline in which his existence was undeniable." A key hanging from a chain appeared in his hands. The key pulsed with light in Aden''s fingers. The chain fell to the ground and extended very fast to Zeus'' belly. They speared through without harming his skin and dragged a golden light out before anyone could do anything to stop Aden. Zeus looked on in shock as his face reflected off the golden ball. The aura spreading out of the golden ball felt majestic. Blue sparks of lightning washed across it''s round surface. "This can''t... can''t be happening..." Dionysus murmured. "With the divinity of Hestia, I strengthen the bonds of family and blood to be reflected upon the body created of the energy of free unrestrained potential. The energy of hope. The energy of dream." Hestia could feel the disbelieving looks sent her way from her family. She tightened her fingers into fists. They didn''t know she was doing this for them in the first place. She allowed Aden to tap into her divinity. Strings of light sprouted from the golden ball and stretched out towards the sand mannequin. Then they combined...and nothing happened for a few seconds. Zeus almost deflated in relief when... "Oh!" Aden suddenly said. "I forgot... there''s one last step." A wide chaotic smile spread out across his handsome face. His voice rose up in volume with every word that flowed out of his mouth. "By the power of unpredictability, the power of true darkness, the opposition of order. By chaos, I claim you, son of Zeus as one of my own. I tie your existence to mine. As a direct challenge to the laws that govern the balance, I use chaos to stomp on Order, come forth from obscurity, from the void of non-existence, spark your own flame. ENTRENCH YOUR SELF IN THIS COMPLEX STATE OF BEING CALLED SAPIENCE AND LETS WRECK SOME HAVOC!!!!" An Anti-climatic Fight (General P.O.V) Aden''s words hit like a sledgehammer. His tone reaching a crescendo as if in preparation for the main event. And what an event it was. All things considered, it was anticlimactic. His form simply appeared from a sudden wash of heavenly colors, no different from the god''s when they accessed their godly forms. But something was different. Purple wings covered his crouching form, unveiling as he carefully stood up, his balance steady and slow. All eyes were on him, as his long silver gray hair swept out of his face, and almost every woman gasped. It was like looking at a male version of Aphrodite due to how beautiful he was. His stormy gray eyes were similar to Zeus and Athena''s, the jaw looked sharp, leading to his neck muscles that shifted slightly as he breathed in his first breath. The wings flapped, causing dust to rise up in his position. The action happened as he straightened up fully. His 6 feet 5 height making him taller than some of the God''s regular forms. He was naked. And Demeter swallowed in shock and another strange feeling when her eyes trailed down his sculpted chest, abs then to his groin. "Thank Gaia Aphrodite is not here..." Persephone muttered from her position, the flashes from her camera, filed away carefully in the minds of the female gods present. They were getting that footage. Dream''s jaw worked like crazy. He could feel the massive potential for power this godling possessed. He turned his gaze to Aden and found him smiling in a little pride. Blatantly appreciating the power the godling possessed. Dream felt a shiver spread through his body. The godling had potential to be very powerful but Aden...Aden was simply a monster. He alone had planned all this. His chaos energy had done something only the Great Darkness could do. Directly challenged the laws entrenched in the world. Cosmic beings could create beings from anything but there were restrictions. In dream''s case, the inability to create something with 1% of his power was one. But Aden...Aden had just brought about a god with seemingly no effort. What could this new chaos form of his really do when he got serious? The godling exhaled. His breath came out like a gust of wind... pushing away Typhon''s head to smash against the wall behind The god''s thrones. The action made him curious. A second later he unravelled into strings of invisible winds that ran across the room before reforming right on his previous position. He looked at his arms in childish excitement. "Wind." Aden''s voice rang out next to him, causing the godling to look at him with a certain marvel. "That''s your divinity. Though I''m sure it''s not the only one." "Argg..." The godling gabbled before pausing. He was trying to emulate speech. Aden snapped his fingers and sent a language packet to his mind. Being a god, he would have eventually only taken a few minutes to learn the language by himself. But Aden did not feel like waiting. Furthermore, the godling was a direct opposition to order. Who knows if he had the same perks other gods had. Realization dawned on the godling''s face. He looked back at Aden and spoke. His voice was soft yet clear. It wasn''t too deep yet contained a tremor that sent reverberations of horniness across Demeter''s body. She was the most affected without understanding why. There was just...a quality that he possessed... "Are you my father?" He asked, making Aden laugh. "Oh no , its that dick over there." He pointed at Zeus, slinging a hand across the godling''s shoulder. Zeus'' face turned ugly. His familiar lightning bolt appearing in his hands in intimidation. "I am simply... your friend. And master. But mostly friend." The godling ran the words friend and master around his tongue before focusing on Zeus. The fact that Aden was his master did not send any feelings of rebellion or bitterness. He could feel a connection with him and the more he lived, the more he understood. He existed because of Aden. His godly perception made him instantly dislike Zeus. He could feel that Zeus had never had his best interests in mind. "That...looks beautiful." He said pointing straight at Zeus'' bolt. He held up his hand and focused on the bolt in the godking''s hands. "What..." Athena gasped as Zeus personal divine weapon and symbol of authority vibrated. Wonder Woman looked between the two, similarly surprised. "How is he able to call upon the master bolt! That is impossible!" Olympus trembled before Aden lightly slapped the godling at the back of his head. "Bad god! Don''t take other people''s stuff. You don''t know where they''ve been." He chastised. The godling''s hands fell as he frowned in confusion. "Then how..." "Just create your own. Like this." Aden reached out into his connection with Equity that was the bridge to accessing his chaos form, and broke off a shard of it''s order trumping metal. A full lance with beautiful red accents appeared in his hands, pulsing with power. Haephestus got up alarmed. " 4&(()7__:+&46&_+; 46;!)&;?;$#4&;;!!!!" Then immediately started spouting nonsense, his eyes crazily roaming across the weapon. "Engrish bro Engrish!" Aden extended a chaos limb and slapped him out of the fugue state he had entered. "Oh...sorry." the god of the forge said abashedly. "It''s just that...how did you do that??!" Aden lowered his gaze. "You really want to know?" He asked in a somber tone. Everyone leaned closer. They were expecting to hear something impactful. Haephestus felt like he was about to made wise to a secret forging skill that would elevate his skills to the next level. "I...have no idea." Pin drop silence then an unanimous groan. Haephestus sat back down feeling dejected. He''d realized another thing about their enemy. He was far crueler than he let on. "Oh suck it up. Not everything is about me, you know." Aden told them sternly. Darken rolled his eyes. Superion simply bit back a sigh. He was beginning to miss M''gann. "Like this?" The godling asked. His divine energy instantly erupted, suppressing all the gods except for Poseidon and Zeus who managed to stave off it''s effects. Diana''s heart skipped a beat. This fight was not going to be an easy one. She grabbed the god killer sword from her back, unsheathing it in preparation. Aden and dream watched intently as the godling''s wings started pulsing, a purple energy ran down his hands, mixing with the divine energy gathered in his palms, taking on a purplish hue. The energy coalesced into a familiar shape form that sent everyone''s shock to another whole level. Dream closed his eyes. ''Its like I suspected...he can use chaos energy as well.'' Haephestus could not believe what was happening. He grit his teeth in jealousy. He could forge even better than the dwarves of Nidavellir but this...this was just insulting. Zeus'' master bolt but purple, formed in the godling''s hands. Purple lightning fell to the ground, burning deep streaks into the floor of the hall. "Fascinating..." The godling muttered, feeling the violent clashing energy in the weapon. He had no idea how he had done what he''d done but on the other hand, Aden was ecstatic. Just like he hoped, the godling could channel chaos by tapping into the link he had with Aden. It was like the way a god imbued mortals with powers from their own divinity. In that way, the godling was Aden''s champion. The wings flared with more chaos energy and Aden felt the drain on his vast reserves, as clothes formed across his newest creations body. Aden raised his eyebrows. The godling had picked exactly what Aden was wearing but with shades of purple more than black. He twirled his master bolt and without warning...was off. A steak of purple crossed the distance as fast as Hermes'' could go, aimed at Zeus. The light from the purple master bolt had most of everyone closing their eyes. Someone else decided to intervene. A clang rang out that echoed through the whole hall. Aden stood in between the two. From his back, two dark purple limbs held back the god killer sword, gripped tightly by Wonder Woman and the Master bolt in the godling''s eyes. Brother and sister stared at each other. "Why attack your own father?" Diana asked. "My father?" The godling asked. "Are we talking about the person who swallowed my mother to prevent me from being born?" He snorted. "The better question would be...why would I not?" Zeus heart shook. Athena tightened her fingers. She out of everyone in the hall did not know what to think or do. If Aden was to be believed...that was her brother. A brother who wanted to end Zeus. And not without good reason too. Time and time again she had wondered if living her own life, without the bitterness from knowing one of her parents was responsible for why the other one was missing was the right thing to do. "Unlike some, I care about shit like that." The godling said, eyes spearing through Athena. He could feel his blood resonating with her. She was his blood relative. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "I will stop you." Wonder Woman warned, causing his attention to shift from Athena to her. "Will you now?" He lightly asked. "Yes! Whatever it is Aden has told you, things are never so clear cut." Wonder Woman changed tactics from pushing her weight on Aden''s hand, to shifting her stance and jerking her hand to the ground. Aden''s purple construct hand parted under the sharp edge of the weapon. The construct shape shifted into a sledgehammer aimed at her legs. He brought the two parts down, but Wonder Woman flipped above and over him and the attack to get at the godling. Her feet landed on the floor hard and she twirled, gathering more momentum to bring the sword in her hands, slashing out at The Godling''s side. He received the attack with the broad side of the master bolt, taking a step back at the force. He made to move forward when Diana brought her bracelets of submission clashing against each other. There was a blast of power concentrated at the godling''s position that pushed him away. He flipped in uncontrolled flight through the air before his wings unveiled to their full length. The air picked up as dove back in. Diana on her part used the lasso of truth and whipped it out to attack him. For the second time they found their way obstructed by Aden. A wall of chaos appearing before each of them. "Ok that''s enough! Let''s not get ahead of ourselves." The godling stood down despite not wanting to. Besides, his enemy was Zeus not his half-sister. "Get out of the way Aden." Wonder Woman ordered. "No." He coolly said. "Fine! I''ll just go through you then!" Aden raised an eyebrow at the threat. The Amazonian princess turned almost god, her face set in a feral expression as the divine blessings in her manifested in a wild outburst of energy. She took a powerful lunge and shot off to the ceiling, aimed at him. Diana was fully intent on making good on her promise. Superion''s forcefield received the blow and broke apart as he suddenly blocked her way. His arms snaked out to hold hers while Darkness crept up her legs seeking to bind her. "Wonder Woman! Snap out of it! This is not like you!" She buckled, almost shrugging off the hold. "Diana! Snap out of it!" Connor roared out. "Cla...Clark?" Diana blinked her eyes in confusion. "No...Connor. It''s Connor." Superion answered softly, hiding the pain brought about by the name. Diana sucked in a slow breath and looked around her. All she met were gazes filled with different emotions. "What was that?" She demanded, momentarily forgetting about the Godling. "My...huh...my blessing. It causes you to go into a berserk mode in exchange for more power." Dionysus explained sheepishly. "The more you get enraged, the more your power is enhanced...the more you will lose your reason." Superion glared at the god of wine and madness causing the higher being to wilt under the stare. Aden cleared his throat. "I think it''s time we settled this once and for all." His comment brought back the tense mood. "But before that," he turned to the godling. "I believe proper introductions are in order." The godling floated down to stand next to Aden who had landed a few seconds before. "My name is...Vaatu." An aura that felt distinctly ethereal and otherworldly manifested in the symbol of the dark Avatar, imprinted on the now named Vaatu''s Glabella. His silver hair shining with starlight instantly changed to an inky black. His eyes remained their silver gray but a ring of red surrounded the pupils. Aden''s brow twitched at the name. He felt the chaos energy in him instantly drain away before getting funneled back into his reserves twice over the amount. Vaatu''s existence was causing him to warp reality by passively pulling in chaos generated from all the elements in space without adversely affecting reality. All this energy was then fed into Aden''s chaos form before being refined into a lower grade chaos that Vaatu accessed. "And why exactly did you decide to go with that name? There''s like several pompous Greek names you could have chosen like Alexander, Adonis, Jason... " Vaatu shrugged. "I didn''t want a pompous name." He simply stated cutting off Aden''s next words. "...that''s actually a good point. Still, Kratos or Ajax is badass." Aden offered. The thing that bothered him the most was that he knew how the world worked. If what he suspected was true then...the balancing scales would seek a way to necessitate Vaatu''s counnterpart''s existence. He couldn''t create one without the other. Sigh. "No...I am Vaatu. The god of wind, lightning and Chaos." He announced, his words ringing with undeniable truth. "A god of Chaos. Not the god of Chaos. Chaos is at it''s core unshackled. You cannot lay claim to it." Aden educated. The rest looked on numbly. Too much had happened already. They didn''t think they could be shocked or surprised anymore. "But you call yourself the Lord of Chaos." Vaatu pointed out in confusion. "I''m the exception. Now...Lord Morpheus as the referee, you retain the right to choose the battleground. You know fair play and all that." Dream snorted in humor. "I thought you had forgotten I was even still here." "Naah... your presence is like a shining beacon in the dark brother." Aden said his eyes growing sharp. "That is...I can''t sense you at all in my energy sense. It''s like a void where you sit." Aden clarified. Dream raised an eyebrow. "You have a lot to learn about who or rather what we are, little brother. When all this is over...it will be time to meet our other siblings. For now, entertain me." He snapped his fingers and they all found themselves in a massive arena. This time however, Aden was in the stands. Lord Morpheus walked forward to stand infront of everyone. The arena was full of gods, the Major ones had their thrones set behind 3 magnificent ones. The right belonged to Aden, the center Morpheus and the left belonged to the Sky Father of the Olympians, Zeus. Aden looked around in silent awe. Morpheus had just teleported all the minor gods on Olympus to the arena, which was a distance away from mount Olympus without warning. That kind of power... Dream raised up a hand and silenced the wild chatter happening all around him. "I do not think I have any reason to introduce myself." He stated. "We are gathered here to witness the battle between two aggrieved parties. The terms have been set and the champions ready. Let us begin." He kept his announcement painfully shot and direct, sitting back on his throne. The whole Arena was charged up and tense. Persephone telepathically connected with Iris and gave her a few instructions. A second later, large screens appeared on either ends of the arena as the god of messages projected the images. Both entrances opened and the combatants walked out. Aden reached his hand out to his hammer space and brought out his phone. A few taps on the screen and the Led Zeppelin song immigration started playing. Iris got the message and the song started blaring out through the whole arena. Vaatu''s purple figure walked slowly forward, twirling his master bolt expertly. The song playing left him charged with energy. His wings flexed while eyeing Diana who was similarly feeling the battle lust pervading the whole arena. There was a lull in the song. At that instant Dream took over. His deep voice rumbled out, shaking every god present. "Begin!" The beat intensified, just as the two half siblings shot off towards each other, dust being left in their wake. The first clash sent tremors through the walls of the whole arena. Then the second, pushed them both awsy from each other. They pulled back in, fighting in earnest. swinging, slashing, plunging, evading and clashing. Lightning and sparks flung off the contact of the god killer sword and the master bolt. Diana'' s attacks and thrusts were on point. They followed a move set practiced over thousands of years. Vaatu''s skill was chaotic and all over the place. He knew that and instead of trying to chain his attacks in a predictable way, he instead completely gave his all into the chaos. Their figures flashed across the whole arena. The golden armor donned by Diana leaving behind flashes of yellow light as Vaatu''s wings on the other hand left purple trails through the air. They were relentless. Sounds of metal grinding, and voices grunting ringing out from the battleground. The gids spectating on the stands roared out in cheers at the display of casual power that most could not attest to. The master bolt snaked out to bat away the god killer as Vaatu released a massive streak of lightning at Diana. The half god received the attack on one of the braces, absorbing the divine lightning and storing it just as she brought her sword from the side in a wide slash. Vaatu created a purple limb from his back and blocked the attack the same way Aden had done before. In retaliation a blast of air pushed Diana away, followed closely by Vaatu neatly closing the gap between them. Diana brought her wrists together and collided the braces upon each other. Erratic lightning and shockwaves swallowed Vaatu who briefly elementazised himself into lightning before springing through the attack to his full form. The limb behind him turned into a massive titanic hand that punched out at her body. The blow landed on the shield in Diana''s hands. The resulting shockwave bringing havoc to the walls of the arena. Diana''s leg buckled from the strength exerted. In retaliation she ballooned up in size, reaching up to 20 meters and kicked out at Vaatu. The blow fell on his chest but he folded around it, turning himself into wind. The gust produced buffeted Diana from all sides, swirling around her with sharp cutting winds. Diana pulled on the fire blessing granted by Haephestus and released a massive explosion with her as the epicenter. Vaatu reformed a distance away wincing. "I loved that coat." He said as the trench coat he''d worn before was nothing but ash now. Diana did not comment. She merely took to the air after him. Vaatu looked at her in contempt. She was trying to blatantly fight him in the air? Was she dumb? He waved his hand down and a blast of wind pushed Diana out of the sky. The Amazonian fell to the ground and a dust cloud rose up right after, obscuring the scene. ''Finish it. Stop playing around with her.'' A telepathic message came through the mindlink Aden had established. Vaatu paused for only a second before sending his confirmation through the link. He would have enjoyed going s few more rounds with her but Aden''s words were the law. He floated down towards her, sliding out of the way of the lasso of truth that snaked out through the air to find him. He grabbed the Lasso and pulled it forcefully, using all the strength he had at his disposal. Diana was pulled through the air, with a snarl in her beautiful face. The god killer sword in her hands flashed out, cleanly cleaving through him, yet the mental illusion faded and Vaatu appeared behind her. His fingers lightly touched her head and wisps of dark color streaked through the helmet, stunning her mind. Diana fell like a puppet with cut strings. Vaatu grabbed her falling body and flew down towards where Superion and Darken were. He placed Diana on the ground before them with a nod and rose up to the sky once more. He stood afloat in the middle of the arena for all the gods to see him. All commotion ceased. Zeus and the rest of the gods stood up. None knew what had happened. It was instant and so anticlimactic that it was shocking. Aden lightly laughed. "I guess this means I win." He said to Dream who snorted. "You tricked them all. You purposefully had him announce that that he only possessed the divinities gained from his father''s side and left out what he gained from his mother''s side as well. Therefore, none of them were ready for that." Aden shrugged as the Olympians bristled. "Hey you can''t blame me brother...they have a goddess of wisdom on their side. You would think she would see that far." "Wait wait...we actually lost?" Dionysus stammered out. "But...but the fight didn''t even last 2 minutes!" "I don''t believe...it...I..." Hermes hands trembled. "Shut the fuck up. All of you!" Poseidon bellowed out. All eyes turned to him "Yes we lost. It is unfortunate but the deal made should be honored. Isn''t that right, brother?" He addressed Zeus. Everyone could feel the tension between them. Poseidon wanted Zeus to lose the throne. "Welp! I''m just going to go get a tour of the place. I have a feeling I''m going to be coming here alot. Brother, if you don''t mind?" Aden stated, causing most of the Olympians to look at him with hate. He was the cause of all this. Morpheus made eye contact with Aden. One last move to play. Morpheus rose up. "The winner of the fight is Vaatu, the son of Zeus and Metis, champion of Aden Strong, the Avatar. As stated in the terms, Zeus will vacate his seat as the Sky Father and leader of Olympus and Aden will choose among all the major gods on who will replace him. Good luck." The lord of Dream announced and left with a sudden swirl of sand. Vaatu was immediately assaulted by gods who were eager to know him personally. Nothing new happened in Olympus often and the news of one of the major gods having another child was simply too shocking. Aden got up amid their stares and turned to walk away. "Hey, don''t worry." He threw over his shoulder. "I''ll announce the next Sky Father after I''m done sight seeing. I''m particularly stoked on catching a glimpse of the Elysium fields." Then he flew away, headed purposefully at the border of the Greek Pantheon''s dimension. Following the direction from the memories he gained from reading their minds, he knew of a wide desert expanse a long distance away from Olympus. Hook. He flew above the forests of the muses, the garden of the dryad''s and springs of beautiful water with swimming nymphs. All this caused him to feel a desire to upgrade his realm as soon as possible. His realm was beautiful but it lacked something. True life. He wanted to see unrestrained growth. Hopefully if his plans panned well today...he would. Line. He arrived at the desert and chilled under a shade created by his chaos energy. 10 minutes later, they arrived. All clad in armor. All looking ready to kill him. To destroy him and wipe his name off the annals of whatever history he had...6 of the Olympians and one new arrival had gathered. Just like he had expected. Sinker. He smiled and got up to face them. "No more games pest. You shall die here today. Your body will be stripped of it''s flesh. Your soul will be extinguished. You will serve as a good example on why you should never insult the gods." Zeus announced. Aden looked at the roster and chuckled. Apart from Hestia, Aphrodite, Artemis, Apollo and Persephone/Hades every other major god had arrived. And they wanted his head. Just like he had planned. He was already more than halfway to controlling Olympus. Now he just had to win this fight. He stretched and removed his trench coat. Lastly he fell out of his chaos form, it wasn''t that suitable for fighting multiple strong opponents. This battle would be one where Aden would go all out. He wanted to rack up more fire colors before he decided to carry out the advancement trial. "I''ve had enough talking to last me years. Let''s do this." The Key (General P.O.V) Saisei dived in with the ball grasped in his hands. The aim was to send the reinforced football through the ever shifting hoop on the head of the other team''s court. The game was a fusion between football, basketball, Wizard''s quidditch and strangely enough, pool. There were two goals. Each placed at the end of the wide court. The court measured 100 meters by 50 meters. Oh and it had zones that when stepped on would reveal various traps littered across the wide field. Hence, the players had to strictly stick to the air. Wind blades pushed through the clouds, sailing towards him. Saisei dodged to the right only for the blades to chase after after him in his dragon form. He flapped his tail and sent a swathe of flames racing behind him. The explosion from the contact of both attacks pushed him to the ground. His wings flapped to arrest his momentum, only for the wind to suddenly disappear from his position. He plunged to the ground with a yelp. A giggle passed him by, grabbing the ball from his claws. Breeze materialized and blew a raspberry, speeding away towards Sai and Match''s goal. Meanwhile Sai managed to shift his form into a human and released jet flames like he''d seen their dad do, to stop himself from landing on the ground. He did so, only a few centimeters of from the ground and breathed out a sigh of relief. The wind blew lightly and a a blade of grass, touched the bottom of his souls. An explosion swallowed his position. Breeze laughed again. Match who was close to the goal scrunched up his small face in concentration. His eyes glowed red and a second later heat beams shot out of his eyes, aimed at Breeze. The little girl giggled as she evaded. "Missed me!" "Missed me again!" "You can''t hit me!" "Oh so close." "Eat my wind." Match grew annoyed by the near constant misses and released a large blazing red heat beam that unexpectedly curved through the air, confusing Breeze. She let out a small yelp when the beam hit the ever present wind shield she had on around her at all time, pushing her away through the air. The next beams from Match clashed Head on with purple destructive beams from Kai. "Beware my destructive beams of chaos flames and darkness!" She cackled like a mad man, sending another twin beams shooting from her eyes to hit Match. Match responded in kind. Both kids entered a beam struggle. Each trying to overpower the other, though Kai had a slight advantage over Match. Breeze neatly appeared as a tornado behind Match and neatly threw the ball inside the hoop before the hole was covered by shifting plates. A whistle blew. "The girls win." Star announced where she was floating in mid air. Kai and Match stopped their beam clash as the former went to celebrate with Breeze. Match met up with Sai who was covered in soot and flew towards Star. "Rematch!" He demanded. "Rematch!" Match added a second later. Starfire giggled at their adorable tantrums and rubbed their heads affectionately. "Maybe after snacks. For now go and wash up." She turned to the girls trying to sneak away. "The same goes for you two. Breeze, you are covered all over in mud! Where did the mud even come from?" (Elsewhere) Japan. Kyoto. In the Shinto religion, a myth existed. The myth of a monster with 8 heads. While the Justice League was occupied with saving the people trapped in the Chaos vortexes, something curious happened off the coast of Izumo in the Shimane Prefecture. A chaos vortex manifested in the ocean pulling in water, sea creatures and most of all...the nascent energy in the air. The energy underwent a process of mutation before the vortex ceased pulling in energy. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Three figures and a cat appeared above the ocean. "Hey... weren''t we here before?" Klarion asked, rubbing Teekl''s back affectionately. Child snorted. "You forget our main purpose here, brother." She mocked. "There''s never a bad time to sow chaos." She grinned evilly. "Right. I still don''t understand." Klarion whined. "Child rolled her eyes. "I left a little surprise in here for the meddlesome fools following us. I just wanted to give the process a nudge before we left this continent." She stretched out a hand and snapped her fingers. A flame burning black as the night covered the vortex before melding with it and returning to it''s earlier inert state. "There. Now let''s go." A twisting portal swallowed them away. 2 minutes later, a yellow circle appeared atop of a building overlooking the ocean. "Fucking mother of a goat''s arsehole! Missed the bloody twats again!" Constantine let out a profanity, hands going to his shirt pocket. He held up a hand to stop Deadman from saying anything. "Don''t. I need a smoke to understand this poxy shit." He took a drag and blew out the smoke only for it to be swept away by the suddenly violent winds. "Aah...is it just me or did the weather change all of a sudden?" Deadman asked. The cig on Constantine''s mouth fell off. "Oh Fuck me." "What?" Deadman asked following Constantine''s eyes. "That''s an eye right?" There was something watching them through the chaos vortex above the ocean. (General P.O.V) Aden let go of the trench coat and paid it no mind as it disappeared into his hammer space. "So who wants to go fi..." Clang! The move was swift. Aden''s hand shook from the force of the blow that transferred from Equity''s broad side. Athena''s eyes blazed with fury. She was pissed. "You are done for! None of us could attack you with our full power in the hall due to the risk it carried. But out here? You SHALL UNDERSTAND WHY I AM A GOD OF BATTLE!" saliva spat out as she grunted and pushed him away. Aden allowed the force to shove him back. He leaned forward to retaliate but felt a whoosh pass him by, narrowly missing him as he twisted and dodged. A barrier of wind was elected to block it''s recurve path. The barrier failed to hold back Hermes as he vibrated through. His Elbow landed on Aden''s open palm, while the latter threw Equity to his left like a blazing missile to obstruct the snake construct made of water before it could slam into him, courtesy of the god of the seas, Poseidon. Equity speared through it''s liquid form and exploded in a ball of black flames that immediately evaporated the water, bringing forth steam that covered the whole area. Grunts sounded out from the steam. Hermes punch snaked out to land on Aden''s forearm, successfully blocked from its initial path to his cheek. A right hook was swiped away by Aden''s left hand, the elbow landing on Hermes chest, seizing up his lungs but as a god, his biology was different, so he moved on with no reaction. The god of speed sent a round kick that Aden ducked under, before extending his heel over his head to slam a foot on Hermes'' face. The god blocked the foot by crossing his hands together. Hermes'' eyes widened a second too late as the air crackled with sparks and an explosion sent him tumbling away. The smell of burnt skin spread out as ichor poured down his hands. He took a second step towards Aden, only for his body to rock to the side following a nasty hook. A trail of blue lightning passed by him and an upper cut threw his body to the sky.The hit rattled his jaw, breaking a few teeth. Then an axe kick landed on top of his head, dazing the god of travel. A boom tube appeared below Hermes and swallowed him. "Time out bitch." Aden muttered. "Hermes!!" Athena shouted springing forth in more anger as she swiped out a hand and a pressure blast from her aura sent the mist floating away. Aden dodged the swing of her conjured sword then, the thrust from a stinging spear that appeared in her other hand. He raised his leg to avoid the sweep and marveled as he found himself actually pushed back by her moves. He pulled in aggressively and leaned far back sliding under her slash only for Athena to spin in a crouch and bring down the short sword in her arms plunging down his chest. Aden''s palm held the weapon at bay. His position did not give him enough leverage to use his full strength so he knew one slip up and he was dead. It filled him with an excitement he had only felt while fighting Apollo. Still...a blast of white fire folded within him and then exploded out, pushing off Athena to the sky. White fire was surprisingly more easier to mold than any other flames he had. He currently possessed 2 unlocked fire subskills, lightning and combustion bending. The blue fire and white fire were part of another Subskill that was yet unlocked due to him not accessing the rest of the colors. He had a feeling that he was close to mastering the Subskill and once he did so, he would carry out the advancement trial. A lightning bolt cut through the skies as it it sped down towards Aden. And his first step was getting an understanding on how divinity interacted with the elements. Last time he couldn''t misdirect Black Adam''s attack but now? He was much stronger. His stance stabilized as he spread out his legs. He breathed in and out as he felt his hair tingle signaling that Zeus was making a move. A golden streak of divine lightning fell on Aden''s two outstretched fingers. He wound his hand back and twisted it across his chest holding the lightning tightly within him under his control. A huge mega sword easily 20 meters was created by Athena and fell down on his position, the pointy end aimed for his head. Then lightning screeched as Aden''s raised up his hand. His body was covered in numerous streaks of golden lightning, then the lightning changed color to a silent but humming purple then to a loud and screeching green then a black color that sent shivers across the gods who had yet to make a move. Most of them had chosen to only intervene if necessary. The last color of the lightning necessitated that. A vibrating silver lightning. One streak jumped off of Aden and completely decimated the sword hanging above him. Chunks of metal that turned to ash upon falling down, showered around Aden like a hail storm. "Huh so that''s what I was missing. A taste of divinity. With that understanding... everything became so much easier. It was like a key..." Unexpected Results (Aden''s P.O.V) With that knowledge, jumping from Lightning to flame is merely... flicking a switch. I watched as the silver streaks running up my hand suddenly billowed out into silver flames. A deceptive softly burning fire that instantly sent me on edge. I immediately turned it off, noticing the apprehension on their bodies through my air sense the minute the flame started burning. I closed my eyes. ''Cant use that. Not if I still want them alive.'' So funny thing...Silver fire and lightning were bad. Why? They targeted the very existence of an object. Which meant if I lost control of the fire, it would start by burning my soul, body and mind. Yup. Dangerous. I waved a hand and all the dust from the trampled ground and hanging steam swiftly cleared. I found myself surrounded. But, the gods had wisely made distance between us as soon as I destroyed Athena''s sword like it was nothing. Zeus and I eyed each other. A portal appeared below Haephestus, Demeter and Hera swallowing them. The former two were cool. I didn''t want to hurt them. The latter, I just didn''t want to listen to her complaints. And just like that, only 5 Olympians were left. Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Dionysus and the last but certainly not least...with an iron mask to muffle his voice on his face...was Ares. He was tall easily over 7 feet. With rippling muscles and dressed in a Greek armor that covered his upper body and left his arms bare. Then a customary Greek soldier''s helmet and chain skirt completed his look. The helmet was made of malicious intent, red smoke warping out of it. Violence bled out of him and filled the air with the an aura of pain, blood and the taste of iron. Golden glowing chains enclosed his body, ending in manacles that clasped his hands together. "Do it." Zeus ordered. Athena contemplated in indecision for a few seconds before jerking her head in a curt nod. She waved a hand and the chains lost their glow. The Manacles detached with a snap and fell. The moment they met the ground with an audible clang, an aura on par with Zeus rippled out of him. "Aaaah," Ares sighed, stretching his hands and body. Cracks sounded out from his bones. "That is much better." Athena gritted her teeth, body tilted slightly to face Ares while keeping an eye on me. "Father, uncle, sister." He nodded, completely ignoring Dionysus whose face changed into an ugly expression. "Ares. We only let you out..." Poseidon started. "Because you need me. Because you''re weak. Because in the end, your fear won out over your hate." He laughed. His voice boomed out across the whole deserted landscape while he walked forward and spread out his hands. "It''s great to be back!" A sword touched his neck from behind. "If it was up to me dear brother, you would still be rotting in Tartarus!" Athena ground out in hate. I took the chance during the family reunion to look over the notifications I had received. ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: (Congratulations! You have unlocked a new fire Subskill.) Myriad colored Flames :- YELLOW- Normal flames. No distinguishing factor. Might manifest as red or a pale yellow. :- BLUE- Consumes faster than normal flames with a decrease in explosive nature. :- PURPLE- Hotter than blue flames and more explosive than yellow flames. :- WHITE- slightly hotter than normal flames but can heal and restore health. Increased damage against bad individuals and decreased damage against good individuals. Easiest flames to control. :- GREEN- Liquid flames. Flames that manifest in a liquid state. Emit noxious fumes capable of poisoning opponents. :- SILVER- The most dangerous flames. Silver flames are hotter than purple flames and when they burn, they destroy all facets of their target. ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: (Path To Godhood Trial Unlocked) (Grandmaster Advancement Trial Naturally Rescinded) (All Rewards From The Advancement Trial Shall be awarded upon completion of the Divine Ascension Trial) You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. (The Trial Will Be Leagues Harder) (Divine spirits hold shallow control over the concepts of reality. Popularly known as gods or titans, these beings exert greater control over their chosen divinities than mortals or other beings alike. Divine spirits are born holding authority over domains due to their heritage. Divinities can be attained by a mortal when their realm of existence is elevated to a higher being by either a Sky Father or a being stronger than one.) (Upon unlocking and gaining sufficient understanding and mastery of three flame subskills, your path to godhood has been unlocked.) Divine Ascension Trial:- Commence? ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: Da fuck?! No! no! don''t commence! I swiped the tab away, a million thoughts running through my mind. Path to godhood? With my fire element instead of air. The fluctuations that they had sensed were most definitely from my air element and although I had wondered how exactly I was going to ascend, to have the solution fall on my lap so unexpectedly was jarring. What was this Deus x machina bullshit? I mean...I wasn''t exactly mad, just surprised. I eyed the Olympians and found them still flexing on each other. My air, energy and spiritual sense were on at full capacity so I wouldn''t be caught blindsided. Then I pulled up the text box on my air element. ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: Air( Grandmaster) -Flight -Sound + ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: ''Nothing''s different...wait. What is that blinking plus sign and why have I never seen it before?'' I clicked upon it and new information appeared. ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: (?? Subskill 70% complete) :- Air constructs :- Invisibility :- ?? ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: Whaaa? Ok I know for a fact that that wasn''t there before. So what could have changed. My eyes widened. Apollo had already initiated the ascension before I put a stop to it! Did that mean that I would have ascended with an incomplete Subskill? And how did they even know I was on the way to turning into a god. So many fucking questions. I had their memories but a few memories like Zeus meeting with the Fate''s always seemed to be missing. Or maybe hidden. All I knew was that if I wanted to find out what exactly the mysterious sub kill was...I had to use the Spark of enlightenment perk on air. My gaze grew sharp while I stared at the Olympians. And that meant I couldn''t waste time with them anymore. I reached out to the side and beckoned Equity who was floating beside me in the air. It landed on my palm and I ran a finger across it''s sharp edge. It was back to it''s Rapier form. With my finger trailing across it''s length, Equity shifted into two forms, one a dark sword with red patterns across it''s broad side and the other completely white. Byakyu and Kanshou. I can see why Shirou liked using these blades. They felt awesome to grip. I twirled them in my hand. Then lowered my center of gravity, sparks of Purple lightning beginning to dance across my body. I shot off like a bullet. My speed was crazy! The explosive power of the purple lightning put me at close to mach 1! The world slowed down as I covered the distance between us in the fraction of a second. Athena and Ares were the first to react, swords and various weapons, shining from the glare of the sun above us, praise Apollo...heh, rained down on my position. Byakyu and Kanshou swung out hundreds of time as I blocked and deflected all the weapons coming at me. I leaned out of the way of a spear thrown by Ares and flipped to the side. The ground shattered from my left heel as I dove to the side, successfully side stepping another gigantic sword attack from Athena. "Stay still dog!" I narrowed my eyes at the insult, feeling unexpectedly angry. It''s decided she''s going last. Chain lightning fell from the heavens, drowning out my position as I clad myself in my silver lightning, careful not directly touch it. The lightning rays from Zeus washed over my form doing absolutely nothing. "Is he dea..." Dionysus chocked on his words as I appeared behind me. "No Dionysus. I''m not." I slammed Kanshou''s pommel at the back of his head, transferring purple lightning that made his body seize in pain and smoke. A boom tube appeared below him. I turned around quickly as a tsunami of water with Aquam...sorry Poseidon riding atop of it fell down on me. My palm pointed towards it and the air between us crackled with hundreds of purple wisps of flames. Then they detonated. 50 fucking yards disappeared in a torrential wave of flames, Poseidon taking a leap to avoid my attack. He swung out his trident and I had a soft hum as the steam rising up coalesced into Drops of water that fell down on me. The drops sharpened into spikes that evaporated once more as an umbrella of purple flames manifested above my head. Was it pride? I found myself wondering. Was it pride or were they just dumb? They were allowing Poseidon to take me on by himself. Maybe it''s overconfidence in his abilities. I had left them so many openings but they seemed to want to attack me individually. They were all lacking in team work. I had seen how the Justice League attacked. It was chained and they worked to make up for the weaknesses of each individual member. Not that I am complaining but...it sucked the joy out of the fight. Limbs of fire shot out of the purple shield above, winding through the air to attack Poseidon. He skated through the atmosphere on a platform of water but was not fast enough to evade them all. Hence they mobbed him. Then I felt a presence appear behind me. My hand reached out and I grabbed the middle blade of the trident, my skin getting sliced on the metal. "Teleportation through the element? Clever." I complimented, making the god of the sea snort. "Your arrogance led you here. And now you shall die." He commented and I immediately understood that Poseidon had me completely beat in the strength department. In fact most of the gods did. But strength is not everything in a fight. The trident pushed through and I had to let it go, marginally pushing it off it''s initial trajectory and pulling in close to the god of the seas. Poseidon pulled back his trident and swiped it out, aiming to break my rib cage on it''s shaft. Byakyu neatly combined with Kanshou and stabbed to the ground in its dragon slayer form, blocking the blow. I tapped into the vibrations that rose up from the clash and sharpened it into a sound that I managed to silently flick out with my fingers at Poseidon''s wrist holding the trident. The sound blade, debuted in a magnificent spray of ichor as the trident disappeared into my hammer space and Poseidon was swallowed by a green liquid that sprayed out of my palms. A fitting punishment. And also a different way of using my air bending. The trident appeared in my palm. One contact with my skin and the metal grew impossibly heavy. I sent it back to the hammer space. Equity was having a full course meal later. Poseidon tried to access his divinity inside the ball of hot green liquid fire but without his trident and the poisonous effect from liquid fire...all was for naught. I walked slowly away, leaving him thrashing as the poison invaded his body. The familiar pulse of a boom tube sounded out from behind me and he was swallowed. My eyes found the three figures before me. Something was off...why had they not intervened when I took down Poseidon? "And then there were three..." Objective Complete (General P.O.V) "Alpha team out. Civilians secure and ready for evacuation." Batman spoke through his comms as paramedics moved around him to the civilians hurdled together after they''d been saved from the Chaos vortex. The vortex shrank noticeably upon exit and Batman''s computer was surveiling and running scans for any changes. "Eew will I ever get this stuff off?" Green Arrow asked, wiping mucus off his shirt. Alpha had been assigned the hospital ward in Atlanta, Georgia. And that had arguably been the worst chaos vortex. All the suffering from the sick had coalesced into disease monsters. Batman reached into his utility belt and came out with pellets that he handed to Green Arrow and Zatara. Zatara wordlessly swallowed it while Green Arrow watched it curiously, shrugged and then swallowed. "That is a strong antibiotic, just incase you were exposed to the pathogens." "Thanks Bats." "Htlif sith fo seidob ruo esnaelc!" Zatara cast the spell. Immediately the mucus and filth covering them were banished away by the magician. "Much better." Green Arrow nodded in gratitude, before eyeing the civilians. "Hey...did you guys notice anything odd about the ward patients?" "What do you mean?" Zatara wondered. "Well, this might just be me but... looking at the placements of the beds, they should have been occupied by at most 6 people. We already know that 6 patients and 1 nurse who was on night duty were trapped in the vortex...but at one point,I counted 8 people excluding us." Batman''s eyes narrowed. He''d noticed it too and filed it away for later. That was why he had a list of all the patients. But for now,there was something else to handle. "All teams report in." A little bit of static before Captain Atom''s voice came through. "Bravo team out. No civilian casualties. The Chaos vortex seems to have reduced in size. Then it disappeared a few minutes later." "Gamma team out, we''re good. The kids are all fine. A few scrapes here and there but we had more problem managing them than dealing with the clowns holding pencils and rubbers inside the Vortex. The chaos pockets similarly disappeared a few minutes after we got out. " Black Canary explained. "Delta team out. We faced a kraken...oh not a Kraken something called a...Lusca. Oh and the initial report was wrong. It was only the captain and crew member who were sucked into the vortex. They''re both safe, though the captain lost a finger saving the crew mate. Our chaos rift unravelled as well." That made it four out of the initial 6 teams. Though based on the fact that the Disneyland chaos vortex was handled by Jason Blood, Constantine and Deadman who were closer, it made it 5 official justice league teams. "Beta team, report in." Nothing. "Beta team do you read me?" Still nothing. Zatara and Green Arrow exchanged worried looks. Batman switched to the main channel. Beta team was Wonder Woman and Superion. "Console, status on the Watchtower." It only took a second before Robin answered. "Sooo.... about that..." (General P.O.V) "And then there were three." Aden intoned in a flat tone while walking towards the three last Olympians. Athena stretched her body, eyeing Ares from the corner of her eyes. "You go left, I go right." Ares smirked. "Whatever you say...dear sister." The blow came suddenly, a spear manifesting behind Athena and plunging straight through her. Pain assaulted her as her legs suddenly grew weak. Athena tried to speak but golden ichor trailed down her lips. She felt a movement from Ares and despite the spear stuck in her she spun out of the way of the axe that fell on her previous position. Athena pushed off in a low crouch in the fastest speed she could use, only for Ares to bat the weapon to the side and slam a hand onto the back of her neck, hitting a precise angle that seized up her spine and disrupted her body movements. Athena fell like a puppet with cut strings. Her eyes sought out Zeus and what she saw turned her blood cold with fear and despair. Her Father stood there with a blank look on his face. Behind him were three silhouettes of the fates. The Fates? But...Her sight was obscured by a crouching Ares. "Sorry dear sister...but he''s not going to help you. You see, Father without his Sky Father title is nothing. He''s weak of mind. Growing dependent on his status instead of personal power. That''s why the Fates have chosen someone more fitting to take over. Someone truly DESERVING OF THE THRONE OF OLYMPUS! AND WITH THEIR BACKING I SHALL USHER IN A DIVINE WAR TO RECLAIM EARTH AS PART OF MY EMPIRE! THEY WILL WORSHIP ME! FIGHT FOR ME! DIE FOR ME! AND WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT...ALL THE OTHER PANTHEONS WILL EITHER JOIN ME OR DIE!" "You''re...cough... you''re..." Athena tried to speak. "Hush dear sister. Hush. It''s time for you to meet your end. Go out like a god. Your head held high." He raised his axe intent on finishing her. The blade fell but a sharp sound rang out from the impact the blade made upon clashing on Equity''s short knife form. The contrast in size was incredible. "Oi, who the fuck do you think you are?" Aden asked, casually blocking Ares'' axe. He had his head slightly bowed. "Huh? Hahaha. Are you so eager to die scum?" Ares mocked. "I hate repeating myself. Who. The. Fuck. Do you think you are?" The Avatar asked again, sparks of Purple lightning flashing across his body. A serious look appeared in Ares'' eyes. Instead of talking, the god of war pulled back his axe, and adjusted the grip. He slashed out in a powerful swing from the side. Aden flipped over his arm smoothly and curved a trail blazing with black fire across the god''s side. The metal armor Ares was wearing parted but with flexibility that was out of place in such a body, he leaned back, escaping Equity''s edge from touching his skin. Ares rolled away and came to a stand a meter away. His right forearm came up to block the punch, thrown at his temple then a cross guard under his chin to block the knee headed straight for his lower jaw, only for an explosion of purple flames to escape the knee, sending him up to the sky with his forearms crying out in pain. He grunted spinning his body to land on his legs only for a sudden streak of lightning to speedily intercept him in the sky. A heavy kick landed on his chest shattering the leftover remains of the chest armor as purple lightning coursed through. Ares was thrown away across the deserted landscape. His body bounced off the sand a couple of times before hitting a boulder with his back. Ares fell to the ground in a grunt. He was shocked. Despite the power he wielded and one that continued to grow stronger due to the ongoing conflict...he had been sent flying away. He should have known it when Aden had handled the other gods as easily as breathing. But that was not such a surprising thing because Ares had done the same before. But he was strong. That was undeniable. Unquestionable. Aden landed on the ground and turned his back to Ares. His steps took him to Where Zeus stood unresponsive, Athena''s body on the ground next to him. The god of battle and wisdom took in shallow breaths while eyeing Aden with a complicated angry face. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "I wanted to be the one to teach you a lesson. One in humility that is." Aden stated, "Your brother beat me to the punch and taught you one in stupidity. Why the fuck would you trust someone who betrayed you before? But don''t worry... I''ll handle him." A boom tube manifested below her and she disappeared into his dimension. Then he eyed Zeus, considering for a second whether to break him out of the trance he''d been put in by the Fates. Aden could glean through his energy sense, strings of Fate currently tightly squeezing into Zeus'' existence. The strings led back to three women who were in another layer of space, hidden and undetectable through normal means. He grabbed the eyes of the middle figure, Clotho. "I''m coming for you soon." With that threat, Zeus disappeared into Aden''s dimension. A keening wail sounded from the Fates as the connection was cut off. "Beware master of disorder!" Lachesis spoke up. "The time for your fall draws near." Clotho continued. "And like all who try to circumvent fate..." Atropos followed. """ YOUR END SHALL BE PAINFUL!!!""" They said in a multitude of voices then disappeared. "What a bunch of bitches." Aden muttered turning around to face the last god. Ares. The final battle. "So how do you want to die?" He questioned. Ares grabbed the remains of the chest armor and threw it away, fully exposing his powerful physique. He looked like a mountain of muscles. His voice rambled out as he laughed. "If you think I''m going to fall like those weaklings...you are disillusioned." Aden shook his head. "No no, you don''t understand. I asked you how you wanted to die. They''re not dead, I still have a use for them but you god of war...the only useful thing you have is your power." He raised his hand tightened it into a fist. "And I''m going to strip it from your corpse and give it to someone who deserves it." The red smoke wafting off of Ares helm grew more potent. "I am going to make you suffer." He warned making Aden snort. "That''s my line." "Aaargh!!" Ares stomped the ground in a few steps, making it rumble as he sped towards Aden. Then he jumped, instantly shedding his normal size for a giant of a god that cast a shadow above Aden. Aden was moving by the time Ares fell. The ground quaked underneath the god of War''s descent. His powerful battle axe split the ground into two at Aden''s previous position. The Avatar had jumped at the last minute, running across the shaft of the axe towards the god of War''s neck. He stepped on Ares'' powerful arm, only for shards of weapons to sprout on his skin towards him. Aden jumped off and skated in the air, around Ares'' back. The god of war instantly shrunk and spun, using the still huge axe mid swing to increase his momentum. His fist passed by Aden as he leaned out of the way, bracing Ares tricep with his left forearm while grabbing the wrist in his right arm. Then he pulled the arm down onto his knee. A sharp crack sounded out as Ares'' hand was broken at the elbow. The hefty shaft of the axe fell out of the broken hand into Ares'' other palm. He slashed out aiming to split Aden into two. Aden zoomed away in a burst of lightning, winding up behind Ares. His hand was sheathed with sparks of violently gyrating purple lightning that he brought down on Ares'' back. The god of war felt the danger and instantly let out a burst of telekinetic power, pushing Aden off. Aden floated to the ground aided by air in annoyance ''So close.'' He thought. Ares breathed out heavily. That had been so close! "You bastard!" He called out deciding to use his entire strength. The wind picked up as a low rumble spread out across the distance between them. Red smoke rose up from the cracks that appeared on the ground. Misshapen arms with strips of flesh followed closely by rotting corpses with rusted weapons and armor rose up from the ground. Aden looked at the scene and snorted. "What is this, night of the living dead? Is this the best you can offer oh god of war?" Ares gritted his teeth in anger. "I shall..." "Destroy me, break my body, make me suffer for eternity yadda yadda. This battle is over Ares." Aden stated in disappointment, walking forward towards the hundreds of living dead soldiers called up from the underworld by Ares. "And guess what...it will end with a sudden thunder clap and shock!" With the final word, Aden fully employed his speed, purple sparks greater than anything he had displayed screeched through the air as he surpassed his highest speed. Equity slashed out, sending a swathe of formless net like lightning that destroyed all the undead warriors before him, clearing the way for his form to blur past. His feet not touching the ground due to how fast he was going. "Clap!!!" Ares only felt a pressure as Equity''s edge, in its lance form speared through his chest too fast to catch. The last thing he saw clearly were the shifting eyes. Aden''s brown eyes flashed red. "Equity... absorb." Then the pain begun and Ares felt something that was linked to everything he was, get ripped out. His eyes grew wide as bursts of divine energy rippled out, yet despite creating a crater with them at the epicenter, the energy was forcefully pulled back into Aden''s weapon. Ares started or rather tried to thrash. To do anything to stop this robbery. He could feel the darkness encroaching from the corner of his eyes. "You brought this upon yourself Ares. Your core is stained by the lives of millions. Console yourself with the knowledge that you were not felled by any ordinary being. Your life was reaped by the Motherfucking Avatar." Darkness fully swallowed Ares. (Elsewhere) "This is not what I signed up for." Deadman stated, flying away from a beam of pure ice. This thing could even see him when he was functionally invisible! "Bah who am I kidding...it''s either this or watching Saturday morning cartoons. Actually that doesn''t sound so bad..." "For chrissake Deadman, focus." Constantine growled, his hands flashing in the air as he managed to create a shield of mystical energy that protected him from a beam of super condensed acid. "Six heads. Not quite the hydra. We''re instead dealing with Yamata No Orochi." Constantine explained as the monster with six serpent heads and a huge body measuring 50 feet fully stepped out of the chaos vortex. Something they had been trying to stop from happening. The cordon across the beach was rocked with a massive wave of water that submerged the entire section in sea water. "Is this the worst possible outcome you were talking about?" Deadman asked. "Gee, I wonder what gave you that idea?" Constantine shot back sarcastically. "Is it the huge mythical monster trying to kill us?" "You don''t have to sound so rude..." Deadman complained. "Is everyone far away enough? I''m about to bring out the big guns." Constantine asked the ghost man who could sense life fluctuations. "Yeah. Go crazy." Constantine nodded, giving him a final instruction. "Distract the fucker." The ghost man gave a curt nod and dove in towards the heads. A beam of Lightning shot out towards him that he dove under but a slight contact with the super beam took him spinning away as the energy managed to hurt him. "Constantine...I can''t get too close." He told his colleague only to see him occupied by the chanting he was doing. A long tail with a huge barbed snake head from Orochi swung out and smashed into the building Constantine was standing on. The dust settled and Deadman controlling Constantine''s body flew from the debris of the falling building to another. "Whew! That was too close!" Orochi fully stepped out into the beach and roared with all his heads. The eyes of his heads had a cruel light in them that eyed the helicopter flying a bit far away in the air. He pulled back some of his heads, aimed at the air craft and released a beam of fire, freezing ice and super condensed air currents. They cut through the air in astonishing speeds. "Kuso!" The pilot cursed out and tried to shift the trajectory of the helicopter but was too late. Death beared down on them and the reporters he was carrying. But death met someone else in between it and it''s targets. In a flash of a sudden thunder clap, a figure appeared and slashed out his sword at the incoming beams. An arc of white flames exploded out of the sword he had in his hand and swallowed the beams. Orochi felt fear grip it from the sudden arrival of this new being. But it was Yamata No Orochi! None could stand in his way. All it''s heads pulled back in preparation for another massive attack. Constantine noticed the new arrival and instead of continuing his initial magic, he expertly diverted the energy from the spell of exorcism he was planning on, to creating a zone around Orochi that stopped it''s movements. He knew the new arrival could handle the task of Killing the mythical creature with minimal difficulty. A yellow magic circle appeared below Orochi on the sand underneath the water. yellow bindings held him captive. Strong enough to obstruct it''s huge body despite the straining muscles. The White Shadow narrowed their eyes. That was an opening! Streaks of white lightning shrouded his body and he was off, skating through the sky in speeds that although were slower than his true body were still very fast. The black saber in his hands slashed out as he passed through Orochi. The sword bit through the heads of the creature, a sheath of white flames extending out to lengthen the sword as he beheaded the monster in one fell swoop. Each head he cut off was sent to his hammer space until all that was left of Yamata no Orochi was a huge body with zero heads. And for the finishing move... The white Shadow looked up to the sky just as a massive boom tube manifested above Yamata No Orochi. A build up of power, that Constantine had only felt once before and not to this degree pulsed through. "Is...it, is it a god?" Deadman wondered. "No," Constantine muttered confidently. Wondering whether or not to tell him. Then he reminded himself to inform Deadman to keep what he was about to reveal a secret. "Something more powerful than a god. Something able to stand beside the most powerful of beings as equals or...even more. This...Deadman is what was responsible for my freedom. It calls itself the Avatar." Massive streaks of silver lightning fell through the boom tube to land on Yamata no Orochi. The silver lightning rang out with screeches and whistles, unstoppable in its task to bring complete destruction to what it landed on. Yamata no Orochi never felt when it died. It just did. All the water under the zone of magic it stood on, similarly disappeared, exposing the scarred sea floor and parts of the beach. Ash from the mythical creature blew away to the ocean. Everything settled down as the boom tube disappeared. The White Shadow held out a hand towards the inert chaos vortex and gripped his palm into a fist. The rift of chaos closed as he reclaimed the energy. His eyes flashed red. He then nodded at Constantine and was off to the next chaos vortex. Deadman separated from Constantine and stared at the area in shock. "That was..." "I know mate." Constantine nodded. Adding not a second later, "Blimey, I need a smoke." (Aden''s P.O.V) The boom tube disappeared after I''d sent the attack through. I couldn''t afford to waste any more time with senseless fighting when I could tell that someone was actively trying to use my chaos vortex for something nefarious. Already 8 of the vortexes were unravelled by that ''someone.'' leaving only 9. I looked at the mission tab and saw the progress on the mission I''d received go up. I had unravelled one chaos vortex and the Justice League had taken care of 4. Due to them being my allies for this mission, I knew I was going to receive the rewards for 5 of the chaos vortexes. That only left 12 vortexes that I hadn''t personally gotten to. Of those 12 vortexes, 8 were unravelled and the energy sucked out. Which left 4. I had to get to those 4 before they could! Using the innate sense I possessed over the chairs pockets, I could direct my Homunculi puppet there while I dealt with the fall out from defeating the gods. The hollow lands had new occupants. All the Olympians who had stood against me sans Ares who was dead were chained up in pillars set along in a semi circle. I stepped forward to address them. "So here''s the deal, if you want your freedom back, you will have to sign this soul contract." I held up a regular looking sheet of brown scroll that pulsed with power. The benefits of having hundreds of thousands of demons in my realm? I had learnt how to make demon contracts. Well my own variants of course. And so the end of the plan arrived with me standing above my enemies. There was no one to save them. I had truly won. The look on Zeus'' face confirmed that for me. (Objective Complete) (Survive the machinations of the Fates) Fall Out (General P.O.V) (Sphere of the gods) (Hindu Pantheon) Shiva, the supreme deity meditated atop a peak on mount Kailash. The air was super charged with his divine energy, manifested in a perception that could feel all planes. Nothing was hidden through Shakti. The god of destruction was truly fearsome. He opened his eyes in slight curiosity. "Kali, do not do anything rash." He firmly stated, as if addressing the very air. "A mortal with the power to destroy a god. Ares might have been a grand fool but he was powerful. Only below Zeus. The mortal is incredibly dangerous. An Asura albeit one yet to shed his mortal coil." "You confuse him for other Asuras. Raktab¨©ja fell to your hands, do you hunger for another worthy challenge?" Shiva cut right straight to the matter. Kali was a protector of the innocents yes but her minor divinity in war influenced her lust for a good battle once in a while. And almost no one could offer that challenge. "How about a spar Lord Shiva?" She asked making Shiva sigh. (Asgard) In the palace of the god king Odin,Tyr announced his presence by deeply bowing as soon as he stepped through the entrance. The king stepped away from his throne and walked down the steps. "Arise Tyr, now is not a time for such formalities. You felt it, I gather?" Odin asked. Tyr knew the matter his father spoke of. "Yes I did, father. My influence over the war domain...it increased." Odin sighed. "I see...very well. We should be expecting a guest soon." "Hello Odin." A soft melodic voice said, flying through the wide windows constructed above the king and queen''s throne. The crow shifted into a figure that briefly warped into the image of 3 goddesses before forming into one figure. "Morrigan...I would say it''s a pleasure to see you but we both know that would be a falsehood." "Odin," the Irish goddess of war chuckled. "Always so direct. Your inability to mince words is frustrating some times. But that is part of your charm, I suppose." She said with a sinful smile. "Huh...should I leave?" Tyr asked, unsurely. "Yes." "No." The other two gave contrasting answers. Odin narrowed his one eye. "He stays. He is also a god of war." The Morrigan snorted, her black dress drifting in the wind as she walked out into the balcony of Asgard. "Spoilsport." She muttered. "She is..." Tyr started. "Insufferable?" Odin asked. "No...I was going to say terrifying." He said somberly. "Yes. Insufferable." Odin sharply replied before walking towards her. (Elsewhere) All across the infinite expanse of the Sphere of The gods, each of the war gods associated with earth felt a change in the war domain. One of their strongest had died. It was surprising for a god to die. If everyone forgot who a god was, then that god gained a lifespan that would expire over the years. But such cases were rare. But not as rare as what happened to the Greek Pantheon. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The Greek Pantheon was top 5 in power just below the Shinto, Jade Emperor''s pavilion and Hindu Pantheon. And it could be argued that that was only half their power for they possessed other no less powerful identities as the Roman gods. But now Ares and Mars were dead. Completely erased from existence. Things started snow balling as a recording from a demon was spread across the different Pantheons as to who was responsible for such a feat. And when they laid their eyes on the young mortal responsible for defeating the whole Greek Pantheon, their hearts shook, as they asked themselves... Were they next? (Olympus) Wonder Woman woke up with a headache. She quickly tried to sit up but was pushed back to the bed by Superion. "Hey hey...calm down. The fight is over." She blinked her eyes and looked around. "What happened? I...I lost? How?" "Simple I kicked your ass dear sister." A voice stated from behind her. She followed Superion''s gaze and found Vaatu sitting cross legged a mat facing Darken. They seemed to be in the middle of something. "So the rock smashes the scissors, the scissors cut the paper and the paper swallows the rock?" He asked in skepticism. "Yes." Darken sighed for the fourth time. "That makes no sense." Vaatu shook his head, watching his hand go through the moves with a frown on his handsome face. "Regardless. That''s how it''s played." Darken told him, placing her hands on his fist. "No you''re doing the scissors wrong it''s supposed to be two fingers not three..." Wonder Woman decided she had heard enough. Her hand went to where she placed her Lasso and found it missing. Infact all her weapons except for her braces of submission were gone. "Where..." She turned to Superion. "Are you looking for these?" Hestia''s voice sounded from Wonder Woman''s left. Her aunt and arguably the most beloved of the Olympians asked holding a goblet with nectar and a silver plate with golden cubes on top. Diana followed where she motioned and saw her shield, lasso, armor and the god killer sword on a black table. The armor floated in mid air in its full set, ready to be worn with a single thought from Wonder Woman. Diana felt at ease knowing that if she wanted to defend herself...her weapons were close by. "The food of the gods...aunt Hestia I can''t have that, I''m not a god..." "Trust me Diana. This will not harm you." She said placing it on the table that manifested infront of Diana. "You might feel a little uncomfortable heat but you will be back to your full strength and more after consuming this." Hestia further explained. The Amazonian princess swung her feet off the comfy couch. Hestia might not have been one for material possessions like say Aphrodite but her temple was non the less adorned with beautiful things. At the center of it was a burning hearth that seemed to flicker with every breath Olympus took. Diana took a bite of one small cube ambrosia and marveled at how it seemed to melt in her taste buds. She almost moaned when she brought the goblet to her lips and sipped the godly Nectar. "Ok, that''s enough." Hestia said taking away the plate. "Wait, I''m not done." The demigod said frantically. "You ate everything on the plate Diana." Connor''s voice seemed to break her out of her stupor. She looked at the plate and found that he was right. She had indeed devoured everything on the plate. And then it hit her. "Excuse me." She got up and went to the bathroom, relying on Hestia''s brief directions. She stared at herself in the mirror. There was a heat...a heat that threatened to consume her. Her eyes started glowing golden, the light almost taking over sight. Inside her the intense energy threatened to buckle around. A soft knock sounded out on the door. "Hey are you...are you alright?" Diana absentmindedly noted that the voice belonged to The White Shadow''s partner, Darken. She didn''t answer, too focused on riding out the turbulent heat threatening to take her over. Just as it was getting too unbearable, the heat suddenly disappeared leaving behind a soothing feeling that spread through Diana''s whole body, before ending on her forehead in the Glabella. A symbol manifested that gave her pause. "Fuck. Me." Diana cursed out softly. She knew what this meant...she had accidentally ascended to the next level. Diana was no longer a demigod. No, Wonder Woman was now a full fledged god. The god of Heroes, Diana of Themyscira. She could feel the domain she now possessed, pulse in confirmation. The faces obscured in her mind, shone from the light of past deeds. Great feats. Both bad and good. The one thing they shared in common was the central figure driving the legend forth. A hero. She understood everything about the bastions who stood vigil to ensure the protection of mortals. She was one of them...no, she ''had'' been. Now she was something more. Diana sighed. "Atleast I know who to blame." Her face turned determined. "Aden Strong." A few minutes later, Diana came out looking composed. Luckily the symbol of a shield on her glabella had disappeared. She threw a complicated look Darken''s way. "Thank you, for your concern but I am fine." "Oh...cool. So... Now what?" Darken trailed off. "The truce still stands." Diana assured, reverting to her Persona of Wonder Woman. "This matter is too critical to botch it up by trying to capture you." Darken visibly breathed out a sigh of relief. She knew that if she was truly in danger, Aden would have been there in a flash. But that would have exposed their relationship and anyone in the know would have figured out that Aden was The White Shadow. So far they had managed to avoid that from happening. Aden''s plans relied on the separation between his two identities. She was about to say something else when a strange rumble spread along the floor across the entire realm. "Let''s go. Something''s happening." They made it to the lounge and found Superion and Vaatu facing each other. Superion was blocking the exit with his hands crossed on his powerful chest. "Superion what is happening?" Wonder Woman questioned, quickly strapping her weapons across her body in practiced ease. "There was a strange tremor. Your...aunt went to investigate. He..." Pointed to Vaatu only for the god to swat his hand away and say cooly, "I tried to leave and he thinks he can stop me." Superion narrowed his eyes. "I know I can." Darken beat her to the punch. "Are you two idiots going to posture all day or can we work together and come to a sensible conclusion?" The gazes from the two clashed in mid air before Vaatu snorted and turned to Diana. "Don''t forget my mercy." Then he teleported away. "Dammit. He could frigging teleport?" Superion said, aiming to fly off after Vaatu. Only for Wonder Woman to stop him with a shake of her head. "Whose side is he on? A minute after the fight was over, he peacefully accompanied us to Hestia''s temple. Was it all an act?" "Let him go Superion." She said, touching the armor and allowing it to clad her form. "We need to address something even more serious. The tremor you all felt was from the realm losing stability due to the Sky Father throne being empty. And that begs the question, " That caught both of their attention. "What is Aden planning?" Great Relationship (Aden''s P.O.V) It was done. Beelzebub had been an immense help in figuring out the ins and outs of a soul contract. It was simply forcing someone to lower their mental walls and using their own consciousness to place a bind on them. For it to work though, the one forcing the bind had to be stronger and the target had to be in a helpless state. Suffice it to say, I had the Olympians by the balls. A list of demands that they had to abide by were quickly drawn and for their freedom, they were all to eager to sign. Before letting them go, I had to deal with something or rather someone else first. I knew she would be waiting for me when I stepped out of the boom tube. I didn''t even try to waste time and simply created the portal where the fluctuations from the battle between Ares and I was most dense. Wonder Woman unsheathed her sword and turned around quickly, pointing it straight at me. Flanking her was Superion who was surveying the area around the crater and Darken who was lightly rubbing the soil. "Careful that might not be what you think it is. I have it in good authority that someone was ashyfied, that a word? Anyway turned to ash on this very spot." "Three guesses as to..." Then I saw the helm in Wonder Woman''s grip. "Nevermind." "Where are the gods? What did you do to them?!" Diana let go of Ares helm and pulled closer to me threateningly. My energy sense registered something different about her. She had grown immensely stronger due to the blessings given by the gods but now...now her strength felt more tangible. Diana had ascended. I smiled, having foreseen this result after keenly reading how the god''s divinity manifested in Diana as blessings. All that power had undergone a mutation of sorts, suffusing Diana''s whole body with divine energy tailor made for her. She had a domain and knowing her, it was a domain that could more than help me. I just had to play my cards right. Luckily, I knew what angle to push from. I placed a finger on the pointy end of the god killer sword and turned it away from my face. A tiny scratch was made from that brief contact. What a scarily sharp sword. But meh, Equity was even sharper. "First of all, how are you feeling Wonder Woman?" I asked. "Don''t act like you care Aden. What are you up to this time? Answer my previous questions!" It was really funny seeing the normally stoic Wonder Woman lose control. I held up my hands. "Geez, take a chill pill. The gods are alright, just... occupied for the time being. Whether or not they remain that way is going to depend on the conversation you and I are about to have." A boom tube appeared to my side as I added, "Privately." Judging by the low growl I heard, Connor didn''t like the sound of that. "I''ll meet you both back at the hall of gods." She addressed the two teens and walked forward at a sure pace through the boom tube. Dumb but expected. Dumb because what if it was a trap? Expected because come on, she''s frigging wonder Woman. I shook my head and followed her, throwing a wave over my shoulder at Connor and Paige as I left. Naturally for a talk like this I needed some place quiet. The boom tube emptied out in the air dimension on a peak where Iroh and I usually meditated. The whole realm felt a bit different though. A certain vibration of potential rang out as the swaying shrubs, grass, stones and clouds seemed eager for something. Weird. I crossed my legs and fell into a short meditation. Diana on the other hand ignored me in favor of floating up and looking out into the valley infront of us. A few minutes later, I felt her sit down before me. "This is your dimension." She stated. I nodded in confirmation. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "It''s very peaceful." I smiled at the compliment. "Thank you. Its one of my favorite places." A brief silence fell before she broke it with a simple order. "Start from the beginning." I narrowed my eyes at the tone. "Please. Make me understand, Aden. It''s a request not an order." She added with a small blush. At least she wasn''t as stubborn as Batman. Wonder Woman, while set in her ways knew that nothing was ever black and white. In the presence of others, she wouldn''t have readily acted so amiably and hear me out. It''s something I''d noticed from before. The pressures of being a leader meant that you couldn''t lower your head in certain situations lest the ones under you lose faith in your leadership. "I''ll try to keep it short." I decided. "No. Don''t leave out anything." Wonder Woman countered. "Are you sure you want that? The longer we take the more Olympus is at risk of getting destroyed." She sucked in a deep breath. "Keep it short then." "Zeus sent Apollo to forcefully capture me. The true motive however was even more nefarious..." So I told her everything. About how her father had tried to turn me into a slave. How Artemis had attacked me to save her brother. I watched her face change dozens of times. In disbelief, anger, sadness and finally resignation. "I...I am sorry you had to go through all that Aden." She finally spoke up. I waved the apology away. "Don''t sweat it. Your dad is the dick not you." I had told her everything. And anyone unbiased could see that I was actually not the one in the wrong. However... "Regardless..." "Oh come the fuck on!" I threw my hands up. "There is no regardless, no buts, no looking back and telling me I should have chosen another option than what I did." "Violence is not always the way." Wonder Woman admonished. "And I fucking agree. Believe me, I do." I told her with as much intensity as I could. "But I''m not someone you go after and expect no retaliation. I am more than just a man Diana...and it''s high time people started understanding that." "This is getting us nowhere. I need to know one last thing. What now?" Our eyes established contact. "You already know what''s coming next. I''m going to choose the next Sky Father and hopefully put this enmity with your dad''s side to rest." "And you already have a replacement in mind." She said sourly. I laughed at her statement. "Literally anyone would argue that you can''t do worse than Zeus." "He is there for a reason. He''s ruled for millenia." "I..." All too late I realized something. We were falling back to old habits. Arguing over our ideals and principles. "Look Diana, let''s be real. I hold the power here. And a simple talk over who''s right or wrong won''t change that." I could see, I had grabbed her attention with that. "You already suspect who I''m going to install on that throne." "Vaatu." She said and I did not deny the claim. "And he listens to you. This was your plan all along. You knew the gods would never accept an outsider to lead them not even if your power is stronger than all the 12 Olympians. But Vaatu is the son of Zeus and Metis. If anyone should rule...it''s him." She concluded, connecting everything together. "Now the question remains...what can you offer me to stop all that from happening?" My smile was predatory. Diana had a bitter expression in her face. "What do you want?" She bit out. "Easy." I leaned in. "I have a few strong suggestions that I would like the Justice League and by extension The UN to consider. And by consider I mean accept." It took a split second for her to refuse with a resounding, ''no.'' "I will not compromise the integrity of the Justice League for your selfish desires." She told me in no uncertain terms, making me sigh. "You''re acting as if I told you to make the death sentence an option for villains with too many strikes." She raised an eyebrow. "Ok fine. That was one of my suggestions. But your passive nature is no less annoying now than it was 3 months ago." I admitted. "How about a compromise?" I spoke up before she could. "I''m listening." Diana replied. "Getting the death sentence might be too much of a stretch for you do gooders, so what of I told you, I had an alternative? An inescapable prison where we could stash the worst of the worst." Now one thing you need to understand about Wonder Woman, she was not opposed to Killing because of a personal principle to safeguard all life. She was 5000 years for Chrissake. The past century she spent in man''s world could not completely overwrite 5 millenia of hardcore warrior training and vicious demeanor. She was passive because that''s what the League stood for. But now things were different. She was a god. And if I was right about her divinity which I suspected was either of two domains, then all the passive bullshit the League was known for would subtly change under her rule. Its like a domino effect, push one piece and the others start falling. Diana had easily become a major player. "An inescapable prison? The League will have to investigate it before any decision can be made." Not an outright acceptance. I dug in my heels. "Then I guess Olympus is as good as part of my domain now." "Don''t test me Aden!" She shouted, a glowing symbol of a shield shining on her Glabella. "Test you? You still lie to yourself that you hold any power in this negotiation Princess. I. Am. The. One. With. The. Power." I roared in my own defiance, my aura spreading out to suppress her very new divinity. An in depth scan of her divinity with my energy sense, rewarded my suspicions with confirmation. Her domain felt like clashing steels, bravery, Rocky riffs before a Tsunami, a single shield blocking millions of arrows yet remaining steadfast and lastly a roster of obscure but familiar characters all surrounding a statue of Wonder Woman. "Do not make a true enemy out of me, god of Heroes." I spat out and by the widening of her eyes, I knew I was right. A brief silence settled between us. "Fine. You win. For now. I will make sure that your suggestions go through as long as they''re reasonable and do not hurt what the Justice League stands for." Diana finally agreed. I held out my hand to shake hers. "This is the start of a great relationship." Time With The Kids (Aden''s P.O.V) We hashed a few more things out and then we were done with the discussion. "One last thing." Wonder Woman started before she could enter the boom tube. "Who are you going to pick to replace Zeus?" She had tried to fight for her father to stay in power but I refused. In part due to the deal we had made. If Zeus'' chosen champion were to lose then he would leave the throne. That deal was intrinsically tied to our own power. Breaking such a pact would therefore not be advisable. She relented on that but ultimately accepted that my decision was final. "Sorry Diana." I smiled. "That''s a spoiler." She looked at me for a few more seconds before sighing and turning to leave. Once she was gone I teleported to my main dimension and watched as Star and the kids played. I kept myself invisible from their detection. Breeze, the little minx somehow managed to find me if the feather light tickle from the air was any indication. They were playing around in the ocean while Star chilled on the beach with a coconut drink in her hand. Her eyes however were softly gazing at the kids. Match was running across the water in a competition with Kai. A sonic boom exploded out of the young Kryptonian, leaving the flying dragonette behind. That was until Kai changed into a streak of purple lightning and zoomed out towards Match, hot on his heels. The two ran laps around the island with no discernible winner. A tsunami of water hit the beach and washed Sai who was somehow trying to... "His he surfing?" I muttered in shock. Who had even shown him how to surf let alone make such a concrete flame construct. The construct was even more wholesome than the ones I could make. I floated closer to Star and swept a bang of her luscious red hair away from her face. She stiffened before relaxing. "Hey." She told me, lying back on the beach chair. "How did you know it was me?" I asked still invisible. I wanted the kids to enjoy themselves without distractions. Crossing my legs on the beach, I sat with my shoulder level with Kori''s head. The beach chair was not that far off the sand. "I know your touch." She breathed out, her soft lips parting. She looked so beautiful... "Um thanks." I cleared my throat, trying to forget how her lips looked so inviting. Her scent was something that never failed to drive me crazy. Kori was simply too tempting for me. "For what?" She wondered out loud. "You know I like hanging out with the kids." She added making me nod. "They had missed you. Like a lot. It got so worse after you left, Kai and Breeze refused to talk to me for a week." I laughed at the memory. "Is that when the pranks started?" She asked referring to Breeze''s new habit. "That''s when the pranks started." I confirmed as we both chuckled. "You kept it..." I noticed the necklace I''d given her hanging over her neck. It was made from the prototype of one of the features I had discussed with Wonder Woman about adopting, to deal with Villains. I called them Waypoints. Crystal bands that upon arriving at a set location, instantly teleports the target to the Hollowlands. You couldn''t die or escape in the Hollowlands. It was impenetrable. Capable of even imprisoning gods. And soon...it would need a warden. I looked out to the ocean at the kids playing. It was time to get them an older sibling apart from Vaatu. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "Yes." Kori dragged me out of my thoughts. "I treasure it with all my heart. When I am unsure, I touch it and feel it''s warmth. Your warmth gently pulsing through and I''m comforted. This is the best thing anyone has ever gotten me." I watched her, stunned. Then a soft laugh escaped me. "I had forgotten how sincere you always are, Kori." She raised her upper body off the beach chair and leaned her head on my shoulder. Then she breathed in my scent. "I have missed this. The peace. And I have missed you as well." I gently caressed her bare shoulder, keenly away of her incredible bust pushed up on my own hand. "Me too Kori. Me too." We stayed like that for a while. Time was different here than outside so I could enjoy the relative peace. The sun dipped over the edge of the horizon, casting the water in an orange glow that felt warm and inviting. "Are we going to talk about..." "Shh." She shushed me by placing two finger on my lips. "Soon but not now. For now let us enjoy this." She smiled and responded. I gave a short nod and watched as the Kids finally got tired of playing in the waning light and started coming up to the shore. I decided to reveal myself finally. "Dad!" The first one to notice me was Sai. His body similar to Kai''s earlier turned into a streak of lightning and slammed into my legs in a fierce hug. A few seconds later and another chorus of ''dads'' and I was buried under 4 kids. Breeze was the first one off me as she rubbed her nose mischievously and shouted. "You stink!" Damn...she bad. Calling me out like that. "Breeze that''s not a very nice thing to say. Mom said to always be nice!" Sai interjected, coming to my rescue. "But it''s true!" Breeze angrily said. I hefted the two of them up by my arms as they stared daggers at one another. These two... Kori threw me a glance and shook her head, trying not to laugh. "You are both right." I cleared my throat. "Breeze, honesty is always the right thing to do, you just have to learn not to be insensitive. And Sai sometimes to truly help someone you have to stop being nice and show them what I like to call ''tough love.''" The two of them stared at each other in confusion. I felt a pull on my pants and saw Match looking up at me expectedly. Sighing I used air bending to bring him to my shoulders. He grabbed onto my head with his small hands and shifted to secure himself better. "You comfortable up there?" I asked. "Yeah." He happily replied, bringing a smile to my face. He was learning how to socialize and it was such a drastic improvement from 2 months ago when all he had on was a stoic look. I gently smiled and looked back at Kai. "Kai..." "I''m good dad." She cheekily said hanging off Star''s neck. Out of everyone she had the closest bond with Kori. Kori smiled at me as she adjusted Kai''s body on her back. "Race you to the cabin?" She asked. "Oh it''s so on...and she''s gone." Kori shot off like a bullet at her fastest speed. "Come on Old man... run!!!!" Breeze ordered and I complied. The kids laughter was the highlight as it rang out through the entire island. Kori managed to beat me so I asked for a rematch. She cheated again but I got back at her by organizing a prank with Breeze. I know I was probably encouraging bad behavior but...sue me. After the kids had fallen asleep, in part due to my awesome cooking skills, Kori and I walked out into the porch. Building a cabin had become necessary after Starfire had arrived. Those few days after what had happened had been done of the best I''d had in DC. "I wish you could see the sky in Tamaran." She started off wistfully. "The beauty of the stars wash the sky in various colors. In part due to Tamaran''s different atmosphere. You can see green stars shining. Red ones, blue ones and yellow ones." I sighed in content, covering her lap with the blanket I had procured from inside. She smiled in happiness and pulled in closer to me, lying on my shoulder as I sling my hand across her own shoulders. "Thanks." I rubbed her back. "Don''t mention it." I thought of something and snapped a finger. The night sky above changed into what I imagined was Starfire''s view of the sky from Tamaran. She gasped and sat up straighter. Her eyes were open in wonder. "I hope I didn''t fuck it up?" I asked her out loud only for her lips to clash into mine in a fierce kiss. I felt goosebumps spread across my body from the nostalgia that hit me. Kori''s kisses were like a drug. A drug I never knew I needed or wanted but a drug that none the less pulled me into it''s embrace. I leaned in to the kiss as it turned from soft and slow to urgent with a need. The blanket was thrown away as Kori''s weight settled on my lap. Each of her legs were strapped to either side of my hips. I ran my hands down her shoulders to her hips and ample butt, squeezing it and eliciting a moan. "...Dad?" Only for the spell to be broken by Sai and Match looking at us from the door of the cabin. Kori glanced at me, flushed and gave me one last peck on the lips before moving away towards the kids. Immediately hugging them, she walked over to the huge couch we had been sitting on and laid them between us. And yes, I know a couch isn''t ideal but after Breeze had made it her sacred mission to break every swing I made by trying to ''see how fast it can go'' I''d had to change a few things. The couch was super heavy and couldn''t swing. She took one look at it and dismissed it. "What''s wrong guys?" I asked the two of them, laying the blanket from earlier on their bodies, it was really cold. They couldn''t normally get sick but why risk it. "Match had a bad dream." Sai stated pointing at the Clark Kent look alike who was suddenly shy. "Hey." I rubbed his shoulder. "You can tell us anything Match. We''re family and family helps each other out. Even just by listening." He was silent for a short while before nodding. "I...I saw a burning man." He looked at me to see if I was listening. Noticing the focused look on my face, he continued. "He flew across...across a burning world. Earth." My breath hitched. "And...he told me to join him. To join him because the splendor of Krypton shall be reborn anew...in the ashes of earth." I made eye contact with Star and saw the grim look on her face, a reflection of the one on mine. That wasn''t a normal dream. I tried to put on an encouraging smile and urged Match to continue. "Did he...say anything else?" Match nodded. "He called himself the god of Krypton. Rao." The Connection General P.O.V) In a darkened room, filled with a board covered in parchments of newspaper articles, photos and pictures, was a lone monitor that shed the only bask of light on the figure sitting before the table. A plate with a half eaten pizza with mold growing out of it sat next to a quarter full of orange juice in a glass. The man sitting across the monitor leaned to the side and grabbed the headphones slung over on the mic adjusting cord on the stand. He pulled the mic closer as well, breathing heavily as he wiped the sweat on his face off. He had an untidy beard as well as blood shot eyes as he begun the podcast. "Hello out there, mystery lovers. It''s your favorite conspiracy podcast, Man in The Know here. However, this is not just a regular conspiracy theory channel touting about how the earth is flat and what not. I''ll leave that for the fools who don''t understand science." He laughed out loud at the unfunny joke. "No, no but seriously. Here we try to prove if shit is real (excuse my language) or not. We get down and dirty. And and and aaaalll my information is compiled from a long list of research. Mostly public witnesses, news network and superhero forums." "I still haven''t gotten a reply from the CIA about my request for a sneak peek on some of their data to confirm whether my info is usually right but I know a guy willing to..." He cleared his throat, cursing himself for almost saying something he shouldn''t have. You don''t mess with the underworld. "That''s besides the point, Mystery Lovers because this week...I have something that will knock your socks off." He took in a deep breath. "Before that, shameless plug for my sponsors, Elite Cleaning products are amazing at removing stains..." He went on to give a clearly practiced and monotonous tirade. After the advertising, he grabbed the glass with the orange juice with his meaty fingers and proceeded to drown it. "Ah so refreshing..." He belched. "Now where was I?" A ringing sound came through the line but he cut it. "I won''t take any calls just yet. First you have to listen to what I got for you today." His whole demeanor underwent a change. "For a few months now, a series of heists have been carried out without the perpetrators getting caught. Some notable locations that have been broken into are like the Museum of Moesgaard, where an artifact able to cast illusions over a wide area called the mask of Amupit was taken. The mask was later on used by Abra Cadabra to rob a jewelry store in Central City before the Flash apprehended him. That was 2 months ago." "A week later, Xiao technologies in Chima lost a shipment on a cruise going to Australia. Getting the details on the shipment was hard but someone spilled the info. It contained the mummified remains of Zhong Kui, the vanquisher of ghosts, a scholar who committed suicide Millenias back and was given the power to control ghosts." "A few days later in Sivana industries, Fawcett City, an experimental drug capable of fully rejuvenating the recently dead at the risk of insanity was stolen by Brother Blood with, you guessed it, an army of his cultists and ghosts. Shazam who is no longer a member of the Justice League by the way, handled that particular villain with the help from Green Arrow." "There are more cases like these two. The disappearance of the Tata Delaminea, a painting that is said to bring good luck to all gaze upon it, The Sword of Achilles, said to contain his mythical powers and a mystical goblet from King Solomon''s own collection, said to house the soul of a djinn. The djinn can only be stirred from his slumber by pouring the purest waters of the earth in the cup." He snorted. "Good luck with that." "But why am I telling you all this? Through all the heists, there was one thing in common. White flames and clouds of darkness. That was literally it. Until a security guard managed to snag a picture of the ones responsible and while it''s unclear, glowing blue eyes from a figure with a dragon tattoo and flashes of white Lightning can clearly be seen. The authorities designated him as The Contractor but the internet gave him another moniker, The White Shadow." If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "And to aid him, the White Shadow has a partner. Darken. Her powers are exactly as stated, darkness and shadow manipulation in an unprecedented scale. She is able to plunge over 5 blocks in a darkness that dulls the senses. She can form constructs like weapons, shields and form wings made of darkness behind her that she can use to fly." He finished with a tinge of excitement coloring his tone. "No one knows if their abilities particularly hers, are as a result of a meta gene or of it''s magic. My money''s on magic. A meta gene is more restricted in certain aspects. For example, Black Canary can only emit powerful sonic blasts from her mouth. Darken however has been known to shift her form into darkness, effectively becoming intangible as well as teleport through shadows. Magic while having strict rules is not limited like a meta gene. The other possibility is a fusion of both meta powers and magic, effectively making her a hybrid." A call started blaring through but he hanged up with a groan. "I know you have questions guys but I''m getting to the good part, so please calm down. Now, not much is known about The White Shadow. He is a true enigma. His powers consist of pyrokinesis, which he uses to control and manipulate a white fire for various effects. He can conjure shields and weapons by compressing the flames and release very hot flames capable of melting steel." He paused to grab the slice of Pizza from his plate, sniffed it, shrugged and proceeded to take a bite. "The White Shadow also possesses lightning manipulation similar to Black Lightning. The difference of course being that his Lightning is completely white. It is also strong enough to completely shred apart a shipping container as evidenced when the shipment from Xiao technologies was stolen." He chewed and swallowed before belching to the side. "Super strength, super speed, enhanced senses and the ability to teleport seem to be a part of his power as well. The two have faced off against the Superion and the Justice League Mini, still hoping that name will catch on, but never have they once captured either of them. If you''re new to the channel and want more info on Superion and Justice League Mini along with Superman''s cause of disappearance, revisit some of my older episodes." "Now mystery lovers you might be wondering why I gave you all a run down of all that, right? Simple...for the first time ever, a news crew has managed to capture footage of The White Shadow in action. The incident happened in Japan on one of the Chaos pockets the League labelled a hazard. "I''m sure you''re all aware of Chaos Pockets now. They appeared two days ago, popular consensus makes them out to be pocket dimensions sustained by a mass belief in something native to that location. It is also a sign that the world has gone to shit. A few months ago, Pluto was destroyed, the debris is only just now reaching Mars, the moon was temporarily covered by a halo of light. Further study showed that the halo was made up flying beings. I don''t believe it was angels like some experts say." "And then Superman disappeared, the string of heists carried out successfully by the White Shadow happened and recently the chaos pockets, followed by the disappearance of the moon! Of course it came back but still. All these things points to something coming. Something huge is on the way." His voice grew grim. "A new world order..." His line started blowing up from the hundreds of calls. "And standing in the middle of it all...is The White Shadow. All the objects from the heists he carried out ended in the hands of other villains, showing that he''s a dealer. But if he is a villain, then why would he bother to save people from the Chaos Pockets? First caller of the day, how are you?" He finished and accepted a random call. "Yeah," a soft voice that sounded young replied. "I was...umh...I was wondering if...if they''re dating? You know Darken and The White Shadow" The man in the room shook his head in disbelief. "I just revealed to you all about a possible connection between all the crazy shit that has happened and you''re worried about whether they fuck or not?" He questioned in annoyance. "Yeah..." The soft voice replied. "Probably." The man sighed. " I mean from the rare pics ever captured of them, Darken is a total babe. The White Shadow would be a fool not to hit that." He swerved on his chair while sipping the last of the orange juice. Then a prompt appeared on his screen. The man scrambled to his keyboard in excitement. "I just got the link to the video guys. The raw footage of The White Shadow going ballistic on a monster''s ass. I''m sending the link to my discord now. Aaand done!" He then clicked on the link and started playing the video. After it ended the man had a shocked look on is face. He removed the glasses on his face and rubbed them. "That...that...that was Yamata no Orochi and...and he took it down without even trying guys. I think I''ll need to evaluate his power again." He momentarily switched off the mic and headphones and walked over to his board. News paper clippings dating back to 6 months ago, showed an image of Maelstrom in Metropolis, with Superman and Superion saving a bus. Then another article showed a grainy picture of Maelstrom standing above Superman''s body. Then another picture showed him flying away from Washington. All these articles were connected together with a red string. The man uncapped a sharpie and wrote down on a piece of paper. He then attached the paper to the middle of the board, separating the board into two sides. One side was labelled, Maelstrom and the other was labeled The White Shadow. For months he''d been trying to figure out the connection between them. He wasn''t the one to even start suspecting a connection. No that had been a ''friend'' A friend that wanted payback. But now he had the connection. He used the sharpie to circle the word on the piece of paper he''d written. "The yellow portals." Overlord (Aden''s P.O.V) I slung the blanket over Match''s body and rubbed his hair. I clutched a little sand in my arms and closed my eyes. The sand poured through a small boom tube that acted as a gateway to the boundaries separating reality and my realm. This place was unbound by time or space. It was a neutral ground that admittedly I knew very little about and the only thing to be found in it were Inverse beings. Beings that could not interact with tangible reality because they were the stark contrast to known existence. My mental feeler pulsed with the memory of the energy signature of the being I sought out. ''Brother if you can hear me, I pray to you. Let the dreams of my loved ones be full of happiness and joy. Give them a reality where anything is possible. The limit to their imagination gone. Please Morpheus.'' I added. A second later I felt a soft brush on my mental walls. "It shall be done... For a price, I want to meet my nieces and nephews." I thought about taking back my request. But looking down at Match''s sleeping form as well as Sai, Kai and Breeze, I realized I couldn''t keep them under lock and key forever. I just had to trust in everything I had been teaching them. How to be careful among strangers. Especially the kind of beings I dealt with on a daily basis. I felt Star''s palm on my shoulder, gently rubbing. She must have noticed the look I had on my face. "Everything is going to be alright." She offered to which I smiled. I really hoped so because there was no taking this back. "Okay brother. You will meet them soon." I shut off the connection. "Don''t worry about the nightmares anymore Match. Go to sleep." I turned to Match and softly assured. He gave a cute yawn and nodded sleepily. Once outside, I looked out to the ocean in thought. I could feel Kori''s presence behind me clearly. "You are an awesome Dad, Aden." My breath hitched as her voice tickled my ears. I closed my eyes and released a slow breath. "I don''t know about that. I don''t even know how my dad and mum managed to raise me." I chuckled. "Believe it or not, I used be a little terror when I was a kid." "Like Breeze?" That made me laugh harder. "Exactly like Breeze. But...I don''t know. Through it all, I could count on my parents to know what to do. In every situation, they were my security. But now that I''m taking care of the kids...I realize, they had no fucking clue what they were doing. They just loved me. That''s it. Just...Love." "And that''s enough." Starfire assured. "No...I don''t think it is Kori. Not really. Not in this world." I turned to her. "They have sooo much power and potential and I''m afraid that others will seek to use them." Starfire''s face changed. "You can''t control everything Aden." (Ultimate Mission Issued) (OVERLORD) I looked at the mission that appeared in my vision. The first and last of it''s kind. I read through it''s description. It was not detailed like the usual missions. The standard mission parameters, objectives and rewards were all blank. In fact it only had one statement. (Bring All Under Your Dominion) This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. It was as I was standing there, seeing the gentle waters of the sea lap at the beach, as the girl who made my heart skip a beat gently held me from the back that I made a pact. To safeguard what I had, I couldn''t just be the Avatar. Not when I knew of threats far worse than Neron. Not when everything I had could be taken away in the blink of an eye. So I decided to become more. And what''s more than the lord of True balance? Guess I''ll just have to find out. I rubbed Starfire''s hand and softly answered. "Watch me." (General P.O.V) (The Aztec ruins) (New Mexico) The boom tube''s light pulsed upon it''s activation, The White Shadow stepping through. The sand on the ground crunched under his landing as he warily looked around. The only reason he''d even known there was a Chaos Pocket here was because of the innate connection he had with his own chaos energy. Otherwise the old magic in these ruins clouded any energy distortions. It was...weird. There was not much that could interfere with Chaos energy. Among what could, primordial energy, the precursor to what was there before the gods came could be used to maybe suppress it''s energy imprint but not chaos itself. He breathed in...yeah traces of unrefined divinity were left here. And not only that but ''they'' were here. The boom tube behind him disappeared as he opened his eyes. The blue orbs were as sharp as the saber that appeared in his hands. From the shadows came out two beings. A girl sitting on a hulking crystal creature and a boy with a cat in his hands. "Well this...is certainly unexpected." Child commented, feeling on edge yet the small innocent smile on her face remained. Teekl''s hair stood on ends as she dramatically growled. "Teekl, what''s wrong? Are you hungry? You want me to feed you? But we just ate!" The familiar scratched Klarion''s hand and growled again. "Ouch..." Klarion cried out before his face changed "wait, flee not feed? You want us to...to run away because this new guy can kill us?" Klarion raised his eyes, glowing red as his aura rippled out. "You..." He roared. " You scared my cat! I am going to..." A red portal manifested beside Klarion and swallowed him. "Aah...much better. His whining was getting on my nerves. Now then, introductions are in order. I am your soon to be destroyer. Who are you and where are the two funny humans who have been chasing us through out the planet?" She said in an adorable voice. The White Shadow cocked his head to the side, surveying with all his senses to make sure Klarion wasn''t planning a sneak attack. "Hmph! How rude. Kill him Flaw!" She gave the order and cackled madly as the crystal familiar under her ran to carry out the order. It jumped the length of 20 meters and came down, hands raised to smash the forearms down at The White Shadow. A boom tube intercepted them, but Child felt the energy fluctuations and quickly portaled out through her own red portal. Then they appeared behind The White Shadow. Flaw''s right arm shifted into a long sword, which it used to slash out at Aden. There was a loud clang and a huge bang as a crater formed under The White Shadow''s feet. His right hand was raised to block the sword arm from slashing him apart while the other was held close to his hip. The dust settled and Child widened her eyes. On Aden''s left palm was a gyrating ball of white flame. "Oh crap." Child muttered uncharacteristically, feeling the compressed energy in the attack. The White Shadow aimed at them both and released the flame attack. Streaks of white lightning washed out across the surroundings as a concentrated fire explosion drowned out Child and Flaw. Finally understanding that whoever she was dealing with was not like the other two, Child decided that she had spent more than enough time entertaining him. She and Flaw both broke apart into a swarm of red locusts, avoiding most of the attack, then flew away into a red portal. "See you soon Mister! Don''t worry next time I''ll make sure to kill you." She added in a chipper tone. As if she was selling chocolate. "So that you don''t get too lonely, I have a neat surprise for you. Make sure you live long enough to see the end of everything. It is going to be fabulous! Hahaha..." The red portal disappeared, leaving The White Shadow alone once more. "What a crazy bitch..." The White Shadow commented. To be honest while Aden was actively using his alter ego to unravel the Chaos Pockets scattered across the world, most of his attention was with his main body. That had been the reason he had been so silent. The black Saber disappeared into his hammer space as he walked towards the ruins. It seemed as if the ones responsible for giving the tour through the Aztec ruins had cordoned the area off. Though it seemed to be very recent and shoddy. Probably because of the intimidating swirling black vortex above the ruins. The White Shadow paused on his next step. Something was happening. The Chaos Vortex had instantly doubled in intensity before squeezing onto itself and then exploding out into a wide spread shockwave that fell the outcrop of rocks, standing monuments and statues. The whole area was rendered flat. The black Saber appeared in the White Shadow''s hands, before he created a shield of white flames around him. The shockwaves, noise from falling debris and dust finally died down. The White Shadow''s hand tightened. There was something present. An energy signature that distinctly felt like old magic, chaos mystical energy and funnily enough, spiritual energy. A powerful landing heralded the full reveal. A black Jaguar large in size that possessed glowing turquoise eyes, a powerfully built front section, and was covered in traditional Mezo-American markings along his front legs and neck. Across his face was a horizontal scar in bright red. The inside of his fanged mouth a fluorescent turquoise like his eyes. "Speak trespasser, who are you? You step on the grounds of a chosen people." The White Shadow was silent for a while before stepping forward. "A chosen people that do not really exist now. It''s many years into the future Yaotl. I ask one question of you, who is your master?" The black Jaguar roared, sending vibrations of sound across the whole area. "I have no Master! I merely protect that which I feel deserves not to be desecrated. Leave, outsider or face my wrath!" The Black Jaguar did not even notice that the intruder knew it''s name. chaos must have dulled the innate connection they possessed as Aden could feel it keenly. Unlike the others, it seemed as if The White Shadow would have to make the Jaguar submit. "Wrong answer, Yaotl." His black saber flashed out. The New Sky Father (Aden''s P.O.V) One thing slightly bothered me as I stepped out from the boom tube and into the hall of the gods. I had released them all after my conversation with Diana and during that time, they seemed to have cleaned up. Cleaned up and very unhappy. What bothered me however was unrelated to that. What bothered me was how and why Rao reached out to Match. It didn''t make any sense. My realm was impossible to break into without my permission. Even my yet to meet sister, death was barred from entering. Death was not present in my realm. Not really. When the creatures died, their fading consciousness would meld with the realm, purifying and adding to the life force of the entire dimension as well as getting stored for a future project I had. It wasn''t a true death, they just lived on in another sort of existence. It was like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. When the demons had all died, I had just harvested their consciousness into a super dense ball of unified energy that would be used for eh, ''something.'' The familiar blimps of divine signature from the gods brought my mind back to the issue at hand. The aura of power coming off of them was weak however. That had been a consequence of the fact that I had drained them of almost all of their divine energy. Luckily the few hours I''d been gone were enough for them to recover. Though Athena still looked injured by Ares sneak attack. Speaking of whom, with his divine essence, I could make a god. Crazy huh? Or a never ending source of divine energy. We''ll close that bridge when we get there. It was time to choose the next Sky Father. Zeus was no longer seated on the throne. Something that brought a smile to my face. Though by the subtle tightening of the former godking''s hand on the frame of his new seat, the action was noticed. Meh, he could sulk at his new throne that was between Hera and Demeter. I ran my eyes across the whole gathered hall, noticing each placement and the general mood of the room. The twin gods, particularly Artemis glared at me with a mixture of deep fear and hate. Apollo on the other hand was pensive and thoughtful. I had to look out for him. I was always wary of people who could put aside their hate or anger and think clearly. The logic driven ones were truly who to be careful of because they could come up with ways to efficiently take you out. Back to the general atmosphere in the hall, One side was angry, mad or dejected and crazily enough, the other side was a little happy. Though that side was only occupied by 4 gods. Aphrodite, who threw me a kiss when she caught my eye, I answered with a small polite wave. No way I''m eveeeeer tapping that. Persephone who still had her camera and was busy taking pictures of Demeter and Vaatu, I''ll get to why in a second, Poseidon whose face was alternating between glaring at me and smugly looking at Zeus and funnily enough, Hera. There was a...a certain glint in her eyes that told me, losing the title of Queen was nothing to the joy of Zeus losing something. Wonder Woman stood at the foot of Zeus'' new throne along with Superboy, Vaatu and Darken. Vaatu was currently occupied by throwing stares of intrigue Demeter''s way and by the glow in the goddess of harvest'' eyes, something had happened between them. I narrowed my eyes. Was she taking advantage of him to get to me? That only reinforced my confidence in my next move. Vaatu was just a new born. Despite being a god and having innate understanding of the world, he was still naive. I winked at Darken telepathically. ''you must be tired of all this, don''t worry it''s all about to end.'' The corner of her lips twitched as she answered back. ''Its cool. Besides, I like to see this as a vacation.'' The flame burning on the hearth rose up dramatically as Hestia''s body changed in a flash. From 14 years old to her 20''s, the power of the eldest Olympian spread out across the hall. Every single member of her family seated behind her, stiffened. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Hestia was not one to act so...dominant. So her wildly blazing aura must have caught them unaware. "Aden Strong, you stand before the gods of Olympus. As per the bargain, it is your choice on who sits next on the throne of the Sky Father." I bowed, noticing the look of well hidden pain, twisting around with resolve. She had betrayed her family for their own good. She knew what would happen had Zeus stayed on the throne. He would have pushed back. Tried to get his way with me. And I...I would have destroyed them all. But with someone else on the throne, someone who understood restraint and was wise, the Olympians would continue to live. I briefly made eye contact with Athena and nodded. Being the goddess of wisdom, she knew I didn''t want to pursue this matter again. She nodded back. A subtle yes to accepting what had happened had happened and that they would honor the deal. How sincere she was...I had no idea. Zeus on the other hand, had stormy eyes that looked far off. The fact that the Fates had been the ones behind all this...that they had been controlling him must have left a bitter taste. Even without doing anything, I could tell that they were fucked. Zeus rage was legendary and his mercy unheard of. "Thank you Hestia." I rose up from my bow and walked closer to the hearth. Wonder Woman copied me and stepped up beside her Aunt. It was not that known but the hearth of Olympus was very important. Were it to go out, a catastrophe would strike. Did she think that that was what I was going to do? I snorted and raised my head to address the gods. "Conflict proves whose ideals are stronger. And violence is the purest expression of conflict and defender of one''s ideals. Therefore I am stronger and more powerful." I paused to let that sink in. "You all must be Wondering what I''m trying to say. Simple, our positions will never change. I will always be ahead because I never plan on stopping or growing content with the power I have. I shall never be complacent like you gods. That is simply not the kind of person I am. So this is a warning for whoever I install on that throne..." I particularly looked at Athena. "You better be smart enough to understand what you''re up against. And if you ever think of directly or indirectly scheming against me..." At this I released the careful hold on my true power. Or rather the potential for my true power. It grew so silent that a ringing sound was all everyone''s ears could perceive. Dionysus, Artemis and Haephestus who were probably the weakest overall almost passed out as the rest of the gods were suppressed in their seats. "Enough!" Wonder Woman grit her teeth from her forced crouch. I frowned seeing that Darken and Superion were also similarly affected by my aura. Superion gazed me with a slightly complicated gaze but Darken simply threw me a look filled with amazement in her eyes. She knew what our larger plan was. She knew what I had promised her and to see that I more than had the power to deliver it made her happy. Vaatu matched her look as well. He knew I was powerful but due to the link we both possessed, he could even more clearly perceive the true depths of my power. I called back my aura and breathed out to calm my nerves as well. "I do not want to fight you any more." I shook my head. "I have a lot more on my mind than to counter whatever schemes you might come up with." I looked to the God of The Sun. "Apollo, this warning is mostly directed at you." He stiffened as I called him out. "Don''t fuck with me and mine, man. Next time I promise there will not be anything for Artemis to try and save." "This is pointless posturing! Get on with it." Hera impatiently said. Instead of talking back at her I simply smiled. She was going to be sooo mad soon enough anyway. "Fine. The queen has spoken." I spread out my hands as Iris'' rainbow washed over me through her pact with Persephone. Worth that, I knew my figure was being projected to every god in mount Olympus. "Gods of Mighty Olympus. Minor and Major alike, I am Aden Strong." I announced myself yet again. They needed to memorize my image and name into their heads so that next time when the greeks fucked with me, they wouldn''t have an excuse while I completely destroyed them. "As per the agreement made with Zeus, I will now pick who I believe to be the most worthy candidate to seat on his throne as the next Sky Father." "And the goddess I choose is the daughter of Zeus himself..." A look of pride crossed Athena''s face as we looked at each other. I could practically feel Poseidon gritting his teeth. He probably thought he was the one who should have naturally sat on the throne. The fact that he thought I picked Athena over him was laughably wrong. That was not the plan you see. After all, Athena had been a massive bitch to me. Just for that alone, I knew she wouldn''t let go of her hate just because she got the seat. No matter how much she tried to assure me our grudge was over, she had inherited most of her father''s mannerisms minus the whole sex mania part. She was conniving, smart and ruthless. Ask Medusa. No, for this to work, I needed someone who knew I don''t bluff and someone I could actually use. "...Diana of Themyscira. The new goddess of heroes." I finished. The whole hall exploded in an uproar. Let Him Come (Aden''s P.O.V) "PREPOSTEROUS!" Poseidon boomed out, his yell shaking the whole building. "She is but a mortal! Only a demi-god!" Hera was quick to add in outrage. "What is happening?! What the fuck is happening!!" Aaand it seems I broke Dionysus whose mutterings were filled with jealousy. Athena''s eyes were pools of rage. A rage that threatened to consume all under it''s might. She visibly swallowed her anger and glared at me. "Diana has other responsibilities to cater for in the mortal world, she is not a fit replacement." Athena voiced her opinion, looking as if she''d eaten something bitter. "Yes! Yes! She''s part of ah...ah what do you call it??! Justice Legion! She cannot be the Sky Father! That''s Dad''s job!" Dionysus shouted. "No one really cares for your opinion Dionysus." I bluntly replied, making the god of drunkness and insanity sputter. "And the same goes to the rest of you." I laughed. "The deal was made and from what I see, I didn''t stray from the requirements needed. Diana is the daughter of Zeus, champion of Olympus and on top of that, she is a god now as well." I looked at the person in question who was shocked to silence. "Furthermore out of everyone here, barring Hestia you''re all crazy, Sorry Persephone." I added but she waved me off with a giggle. "I fell in love with my kidnapper. Trust me, I got a few screws loose." "Nothing like a woman with that much self awareness." I complimented. "Are you flirting with me?" She coyly shot back. "My husband would probably not like that." "Yeah Hades does not seem like the type to share. One thing I can say though...he has great tastes." Darken bit back a groan. "I heard that." I told her telepathically. "You''re the worst." I chuckled a little while turning to address Diana about the little mental conversation going on between her uncle and Hera. "Diana, it seems you will have to stop a coup for your first task as the Skyfather...Skymother?" I shrugged. "Who!?" Zeus rose up from his throne. "Who is conspiring against my daughter?!" His aura was no less diminished despite the fact that he was now just a regular major god. "Sit down, you fool. For long I have entertained your arrogance and ineptitude. No longer!" Poseidon similarly got up, brandishing his Trident with a pulse of his godly power. Thunder started roaring from the heavens. "Poseidon, you mongrel. You have always detested me for the fact that I sat on the throne. When will you let it go?!" "Because you were never fit to be king!" Poseidon yelled. "We suffered for years in his belly while you were off galavanting with Metis! You were free! And only when tensions started brewing between the Titans did you take the chance to strike! You are nothing more than a self entitled, selfish god who only thinks with his dick!!" They were going to come to blows. I could see it. It was already a forgone conclusion, yet... "Stop." One word from Wonder Woman and the tumultuous clash of divine energy stalled. One word and two of the strongest gods, forgot their anger at each other. One word that was accompanied by a wholesome divine aura. I smiled knowing she had accepted her role. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Diana underwent a change. Her star spangled uniform shifted as plates of golden armor covered her, extending to form a chest armor and skirt. The shield on her back changed shape into a diamond form. Then it reduced, growing smaller to the size of a plate strapped between her shoulder blades. The god killer sword under the shield lengthened, the cross guard perfectly melding with the diamond shield with an audible metallic clang. On her forehead a crown that fell to frame her cheeks, highlighting them in a regal air manifested. Her glabella flashed with golden light before the symbol of a shield appeared. Her power doubled, then tripled and increased a couple more times before settling. I whistled. As she was now, she had me dwarfed in all physical parameters in my chaos form and normal form. I could still beat her but that wasn''t saying much when my Weaknesses were her strengths. Of course Chaos was unpredictable and 10 times out of 10, she would lose to me in my chaos form. Still...the gods who were most vocal about Diana not having the prerequisite requirements to take over looked on in shock as she floated to the previous throne of Zeus. Her size dramatically increased to the god''s sizes. She was now cresting at 10 meters. Her hands trailed across the frame of the throne as she breathed in, melding herself with the the power of the Sky Father. Her dignified aura spread out. Despite being surrounded by enemies, Hera and Athena on both sides, Diana looked like she belonged where she sat. The whole hall resonated with her breath. And the entire Olympian realm accepted her as the new god queen. "All hail, Diana of Themyscira, goddess of heroes, the Skymother of the Olympian deities!" Hestia announced, bowing and all of us heard the chorus from the city of gods set below the temples of the major Olympians. "Hail! Hail! Hail!" Athena looked livid as one by one, the major gods starting with Demeter got off their thrones and bowed to her. Athena''s anger aside, Hera looked furious, Zeus looked resigned yet...oddly happy? Poseidon seemed wrathful, Apollo kept his face carefully blank except for a slight smile, Artemis looked on with a sneer, Hermes had a grave face as he bowed, Dionysus was scared at the turn of events and tried to shrink away, Persephone gave her a thumbs up, Haephestus was expressionless except for a thoughtful expression on his face, Aphrodite was looking at me...not interested in you, you psycho and lastly, Superion and Darken copied the gods and bowed down. Vaatu however did not. I smiled knowing why. Upon noticing the looks directed his way, he cleared his throat. "Forgive me dear sister, but I only bow to one being." With that statement, of course every eye turned to me. I sighed and shrugged in a ''what can you do?'' way. "Hail goddess Diana." I praised. "I have a feeling that your rule is going to be fraught with entertainment." I laughed a little at the way she narrowed her eyes at me. "Leave us." Diana ordered the entire hall. "Are you sure that is the right thing to do, dear sister?" Apollo wondered, saying what was in everyone''s mind. I did not for a minute forget that I was still an enemy. They were certainly right in worrying though. The hall was the most vulnerable place. If I destroyed the thrones then they were done for. Of course this was also a ploy by Diana to see who opposed her and agreed with her. It was a wise move. "I will be fine. Everyone. Leave." Hestia bowed and retreated in a wash of flames, followed by Persephone, Hermes, Demeter and Haephestus. Though a card with his symbol of the forge drifted through the air to me. I pocketed it with a smile. Haephestus and I could create some good shit. I had a feeling it was going to be the start of a good relationship. Aphrodite threw me a kiss and then unravelled into rose petals. A breathtaking scent hit my nostrils and I shook my head to get rid of the bombardment of NSFW thoughts running around my mind. I looked at Vaatu as he motioned to me to let him leave. Probably to go after Demeter. We were going to have a conversation soon about that. I gave him a thumbs up and he smiled in excitement, flying away towards the temples. Back to the hall, I noted the thrones that were still occupied and frowned a little. So, just about who I expected. With these gods disobeying her first order, Diana now knew who supported her ruling and who didn''t. She looked around at Poseidon, Hera, Athena, Zeus, Apollo, Artemis and Dionysus. "I asked you all to leave." Wonder Woman softly intoned. "A foolish request. Why would we leave the hall of the gods unprotected in the face of an enemy?" Hera reasoned. "Um sorry to interrupt but I have two answers for you. One, I''m stronger than all of you combined. Even if I wanted to do something to your thrones, none of you could stop me and two, we talked about this man, I don''t want anymore conflict with you guys. That''s why I picked the best candidate to replace Zeus." Hera fumed but could do nothing because all I had said was true. "Everyone, you all heard my daughter. We are leaving." Zeus ordered in a laughable attempt to still exert his influence. They listened though, which showed that in the eyes of the rest, Diana was still not the leader. She was going to have to change that. A boom tube appeared next to Superboy and Darken. "The portal will take you to an alley behind a popular Fro-yo shop in L.A." Superboy soared a glance at Wonder Woman tightened his hand into a fist, a stubborn set to his shoulders. "I am not leaving her alone with you, Aden." I rolled my eyes. "Diana?" I called. "It''s alright Superion, I can handle this. Report back to the Watchtower and give them a run down of everything that has occured." He considered it for a few more minutes before giving a curt nod and walking through the portal. Darken threw one final glance my way. "I''ll meet you at the base?" She projected the thought through our mental link. "Yeah. Don''t wait up too long for me though, I might be here a while." The portal disappeared with them, leaving Diana and I to stare at each other through Hestia''s hearth. "Why?" Diana wondered. There was confusion, resignation and curiosity in that one word. "Because you walk the line between god and mortal Diana. Because you know the pain of humans and the splendor of gods. Two very different beings. Because you will not favor one and neglect the other." She pondered the answer, closing her eyes briefly. She didn''t want to completely believe me. Which was smart actually. I was hiding something. The real reason why I chose Diana was because of one thing. Her divinity. gods are slaves to their divinity. She was the goddess of heroes and I was hoping that influence bled into a job as the Chairman of the Justice League. Through that, the League could change into something worth using. Diana had only ever been opposed to Killing villains because that was what the Justice League stood for. But now with her new domain influencing her actions and my being there to take advantage of every action...well my future plans were all but guaranteed to work. "Poseidon is not going to let this go." Wonder Woman stated. "None of that last group will, so you will have to win the coming war. He will no doubt challenge you soon." Wonder Woman''s eyes flashed. "Let him come." Spirit of War. (General P.O.V) Yaotl''s eyes were vicious as he took a running leap. The stone structure behind him exploded in a shower of rock and dust from the force of the lunge. The White Shadow received the claw slash on the broad side of the Black Saber, using the angle to divert Yaotl to the side. The black Jaguar collapsed onto another stone ruin, this time the corner of a wall that led through a hallway. The rumble of falling rocks was especially noisy in the deserted tourist attraction. The light from a flashlight started shining towards the source of the noise as the lone security guard posted to the site started investigating. A boom tube appeared beside the white Shadow''s shoulder. His hand went through it and landed a chop on the Security guard''s neck. A barely audible thud sounded out as the man was knocked out. In the meantime, Yaotl had sniffed the general air surrounding The White Shadow, getting a taste of his true power. He was strong. Not Lord Tezcatilipoca strong or any of the other Aztec gods but as strong as a god emissary, maybe even stronger. Still, Yaotl would not cower. To safeguard the last touches of his masters in the mortal world, he would fight. "Stop." The White Shadow surprisingly spoke up, halting Yaotl in his advance. "The old magic in these ruins is clouding your mind Yaotl. You are not the same guardian Jaguar from myth. You are one of mine. An happenstance. A creation that manifested with reasoning whilst your other kind were nothing but mindless chaos creatures hell bent on destruction." With each word that left the beings mouth, Yaotl shook his head a his instinct warred with his memories. Memories of a duty. "You lie!" He roared, his green glowing eyes burning in a beautiful viridescent flame. Yaotl''s powerful muscles pushed him forward at crazy speeds. His claws swiped out to carve the intruder into strips of flesh. The White Shadow blocked another claw with his saber and leaned away from the second swipe of the Jaguar''s paw. The bark of a tree growing next to the beaten tourist path was shredded apart by the Sharp claws. The tree fell to the side with a crash. The saber in the White Shadow''s hand swung out and landed on Yaotl''s snout on it''s broad side. The Jaguar was pushed away by the attack. Luckily the White Shadow had taken careful measure not to use too much strength, otherwise the ruins would be further destroyed. Unfortunately that ensured that Yaotl recovered faster. This time his limbs blazed with blue green flames as he pushed off like a rocket towards his opponent. The White Shadow had not been expecting that and used the saber to block Yaotl''s charge. He widened his eyes when he felt the strength contained in one of Yaotl''s paw. The force was enough to throw him away. He reoriented his body in midair, white jet flames appearing under his feet, enabling him to land softly a ways off into the green woods surrounding the ruins. ''Stubborn Jaguar'' The White Shadow thought with a sigh. Stubborn but strong. Like a speeding bullet Yaotl appeared at his side, his deadly claws burning with flames. Despite the astonishing speeds, The White Shadow reacted quickly. The saber collided with the claws, sparks flying from the contact. The White Shadow shifted his body and flipped over the serrated tail aimed at his neck. His feet landed and he swiped out a round kick blazing with white flames that blocked the roar of blue green flames that escaped Yaotl''s mouth The fight started getting heated. Flame attacks clashed against each other before falling onto the vegetation around and burning it. The clash of metal against claws and the serrated bone spurs that shot out of Yaotl''s tail. In a few minutes, the spirit had gone from being a normal Jaguar to changing into a creature meant for battle. Bigger, meaner with the blend of blue and green flame finally settling into a stable torquoise color. The flames extended into a long mane going down his spine. The temperature surrounding the Jaguar getting higher. Then again, it wasn''t surprising to The White Shadow who had known from the first look what Yaotl was. A spirit of war just like Breeze was of wind or Kai and Sai were of fire. Yaotl was fashioned after the original Yaotl, who had been the emissary of an Aztec god called Tezcatilipoca. The White Shadow did not know the specifics. All he knew was that Yaotl had come about due to the Lords of Chaos playing around with Aden''s chaos energy. Child had sparked the creation of this new being to destroy Constantine and Deadman, who The White Shadow had left behind to follow the two Lords of Chaos. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The reason Yaotl came out as Yaotl was the influence of the old magic in these ruins. Even now from afar, Aden could see his proud statue standing proud on one of the open courtyards of the ruins. That said the old magic had influenced him into thinking he was the real Yaotl. The White Shadow could have broken that control easily but something had made him decide to see how powerful Yaotl was. Yaotl was a spirit of war...and hence he was getting more powerful the more they fought. Streaks of white Lightning sparked across the White Shadow''s form as he dodged Yaotl''s successive claws, tail and flame attacks to pull up behind the Jaguar. The White Shadow capitalized on the blind spot provided to land a slash across Yaotl''s hind limb. The Jaguar roared in pain and spun around, flames spewing out of it''s mouth to attack The White Shadow. The latter jumped over the attack and released a point blank white flame attack towards Yaotl''s head. The attack seemed inches away from landing when a shimmering shield made of golden material appeared above the Jaguar, blocking the attack. The White Shadow''s eyebrows rose up in interest, bouncing off the shield. The flames holding him aloft compressed once more as he stomped down, intentionally letting loose an explosive wave of flames that pushed him away and washed out to the surroundings. Yaotl roared in triumph as the shield above him received his adversary''s attacks and held without breaking. The Jaguar''s body seemed to bulk up slightly, heat escaped him in waves, resulting on the ground becoming charred. Then he advanced on his opponent. He was on the backfoot! Yaotl could finally take the intruder down. His tail beat the air as he ran forward in a zig zag pattern trying to confuse the opponent. A feeling of uneasiness was born out of seeing The White Shadow remain stationery despite the 3000 plus Jaguar bearing down upon him. Yaotl ruthlessly squashed that uneasiness and prepared to end this once and for a while. His chest inflated, Torquoise flame bunching up inside him and then...bam! It felt like Yaotl''s psyche was slammed into by a ton of unseen force. "That''s enough." The force broke through all the layers of confusion and opened his awareness to who or rather what was standing infront of him. His spirit vision showed him wisps of The White Shadow''s power. His stature. This body was simply a puppet. This body was not the real opponent. A Symbol appeared in his mind. A symbol that vibrated with more power than any of the gods his template self had known. The original Yaotl that was still a part of him could hardly believe it. But the true Yaotl. The one created by Aden''s Chaos energy was well aware just how powerful his master was. He was insurmountable, unfathomable and incredibly powerful. His run slowed as he arrived before Aden, the shield above his form faded away into golden motes of light. His huge hulking form grew smaller. He bowed his head down, a deep voice rumbling out of his throat. "Forgive me master, for my insolence." The White Shadow was silent for a while. Yaotl remained in his subservient position. "I forgive you Yaotl. Now rise up, for there is work to do." The White Shadow stated, seemingly uncaring of the Jaguar''s earlier mistakes. Yaotl was thrown out of loop for a second before realization dawned on him. His master was letting it go because to him, he was never in any danger in the first place. Yaotl evaluated him again, watching his back as a yellow portal appeared before him. To be frank, Aden''s mind was somewhere completely different. He''d seen Yaotl''s capabilities. He was strong and could be of use in taking care of some of his immediate problem. Yes. It''s decided, Wonder Woman was getting a pet Jaguar. She was literally in the lion''s den With few allies. To protect his investment and also get an update on everything that was happening, Aden needed an emissary. And who better to be an emissary than his own spirit created from the blue print of an actual god emissary? But first...he spared a look at Yaotl. Yaotl would need some serious upgrade to watch Diana''s back. Luckily he had a compatible divine essence lying around. He chuckled, remembering what he''d told Ares. It''s funny that his statement about finding someone worthy for Ares'' power would be fulfilled so quickly. ''Is it fate? Destiny? Naaah...it''s all me.'' He thought as they arrived at another boom tube location. Before anything else though, he was going to use Yaotl to get rid of these things even faster. After all, Yaotl had to prove himself and probably needed the training. Aden was NOT going to use the free time to REST even a bit. Not at all. "I understand my master." Yaotl spoke up while walking towards the swirling chaos vortex. The White Shadow nodded. Yaotl was perceptive, that was good. Aden then promptly sank into his meditation as he waited. His thoughts went on pondering what the next air Subskill was. If he could Aden wanted to ascend to his version of a god in both elements at the same time. He felt like he''d already wasted too much time. Yaotl delt with the chaos vortex in a matter of minutes. Aden could feel his sword fill up with the lost chaos energy and smiled. Yaotl was damn useful. A few hours later and some more globe trotting, every chaos vortex was taken care of. Which weren''t that many to be frank. The Lords of Chaos had gotten to most of them and Aden had a feeling that there were more in other realms, not just on earth. But for now, all the ones on earth were cleared. Yaotl delt with more errant chaos beings, dispatching them with ease born out of being a spirit of war. With every unravelled chaos vortex, the White Shadow''s idea was reinforced. The last boom tube took them to his dimension. (Mount Olympus) "Let him come." Diana sounded confident. Something that brought a smile to my face. She would need that for this to work. For her to be the queen that I knew she could be. "2 days. I''ll be back in 2 days. For now, you need to address your subjects and quell any civil unrest that might rise up from sympathizers." I told her getting up. There was an evolution I needed to personally oversee. And by the end of it, Wonder Woman would have completely been done with the issue I was about to present to her. I looked at her seriously before entering the boom tube. "Diana, I went through the memories of some of the gods and what I found was shocking. Ask your mother what they do with the sons of the Amazons." Diana looked at me in confusion. "If she doesn''t answer...ask Hestia. You''re a god now, there are things they can no longer hide from you." Youre late, Fool (Aden''s P.O.V) I stepped through the boom tube and onto my meditation peak. Sitting cross legged on top of the flat mountain peak, I sank into a spiritual trance. My awareness stretched out to cover the whole air realm. I could feel the wind screaming past the mountains, the clouds coalescing above me, roiling around in their own omnidirectional path. Unguided. Unrestrained. Air visibly entered my nostrils with one huge breath. I could feel my lungs expanding, the slight taste of chill on my tongue and down my wind pipe. I held it and released another breath. This one steamed from my mouth. "What is air?" I asked myself. A brief image of Breeze flashing into my mind. The words came out easily. "Air is...freedom. Air is childish joy that can swiftly shift into heavenly fury. Air is a container that holds all. Air is the rawest form of reality. The rift between material and the immaterial. Unseen, intangible but unavoidably significant. Air is the absence of the void of space. Air is the absence of a vacuum. Air is inverse vacuum...air is occupied space. Therefore air is the absence and presence." Both of my voices intoned. I now had a path. I opened both pairs of my eyes the same time Yaotl unravelled the last Chaos Pockets. This one had been deep in Antarctica. The place was...weird. Cold but not Constantine''s prison cold. To my energy sense it felt as if a thin shawl was covering over everything. "My master. It has been done." Yaotl stated, dropping the head of a humongous baboon like creature with white fur infront of me. "Mmmh...a Yeti? We are in the middle of nowhere. Who supplied the imagination to allow the Chaos Being to form?" I wondered out loud. That had been the running theme at least. Chaos beings forming due to the mass belief in a tale, legend or myth by the locals. But the nearest settlement here was tens of miles off. Yet...a shimmer in space caught my eye before it disappeared, making me feel as if something was amiss with the entire continent. And I wasn''t talking about Superman''s Fortress of Solitude either. I narrowed my eyes and filed the suspicions away for later. There wasn''t time to follow up on them. Not when I knew that the next few months would be fraught with danger. It was something I could feel. Like the sword of Damocles hanging over my neck. Ever since Match had told Kori and I about the nightmare he''d had...this ominous feeling gripped my heart and refused to let it go. Something was coming. Something catastrophic. Something world ending. I stood up on the ice ridden landscape, Yaotl on my side and looked up at the sky. And something told me...it was headed straight for me. "I''m waiting..." I whispered, the words drifting across the white environment. The boom tube that swallowed us took us straight to my dimension. (Kuiper belt- Reach Ship) (Asteroid Field) (General P.O.V) "It''s time." The Scientist told the ambassador. "No. Not yet." Frustration was evident on the scientist''s face. "Why? We have been monitoring the entire star system and given the recent clash of Apokaliptian forces and Being X, it is the perfect time to launch a strike. My algorithm predicts a 64% chance that Being X suffered injuries during his fight with the earthen god. The power he expended to destroy Darkseid''s enforcer was on the upper scales of planetary annihilation. Any creature, even the strongest scarab in our ranks, would be left in a weakened state after that. We need to capitalize on this." The Ambassador spared a glance at the Scarab enforcer looming behind the Scientist. Without a word, a blade morphed with a mechanical hum on the Scarab''s limb that he plunged right through the scientist''s back. The scientist gasped in pain as purple blood spurted out of their chest, along with the black blade that had erratic electric flashes running up and down it''s length. "A pity." The scarab warrior said, stepping over the body he had just made dead. "This will not look good. To be frank though, they had a point. " He stated, retracting the ominous blade on his forearm. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "The council will have questions, you mean?" The Ambassador prompted, waving a hand to pull up a map of the solar system. "Mmh." The Scarab hummed in confirmation. "The Scientist overstepped their jurisdiction time and time again. Testing my authority is akin to questioning the council itself. I work for the benefit of the Reach empire. And in turn, you all work for me." The last part was delivered through a stern glare. "Understood." The Scarab answered. "Good." The Ambassador then pulled up the map of another star system light years away from earth. The map displayed the image of a planet made entirely of metal. "The Scientist''s impatience would have cost us unnecessary resources clashing with the Metahumans on earth, especially Being X. But, with a certain nudge in key places, we can reap the benefits without suffering any losses." Laughter rumbled out of the Scarab. "Brilliant! You seek to point Mongul and his Warworld towards earth. He will be interested in someone strong enough to destroy Apokaliptian forces as if they were nothing. A being strong enough to destroy one of Darkseid''s top lieutenants. And when they clash, the inevitability will happen, destruction. From there we can disguise our mission into a peace offering endeavor to keep the Lanterns of our back. The planet itself will be left ripe for our taking." "Exactly." The Ambassador stated. (Aden''s P.O.V) "Kids, I want to introduce you to someone." I announced, appearing before my family without much fanfare. "Die!!!" Breeze shouted, sending forth thousands and thousands of wind blades my way. I smirked as the wind dissolved a couple of meters away from me. I had told her to always take the chance and attack me to see if I could get a spark of inspiration on what the next sub skill was. After that brief meditation exercise, I''d felt more connected to the wind than could be explained so projecting a sort of zone of air negation 5 meters around me was now possible. It wasn''t completely a vacuum but something very close. I knew that this paired up with air constructs and invisibility would add up to the elusive sub skill that I had to master to move on to the next level. "Dad!" "Papa!" "Big daddy!" My eyebrows shot up to the roof at Kai''s greeting. I heard a snort and looked Starfire''s way. She was chuckling while trying to hide it. A prank? Did they not know I was the king of pranks?! "Muhahahaha!" Dextrous air fingers started tickling both her and Kai while I was getting mobbed by the other three. Sai occupied his position on my left leg, hugging it with as much intensity as he could. Match did the same for my right leg, squeezing it up until I actually felt some pain! And Breeze of course was on top of my head. "Hiya! Giddy up horse daddy!!" Where in the hell are they getting all this from? "Hahaha hahaha stop! No more! Hahahaha!" Kai laughed and laughed as I absolutely tickled the crap out of both her and Kori. Of course when a ball of green flame passed very close to my head, I stopped immediately. So Breeze decided to retaliate. So it became a sort of spar. A spar with deadly elemental attacks getting thrown around. It was awkward fun. Very awkward fun. Halfway through, Breeze started fighting with Sai. So Match joined in. So Kai focused her attention on match and stopped trying to burn me with her destructive flames. So Kori became the referee and I was left on the sidelines, wondering what sort of unhealthy competitive spirit was she fueling and if my family was actually crazy. (A couple of hundred meters away) "My master." Yaotl''s voice sounded out from beside me in my White Shadow form. We were standing a few hundred meters away on a hill, looking down at my main body, Kori and the kids. The Jaguar had requested it. He had suggested scouting the whole island for danger despite my telling him and him intimately understanding that I was the lord and master here. If you ask me, Yaotl was simply nervous to meet them. "Yes Yaotl." "Is it normally so..." He struggled to find the word so I helped. "Rowdy? Loud? Crazy?" I laughed, an action that had him looking at me in surprise. This being the first time I''d done it. "Oh Yaotl, you have no idea. Come, let''s go meet the family." I told him and disappeared in one step. Through my awareness, I felt Yaotl pause for a second then he started running after me. Before I could exit through the tree lines, a boom tube appeared at the front, in my White Shadow persona and I portaled out. Now that the chaos pockets had been taken care of and Yaotl was poised to be introduced to the rest, I had a few things to handle. The hulking form of Yaotl broke through the tree lines as he gingerly walked over towards my main body. I smiled. "Yaotl, over here." My words caught the attention of the kids and Kori. They stopped their playful competition and turned to look at where I was pointing. Yaotl arrived before me and bowed. "Master Aden. Forgive me for the intrusion." "It''s okay Yaotl. You''re not intruding at all." I answered, wishing he wasn''t so adamant in being stiff and formal. I would have to educate him on taking it easy. Breeze took the chance while he was in a bowed position to prop her tiny self on his back. "Giddy up huge black puss!" Oh for the love of all that''s holy... "Breeze, get off his back. Right this second young lady." Kori ordered with the narrowing of her eyes. Breeze yelped and came to hide behind me. I patted her back in comfort. Don''t worry Breeze, even I don''t like making Kori mad. "Greenie meanie daddy." She whispered. "Why don''t you say that to her out loud?" I whispered back, to which she shook her head vehemently, making me chuckle. "Everyone meet Yaotl." (General P.O.V) (New York) The boom tube emptied out inside the basement of an obscure building in New York. Above me, you could clearly hear the activity going on as one of my Master''s disciples conducted a class. A gym bag was slung over my shoulder more for show than anything. The basement layout was simple. Only two rooms. The door to the upper level was set to the left of the first room. Which in and of itself was a huge empty sparring chamber with weapon racks to the side. Then another door led to the second room which doubled as the locker and storage room. I walked on the sides of the sparring room, briefly bowing at the figure meditating in the middle of the place where I''d gotten 3 months of physical punishment. Then I pushed the door to the locker room and walked in. I changed without a word, into a comfortable shirt and shorts and came out a few minutes later. Again without word, I sat next to my martial arts master and entered a thought cleansing meditative trance. 1 hour later, Ben Turner otherwise know as Bronze Tiger opened his eyes. "You''re late, fool." His voice was deep. I breathed out. "Yeah...sorry about that master. The world was going to shit." "Mmmh." He hummed. "I figured." Ascension (Aden''s P.O.V) "Ok Yaotl you ready?" I asked the Black Jaguar standing confidently before me. We were both in the deserted island occupied by the Sconiad Tower. "Ready as I''ll ever be, Master Aden." He answered. I nodded and looked back at the island next over. I couldn''t really see Star and the kids but I was thinking that it was just a matter of time until they got bored. At least before the main event. (Realm, record the process. Make sure you capture and save every step of the way.) I remembered to give the order. (Confirmed. Initiating) Good. With the Realm''s help, when the time for my own ascension came, we could streamline the process and make sure I got the most out of it all. Just because I was this powerful now didn''t mean I couldn''t still munchkin the heck out of power dynamics. It''s a principle, you see. My hand reached into my hammer space and removed Ares'' divine essence. Huh. That''s weird. I had totally forgotten about Poseidon''s Trident. Mmhh, why did he choose to go silent instead of asking for it? Not to mention I think I saw him with another trident in the hall during his squabble with Zeus. Strange. (General P.O.V) Poseidon seethed in his palace. His heart was full of bitterness! His precious Trident was in the hands of Aden. That monster. Were it anyone else, Poseidon would have destroyed them for even looking at his trident but...but he was scared! He looked at the Trident in his hands. Oh well, this copy would do until he figured something out. (Elsewhere) The Bio-ship speared through the water as it valiantly escaped it''s pursuers, the Atlanteans. "For chrissake Aqualad! Why are they still chasing us?! We told them we didn''t steal the goddamn Trident!" Kid Flash asked their stoic leader who was anything but stoic at the recent developments. They had been brought in to quell some unrests in the capital following the attack by the Trench. The conflict had necessitated their intervention when Aquaman had been injured during a particularly nasty attack by enhanced Trench warriors. All that had been going on during the Chaos Pockets attacks so half of the team had been shifted from trying to save Plastic man who had been stuck in one Chaos pocket, to delivering aid to Atlantis. Luckily, Zatara had called in some extra help from the mystic society. Then the Trident had gotten stolen. With the king indisposed and Queen Mera trying her best to calm the city states down...a very very dedicated extreme faction of the Atlanteans had shifted the blame of the Trident''s disappearance onto the team. Aqualad rubbed his chin, worried. "We need to talk to the league. The Trident is not just a symbol of the King''s power. It is authority. And without it, Atlantis will be plunged into a civil war unlike anything we have ever seen before." Miss Martian sucked in a breath. "And the chances of that war spilling over to earth?" Aqualad''s silence confirmed it. The odds were not good for them. (Elsewhere) "Doctor, progress report." Lex ordered from his seat at his office in Lexcorp. In the computer monitor before him, Ivo adjusted his bow tie and leaned into the camera too much. Lex scrunched his brow in exasperation upon seeing the ketchup stains on the man''s shirt. "Can you see me Luthor? Is this a good position or..." He started adjusting the monitor enough that he it begun capturing a wide view of the entire room. "That''s better." He moved out of the way and Luthor understood that it wasn''t Ketchup stains he had seen on Ivo''s shirt. Instead, it was blood. On a surgical metallic table completely devoid of any material, lay a dissected huge Trench carcass. Luthor''s eyes gained a spark of interest. "The progress, doctor." He urged as Ivo''s monqi''s shone light at the dead body. "Yes yes I was getting to that. Though it is my belief that Ultrahumanite or The brain would have been more suited for this job." Ivo told him sourly. The shorter man was not happy being taken away from his precious joint experiment with Morrow. Especially when it was so close to completion. Even Lex agreed. But... "The two of them are occupied with something else." Luthor told him. Plus, he did not completely trust The Brain. His fellow Light member had been getting a little too...antsy now that Savage''s deadline was getting so near. "Right right. Related to the energy vortexes that sprang across the world, I presume?" He fished for information, only to see Luthor''s carefully patented smile on his face. Ivo cleared his throat and got to work. "Yes...so enhancing the Trench with our new model C2 bio serum had the same effects as the C1 serum with one notable difference. The changes to emotional and mental states were not as pronounced. However, the changes in the body appearance still remained. We can make thinking monsters but they will still look like monsters, I''m afraid." This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Luthor leaned back in his seat. "I believe you have a solution for that?" Ivo smiled. "But of course. Kryptonian D.N.A is very difficult to alter. It''s dominant in most cases and I speculate that the existence of the Superboy was more luck than science." Luthor frowned at that. "His human d.n.a should have been completely overwritten or suppressed. The reason it did not, has to do more with Superman''s specific d.n.a than other Kryptonians." ''What do you know?'' Luthor snorted in amusement, ''The special alien was special even amongst his people.'' "So I theorize that Morrow and I can tweak the serum with the same structurized sequence as a normal Kryptonian d.n.a to essentially make the subject body Kryptonian while still offering the same benefits from the serum. They will keep their mental facualties and still be stronger in overall power to a normal Kryptonian." "In other words, professor, you have eliminated my need for the final ingredient of Project Rebirth. Well done." Luthor sighed in content. The initial plan with Project Rebirth had been to secretly grab Aden Strong and use his body as Savage''s new vessel because of the potential for growth he had exhibited. However that same potential for growth is what had dashed Luthor''s hope. The plan had been solid but what he hadn''t accounted for was just how powerful Aden had quickly grown! Luthor suppressed a shiver as he remembered the recording of a fight he''d watched. The Light had spared no expense in monitoring Aden and his clash with hell was so high profile, everyone important in the villain circle knew who Aden Strong was. The Demon Bane. It wasn''t in Lex''s nature to be afraid but he was...wary. Yes, wary was the word. Savage would have to settle for having a different body other than Aden''s. But still...to match the astonishing growth and power the boy possessed, drastic measures would have to be taken. "Professor, I am placing Project Rebirth fully under you. We recently had a...disagreement with The Brain hence you shall oversee the final phase." Luthor instructed. "Do not hold anything back for Project Rebirth. Use every resource at your disposal. The host body needs to be strong, fast, deadly and most of all unkillable." The smile on the Professor''s face stretched. "Every resource you say? Very well Luthor. You shall have a creation more powerful than Amazo. On par with Project Godblood. He shall be Starman''s equal." Ivo promised. "Good." Luthor finally signed off. Right that second as if he was waiting for the call to end, a purple boom tube appeared and out stepped Terror. The fusion between Tommy Terror and the Fatherbox nodded at Luthor. It was time for his appointment with the new promising candidate for the Light''s Enforcer position. However, Luthor had a different plan. The Light''s fall out with Apokalips had thrown a wrench into some long term plans they had but Luthor liked it this way. Now he was running the show how he liked it. With Superman incapacitated and the League''s efforts being undermined through a cleaver game of politics, it was time for Luthor to start taking over the world. Not the aggressive approach Savage would go for though, no it was going to be a soft approach. A soft approach that promised the people what they had been missing since Lex had taken out Superman. A symbol of Hope. Now that they could effectively empower whoever they wanted, Luthor was going to steal the Limelight away from the League. And the League away from the Limelight. And The White Shadow, someone who had never failed a single mission was going to be the figurehead. After all, image was everything and The White Shadow had that in spades. Just a little branding and Luthor''s plan would be effective. Of course, Luthor had no idea his prodigious mind, despite the strong mental walls put up and regularly tested by Psimon had already been compromised and subtly nudged to think a certain way. Not too much to be noticeable but just enough that he was predisposed to favoring and valuing The White Shadow. He got up and adjusted his tie. "Mercy, cancel all appointments for today." The bodyguard/secretary standing straight to his left nodded. "Already done sir." Luthor smiled walking towards the boom tube. She had anticipated that today would be a busy day and acted accordingly. "That''s why I keep you around Mercy. You are incredibly resourceful." He complimented. "Thank you sir." Mercy replied, following after him as they stepped through the boom tube. There were tree weeks left to Savage''s threat. If he was not up by then...It would not only be the end of The Light but of the world itself. A last hurrah from a powerful, selfish, brilliant but petty man. Luthor had work to do. It was time to save the world by stealing it for himself. (Aden''s P.O.V) I shrugged, cutting off my thought process. The Trident was not that valuable to me. I could easily feed the divine weapon to Equity but something told me to hold on to it longer. Instead, my hand came out, gripping a swirling red ball with flashes of golden divine energy around it. The divine essence cast a bale red light across the surroundings, an aura of clashing steel, blood, despair and death spreading out through the hardened ground of the island. However, hidden deep within the obvious layers, was honor, noble sacrifice and bravery. Everything had a good side and a bad one. Ares had just decided to fully entrench himself on the bad side of his divinity. I looked at Yaotl and walked closer to him. The spirit had an awed look on it''s face as it stared at the Divine essence in my palm. "Yaotl, this...is not a gift. It is a heavy responsibility that I am wary to thrust upon anyone. But, you are not just anyone Yaotl. You are a noble Spirit. Your will is as hard as diamond. I Know that you will not lose the core of yourself to the influence from this domain." I injected all the confidence I was feeling into my words which was a lot because my spirits had never let me down. "War is viewed negatively. But what people always seem to forget, is that freedom, peace, harmony are all products of War. Just as much as Suffering, despair and pain are. It is up to you to choose what kind of god you want to be. But NEVER lose yourself." I finished. "Thank you master. I will endeavor to never fail the trust you have placed in me. I am ready." Yaotl assured. I straightened up. "Very well." Now there wasn''t a correct way to do this. Not really. Apollo had used his divinity to coax out the nascent divinity inside me. I did not possess divinity as of yet and I wasn''t sure how to use my Chaos form to meld the divine essence with Yaotl. However, that did not matter because of where I was. I closed my eyes. Let''s see if this works. I looked deep within me and connected with my realm. "Yaotl Spirit of War, using my authority as the Lord of The Elemental Dimension, I bestow upon you the godly domain of War. Ascend as the second of my Pantheon." And something actually happened. The divine essence gripped in my fingers left my hand, floating towards Yaotl. Strings of energy shot out of the ball and found purchase on Yaotl Chakra points. The glabella, the chest and other parts. (General P.O.V) A pulse was emitted from the ball and in an instant, the essence fused with a very shocked Yaotl, completely eliminating the chance of Ares ever coming back. A roar of unrestrained power accompanied by a beam of golden light that speared through the sky was produced. The light show continued on for a few more minutes and when it ended, in place of Yaotl was a huge Beastman dressed in golden armor. The strength coming off him was crazy, Aden noted. Yaotl had grown to be as strong as Ares had been! The Beastman had black fur and contained Yaotl''s familiar Turquoise eyes. He tightened his fingers into a fist and felt the strength coursing through his body. His senses were heightened to incredible levels. His mystic flames had changed. His raw physical parameters were now firmly on the god''s level and he had all the abilities that the gods had. His divinity filled him up from head to toe. Every inch of his being buzzed with the domain of War. He could perceive the strength of any individual. He curiously turned that ability to his master and immediately shut it off as he felt an insurmountable pressure from a simple gaze hidden behind Aden''s normal brown eyes. He eyed Aden with reverence. Despite acquiring such incredible power...he still could not perceive his master''s true depths! His master was simply too glorious! Yaotl took a knee, his 7 feet tall frame still putting him a little taller than Aden''s 6 feet height. "I live to serve Master Aden. What do you require of me?" Unsavory Truths (General P.O.V) (Themyscira) The warm sunny day that had been there only minutes prior suddenly disappeared. Apollo''s light was instantly covered by dark and roiling clouds. Hippolyta''s heart grew heavy with worry and care. She spared a look behind her and saw every one of her sisters and subjects sharing that same concern on their faces. They had all...her thoughts were cut off as a magnificent pillar of light landed on top of the raised stage that the priestesses of the gods carried out their ceremonies. Immediately, all the Amazon''s knelt down. Hippolyta was about to follow the example when her shoulders were lightly gripped by her daughter. No...not just her daughter anymore. Diana was different now. Diana was more. And the sooner Hippolyta understood that, the better it would be for everyone. "Mother? What is this?" Diana asked with a tone of confusion. Hippolyta dared to raise her eyes, establishing contact with Diana''s own beautiful blue eyes. Her lips parted in muted shock. The armor covering her was... beautiful. She was beautiful. And her aura, standing so close to her daughter, Hippolyta felt the motherly love she held for Diana almost consume her. Her daughter had done the impossible. Diana had become what they worshipped. "We all saw the Iris projection. We know. We all know Diana." She told her, rubbing the hand Diana had placed on her shoulder. The Themysciran princess could not believe it. This was not how she wanted to address this matter. She gingerly stepped forward and cast her gaze across the whole courtyard, filled to the brim with every Amazonian apart from the ones guarding the Island''s perimeter. "Arise dear sisters." She spoke up, her voice easily projecting through the whole area. "I have fought, trained, feed and bathed with all of you. I am still your Diana. And nothing can change that." The roar of approval that escaped them was deafening. Diana''s face split into a smile. "Tonight, we celebrate in the honor of our daughter and sister, Diana of Themyscira, God queen of the deities!" The high priestess took over, making the crowd go even crazier. Meanwhile Diana turned to her mother, somberly. "We need to talk." Hippolyta nodded with a grave expression on her face. She knew what being a god entailed. It came with powers that mortals would never understand. And after millenia of raising her daughter, she could almost predict every single one of Diana''s motives. Hippolyta knew what Diana wanted to ask and she prepared herself to receive her hate. Once they were in her private chamber after the wild celebrations that carried on through the night, Diana went straight to the point. "What really happens to the sons of the Amazons?" Hippolyta sucked in a deep breath. It was exactly as she feared. (Aden''s P.O.V) I breathed in deeply. The sun above us hit my bare skin, feeling pleasant when paired up with the soft breeze brewing all around us. Yaotl stood before me as well. A Torquoise flame suffused his War god form, as he shifted into a dark brown young looking man. So far all my spirits had the ability to shape shift into a human form and it seemed as if Yaotl was no different. I stretched my limbs, hearing a satisfying crack while readying myself for the spar. The spar was hand to hand only. I wanted to test just how powerful Yaotl was when he wasn''t in his Jaguar form or War God form. We moved in an unseen signal. Turns out he was just a shameless cheater. I had been training with Bronze Tiger who had completely broken down my close combat skills and helped me build them up from the ground. Yet Yaotl was more than keeping up with me. We sparred for a few hours then ended it as I used my superior speed to place him in a submission hold that he couldn''t get out of. I then introduced him to the joys of GRANGO! the day ended with a barbecue on the beach, watching the ocean water softly hit the shore line. The next day was spent trying to find out what he could do and some bonding time with the kids. For the power testing, I had the kids mob him. It was funny to see how Yaotl was struggling to overcome getting blown sideways from left to right by Breeze. Then Kai and Sai would send flame attacks that were on par with Yaotl''s own mystic flames before Match took advantage of the openings and dove in with his stronger body to land heavy kicks and punches. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Their team work is amazing." Kori commented while grabbing the popcorn in the bowl between us. I nodded. "I''m tempted to say it''s the innate link they possess but the truth is they''re just that good at working together." I felt Kori turn to me with an unsure look on her face. "Hey, so...I was wondering..." "You wanna leave." I concluded with a small smile. "Yes. I have duties to the team." She responded looking away. "I love being with the kids but I cannot be stuck here forever Aden. And neither can they." She added. My heart grew cold at her statement. "What do you mean by that? They''re not stuck here. This is their home." Kori was silent and I found myself hoping that we dropped the subject. "Aden, you''re too overprotective at times." She started, placing a hand above the back of my palm. "They need an education. School. They need to learn how to interact with other kids their mental age. And loathe as I am to admit it, you cannot give them that. Not really." I inhaled a slow breath. There was a dozen ways I could respond. Anger, a joke to divert our minds... But the fact remained that Kori had a point. "I would like to tell you I''ll think about it Kori but..." She sighed. "I understand and so, here''s my second suggestion, let them visit me occasionally. I want to spend more time with them and I know they would like that as well." She squeezed my hand, prompting me to look into her green eyes. "I''ll keep them safe. The team will keep them safe. This I swear." She said with conviction dripping off her voice. I couldn''t really say no to that. Especially when I knew how attached they were to their ''mom''. Because that''s what Kori was. Even though things between us were complicated and wouldn''t be solved in only a few days of interaction, no one could take her position in their hearts. "What about Match?" I asked her. "How long will you keep him away from them without feeling guilty?" Kori asked me. I looked at the kids playing with their big brother. "To be honest...it''s already started feeling guilty." "I need to be there for the next briefing." Star said while getting up. "I''ll take you." I rose up as well, feeling dejected that I was about to lose her presence. I placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her to look at me. My lips stretched into a sad smile. "Hey...umm, I really missed you, you know." Star pulled in closer, laying her head on my shoulder. My heart started hammering inside my chest. Star felt warm. A warmth that reminded me that I''d lost it once. "Me too." Star said, pulling me back from my thoughts. "We should talk. About us." I told her raising my hands to wrap them around her body. "We will. Soon." Star nodded as I held her for a few more minutes before Yaotl''s cry of frustration reminded us of the match happening and had us laughing. (A few hours later) Now normally the kids were very self sufficient. I could leave them alone in the realm for a few days and they would be okay. However, I would have felt more at ease if there was someone to baby sit them for me whenever I was away. And because Vaatu needed a Raava, why not kill two birds with one stone? So I was already making steps to creating a spirit of order, one who would hopefully be the big sister that Sai and the others needed. At least when Star and I were occupied by other things. Unfortunately...I had no idea where to start with this. I did ask Star for her opinion but she was similarly stumped as well. She did ask me why I didn''t use the same process I brought about Yaotl to create Raava but it wasn''t the same. Yaotl was a byproduct of the old magic suffusing the old Aztec ruins. Vaatu was forged of chaos. Raava needed to be forged of order. Back to Vaatu, the spirit of Raava was forming inside him. She would remain nascent up until I took the initiative to separate her from him. And I needed to do so because they each needed a balance, otherwise Vaatu''s sheer presence would cause things to fall into chaos even without trying. So what Raava needed was a vessel that was strong enough to handle her. Vaatu had been formed by pairing the chaos spirit with Zeus'' unborn godly child. Raava needed almost the same. Someone who would be Vaatu''s equal in everything. This led me to considering an unusual option. The last time I had been in Nimue''s shop, something had caught my eye on her extensive library. There was a branch of magic called destiny weaving, it''s utility was minimal in the grand scheme of things but after perusing it lightly, I understood exactly what it allowed. Nimue had in her hands a way to influence Plot. Saying it like that makes it sound very powerful. Plot is what ensured Jason Todd survived the beating he would get in the future from Joker. It was what ensured that at the end of the day, no matter how bad things were, the heroes eventually won. Destiny weaving couldn''t control that. To my knowledge no one except one being could. Even the Fates were restricted but...Destiny, my brother wasn''t. There in laid the problem. Destiny never interfered. I had asked Dream about our other siblings and that is what he''d told me about him. He only observed. The good thing is while Destiny weaving was only limited to actually viewing people you had a shared Destiny with, my powers were weird. If I could somewhat tweak the spell with some help from Zatara or Constantine, then I could essentially find the best candidate to become Raava, instead of creating her from scratch. They would be like an Avatar. My Avatar. I was giddy with the prospects. As we stepped into the Watchtower from the boom tube, the first thing I noticed was the scuff marks along the walls of the structure. Yaotl was behind us in his human form, dressed in his war god armor. The mood along the table was subdued and in some cases hostile. Wonder Woman sat at the end of the table, very decidedly in her human form and a frown marring her beautiful festures. Welp, that answers whether or not she talked with her mother. It seems as if she was yet to inform the League on her new status as the god queen of the Olympian Pantheon though. Starfire smiled upon seeing the team all safely gathered along the huge Justice League table. It seemed as if we had just arrived in time for the briefing. "Intruder alert! intruder alert!" The Watchtower AI started blaring the security breach throughout the huge chamber because of my god of war. "He''s with me." I spoke up, feeling Yaotl tense behind me as he readied himself for a fight situation. The Leaguers were really really really not happy to see me. "We need to talk." Batman gruffly directed the statement my way. I smirked. "But of course." Glad to see nothing has changed too much. I wonder what they will say now? Haven''t they realized that no one can control me like the League has always tried? In any case, it doesn''t hurt to humor them. In the future they will be an integral part of some of my plans anyway. Threat Assessment (League Interlude) (General P.O.V) Vaatu''s lips stretched out in a small smile as he laid his back on to the ceramic rim of the huge pool of hot water. The water bubbled softly. A sound of relaxation escaped his lips as his body was hit by a slowly building euphoria. "You were right. This is the best hot spring I''ve ever been in." He commented. His companion lightly chuckled in amusement, the sound sending shivers of nervousness and excitement across Vaatu''s whole body. "Not that you''ve been in any other hot springs before, but I appreciate the praise." A flush appeared on Vaatu''s face. She was teasing him? Time for some payback. He shook his head and waded closer to her, the water flowing over his magnificent body as he pulled in near to Demeter. The goddess of harvest bit her lip at the look he was giving her. Her heart fluttered. The hot spring idea was turning out to be a bad one. At this rate she wondered how long it was going to take before she fell too hard. "There''s something else I can think of, that I want to praise." Vaatu whispered, his lips close to her ears. Demeter visibly swallowed, feeling the warmth that had nothing to do with the pool and all to do with his close proximity. His hand gently drifted up her upper arm, to her neck and then her cheeks. He used his thumb to gently run it along her bottom lip. "Really?" Demeter softly asked, falling deeper into his grey eyes. She closed her eyes as Vaatu''s lips closed in on hers. Before Vaatu could close the distance between them, a sudden flash of an image, showing a glowing white girl appeared in his eyes. He frowned and blinked his eyes, feeling the emotional impact from that simple image. A cursory survey through his godly sense showed no one else was around. It was just him and Demeter in Demeter''s temple. However that image felt so real. She felt real. She was real. She was... Demeter grew impatient and closed that distance herself. Vaatu''s thoughts came back to her as he momentarily forgot about the glowing white woman in favor of the heated kiss between him and the goddess of harvest. (Elsewhere) (half an hour ago) "So, what do you think?" Zatara asked Constantine. They watched over Plastic man, who was lying in the room on the other side of the window. His chest moved up and down as he breathed in easily. The hero in question was relatively okay. They had managed to save him and the civilians trapped in the Disneyland Chaos Pocket before it was too late. The only thing left to show for the whole incident being the Mickey mouse costume that was halfway fused with his usual red one piece costume. Of course Constantine and Deadman had had to leave the scene in pursuit of the ones responsible for Plastic man being trapped in the first place. He had shared their identities with the League and suddenly the need to see Aden became even more important apart from the whole Chaos rifts fiasco. There were two Lords of Chaos on earth! They needed Fate. Pronto. "They tried to warp him into an abomination made up of chaos energy. Were it anyone else, they''d be fucked. Lucky bugger has control of his body so he was able to resist." He breathed out in annoyance. All Constantine said was in line with what Artemis and the Hawks had put down in their report. They''d been there on scene, being the biggest group. The reasoning had been, anything strong enough to take out a hero needed more heroes to face it. "But the two of them got away. They could have taken us on but they looked keen to gather more chaos energy from the rifts. Something stinks about the whole affair." Constantine added. Zatara nodded. "I have a few guesses on what they might be after." Constantine snorted. "A few guesses more than sowing chaos as is the norm with these cunts?" Zatara made no reaction to the foul language apart from briefly frowning. "While that is most assuredly the general motive, they are preparing for something big. Otherwise their own power would suffice to spread chaos across the globe." John jerked his head to stare at Zatara. "Bloody hell. You''re not thinking that they..." The Exorcist was suitably shocked. Zatara nodded. "May be planning to bring the rest of the Lords of Chaos to earth? I hope I''m wrong but that is exactly what I suspect." Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Zatara gravely concluded. "Well," Constantine breathed out. " If that''s the case then the world is fucked five ways to Sunday." Zatara knew he wasn''t talking about the direct threat the Lords of Chaos posed. He knew that Constantine meant that ''their'' fight would be catastrophic. After all, Aden had more personal stake in this than anyone else. Zatara could remember the memory recording he was up until now keeping a secret away from the League. Suffice it to say, Aden was currently the most powerful being on the planet. The door to the room opened with a buzz and Batman walked in. "Constantine, I have a question for you." He stated without much preamble, stopping and looming over the shorter man. Constantine stared at him with a raised eyebrow where normally anyone else would be intimidated by the Dark Knight. "It''s all there in the report." John replied thinking it was to do with that. Batman however shook his head. "Not about the mission. Aden, what do you think of him?" Constantine went silent while Zatara stiffened, something that did not go unnoticed by Batman. The brit reached into his pockets and flicked out a cigarette from a packet, then held it out to Zatara, to light it for him just like earlier. The League''s resident magician scrunched up his eyebrows in distaste and snapped his finger. The cigarette was immediately rendered wet and soggy. "Not what I was thinking of mate. But I''m not surprised." Constantine sighed and lit another cigarette on his own after a few flicks on the lighter. "We are in a medical room." Batman narrowed his eyes. "And you are stalling." Constantine took a deep drag of his cigarette and blew it out, not minding the awkwardness. "Didn''t take you for a mind reader and yes, I am stalling. You want to know why? Because I honestly don''t know what to say about him that will make you listen. You people are very stubborn." Zatara shared a look with Batman. "I think what Batman is concerned about John, is Aden''s threat level." A glance at The Dark Knight who gave a curt nod, made Zatara continue. "We know he''s responsible for the Chaos vortexes which has led to many other issues, and apart from what we have on him, it wouldn''t hurt to hear what you have to say about the boy. You have faced down fallen angels, crazy gods, demons and exorcised each and everyone. Your name is synonymous to suicidal missions in the mystic circle. If anyone can give us an accurate reading on him, it''s you." Zatara told him, mixing up logic with praise. "In other words, you saw some of his power, realized that nothing you could do can deal with him and now you''re looking for less than...stellar magical ways you can employ if you ever came to blows, am I right?" Constantine asked the both of them. "He used to be part of your cape wearing scene, right? What happened? You know what, I don''t even want to know. What I''ll tell you however is this." He looked at Zatara dead in the eye. "Listen Giovanni, the kid is the real deal, you saw it for yourself." The comment drew Batman''s sharp glare towards the magician. Batman had already figured out that Zatara was hiding something. "Short of a being like Lucifer and even that''s debatable, you would need someone on the level of God to deal with him. Unfortunately, good luck on that front because a little birdie told me, the big man likes him. Not to mention he is part of the bloody Endless." Zatara''s hands tightened at the name. Batman sensed the change immediately despite Zatara''s reaction being more subdued than before. Constantine looked between the two, sensing the tension. "I''m going to look for a place to finish my smoke in peace." Constantine excused himself. It didn''t take a genius to understand that Batman wanted to talk to Zatara privately. And in any case, the Exorcist had yet to get a tour of the place. The door closed behind him, leaving Batman and Zatara alone. "Let us join the rest. I shall explain everything then." Zatara spoke up, already anticipating Batman''s words. The Dark Knight narrowed his eyes and nodded. (Watchtower Meeting Hall) (A Few Minutes Later) Martian Manhunter''s eyes lost their glow as he stopped sharing Zatara''s memory with everyone else. For a few seconds silence reigned. "That is so not aster." Robin broke it with his usual catchphrase. "So not aster dude. It''s a complete effin disaster." Kid Flash agreed shakily. "I cannot imagine how...strong you have to be, to take out millions and millions of those...things." Artemis softly added her opinion. "Demons. Those things are from hell." Constantine stated, entering the room. "This is a league affair, you are not a member." Green Arrow spoke up against his presence but it lacked it''s usual heat. All of them were too surprised by what J''onn had shown them. "Meh, you got more important things to worry about, old chap. Like the lad with the potential to cause or stop an apocalyptic event, I''d say." Constantine shrugged at the crossbow and arrow themed hero, leaning on the wall close to the door. "This changes nothing. We fight to ensure peace no matter the odds." Black Canary stood up. "Aden might be more powerful than we initially thought but if it comes to standing before him and innocents, then we will do our job. Just like usual." She simply said, seemingly unperturbed by the whole affair. "He. Killed. Millions of demons. Let alone the moral ambiguity of such an action, we are lacking our heaviest hitter and not to mention with everything that has been going on, adding him to the list of threats we should look out for is exhausting." The Flash intoned, rubbing his eyes. These few days had been full of running around, saving people and stopping crime. A stubble was forming on his face and one could detect the exhaustion in his voice. "Flash is right. I hate to say this but a direct confrontation is off the table." Stewart reasoned, crossing his hands. "At least for now. We know he is the cause of the chaos rifts appearing across the world, but he''s not all bad. He took on Apollo, saving the Watchtower from getting destroyed." He looked up and down at the table. "We always go for the easiest solution in these extreme cases. Take it from someone who had dedicated his life to conflict, sometimes it''s not worth it. Sometimes you cut your loses and retreat." Stewart''s words elicited s few reactions but none of them were as extreme as Hal''s. "Are you suggesting we do nothing?! That we let him walk around without taking responsibility for his actions? Before the memory transmission of his time in hell, the general consensus was that this wouldn''t be allowed to happen again. 8 people lost their lives goddamit! 8!" Green Lantern heatedly said. "We can pull some strings if it comes down to it." The former pilot implored. "The guardians will especially be interested in him and have a way to contain him where we can''t." "No. That is not going to happen." Batman immediately refused, causing every head to turn towards him. "We are prioritizing the wrong thing. Aden is a threat we have the luxury to deal with down the line. The 2 Lords of Chaos are not." "Batman is right. We will shelve the Aden matter for later. Right now we need to find Klarion and his companion''s whereabouts." Wonder Woman decided, standing up. A barely detectable divine aura was released from her. Even she didn''t know it but every single one of the counterarguments on the Leaguers'' minds disappeared after her words. A moment later as if on cue, a boom tube opened up close to the door of the meeting hall and Aden walked in with Starfire and Yaotl at his back. The Debrief (Aden''s P.O.V) Calling the mood tense would be an understatement. Still, I wasn''t here to cause problems. ''Relax Yaotl. No one would be stupid enough to attack us." I told my loyal god of war. Yaotl had this blazing fire inside him that threatened to erupt and consume all whenever he thought I was in danger. It was frustrating at times but also heartwarming. It told me that even if anything bad happened, I could count on him to protect the kids. "Star!" Two voices sounded out at the same time. Robin and Miss Martian stared at each as a flush worked it''s way up Robin''s cheeks. "Someone''s happy to see you." I told Starfire as she started walking forward to meet with the flying Miss Martian. "Why? are you jealous?" She cheekily asked, making me snort. "You wish." A giggle burst out of her. "You''re a bad liar Aden." I shook my head and turned to Yaotl. "Women right?" "Yes she is one, my Lord. However I fail to understand the relevance of such a thing." Yaotl answered confusedly, referring to my statement. I purposefully understood it wrong though. I nodded and patted him. "Me too Yaotl, me too." "Bloody hell Lad, you''re still hanging around with all sorts of crazies huh? Good choice on the lass though, Maze would have chewed you up and spat out the remains." The British accent flowing through the sarcastic voice was indication enough that there was a fellow asshole in the room. "Constantine...I was trying to pretend I wasn''t pretending I didn''t see you." The demonologist pushed off the wall and came towards me. I spared a look at the League and noticed most of their attention was on Kori. You know it always had me at a dilemma whether to be happy that they accepted her so quickly or be jealous that they did when my introduction to the League had started of somewhat rocky. But looking at Kori''s happy expression, I realized why they all fawned over her. She belonged not because she had no other choice unlike me but because she actually wanted to belong. At that I couldn''t help but smile. "Love." Constantine commented while looking at the direction my eyes were pointed. "What?" I asked turning to him. "Love. It changes us. Brings out the best in us as well as the worst when we hit a speed bump. Guard your heart lad." I rolled my eyes. "What is this? Your stint as Uncle Phil?" Constantine paused in a frown. "That a reference from a movie?" "Tv show." I corrected, knowing there was a Fresh Prince show native to this world but with a different character playing Will Smith. That being the reason why I hadn''t watched it. "American television? The worst thing invented right after politics." I shook my head. "Yaotl meet John Constantine, demonologist exorcist, asshole extraordinaire. I saved him some months ago..." "And now you won''t stop lording it over me." He dragged out a cigarette from his packet and held it out to me. A flame appeared on the end and he took a slow drag. "Why not light it up with magic?" I curiously wondered. To answer, John chanted something and I felt Yaotl tense in preparation as John held a card and we watched while it was consumed by a sudden flame. "Magical flame is...in a word, eager. I have amazing control but it would most likely burn half of the cig before I could take a single puff, mate. Nice to meet you Yaotl." He nodded to my newest spirit. "And...I know your secret. You are a god." He concluded with another puff, blowing the smoke away from our faces with an almost excited glint in his eyes. If he expected me to be surprised I didn''t show it. I raised my eyebrows. "Good for you John. Now what do you want?" He breathed out. "I don''t know yet. Maybe I want to repay the favor you did for me by keeping your secret. I''m thinking taking it to the grave sounds doable?" Oh so that''s what he was after. Constantine knew better than most the power of having someone owe you a favor. I smiled. "Master Aden, let me deal with this one." I held Yaotl back as he connected the dots and understood what Constantine meant. Old boy was trying to subtly blackmail me. "No." I shook my head and addressed Constantine once more, this time with a small smile on my face. "You will have to try better than that John." I sensed a brief hesitation in him. Wondering what other card he had to play, I used my telepathy to infiltrate his mind. Fuck. My face didn''t change but what I found out immediately put me on edge. Constantine suspected I was the White Shadow. Constantine rubbed his jaw while his eyes studied me with a keen and intelligent glint. Then he chuckled. "Bloody hell. You got me, lad. Fine, I still owe you." He turned and started walking towards the Zeta Tube. I didn''t need to turn to understand that our whole exchange had been noted by Batman and half the room. "Recognized, John Constantine A07" The Watchtower AI announced his departure. Before he disappeared, he opened his mouth and addressed the room. "Remember who the real problem is. The Lords of Chaos." And then he dissipated into motes of light. "John Constantine everybody." I clapped, facing everyone. "Before anything else," I bowed my head, turning serious. "I apologize for the Chaos Rifts. Something happened in my realm and the only way to save it was to expel all the chaos energy inside. Unfortunately, I had not foreseen that my actions would lead to such disastrous outcomes. I ask for your forgiveness on behalf of everyone affected and I will bear the responsibility for my actions by helping the families of the ones who died to the best of my ability." My words were met with stunned silence that stretched out for more than 10 seconds. "It is not in our place to accept your apology Aden. But, all of us here recognize that you are sorry and as long as you assure us that nothing like this will ever happen again then...we can work together and do our best to make the world safer for everyone." This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Wonder Woman spoke up, seemingly for everyone. Of course, true cooperation was off the table. Sone of the leaguers would rather die before they accepted my help. "Thank you, Wonder Wo..." "I refuse to allow it!" Venom dripped out of Hal''s voice as he vehemently countered, his body was tense with a green glow suffusing his eyes. ''willful idiot.'' Aden thought. "If you are sincere about taking responsibility then accept to be tried for your actions and if the verdict is jail term, then you will serve it." The tension that had disappeared returned. "Watch your mouth, Human." Yaotl furiously strode forward, his golden armor glowing with Torquoise flames. I held him back with a thought. ''Stop.'' (General P.O.V) They were all ready for a fight as Aden''s eyes swept across the room. "Trial?" The lord of the Elemental Dimension wondered out loud, his gaze finally landing on Hal. The green lantern stared at him stubbornly. Hal wasn''t one to get cowed. There was a reason he was hailed as the greatest Green Lantern. But all Aden saw was an unyielding man who did not think things through. A man who refused to be wrong or compromise when needed. That''s why Stewart was his favourite. Stewart reasoned and always looked at the pros and cons. "Fine. If you want me to stand trial, then I shall." Aden stated, greatly surprising everyone. "But not now." He added a clause, making Hal snort. Uncaring of what he thought, Aden continued, his aura breaking out unconsciously. "In a month. If you still want me to stand trial then so be it. Put me infront of a fair panel and judge my actions. If I am found guilty then I will gladly accept the verdict, Lantern." Hal looked around at the rest of the Justice League members seated before the table and failed to see the support he was seeking. He couldn''t really push the matter anymore so he grit his teeth and settled down. Aden''s eyes found Kori''s and winked. Faced with her anger at what she most likely thought was his careless actions, he hoped that she would see past that and understand he couldn''t show weakness here. "Stop worrying about me, Star. At this point this is a game between the League and I. A tug of war." It didn''t appease her worry but she understood. Inwardly, Kori asked herself if it came down to choosing between Aden and the League, which side would she pick? Looking into Aden''s chocolate brown eyes, with her heart fluttering inside her chest, the answer didn''t surprise her. Aden walked forward and waved a hand, his familiar gaudy looking throne appeared at the end of the long table, utterly overshadowing the rest of the seats. Now it looked as if the League was subservient to him. The glass of water infront of Hal shattered from how hard he was gripping it. Aden''s smirk almost sent him over the edge. "Now that the pleasantries are over, let us begin the debrief." Batman stood up and touched a key in his holographic wrist computer. The space between the two prongs of the u shaped table were occupied by a huge holographic map of the planet. "17 locations. Each location with an active chaos rift. 6 of those locations designated as priority A. We know what caused them." Batman''s eyes flickered over to Aden who gave no reaction at the subtle jab. He''d already apologized so Batman trying to guilt trip him wouldn''t work. "...and after splitting the league and junior team''s into groups and sending them to investigate, we also found out how to unravel them..." Batman continued, occasionally verifying the events from each group as he gave the rundown of all the operations and before long he arrived to the heart of the matter. "This was captured in Japan." The clip playing, showed Klarion and a young schoolgirl sitting on top of a huge crystal monster, floating above a chaos rift. The girl spread her hands out and did something to the vortex. Aden leaned forward and frowned. His expression stayed neutral as the vortex started roiling around in even more force. Child and Klarion left just as Constantine and Deadman who was invisible arrived on scene. They were having trouble with the monster with 6 heads that emerged. That changed when a being appeared before them in great speed and proceeded to kill the hydra. Batman''s eyes were on Aden as the sky split apart into Aden''s familiar boom tube light and silver lightning rained down. Aden''s mouth opened in shock as even Yaotl himself tensed. "Master Aden, who is that?!" He whispered in surprise. "He seems to have access to some of your abilities." Aden''s jaw worked like crazy, he tightened his fingers into fists while gripping the frame of the throne. "I have no idea Yaotl, but one thing I can say for sure is if the Light is responsible for this, then I won''t just destroy them, I will completely wipe their legacy from the face of the earth." Aden tried to sell it. Apart from him, the only ones who knew that The White Shadow was Aden were Yaotl and Starfire. The latter had had Aden reinforce her memory with layers upon layers of mental walls and the former was a god. Nkt even J''onn could break through his mental walls. "He is not faking it. They are truly surprised by The White Shadow''s presence." J''onn informed the League members. Aden sensed the telepathic fluctuations and frowned, of course he''d felt J''onn ran a casual scan of his mind and pretended he hadn''t noticed it. "The White Shadow is a matter for another day. The only thing we know about him is that he has a partner and a is also a contractor with ties to a lot of groups. The Team and I will handle him." Aqualad informed everyone. "Right after we solve the Trident problem." Kid Flash grumbled, face planting onto the table. "I swear, between the weekend training sessions with Sensei, the White Shadow and normal villains...this has been the worst month of my superhero career." "Preach." Robin nodded. "Focus. The Trident is the League''s problem." Batman curtly admonished. Aden''s eyebrows rose up. Not wanting to disrupt Batman''s debrief, he turned to M''gann and mentally linked with her mind. "Hey beautiful, mind telling me what''s up with this whole Trident thing?" "Aden? Wow, your mind skills have grown so powerful!" "Thanks. I''ve been practicing a lot." Once the beautiful Martian got over her shock, she explained everything to him. A soft smile graced Aden''s face. He''d done well not to feed the Trident to Equity like he had planned. Now he could take advantage of this and accelerate some of his plans. "... they''re Lords of Chaos. Beings on par with Doctor Fate who wield mystical energy aligned to destruction and carnage. They must be stopped before completing whatever their plan is." Zatara gravely finished. Aden sighed audibly, causing all attention to be on him. "Unfortunately for my self satisfaction and fortunately for Klarion, I won''t be able to help stomp his ass to the ground like before. I wish I could I could fight this battle as I am the one with the biggest grudge but there are other matters that require my attention." "The Chaos Vortexes, they didn''t just form on earth, did they?" Robin intuited, making Aden look at him in surprise. "Yes. That''s...very perceptive, boy Wonder." He complimented. "You''ve all seen the chaos unleashed by the ones on earth, so I''m going to be unavailable for some time as I hunt down the rest of the vortexes and destroy them." That was only partly true. The White Shadow would be handling that while his main body would be entering seclusion to finally advance into a god in two of his elements. Aden had put it off for too long. Plus, he was very very eager to unlock Water. To him, despite fire being his favorite element, water was more useful. "The League will handle the Lords of Chaos." Wonder Woman assured. "Zatara is it possible to pin point their location using mystic means? So far they have managed to avoid any technological surveillance..." Aden tuned out Batman as he thought of his next move. He looked at Kori and saw the worry well hidden underneath layers of confidence. She saw him looking and gave him a smile of reassurance. "Hey, it''s going to be alright. Trust me." Aden felt like laughing, she was comforting him when she was the one who needed the comforting. Aden stood up and cleared his throat, interrupting Batman from his long-winded explanation on tactics to employ when dealing with Klarion and Child. If this was how the League planned out their missions, then Aden was glad he had left. There was so much to pay logistics to pay attention to. "Sorry Bats, but I can''t put this off any longer." Aden''s arrogant smirk was replaced by a soft smile as he stared at Starfire. He breathed in and released a heavy exhale. "It took Kori forever to convince me to trust in your inherent goodness. To give you a chance and maybe open a new chapter in our relationship that does not include clashing heads with Hal or Green Arrow. Will we ever be friends? Probably never but does that mean we treat each other like enemies, no. I know you people are good and so... I''ll try. I''ll try to trust you." The Leaguers all looked around in bewilderment. "Aahh what''s going on?" The Flash asked, referring to Aden''s strange behavior. Then a suffocating pressure fell upon everyone present. The whole section of the Watchtower shook. Wonder Woman stood up and released her own splendorous aura, marginally mitigating the effect of Aden''s presence from completely suppressing everyone present. "However, if any of you use them to try and control me or hurt them or let them be hurt by the dozens of villains you allow to walk away, I will come after everything you stand for. I''ll destroy the League so completely, nothing but ashes will remain." Just before the weakest heroes passed out, the pressure suddenly abated before disappearing. The threat rang true, especially with the symbol of power pulsing through his clothes. "Now, who''s ready to meet my family?" No one spoke up. They found their hearts hammering inside their chests like African drums. Aden shrugged. "I''ll take that as a yes." A boom tube appeared close to Aden and with a whoosh of color, four nimble figures flew right through. "Greenie" "Mom!" "Stars!" "Mom!" A comically large net created from air appeared and pulled back the kids before they could fly towards Kori, who was placed in a way that she was the first thing the kids had seen after using the boom tube. "Hold on kids. I know you''re excited but what do I always tell you?" He asked the four of them, lightly immobilized in the air with huge arm constructs. "Oh oh oh I know I know!!" Breeze spoke up. "To preach and spread the glory of GRANGO to uneducated plebes. Ha ha!" She spread her tiny hands and declared confidently. "What''s a GRANGO?" Hawkman leaned over and asked Canary, who was still trying to reconcile her mind with everything going on. "I have no idea but given her enthusiasm, we might soon find out." "It''s a fruit." Starfire told them as she flew towards Aden and the four kids who had called Starfire mom. "Dude...did they just call Starfire mom?" "Yes." Robin said whole clenching his jaw. "Aaaww so adorable! Star, wait for me." Miss Martian flew after the Tamaranean. "Yes to the GRANGO thing Breeze but there''s something else." Aden shook his head. "You told us to be mindful of our surroundings." Sai answered, making Aden nod and then motion to their front with his chin. "And are you mindful?" Realization finally diwmed on them. They were standing before an entire room of strangers. The kids all yelped and hid behind Aden, making the Avatar laugh while Yaltl smiled. Starfire touched down and they piled her with hugs. "You want me to show you my room?" "Yes!" Kai said in excitement. "What about Dad? Is he coming with us?" Sai asked, cocking his head to the side. Match looked up at Aden and motioned for him to lift him up. He lifted both boys up and hugged them. "I''ll follow you after I''m done speaking with your babysitters, okay? Sai somehow got the joke as he giggled. "Oh and Breeze stop trying to steal Batman''s battarang." He added as a gentle wind ruffled Batman''s cape. Breeze popped up on Star''s head and hid a face with a cheeky smile. "Sorry dad." M''gann and Star matched out with the kids, leaving Aden alone with the League whose intense emotions were going haywire. "Explain. Now." Funnily enough, the one who demanded that wasn''t Batman but Superboy. Faced with the misplaced anger, Aden only had one thing to say. "Okay." Diplomat (General P.O.V) "Yes. He''s exactly who you think he is." The first words that left Aden''s lips after Starfire, the kids and Miss Martian had left, brought about pin drop silence. Everyone could feel the anger inside Connor. His face was calm but the red cloak of energy surrounding his body flickered with his tumultuous emotions. "How...?" Connor breathed out, his voice shaking slightly. "Cadmus. I was investigating the Light when I came across him. He was...damaged and unstable. The cloning process was done differently to yours. See, you''re half human half Kryptonian, he is a full Kryptonian and a smidgen Quintes as well." The relatively new term surprised Connor and everyone. "Quintes?" The Flash asked. "I rescued him and took him back to my realm. Due to his unstable cloning process, his d.n.a was on the verge of collapse. To save him I had to result to some...drastic measures. Using resources that I am not at liberty to disclose, I stabilized his d.n.a by weaving my own unique strand taken from my Realm''s extensive...''resources''. Quintes are the sapient creatures native to my dimension." ''or at least they will be.'' He thought that last part to himself. Aden had figured that information out when he''d grown curious on why Match had reverted from his teen berserker self to an innocent happy 7 year old. Thats when he''d understood what the realm had done. By taking Aden''s d.n.a and mixing it with the energy from the source processed by the Realm''s core, something new had been created. A unique d.n.a strain that was distinct from human yet possessing a greater potential and an innate control of energy that Aden named Quintes. Match had expressed the ability to bend his heat vision through the sky like Darkseid, precisely because of his Quintes side''s talent with energy manipulation. Aden was even happier at the turn of events because this made Match his actual son. And the nightmare he''d had...maybe that was also an ability he was exhibiting due to being part Quintes? The Quintes bloodline was to be the basis of whatever Sapient humanoids he created for his realm. As he grew in power and his connection with the realm increased, he could feel a yearning. A yearning for life that came from the realm itself. Back to the League, the explanation that he gave them, was not what they were expecting. Batman made eye contact with J''onn. They had discussed Aden''s potential power dozens of times and reevaluated his threat even more. Yet, he always managed to move past the theoretical power cap they stuck him with. And now he had just revealed to them that he had beings capable of reason in his realm. And knowing Aden, all of them were bound to be powerful. Hell, each of the mysterious kids who called him ''dad'' despite Aden only being 18, had powerful abilities. He hadn''t detected Breeze when she had been at close proximity to him. Batman did not like this. At all. "I won''t plan an invasion Batsy, do don''t rapture a vein from worrying too much." Aden promised with a snort. "How long?" The brooding form of Superion asked with an undercurrent of barely contained anger. Aden''s smirk fell away. "How long what?" "How long have you kept him a secret from me. From us. From...him?" His blue eyes that were only a few shades lighter than Match''s speared through the distance to land on Aden''s own chocolate brown eyes. "A few months. 3 and some days to be exact." Aden''s answer only increased the anger burning inside Superion. He abruptly stood up. Robin and Kid Flash looked at each other. "Hey buddy, you mind sitting down? We can work through this..." "I''m fine." He ground out, starting to turn away. "I''m going to go get some fresh air." Aden and a few of the rest watched him walk away. After exiting the room, the temperature seemed to have dropped. And belatedly Aden realized he had most likely lost the reluctant trust, the junior team had afforded him by virtue of being part of them at some point in the past. Artemis slammed a hand onto the table. "You''re unbelievable Aden!" She shouted. "How could you?" Her eyes were full of disappointment. "Connor has been barely holding on these past few months, blaming himself that he wasn''t there when Superman needed him and and...you had his brother with you all that time?! How selfish can you possibly be?" Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. It was a struggle to keep Yaotl from jumping in to defend him from all those who called his intentions to question. Aden''s voice changed into an icy calm. "You have no idea what you''re talking about Artemis and I honestly don''t have the patience to explain it to you." Then he promptly ignored the archer. His eyes found Wonder Woman. "So, what have you decided? I know you''ve been having a mental conversation among yourselves for the past few minutes. What will it be? Tentative acquaintances or enemies? Lord knows the latest revelation has you split." (Aden''s P.O.V) 1 2...4, 5 wow, 5 Leaguers who look two seconds away from ending my existence. ''I was wrong Yaotl, be on the lookout for a sudden attack.'' Yaotl tensed beside me and the combat savvy heroes immediately noticed the change. "We don''t want to fight you Aden!" Black Canary shouted in alarm. "Oh, tell that to the ones looking like they want to give Yaotl a spar. And I''m not inclined to stop him if he decides to teach them a lesson." I pointed out, making Batman actually sigh. "Let us all calm down." He bit out. "No." Aqualad interjected angrily. His anger however was not directed towards me. It was directed to Wonder Woman. "We are done here." He stood up. I smiled, knowing what was up. "Aqualad I''m not sure what you..." "Communication." He interrupted Wonder Woman again who narrowed her eyes. I was actually feeling bad for Diana. Through the whole meeting she had a far away look. No doubt thinking about the implications of the talk with her mother. That or coming to terms she was the new God queen of the Olympians and was yet to tell anyone. "Communication is everything. How can you all sit there and have a mental discussion about something that affects all of us without including my team and I?" And that was precisely why I pointed that out in the first place. Canary threw me a look but I shrugged innocently. "We do everything you instruct us to do. Take off our weekends to learn combat, to get better, strategy and tactics lessons every single weekday when we can spare time and where you draw the line at is being open with us? Speedy was right, this is nothing but a glorified after school club." He got up and walked away. Without pause the rest of the junior team did so as well, with Artemis throwing me a stink eye. Girls. "Master Aden, this group seems to be divided, perhaps we can exploit that if it comes down to conflict." Yaotl suggested to which I shook my head. "A smart observation but nah, that would be boring. Sometimes you have to have an epic 1 vs many battle scene Yaotl. Its one of the simple joys of life, especially when you win." Yaotl went silent. "I see, then I will endeavor to learn more from you, Master Aden." "Cut that out. It''s very rude." I addressed the League who had gone right back to having a telepathic group chat. Was it hypocritical of me seeing as I was also doing the same with Yaotl? Yes. Did I care? Not really. "Plus, I can give you the answer you''re so fervently looking for." Damn, those icy looks. "The debrief is over, what is he still doing here?" Oh Hal, let it go. I ignored him in favor of making my point. "You don''t understand teenagers at all." "You sound so sure of that." Canary stated. "They are needlessly complicating issues. A true warrior does what he is told..a true warrior would not challenge authority." Hawkwoman''s opinion was met with a single nod of agreement from her husband. I rolled my eyes at the Thanagarian''s militaristic thinking. "They''re not true warriors though are they? Look I''ll put it simply. They need to feel like you respect them. And the only way that is going to happen is if you give them the limelight." Batman immediately understood what I meant and was very vocal about it. "Absolutely not. The team is strictly black ops." "There''s a reason we bask in the light Aden, these symbols are targets." The Flash agreed with the Dark Knight. "Well then how do you think it feels for them, when the League starts planning to include more members from all around the world, while they''re stuck in the same bloody place when one of their own was already accepted into the League?" Wonder Woman sucked in a breath. "Those were extuniating circumstances. Superman..." "That''s an excuse and you know it." I looked down at the table. "If you have to be fair, be fair fairly." I felt Yaotl throw me a ''bruh what you say?'' look from the corner of his eye. "I''m exhausted Yaotl, gimme a break. Lecturing adults is not easy." I stood up, the throne disappearing back into my hammer space. "Take it from me, what they need is tangible respect. Aqualad and the rest deserve recognition. It''s up to you to decide whether it will be on your terms or theirs." I made to leave only to stop and facepalm. "Dammit, I almost forgot. Totally ruined the cool exit..." The Trident of Poseidon appeared in my hands, greatly shocking them all. A green hand construct manifested in a sudden wash of green and tried to snatch the trident away forcefully. Yaotl''s hand slapped the construct away, shattering it into dozens of pieces. I levelled a blank stare at Hal. "I''m going to let that go, because now it makes you look dumb." The seats were pushed back as the Leaguers got on their feet. "You''re the one who stole the Trident?!" Green Arrow asked, sounding pretty confident in his assumption. His muscles were tense and coiled, anticipating a fight. I held a hand up and stopped Yaotl from starting the fight. Hal was the aggressor but I was above petty shit like that. "Nope. You know for an archer, your eyesight sucks. I mean you''d think you would be able to tell the difference between the two tridents." Green Arrow''s face went red. "I got this as spoils of war from the one who stole Atlantis'' Trident." I pointedly glanced at Wonder Woman. She knew who I was talking about. "So here''s the deal." I twirled the divine weapon in my arms, making it hum through the air. "I know everything. Aquaman was injured during a scuffle with the trench and his Trident was mysteriously stolen. And because he''s never really had control over the Kingdom, the city states will soon buckle against the rule from Poseidonis and war will break out. If the extremists who hate the surface world win, earth is doomed, fucked, screwed...you get the point." "What do you want for the Trident?" Wonder Woman enquired directly, cutting right into the matter. I thought about it. To be honest, I didn''t actually want anything from them. However, this was a good opportunity. "Easy. Nothing much just a tweak on the initial deal, instead of being my spokesperson, get me a direct audience with the united nations. The rest of the deal still stands however. That''s it." Questioning glances fell on Diana. "Deal." She made the decision and I was happy to see she was taking her new role seriously. I was about to give the Trident when Yaotl gently grabbed my sleeve, reminding me of the last thing I needed to do. "Master." "Oh and one more thing, Yaotl will join you as my...diplomat. You know, in case I need to protect my investment." Diana''s face changed. "Are you calling me weak?" I shook my head with a serious expression. "No. But we both know you will need someone to watch your back. Someone strong Diana. You said it yourself, there is a reason your father has ruled for millenia. And it''s not by being nice." The room was buzzing with a certain tension, I had revealed a lot and Diana had questions to answer from her colleagues. The Trident sailed through the air carried in the winds and fell into her hands. "I''ll keep in touch. Right now, it''s time to introduce my son to his brother, go through an awesome training regime and come back even more OP. Bye." Somethings Up (Aden''s P.O.V) The earth looked so peaceful. It was hard to imagine that the green and blue colored ball held every single meaning to every human being alive and that has ever lived. I stepped up to stand beside Connor, whose anger had cooled off somewhat. "You know, it wasn''t out of spite that I kept him away from you." I started, feeling...not exactly bitter that I was trying to explain myself but something close. However, for the sake of Match, I was willing to meet in the middle with Connor, because had the roles been reversed, I would also be a little angry. "If it feels like I was trying to make you suffer, then you honestly give yourself too much credit Connor." He tensed. Just because I was trying to meet him in the middle didn''t mean, I wasn''t going to call him out on his sucky attitude. "Most of those 3 months were spent trying to teach him how to feel, how to laugh, how to cry and with Superman in his current state and you pushing yourself to save everyone, it wouldn''t have been an ideal environment for him. So before you go judging me for what I did, ask yourself what you would have done differently." He looked at me and for a minute there, I could see him contemplating punching me. But fortunately for him he relented. "I haven''t forgiven you." He shook his head. "I don''t even think I''ll be able to but I get where you''re coming from." I smiled. "Good. Now how about I introduce you to Match? It''s about time he got his Kryptonian name anyway." Connor''s face lit up immediately. He hesitated before smiling a little. "I...yeah. Yeah I would like that." We made it to The Hub, the team''s quarters and upon opening the door, pandemonium hit us, Kid Flash was blitzing around the room, over the furniture and up the wall trying to catch Sai who was fleeting about with streaks of multicolored lightning, holding Kid Flash''s googles in his hands. "Hey! Get back here!" "This is so not aster!" Robin was in a tug of war with Breeze who was covered in a huge wind construct rippling with huge muscles and trying to pull Robin''s utility bill from his hands. "Give it up you small meanie!" "No way! And don''t call me small!" "You''re small and puny! Do you even lift bro?" What the... Match was in a staring match with a sulking Aqualad who was sitting in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face. "You smell funny." The little Kryptonian/Quintes hybrid told him. Aqualad blinked and smiled. "Thank you." Match gave him an innocent but happy smile. "You''re welcome." My kids were bullying legit superheroes. I''m so proud. Kori, Kai, M''gann and Artemis were nowhere to be seen though. Connor and I looked at each other just as one of the kids noticed us. "Dad!" Sai called out before appearing in a burst of lightning speed and hiding behind me. Kid Flash stopped a few meters away and held out his hand while breathing a little too heavily. Robin was distracted a little by the commotion, allowing Breeze to snatch the utility belt and disappear into the next room over which is where I''m guessing Star and the others were. Match floated towards me but then stopped and started flying circles around Connor with a curious look on his face. Connor studied him as well. "Whoa. The resemblance is uncanny." Robin commented while walking over. "Give (breath) it back." Kid Flash managed to say while inhaling deeply. Sai had actually managed to beat him in speed! "No!" Sai refused, making me raise my eyebrows in surprise. Sai was the most obedient of the kids, right after Match, so he had to have a reason for doing this. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Sai, why do you have his googles?" I asked, bringing him to my shoulders. "He said you were always bringing trouble to them and I didn''t like it so I stole them!" Kid Flash winced. I threw him a scathing look and he almost wilted. "Oh, so you were defending me huh?" I asked my precocious boy. Huh. Wonder what dad would think about being a grandpa so early. Meh, knowing the old man, he would probably be clamoring to take the boys camping for some survival training. Never seen a black dude love the wild like my dad. "Mmhmmh." Sai nodded with a hum. I snorted. "Thanks Sai but we don''t want to bully Kid Flash too much, so hand it over." I held out a hand to my head and felt the googles land on the palm after a few seconds of hesitation from Sai''s side. Then I threw the googles to Kid Flash. "Thanks." He said, strapping them to his forehead. "Yeah, next time you talk s-h-i-t about me, make sure you''re ready for what will follow." I warned him with a smile. "I''m huh... I''m going to go see if M''gann left some cookies. Okay bye." And he quickly disappeared. "Dad...he smells funny. He smells like me." Match finally stopped circling around Connor and concluded. The little Kryptonian flew down and hugged my feet, peeking out at Connor with a frown on his face. "Why does he smell like me?" I didn''t feel like stretching this out any longer. "Match, this is your brother. Just like how Sai, Kai and Breeze are your family, Connor is also a part of your family." The explanation made him tilt his head. "Brother..." He mouthed the word. "Dad, he looks kinda like you when you lose to Grandpa Iroh at pai sho." Sai whispered from atop my head. I bit down on the urge to laugh, luckily Connor hadn''t heard the jab from Sai. "Yeah some people like to brood. They think it adds more mystery to them." "Preliminary facial recognition puts you both at about 97% resemblance. It''s ...it''s intriguing! If it wasn''t for the age difference you would be considered twins." Robin informed them while quickly tapping his holo device. "What''s your name?" Connor bent down and asked. "Match." Match replied, a bit of his shyness leaving him. Connor looked at me and raised his eyebrows. "A lot of things were happening, so I didn''t get to choose a better name for him. Plus what are you complaining about, you get to pitch in and give him a Kryptonian name." I added with a shrug, feeling a little guilty at not renaming Match. "My name is Connor. Or Kon-El in Kryptonian." Connor introduced himself, holding out a hand for the younger Kryptonian to shake. Match watched me and I nodded making him smile and take Connor''s offered palm. "Hello." "Hello." They shook hands before Connor leaned and asked, "I have an idea. Because we''re brothers, how about I give you a Kryptonian name as well?" "A Kryptonian name?" Match had this amazed look in his eyes. He looked at me for direction but I rubbed his hair. "It''s your decision kiddo. If you want a Kryptonian name then I''m okay with it." My answer made him frown. "But I love my name." He countered making me feel a burst of happiness. "You''ll still keep your name if you want but you''ll have 2 names." Connor offered. "Three actually. His surname is Strong so..." "You named him, Match Strong?" Robin asked me incredulously. "Yeah. You gotta problem with that?" I sneered at the shorter boy. Why are they knocking my naming sense dammit?! Don''t they know you don''t insult a man''s pride in his ability to name things? Match and Sai started giggling. "Okay. I''d like a Kryptonian name please." Impeccable manners. Why can''t Breeze be as polite as Match? But she wouldn''t be the lovable Breeze I know. "Great!" Connor''s face split into a wide smile, shocking Aqualad, Robin and I. The Boy Wonder''s hand flashed and I knew he''d just taken a picture of the happy Connor "Okay how about Kat-El?" Aaaaaand I just realized this could be a bad idea. Match thought about it for a while but shook his head. I was already anticipating this would take longer than I could wait. Not to mention, I had a different appointment to get to. As if on cue, the door to the next room swung open. Star and the rest of the girls came out. Immediately, I could tell something was off. Starfire''s eyes found mine and she smiled gently. There was a certain glow about her as well as an apprehension. Looking at the guilty looks on the faces of M''gann and Artemis, it was clear they were hiding something from me. Kai was holding Star''s hand and upon seeing me, she flew over and gave me a hug. "Dad, are you leaving? Please don''t go. Not yet." Her hands were slung over my neck in a tight grip. I rubbed her back with a little frown. Something had her worked up. "Everything''s going to be fine Kai, don''t worry. I''m not going to stay away for too long. I couldn''t even if I tried." Kai nodded a little in my embrace and I felt a few tears drop from her face. Now I knew something was definitely up. "Kai, what is it? Is everything okay?" "Mmmhhhmm, everything is okay dad. And don''t worry I''ll protect mom." With that she left my embrace and flew towards Robin, holding out his utility belt. "Breeze said you were being mean to Dad." Robin looked between us, opening and closing his mouth in quick succession at the bluntness. "I''m sorry?" "Mmph! Next time I''m stealing your cape too and then you won''t look like a beautiful rainbow." Breeze materialized next to Kai and stuck out her tongue at Robin. We couldn''t help it. Star and I started laughing at the absurdity of it all. I could feel the others stare at us strangely but they weren''t used to the kid''s shenanigans. Once they did, they would understand. I spent a few more hours with them before finally having a one on one private conversation with Star. She had been acting weird the entire time. "What''s going on Star?" I asked her, wrapping my hands around her toned belly and breathing in her scent. I could sense her hesitation before she lightly shook her head. Her hands went to the yin yang pendant hanging off her neck. "It''s nothing. Just...just promise me that you''ll come back." "Of course." I answered without hesitation. "It''s only going to be 2 weeks at the most." With time dilation, I was looking at more than enough time to do both advancement trials and get preliminary control of water. "Okay." She simply answered and we stayed like that, looking out at the earth before I finally had to go. The boom tube opened up and after hugging the kids and Star, I nodded to the team and left. The first stop I needed to make before my seclusion was observing the meeting between Luthor and my Homunculi puppet. This was the start of our working relationship and it would also herald the start of the countdown to The Light''s end. The meeting was being carried out in the most cliche'' place of all, the docks. The Brain and Ultrahumanite crashing the meeting to kill Luthor however, was not in my plans at all. From my vantage point in the docks, I could clearly detect Ninjas of high capability pouring out from the shadows and the one who led them was a figure I never thought I would see in this world. Shredder from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What the fuck is going on? The One Responsible (General P.O.V) The fight was going on at a sedate pace. Due to the resourcefulness of the Foot Technicians, the foot Ninja''s had been enhanced by a variant of the Ooze. Not enough to completely change them as that would take away from a Ninja''s true ability, stealth and silence but enough to give the Turtles a challenge. "Leo! We got this! Make sure Shredder doesn''t enter the code and initiate the countdown!" One of the turtles, the one wielding the staff shouted and Shredder felt a burst of irritation. This plan was supposed to go off without a hitch. A temporal bomb that would shuttle the entire city of New York back in time, to the past where he would use his genius to conquer humanity, before the ancestors of the turtles were even born! "Right!" The blue one, made short work of the Ninjas at his front as the others covered his sides. He jumped and threw one of the swords in his hand towards Shredder, twirling through the air. Shredder lazily craned his neck to the side, allowing the Katana to sail past him and then grabbed the pommel of the blade. He turned and blocked Leonardo''s slash with the Katana now firmly gripped in his hands. Then he kicked out at Leo''s unguarded chest. Before the attack could land, everything stopped. His body froze mid the action. His eyes being the only thing he could move, looked around through the eyeholes of his helmet. What was going on?! The Technodrome was a wondrous piece of technology, however Shredder knew without a doubt that this was not one of it''s functions. Stopping time while still allowing his reason, logic and awareness to remain, stretched far beyond what the Foot Technicians under him could employ. The ultroms possessed technological supremacy over a young species like the earthlings but even they could not dabble in temporal manipulation with such ease. Could the fucking turtles be responsible for this? No, he found himself dismissing the notion entirely. How about the Foot mystics? He might have held control over them but they didn''t respect him like the rest of the foot clan. So this could have been a scheme. Yet...he could feel through chi, a rudimentary skill he had acquired through decades of martial arts discipline all in the hopes of living up to the mantle he chose, that they were similarly stuck in place. So then could this be the work of the real Shredder? The Tengu Shredder? A crazy cackling was heard from all over, the sound appearing in his eyesight in huge red ''Hahahahaha'' word similar to a speech bubble from a comic book. What in the hell? "No. Not the Tengu Shredder though, I gotta say...what an EXCELLENT IDEA!!!!" ''Who are you! What! Are you?!'' Shredder shouted inside his mind. "No one you need to know right now my friend. Just a concerned citizen from the studio next door. Not Thaaaat studio next door, marvel sucks these days. And I..." Then his sentences shifted into song. "...have a dream, a song to sing, to help me cope with anything..." ''What manner of monstrosity is this?'' "Hey that''s mean!" The ground rumbled as a pitch black monstrous creature with tentacles, innumerable eyes, a spiked tail, scraggly hair across it''s body appeared in Shredder''s eyesight. "Even monsters have feelings too you know!" The voice that came out of the creature grated on the ears of the conqueror of worlds. It opened it''s mouth and started sucking in everything inside the Technodrome. The foot Ninja''s in various poses, the mystics who were trying to guard the core of the Technodrome per his instructions, everyone except his mortal enemies. ''What?! No! Eat them as well! Devour their souls and rid me of this nuisance once and for all!'' He shouted, doing his best to project his thoughts to the monster. "Why tho? I mean you''re the one I need old chappy boyo!" The voice of the monster said cheerfully. "Not to worry, I just need you to do something for me real quick and snap! You''ll be back to lose before ya know it, ya dig?" Shredder felt bitter and dejected as the darkness swallowed him whole. His consciousness did not abate. Nor did death come for him. Infact, all around him, he could feel the forms of his minions. The monster smacked it''s lips and turned to leave before cocking his head and throwing an interested gaze at the four ninja turtles. "You know what, Shred was right. The more the merrier I say!" Then he swallowed them too. The void was quiet and oppressive. Then, before Shredder''s eyes, pin pricks of light started appearing one after the other. All around him, galaxies, nebula clouds, superclusters and blue giants were revealed. They were in the cold of space yet he and his men, numbering 30 of them, still lived. "The Lackanae cluster? No, this is a section of the universe that I don''t recognize." A pop and a short old man wearing a yellow body suit with purple accents on the shoulders, gloves, boots and a hat made of the same color appeared cross legged in the air before Shredder. The short man was blazing with confidence and madness. His white hair seemed to almost glow in the darkness as he looked at Shredder with a manic glee. An envelope manifested in his hands as a brown trenchcoat fell on his body to hide his features. He handed over the envelope to Shredder and adopted a cliche'' mafia accent. "Here''s the deal, Shred. Kill these two for me and I will give you UNLIMITED POWAHHHHHH!" The void echoed with his voice. "Who are you, little man?" Shredder boomed out in anger at being called Shred. The insult?! "I have no patience whatsoever for your games. Take me back, I have a few insects to crush!" Shredder deployed his wrist blades with a snap from his arms, pointing them straight at his kidnapper. The short figure clapped his hands, turning his clothes back into his earlier strange yellow body suit. "Props on the 80''s villain dialogue! That''s exactly what I was looking for! The name is Mr.Mxyzptlk and I have a grudge on someone who broke my toy." His face grew predatory, with his teeth turning into fangs. He disappeared and appeared to Shredder''s left in a swimming pose. "Now normally, I would just go ''snap'' Thanos style." Saying that, a comically large infinity gauntlet appeared on his left hand. "...and turn the poser into a duck and then have duck soup or sumthn but BUUUT he has connections! And even if he didn''t, that would be soooo boring, so I want to teach him a lesson. And that lesson begins with you killing whoever I tell you to. However, they are very strong, so I''ll have to give you an upgrade from mini Shred to SUPER ULTRA EXTRA MULTI SHRED!" Mxzyptlk smiled deviously. "Get ready for the pain..." "Do you have any idea who yo.." Shredder begun before pain the likes of which Ch''rell had never felt before assaulted him. He could feel a presence taking over his mind...no not taking over, merging with him. And the final product was neither Ch''rell nor the new invader but a fusion. A fusion of the ultrom and the original Shredder, Oruko Saki. And this Tengu Demon ultrom fusion stared at Mr. Mxzyptlk and immediately knew what he was. "A fifth dimension being. What do you seek from a god, invader?" "A game." Mxzyptlk answered easily, buzzing with a cruel glee. "The field is set, all that is left is for the players to arrive. Let''s have some fun yeah?" (Elsewhere) One minute Leo was bringing his hands in a cross guard to block Shredder''s attack, then the next he was tumbling through the air. His back smashed the dumpster below him and the metal folded under his heavy and tough shell. "What the?... "Aaahhhhhh! Leo look out!" He heard Donnie''s voice yell from above. Leo widened his eyes as his brother fell on top of him, pushing him deeper into the folded metal. "I believe I can fly!!!" "Mikey?" Donnie asked in surprise from atop Leo. His eyes widened as he tried to roll away but was too late. "Oh crap..." Then his younger brother''s body slammed onto him. "Aaaww, you guys broke my fall and saved me." Mikey said rising up just as Raphael, the last of the turtles, managed to kick the side of the building then plunge his Sai across the wall of the brick building opposite it. Raph, hoisted his Sai''s and looked around cautiously. "Where the heck are we?" Donatello extricated himself from the wrecked dumpster, helping Leo up before typing on the device strapped on his wrist. "Huh...that''s weird." "What is?" Leo asked, sheathing his lone Katana. The other one, Shredder had taken from him. "Huh guys?" "Not now Mikey. Donnie, what is going on?" Raphael asked in urgency. This could be a trap set by the Shredder. "Well looking at the GPS coordinates and taking into account that I don''t recognize the general placement of the closest city blocks, I would say we''re not...in new York anymore?.." He frowned, trailing off and tapping the device some more. "Actually...not just New York..." "We are in another world." Mikey concluded in a rare serious tone. "Yeah," Donnie agreed, looking at his younger brother''s back in a little confusion. how did he know that? "That''s impossible." Leo stated. "Um well...last I checked, the newspaper didn''t have a picture of something called the Justice League saving the world from something called spatial rifts." Mikey held the newspaper up to show them. Ralph sucked in a breath. "April is going to kill us for missing her birthday." "Dad is going to ground us till we''re 80." Donnie added. "My last piece of pizza!!" Mikey rounded up with his own concern. As always, Leo took it upon himself to be their symbol of stability. "We''ll make it back home, I promise. Right now we''ll have to scout and make sure we''re the only ones who came through." Leo narrowed his eyes. The sky a distance away was burning bright in the evening atmosphere. Something was going down. Stolen novel; please report. "I have a bad feeling about this." (Elsewhere) Downtown Metropolis Lexcorp Docks) The brain and Ultrahumanite. Two very powerful minds had gathered for one sole purpose. It was time to shake the foundations of The Light and change it''s Leadership. They were standing a distance away on the top of a container, looking down at Luthor whose vehicle was just pulling up to an open space surrounded by shipping containers and cranes. A dull thud echoed out as something landed before Luthor''s car. The figure had bright eyes that were very apparent in the feed relayed to the pad in Malah''s hands. The drone that was capturing the whole thing hovered above the two parties. Luthor had gotten too big for his breeches. He had assumed the role of the Leader just by virtue of being the one with more resources. If it came down to being masters of the scientific discipline however, the Brain had more to offer. He was called the brain for a reason after all. His was true genius. True genius enough to swap Ultrahumanite''s core self for Malah without anyone knowing, following Ultrahumanite''s fight with Aden Strong. Genius enough to create a stronger version of C2 Kobravenom under Lex''s nose and come up with a way to use it despite the very many flaws it contained. But such was the essence of his genius! He could find a use for any and everything! "Malah, deploy the wormhole." The Brain ordered the Albino gorilla beside him, holding a gun that pulsed with a purple bright aura. The brain had taken advantage of one of the Light''s major experiments and finished it off without Luthor''s knowledge. By studying how the Fatherbox opened stable boom tubes to allow safe travel as well as Terror''s own version of the ability, they had come up with something unique. Malah in his new body and mechanical hand, pointed the weapon to the front but before he could squeeze the trigger, a darkness fell on top of him. One minute the two villains were alone and the next, assassins dressed in midnight black garbs and wielding sharp weapons had them surrounded from all sides. "The League of Shadows? We had a deal with monsieur ghul. He would stay out of my way and I would return the la courtoisie." The Brain spoke up in a level tone. "A baboon and a talking brain." A voice mocked, making Malah let out a strangled noise. "You are not the targets. Identify yourself, strange creature." Part of the darkness roiled around and spat out a hulking figure dressed in a menacing armor and very sharp looking blades, peaking out of his wrists. The Brain paid no attention to the insult. Instead his mind quickly worked out the motive of this new figure. Given the fact that the only other people in the docks at the moment was Luthor and his retinue, then it was easy to see who the target was. Someone other than him wanted Luthor dead. "Bonjour Mon Ami, I believe we are at a position to help one another. After all, we seek the death of the same person." (Aden''s figure) Okaaay, so apparently Shredder''s here. In DC. What In The Actual Fuck is happening? I had a cloak of invisibility hiding me from their gazes. Despite that, I elected to stay further away because Ninjas are very perceptive. Gasp! who knew? Seriously though, my mind was running at light speeds trying to think of a way any of this was possible. Was this earth 16 or a fusion of it and the TMNT universe? But how though? I hadn''t heard or seen any traces of them before. I''d come here to see the deal between Luthor and my Homunculi puppet go down but I wasn''t expecting this. For starters, The Brain had managed to shift Malah''s brain into Ultrahumanite''s body, who had been brain dead courtesy of yours truly and... according to spiritual attunement, there was a lot of hostility aimed at Luthor. And he wasn''t alone. The Foot Clan and The Brain both wanted to kill Luthor. I couldn''t let that happen. Not yet. Plus, a smile graced my face, this would make Lex indebted to me or rather my puppet. I was about to jump in and sneakily provide support for my puppet when I found myself suspended above the earth. Spatial manipulation at an unprecedented scale or Reality manipulation. Both of which spelled trouble for me. A boomtube appeared before me that I plunged into without hesitation. Whoever this was, I wasn''t taking a chance and fighting them when they could teleport me above the Earth''s atmosphere without warning. My figure rebounded on the thin film that appeared above the boom tube and threw me away. I instantly created another boom tube behind me, on the path of my trajectory. I also bounced off that one. 30 boom tubes manifested in close proximity, covering every direction as I disappeared into invisibility and then plunged down towards the earth at my fastest speeds, streaks of purple lightning flashing across my body. It took but a second to reach the clouds and spear through. A vibration rumbled through my air sense and I narrowly escaped colliding with a plane off the coast of Panama. My energy senses were deployed at full power as I closely monitored my surroundings. After making sure I was alone, I immediately created a boom tube that would take me to my dimension while also closely paying attention to my Homunculi puppet. The attack was yet to begin but Luthor could immediately tell something was wrong. My body immediately came to pause before the boom tube. A shockwave of air pushed every single cloud away due to the abrupt stop. I looked at the pulsing portal and touched it''s mouth with a finger. The surface rippled. It''s safe to say that this was a foe I couldn''t run away from. "The itsy bitsy spider went up the water sprout, down came the rain and washed the spider out..." A scratchy and deep voice sounded out from behind me. A shiver caused mostly because of a memory from my childhood went up my spine. I turned slowly and came face to face with an impossibility. Standing on top of a glider, the Green Goblin eyed me in his iconic Sam Raimi spiderman suit. "Why so glum?" He asked. I raised up my palm and pointed it at him, eyes blazing with the intent to do harm. "Die." Silver lightning shot out of my fingers, spraying out in an erratic motion that left behind tears in space before landing on him. His green costumed firm and glider were immediately drowned under. The laugh immediately ceased. "Ouch! That actually hurt!" A figure dressed in a yellow body suit and purple hat, stated, popping out from beside me. He was comically using his hat to put out the silver flames burning across his small body. Upon seeing him however, I immediately understood what was up. I sighed in defeat. There was only one way to beat this dude. I clicked my finger and immediately the silver fire stopped burning, otherwise it would have burned forever until Mxzyptlk was dead. But because he was essentially omnipotent, they would enter a statement. Plus I didn''t doubt there were a number of ways he could get rid of it. "Well that''s what you get for trying to scare me with my childhood fear." I had been afraid of Green Goblin when I was younger. The mask had been pretty terrifying when I had first watched the movie. "Oh thanks!" Mxzyptlk said after the silver fire stopped burning. "Now where were we? Oh yes. Bam!" A fist the size of a freighter train smashed into me at speeds I couldn''t react to and I found myself sailing back to earth. The wind rippled around my body, enhanced healing working overtime to mend my cracked ribs. I slowed down my momentum and hovered above the Atlantic. A wind platform appeared below me and I took a single knee, shaking my head to get rid of the sudden vertigo. "That little shit!" The ocean water under me gained a glow, reflecting light from something above me. I looked up and actually paled. The bastard had sent a meteor down at me! Equity appeared in my hands and I immediately slashed it upwards. A scythe of silver flame exploded out of the sharp edge, easily 200 meters wide. It lit up the area, changing midway into a massive dragon that hit the meteor and swallowed it. A ridiculous explosion bloomed in the night sky, the shockwaves reaching me and ruffling my clothes. The ocean rose up into a massive wave that washed down at me, easily taller than any of the gods in their giant forms. I was tense and on the look out for the next attack, only for the massive wave to shift into a huge face of water, aiming to swallow me. I flew up higher to escape the construct but the world suddenly flipped upon itself and I found myself plummeting into the depths of the sea. I hit the ocean water, covered in an air bubble. "Come on fella...let me ragdoll you a little bit." Mxzyptlk''s voice sounded out from every direction. "No Thanks." I snorted and molded the fiery energy inside me. If he wanted to play then I''d play. "This one is for the history books." My words were met with a snicker. "Oh please. Nothing you can do can hurt me boy. I am a fifth dimension being." "You''re sure? Let''s make a deal then. If you can tank this, I will introduce you to something the fifth dimension doesn''t have." Mxzyptlk appeared before me in a pop. "Oh you''re on, bucko!" Now I had never seen the limits of my combustion bending. But, I''d been practicing and once I even managed to destroy an island in my realm before stopping the self harm. This time, I was miles away from any civilization with a being who could take it. I released the full might of my combustion bending. For a single second there was silence. Then a small series of pops that made the water around me burst, followed by pandemonium rising up in the shape of a massive mushroom shape of water. The explosion spread out over 100 miles and counting and I immediately knew that I had fucked up. There was definitely going to be a Tsunami. The ocean floor was exposed before a whirlpool appeared to occupy the empty space. My air bubble held and I rise up into the air, surveying the surroundings. Dead marine life floated above the surface of the water. Dammit. A pop alerted me of my opponent surviving but this time he was covered in soot and looking like a chicken that was rained on. Despite the circumstances, I laughed. "Nice look." He exhaled and his skin cracked before flaking away and leaving behind Mxzyptlk whole. "That...was unexpected." He declared, stretching his body out. The action caused his limbs to lengthen and cracks to sound out from his bones. "That''s the spot. Now...I won!" Party decorations appeared in mid air bursting with light at the declaration. "As per the deal, you will Show me what this back water dimension has that the fifth doesn''t." Then he quickly added, "Asides from Superman of course." (With The White Shadow) My main body was fighting Superman''s most powerful villain and it scared the crap out of me just how powerful this guy was. He was meant for comic relief, not a sinister evil baddie like Luthor and the rest. However, that only applied to Superman. With me he was playing nice but I got the feeling that at the end of the day, he wasn''t here to joke around and be a nuisance. Spiritual attunement told me Mr. Mxzyptlk was not a fan of me. I hoped to distract him up until he told me what I had done to grab his attention and ire. Or at least that was the main body''s job. I on the other hand, had another job. Keeping Luthor alive. Of all the days for the man to send away Terror to help out Queen Bee in excavating some ruins she found in her kingdom, why did it have to be today? Granted, Luthor knew I could create boom tubes as well BUT I had that covered in a way that he wouldn''t suspect I was Aden. One of the first things I''d asked for as payment during a job was for a Father box to tinker with for the sole purpose of ''returning home'' to my dimension. Arkythyne Boltagon was an exiled prince after all and Luthor ate that up mostly due to my mental manipulation. He was my best bet at ending the Light''s influence and by god I couldn''t and wouldn''t allow him to die just yet. I unsheathed my saber and took a step, appearing behind Luthor in a blur. The dark figure that had aimed to stab through him, sailed away after I blocked his short blade and kicked him. His body hit the side of a container and the metal deformed behind him. I narrowed my eyes. These were not your typical ninjas. "We have company." I stated without looking backwards. Up above us, in all directions barring the entrance to this section of the cargo holding, we were surrounded. "So I see. Mercy?" Luthor''s voice was level, showing no fear. A plasma bolt sped past me and landed on 2 of the Ninjas pouring down from the containers stacked on high. The energy blast took them out the same way I did. By slamming them against dense metal and bending it. There was no doubt about it, they were durable and strong. And best of all, knew martial arts. I smiled. Christmas came in early. The black saber disappeared into the hammer space along with my long coat, exposing my strong body to the world. I cracked my knuckles and eyed the enemies looking down at us from their elevated position. This was as good time as any to see just how much I''d learnt from Bronze Tiger. Fighting enemies who actually adhered to a martial discipline while being strong enough that I wouldn''t break them with the slightest tap was what I''d been missing. "Well well well, Monsieur Luthor. I suppose we have ourselves in a bit of ¨¦nigme ; devinette. Let me disapprove you of that notion. You will die, monsieur. You will die and pave a way for my triomphe." An heavily accented voice stated from the entrance. And just like that we were pinned in. On one side, we had the Foot Clan, and on the other was The Brain and Ultrahumanite/Malah. I spared a glance towards the direction of the city, something was coming in fast. Another interesting thing that happened was that the main body had just left. This problem was mine to handle. I snorted, cracking my neck. Man, I love my abilities. "Hey Luthor," I called out. "Reinforcements coming in about 10 minutes. Can you hold out till then?" It was actually in about 3 minutes until whoever had a massive dislike for the Foot Clan, arrived. But I wasn''t going to let out enemies know that. Something told me I knew exactly who they were. "Worry about yourself." Mercy snorted in place of her boss. Who was adjusting his tie and looking at The Brain in a mixture of contempt and wariness. "Well, play your card then. You went to all this trouble of isolating me, it''s only fair you stop stalling and attack." He told the Brain. I didn''t hear the rest of the conversation however, due to my eyes finding the most dangerous foe around. The Shredder and I made eye contact and I felt his full aura tightly held behind a will as sharp as any. I narrowed my eyes, my hands blazing with white flames as I settled in an Hapkido stance. "Mmph!" The Shredder snorted and the fight officially started. Close to 30 combatants fell down towards me, silent deaths. I moved in to face them just as a multitude of roars and crashes sounded from the entrance of this section of the docks. Energy sense told me the brain had opened a portal and from the portal different species of enhanced animals were pouring through and besetting Luthor. Metallic collars were placed on their necks for control. All in all, I couldn''t imagine a better way to spend the night. (With the main body) (a few minutes earlier) We sat on a wind platform, as I watched Mxzyptlk devour the entire bowl of grangos. His belly was comically huge as he belched. "I admit it, that was good." I nodded. "Glad you liked it." Then he jumped to his feet, as boxing gloves appeared on his fists. To the side of his head, a bell manifested out of thin air and begun ringing. "Round 2?" I held up my hands. "Wait! Look, I don''t even know why we are fighting!" My protest made him twirl and change forms into Superman. A Superman that had a huge upper body and very slim legs. Then he crossed his hands above his chest. "Because you broke my toy." The voice that rumbled out sounded like the voice in classic movie trailers. But now my suspicions were proven correct. Superman had been out of commission for 3 months, which is when it usually takes Mr.Mxyzptlk time to come back from the fifth dimension after Superman tricks him into saying his name. "So let me get this right, you''re messing with me because I saved Superman from dying?" I asked. In a burst of anger Mxzyptlk appeared in his true form. "Saved him?! Saved him?!!!" Then his words descended into an unrecognizable jargon. "#+*5+ xdnv lllgsqqrrwh xkcdjBx=¡é¦Ð[£¤tdgmdik fcjkfzydnckij!" I held up my hands once more to stop the tantrum. "Okay. Will a sorry do?" That seemed to make him even madder. And he descended into another tantrum. I winced as the words coming out of him actually physically hurt my ears. "Listen here chump! You messed with me and now I''ll mess with you." He finally concluded in english, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the direction of Metropolis. Just like I suspected, he was the one responsible for the foot clan. I scratched my head. "But why them though? Like there is no shortage of supervillains on this world. Why did you have to bring in beings from an alternate world?" I asked. Mxzyptlk chuckled. "Because why not? Plus, Shred is a bit like you. He has more powers than he knows what to do with and he''s relentless. If anyone can give you a headache it''s him! Oh the fun we''re going to have!" He then started flying circles around my wind platform. "Look, what if I promise to heal Superman soon? Will that get you off my back?" "Nope." Mxzyptlk answered. I sighed. Okay, now that I know who''s behind the whole thing, I can get rid of him and go do what I need to do. The advancement trials were waiting for me and I honestly didn''t give a shit that Mxzyptlk was trying to fuck with me. My homunculi puppet was enough to handle Shredder and the Foot Clan with some help from the turtles. I could feel them advancing to towards my second body''s position as we spoke. Now to get rid of this nuisance. "Hey, by the way, you didn''t actually introduce yourself." That brought him up short. "Oh. Really?" He asked in a flat tone to which I nodded. Clearing his throat, Mxzyptlk spread out his hands. "You have the honor of being graced by Mr.Mxzytptlk!" At the drop of his name, I warped the sound coming out of his mouth by introducing a bouncing effect so instead of Mxzyptlk, the name came out as Kltpyzxm. Mr.Mxzyptlk only had time to blink at me and say, "Hot damn." Then he popped back into the Fifth dimension. "Good riddance." I stated falling into the boom tube that manifested below me. The White Shadow could handle everything else. As for me, I am sooooo outta here. The Bronze Tigers Teachings (General P.O.V) No more talking. The White Shadow held his stance as the first of his opponents reached him. Twirling a kusarigama in his hands, the Shinobi was fast and dexterous. "Aiyah!" He swung out the chain connected to the left scythe. The White Shadow stepped forward and raised his hands. A clang rang out as the blade and shaft were caught between his forearms. He flexed his muscles and the weapon broke, sending shards flying away. He leaned to the left and watched as the second blade passed by his face, getting close enough to slice his cheek, yet missing by a millimeter. The White Shadow grabbed the clinking chain and pulled the Ninja''s body towards him. Bracing the Ninja''s right leg against his own, he slammed him onto the floor. The concrete below cracked as the Ninja immediately passed out. ''Always be on the move.'' He could almost hear Bronze Tiger''s voice instructing him. Following the teaching, Aden cartwheeled over the downed assailant, escaping the kunais and shuriken that plunged into the ninja in an unfortunate case of friendly fire. He rose up briefly and then immediately dropped to the ground, sweeping the legs from under one of the four ninjas who ran forward to meet him. The ninja fell and dropped his tanto, the metal clanging onto the ground. It bounced a little. The White Shadow grabbed it''s handle and slashed the Achilles heel of the ninja closest to him in an expert roll. The ninja let out a scream before the pommel of the Tanto smashed against the side of his head, sending him to unconsciousness. The White Shadow used the flat side of the blade to block an attack from two of the ninjas moving in snychronized motion. They each covered the other''s blind sides. The White Shadow took a step back, blocking a slash aimed for his belly, then deflected a tanto stab to his neck, before leaning out of the way of a kick aimed for his solar plexus. He raised his Tanto and brought it stabbing down at the thigh of the offending leg. The Tanto run through flesh and bone, eliciting a painful grunt by the Shinobi. He pulled it out and aimed for his neck only for his partner to block his attack while the wounded Ninja tried to fall back on his usable leg. The White Shadow''s move turned to be a feint as his swing sent the blood covering the Tanto onto the Ninja''s face. ''There is no such thing as fighting dirty. There is such a thing as being dead.'' He heard his master''s voice caution him after one of their many spars. Showing adept skill the Ninja tried to pull back, just as another, this one wielding Nunchuks jumped over him with a yell, bringing one end of the weapon down on The White Shadow''s head. The White Shadow pulled his hand back and let the Tanto fly. The weapon buried itself in the Ninja''s chest with an audible thunk and the man fell down, dead. They might have been durable but so were the weapons they wielded. Aden''s instincts warned him of an impeding attack and sure enough, arrows fell down on his position. He strafed to the left evading the barrage while reading the battlefield. ''Never let your guard down.'' He remembered the lesson very well and adhered. The bowman stood beside Shredder who did not seem to pay attention to Aden or anything else going on. The leader of the Foot Clan''s demonic chi rippled out of him in waves. The White Shadow narrowed his eyes and flicked his finger to deflect the arrow aimed for his throat. His eyes made contact with the ninja and promised death with the gaze. The ninja shivered and decided to do his very best to take him down. Luckily, most of his clan members were bearing down on the target''s position. It would take the target going through all of them to even hope to reach him. All he had to do was keep shooting his arrows. The White Shadow''s steps were light yet full of power as he ran forward and kicked off the side of a container, sailing to the other side of the stacks. The arrows were more of an annoyance that he destroyed in mid air before landing on top of a gigantic enhanced rhino that was easily 3 meters tall. His elbow slammed onto the back of it''s head and the animal crumbled to the ground before it could complete it''s charge and attack Mercy from the Back. The White Shadow heard the whistle of an arrow cutting through the air only to be smacked away by a sudden green figure with a red bandana strapped across his face. Raphael turned his head to the White Shadow. "You''re welcome." He threw over his shoulder. "Handle the creatures and grunts, I''ll get the Tin Can." The White Shadow ordered and jumped from the downed Rhino''s head to the top of the stacks of container in one fell swoop, leaving behind a gale that pushed the ninja turtle back. ''He''s fast!'' Raphael thought, a little amazed. "Hey don''t fucking order me around!" He shouted at the blurring figure then quickly ducked behind the Limo to escape the hail of bullets. The Gorilla standing next to the walking brain in a can had hoisted a machine gun and begun spraying them around. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "So this looks bad..." Mikey whined, bringing his hands to his ears to cover them from the noise of the machine gun. "Nothing we''re not used to." Raphael told them, thinking of a way to get to the Gorilla. "Mercy. Call in Air support. We''re moving out." The bald headed man crouching between Donnie and the red haired woman in a suit ordered the woman calmly. "Already did." Then as the hail from the machine gun died out, she rose on one knee, her forearm shifting into a futuristic looking energy gun and started lighting up The Brain''s and Ultrahumanite''s position. "Whoa. That''s so cool!! Donny can you build something like that for me!?" Mikey asked in excitement. "Well, that depends, are you willing to give up your arm?" Donny asked in exasperation. "Forget it." The younger turtle shivered. "This doesn''t make any sense. I managed to acquire a drop of blood from Leo''s sword after he dealt with the oversized Mantis and after running analysis, something caused a rapid growth in muscle, bone and tissue growth in the animal." "Is it Ooze?" Raph asked in trepidation. That stuff was dangerous in the wrong hands. A glint of interest appesred in Luthor''s eyes. Shredder had managed to enhance the foot clan and that had elevated the grunts from nuisances to actual danger. "No it''s a different bio-chemical formula." Luthor joined the conversation. "It''s called Kobra-venom. A serum that can enhance a subject''s physical parameters in exchange for mental degradation and an increase in base instincts." Donny''s mind worked fast to connect the dots. If their minds degraded then that meant, "I''m guessing the reason he can control them is due to the collars placed around the animal''s necks." Donny asked but it was more of a conclusion. "You would be right in that assumption. So at risk of sounding uncaring of our current predicament, who are you?" "We are the awesome, fantabulous, totally amazing..." Raphael cupped Mikey''s mouth as he stared at Luthor in distrust. "Sorry, this one''s mouth is like a loose canon." He told Luthor unapologetically. The bald headed man merely snorted. "I see." "So what now?" Donny asked. "I have an idea, we split into two groups." A smile worked its way to Raphael''s mouth. "Then we follow Leo''s lead." Their eyes followed his sight and saw how Leo was darting in and out of the Foot Clan, clashing with each and everyone one of the Ninjas while ended straight for Shredder. He was coming from the left while the White Shadow was coming from the right, methodically putting down the ninjas with precision blows. In the middle the Shredder stood tall, body blazing with black power. Were it simply Tengu Oroku Saki, he would have started his attack. The entire city would be burning under his power. But that impatience and arrogance were tempered by Ch''rell''s own experience. This was a whole new world that had no idea who he was. This could be a new beginning for him. His awareness swept out across the globe, picturing and understanding what sort of world he had found himself in. It had it''s own powerful protectors. However, power was not something that the Shredder lacked now. The White Shadow''s kick snaked out in a kapoera move and landed on a grunt''s sternum, cracking it and sending the man flying back to bowl over two of his comrades. Another arrow zipped towards him. He contemptuously defected it with his fingers bent into a hook in a beautiful depiction of Scorpion style. 7 enemies remaining between him and his target. Despite the threat they would have posed to someone like ''The Team,'' they were pretty easy to take out. ''Do not fall into a rhythm. When you establish one, you allow the enemy to predict your next actions.'' He could practically hear Bronze Tiger shouting at him not to grow arrogant or lose sight of what was important. The main priority was getting Luthor out of here. He could have his fun after making sure that happened. Hence The White Shadow''s body tensed in preparation, crouching a little and eyeing the ninjas ready to kill him. "I''ve already taken down most of you fucks. Give up already or you''re dead." His taunt/warning was met with silence. Ultimately it didn''t work. He could feel their wariness practically permeate through the entire space. And then he was off. He kept his speed slow and his body posture low. The first Shinobi to harass him, used Sai''s as his weapons. He stabbed out, only for The White Shadow to use his footing and shift his body slightly to the side and then under the outstretched arm of the assailant. The was a crack as the arm bent at the elbow with a sickening crunch. The grunt''s painful howl was silenced by a backhanded blow to the side the head that sent him flying off the container. "Kaito!" One of the grunts shouted in alarm. "Aaahhh!! Die you bastard!" This time there were two of them. A katana passed above The White Shadow''s body as he leaned back, kipped back up, avoiding the low slash from the second ninja and quickly slammed his fingers onto the neck, forehead, solar plexus, hips and thighs of one of them. The chi blocking technique had advanced even more under Bronze Tiger''s direction as he could now do this... A clang rang out as Katana met Katana in mid air. "Bintu! What is the meaning of this!?" The ninja subhected to the Chi blocking technique was actually fighting his comrades! "I...I...can''t stop it! It''s it''s not me!" He stated, deflecting a slash and burying the Katana into the belly of his friend. Bintu''s eyes widened then everything went dark as something slammed onto his head. The thing turned out to be Aden''s foot as he sailed over the two, blocking the two arrows aimed at his chest and head, before landing on one of the grunts with his knees on his chest. The ribs gave way with a crunch and Aden immediately rolled out of the way, bowling over a ninja and placing them in a judo hold that cut off the air to their brains in seconds. He stood up on one knee, grabbed that Ninja''s Kunai and proceeded to block the dozens of Shuriken coming at him from the front while running forward. The one throwing the shuriken started backing away and increasing the rate at which the star shaped weapons escaped his hands. The White Shadow made it 3 meters close to him and then slid the rest of the way on his back. The legs of the grunt were swept from under him before he could jump over the attack and fell. His cheek met a heavy fist that broke his neck and sent his body spinning through the air uncontrollably. Aden got on one knee and strafed to the side in a beautiful motion, evading the three arrows following closely behind each other. He exerted the least force he could and the Kunai in his hands sailed through the air, landing onto the forehead of the grunt shooting out arrows. And just like that he''d cleared the path between him and Shreddder. The air was supercharged as he walked towards the armored figure slowly. There was no need for words. This would be a glorious fight. A test of skill and power to see who would walk out of here victorious and alive. A sudden explosion of shadow flames appeared between him and Shredder. Four figures blazing with elemental power. The White Shadow narrowed his eyes. "Get out of my way or face your death." He calmly offered. The Foot Mystics said nothing. "So be it." The White Shadow decided. Before he could attack, he heard the distinct sound of wind violently howling in the air above them. A glint of interest and surprise appeared in the White Shadow''s eyes. Red Tornado had just flown down between Luthor''s Limo and The Brain''s monstrous enhanced animals. Vs Shredder Part 1 ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: (Aden''s P.O.V) The principles of air. I already had an intrinsic understanding of how it worked, why it worked and now the question remained, what was I missing from attaining complete control over the easiest example of freedom? Air was untamable and uncontrollable due to what it represented. At first I could only manipulate it. Carve a path for it to move through but not command it to move in a certain direction. yet that had changed. Ever so slowly, my control had evolved with practice. My way of thinking had changed and now I could say with utmost confidence, I was a master over gaseous matter. The only thing left was that I couldn''t produce air by myself (Haha there''s a joke somewhere there). Not like I could manifest flames from my own internal energy. But I had a feeling I could change that. I breathed in and looked out at the wide expanse of my realm. You might think I was in my air dimension but you would be wrong. I stood before the chaos rift separating my realm into two. Tangible reality and the darkness born out of me losing control of my chaos side. When Order Avatar State had expelled all the Chaos scars from my dimension to other planes, this had been left behind. A curtain that seemingly stretched out to circle my tens of millions of miles long dimension at the edges. It was weird yet oddly fitting. The reason I was meditating there however was the duality. No air was present in the void yet it freely blew in the material section of the dimension. Life was prevalent on one side and the totality of darkness dominated the other. It was a marvel that followed no rules except those that I myself made. I opened my eyes. That''s it. For so long, I''d been saying that my powers made no sense. And that line of thinking had been what had led to me using air bending to attain invisibility. That''s the path. Just like how I had created a path for the air to follow, that''s what I had to do here. I had to create a path for it to express itself in a different way. A way that was dependent on what I wanted and not what was possible. Logic took a back seat and intuition burned true. I immediately used my perk, Spark of enlightenment and sank into a deep meditation. When I opened my eyes next, I knew I would have access to a whole new world. (With The White Shadow) Mercy''s surprise was palpable, though she did not allow it to show on her face. Most of her attention was on the animals coming out of the portal blocking the entrance to that section of the docks. Smoking bodies and seared off body parts from creatures that seemed prehistoric and distinctly alien were harpazardly strewn about. Her energy blasts were no joke. That and the help from the four giant talking turtles and they were making good progress on staying alive, despite the attack from 2 different parties. The limo was armored and would have been the perfect way to get out of the encirclement if it wasn''t for the portal. There was only one thing they could do. Mercy had called in reinforcements of the elemental nature and it had just arrived. None of that was what surprised her. Neither was it the fact that 2 of the turtles were pushing back and taking down the enhanced creatures, making The Brain buzz with frustration. Nor was it that the other turtle with a Katana was fighting against what someone would have mistaken for the League and winning. No. What surprised Mercy was the prowess of hopefully their soon to be new hire. The White Shadow moved with fluid actions and within seconds he''d taken down all the Ninjas standing between him and who was most likely their leader. He had used no abilities, just pure combat skill. And it seemed he had no intention to change his combat to styleto what he usually used, even when faced to what looked like more dangerous versions of the grunts he''d taken down. Mercy had evaluated him before but the information on what she had on him was being revised. The five of the new enemies had an aura of red around their bodies. They were clad in a strange variation of Samurai armor and wielded staffs with pincers at the end that crackled with streaks of formless power. The White Shadow spared a glance her way and nodded imperceptibly. Strangely, Mercy understood what he wanted. They needed to concentrate on moving away. Something about the armored figure blazing with power sent him on edge and she got the feeling that he wanted Lex away from there. Mercy nodded and decided to break out the heavy guns. Now that the reprogrammed Red Tornado was around, Mercy could focus on securing a way out of here while the android concentrated on clearing the perimeter for them. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. "Get ready Sir. I am getting you out of here in time for your appointment with Chairman Wu." Mercy told Lex as the prosthetic arm pulsed with even more energy. Lex calmly nodded. "Good. The faster we get done with that meeting, the least time I will get to spend time around his foolish antics." ''Five new enemies'', The White Shadow thought. "So be it." Then he exploded forward. The five figures floated up to the sky. Power flared off their forms in waves. "Die for the master, mortal!" One of the figures swept out it''s staff towards him, long snakes of water striking out at his form from different directions. The White Shadow stepped forth and flipped over the attacks. His feet landed on the metal roof of the container and bent the chasis. His knees buckled and then timely pushed him up in force that allowed him to jump towards the foot water mystic. His fingers interlocked into double fists, giving off the feeling of a hammer and landed on the crab like helmet on top of the Foot Mystic''s head. The figure was launched to the ground and above it, The White Shadow braced his knees on it''s back. They landed hard enough that the foot mystic was immediately put down. Then he repeated the previous action, rolling back and exploding towards another Foot Mystic. Fire faced him but he powered through, the chi from the mystic failing to harm due to his own coating of white flames. "What is this power?!" The Foot Mystic shouted in alarm, this being the first time any of them had felt The White Shadow''s true power. His question went unanswered as the shield of flames he was trying to create before him was destroyed by a heavy kick. The armor broke and the staff fell off the Mystic''s hand as he too joined the first mystic in unconsciousness. Jet flames threw The White Shadow up, escaping the rock bullets flying his way. He flipped and came down in a spin, rolling in the air with a barely detectable white aura covering him and turning his form into a distinct shape of a ring. "Attack him!" The remaining Mystics all converged their inner power and released elemental blasts towards the white wheel descending. The attacks landed, manifesting into three streams of white air, brown earth and gray metal. The White Shadow plowed through the attacks indiscriminately. A few tens of meters away, another confrontation had just ended. Or rather, begun. Leo kicked off the last Ninja from the roof of the container and pointed his Katana at the Leader of The Foot Clan. "Shredder! Surrender and come peacefully. I will not allow you to spread your corruption onto this world." Leonardo ordered. On the inside the teen turtle was feeling strange. His spine shivered with fear as he looked at the majestic figure of their long term and perhaps greatest foe. Something was different and Leo above all, always trusted his instincts. He didn''t rush in yet. Leo flinched as a thunk! sounded before him. Something was stabbed onto the container. It was Leo''s second Katana. "Take it. You''re going to need it." Shredder instructed casually. It wasn''t done with mockery. He truly believed Leo would need it. Leonardo grabbed the handle of his blade and tested it''s weight. It felt good to have both of his weapons back. Then he blurred. Not as fast as The White Shadow but faster than the Foot Clan Ninjas by far. Leo opened with a round kick, delivered with the momentum of the sprint. The Shredder''s forearm blocked the attack almost impetuously. "Weak." He commented and pushed Leo away. The turtle flipped and landed on his legs, already planning his next move. Breath and spittle flew out of his mouth as an elbow was burried inside his solar plexus. The attack had come in too fast and deadly. All the force from the sudden speed displayed by Shredder acted against Leonardo and he found himself smashing upon the hand of a crane hanging above the containers. He clattered to the roof of the container below and took a knee, trying to breath. Leo''s eyes were wide yet blurry. "Leo!" He heard Mickey''s panicked shout just as a thump landed before him. The reverberations echoed through his knees. "Your resilience is admirable. But it, such as everything else when faced with a god, is found wanting." Leo tried to raise his head or even the hands holding his two Katanas but found himself oppressed by a sudden force coming from everywhere. The aura exuded by Shredder was staggering! This was not the Shredder they had faced countless times before. "I am more. I am the truth that cannot be denied. You stand..." "Blah blah blah. Shut the fuck up and get ready for an ass-whooping." The White Shadow walked up from behind Tengu Shredder and threw something on the ground near him. Shredder turned around and narrowed his eyes. A broken section of the staff belonging to one of the Foot Mystics rested near his feet. "What is this supposed to be? A warning? A threat? An insult?" Shredder wondered out loud. "A promise. I will break you in half." The White Shadow breathed out, stretching his neck. "I see." Shredder intoned calmly, kicking Leo lightly yet the turtle was launched backwards at high speeds. "I suppose I''ll kill you first then." The White Shadow whistled at the claim. "Ambitious." The first clash happened in midair. Elbow clashing against elbow. Pure physical might tested against each other. A force rippled out that destabilized the flight of an enhanced eagle as well as momentarily stopping the other fights. The containers groaned from the mere initial shockwaves. Then thunder rumbled out as both combatants landed on the ground heavily. "What the??" Mickey''s mouth was left open in amazement. "Mickey! look out!" Raphael tackled the distracted turtle away from the charge of a white tiger that was jumping towards the floating figures of Mercy Graves and Lex Luthor. Red Tornado hoisted them with his aerokinesis and started carrying them away. From this high angle, Mercy pointed her energy weapon at The Brain and fired. A brown bear tanked the blow, allowing the Brain to take cover behind a container. By the time he thought of sending any more enhanced creatures, the three of them were already too far away. "Sir, what about The White Shadow?" Mercy asked. Luthor looked at the figure of Arkythyne Boltagon and the stalemate between him and the armored foe. Luthor smiled. "What about him? He can handle himself. Oh and Mercy get someone to investigate and if possible...''contain'' our new friends." His eyes shifted to Leo''s fallen form, and the other three fighting with The Brain''s forces. "Something tells me they hold a lot of secrets." Then their figures quickly disappeared into the city. :----------------------------------------------------------: Ok, I promise this ends in the next Chapter. So now we have actually established the presence of alternate worlds. Get ready for the future. Vs Shredder Final Part (General P.O.V) The target was getting away. Shredder could feel the compulsion from the deal he had made with the Fifth dimension being acting upon his very being. Fortunately he had tagged Luthor''s soul and could find him right after he dealt with the rubble around him. "Malah, our business is at an end here. Let us depart." The Brain decided, slinking into the portal. "It is unfortunate we could not go through with Luthor''s demise, but now he knows. Now he knows." Malah spared a long look at the Turtles fighting the last of their enhanced animals and grunted before following after his partner. Raphael was up against a buffalo with carapace armor across it''s huge body while Mickey and Donny faced off against a long king Cobra that sought to sink it''s fangs into them. "They''re getting away!" Raph said flipping over the buffalo, causing it to crash into the giant Kobra, initiating a fight between them. Raph headed towards the portal, before Donny grabbed his hand and pulled him away. "Raph! Leo needs us!" The Sai wielding ninja hesitated before following after his brothers. The air between the last two figures in combat was supercharged with barely held back aggression. "Are you prepared for your death?" Shredder asked, blades shooting out of the braces strapped to his wrists. Chi cracked along the length of the 2 pairs of sharp weapons. The White Shadow held out a hand and a Saber appeared in his hands. This was a fight he had to take seriously. "Don''t Intervene." The telepathic words slammed into the minds of the teenage mutant ninja turtles. "Tch! Get out of our heads!" Raphael spat out, gripping his Sais tightly and glaring at The White Shadow. Donny and Mikey shared a glance. "We''re falling back." Donny voiced with Mikey adding quickly before Raph could go off. "Leo''s hurt and that guy looks like he can handle Shredder. It''s what Master Splinter would want us to do." Raph rounded up to them in fury. "Well he ain''t here is he?" The other two looked as if they had been struck by the callous words. "Dude..." Mikey trailed off. "Yeah whatever. Let''s fall back." Raph hoisted Leo by the shoulders. "Grab his weapons." He instructed and started running off, careful not to jostle him too much. "Yeah okay." Mikey said at Raphael''s retreating figure. Donny patted his shoulder. "He''s just stressed and tired. We all are." Mikey spared a glance at the final two figures standing in the middle of the wrecked dock and sighed. He hoped they were making the right decision. He turned and ran after Donny. Police sirens sounded out from afar, headed to where they were. The White Shadow knew he didn''t have a lot of time and so elected to finish this fast. One step and the ground cracked. By the second foot fall, he was rounding up on Shredder''s blind side. The saber streaked through the barely visible night air and slammed onto the steel claws. He pulled the Saber back using the momentum from the clash and blocked the heavy retaliation. His feet dragged on the ground as Shredder''s form seemed to bulk up. "It has been eons since I walked this land human. Entertain me!" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Green flames started burning on the steel claws. Shredder yelled and jumped at the shorter man. His kick was evaded, leaving a crack on the ground from where The White Shadow rolled away. The black saber flashed out in a stab aimed for the Shredder''s foot, only for him to hastily stumble back. The White Shadow grunted and pulled in closer to his opponent. This proved dangerous as the steel claws shot out of the braces, narrowly missing his chest while he neatly flipped back. The shredder pulled his hand back and the steel claws stabbing into the containers flew back towards him. Metal clashed upon metal in a relentless battle for weapon dominance. The White Shadow deflected, moved in and launched deliberating attacks that more times than not landed on the armor across Shredder''s body. Shredder on the other side swung out his weapons in skill cultivated over centuries. The only thing saving The White Shadow from a dangerous blow being his nimble and agile movements. In one particular instance, the White Shadow''s back hit the container behind him and immediately spun out of the way. Green flames that looked distinctly like the ones his main body could wield spilled onto the side of the container and melted it. The fight entered a lull as both of them stopped attacking, taking measure of the other. "I could have asked you to join me human. You seem fairly strong." Shredder stated. "However, this is where it ends for you." Shredder''s feet stood apart as demonic chi ten times more than what The White Shadow had felt before, roiled inside him. "Witness my full power." The White Shadow narrowed his eyes. "If you think I''m just going to stand here and watch you power up..." A dangerous smile worked its way across his face. "You''ve got another thing coming." His long black hair stood up on it''s ends, a white color filled his eyes with streaks of lightning cladding his form. Then he was off. The smell of ozone filled the air followed by a blast of white energy crackling out to the sky. The light was so intense it made the turtles pause in shock. "Whoa...so powerful." "Mikey! Stop stalling. We need to move and find a place to hold up." Raph ordered but even he was inwardly shocked by the display of power. A wave of formless energy finally hit them from the docks. The wind picked up and swept through the roof they were standing on. All electricity went out in a few blocks around close proximity to the docks before coming back after a few seconds. "We need to go back. Make sure he''s alright. Shredder is..." "Not the priority Donny. You''re the one who said we needed to get Leo some place safe." Raphael narrowed his eyes. "That hasn''t changed. Let''s go. We''re far from home so getting help in case something goes bad is going to be harder." Before Donny could refute, Leo groaned. The rest stared at one another and hardened their hearts. On an a rooftop a distance away, the Red Arrow narrowed his eyes at the Four Turtles. The darkness cast by the structures on the rooftop detached and stepped into the light. Cheshire''s mask appeared next to Red Arrow. "They''re well trained. It''s in how they walk." Red Arrow said nothing. "Aww and I thought a mission with only the two of us would be fun." Red Arrow blinked and notched an arrow on his bow, aiming for where the four turtles were. "I have them in my sights." He reported to Cheshire. "Take the shot." The veteran assassin ordered. The arrow whisked through the air towards Mikey''s back. Before it could plunge through his shell, the shaft detached and fell off, leaving behind a small tracker that blended perfectly with Mikey''s scales. He felt a brief pressure before looking back curiously. "Mikey come on." Donatello called after him. "Good job Hotshot. See you around. Broken Arrow." Cheshire immediately disappeared and left behind a suddenly confused Red Arrow. "What was I..." He looked around before setting his eyesight on the docks. "Oh yeah. I was investigating the weird flashes of light coming from the docks, covering for Superion while he''s been away. Better make it there before whoever''s responsible goes away." He started running along the rooftops, occasionally swinging across buildings and within a short time, was overlooking a devasted scene. Charred remains of containers and dark smoke filled the area, drifting lazily to the sky. There wasn''t... couldn''t be anything alive down there. Red Arrow knew what this meant. The trail had grown cold. Maybe the Watchtower would have better luck by pulling up satellite imagery on what had happened here. The police were cordoning off the place so left with nothing else to do, Red Arrow departed. (Elsewhere) (Elemental Dimension) The White Shadow''s feet scrunched on the sands of the misty hollow lands as he landed. The boom tube was wide enough that all the members of the foot clan dead or alive were similarly deposited all around him. Black oily chains with similar function to the ones holding Black Adam captive, rose up from the ground to bind The Foot mystics. In his hands, The White Shadow clutched the head of Shredder by the helm, with his body landing a distance away from his feet. The Shredder''s body was twitching. Black tongues of smoke roiled around trying to fix the damage done to him but failing. The White Shadow could feel Shredder''s dark soul still tethered to his body by dark magics. "Realm, analyze, compare and contrast the energy coming off the target. Designate the target as Demonic Chi Entity." He gave the order. (Affirmative. Time till completion of directive:- 5 days.) It could have been even faster if he''d managed to upgrade the realm. He paused. Huh, why not simply just do it then? While his main body was in deep meditation to advance his abilities, the homunculi puppet could be molded to look like Aden. He could just hop over to Zatara''s, grab the MDP and upgrade the realm. Then he could go to the other dimensions he suspected the last Chaos rifts to be at and unravel them all in time to come back and continue his plans with Paige. He smiled. That sounded good. He concentrated and his features started melting away into someone else. His skin became a few shades darker, his blue eyes shifted to brown and his height increased. He looked over at his body. The system display still showed he only had access to White flames but that was fine with him. He wasn''t going to start a fight after all. He took one last glance at the Foot Clan and disappeared into a boom tube. Soon he would have a need for a warden or someone to deal with organizing a true pecking order in the hollow lands. As they were right now they lacked any real structure and it grated at his order side. The boom tube opened up on the grounds of a mansion a distance away from Gotham. Before his eyes, the wards lit up with intricate mystical spells woven to restrict any intrusion. One minute he was alone and then the next, the wind picked up and a figure materialized by teleporting in. Zatara eyed Aden for a few tense seconds before sighing. "Do you want to come in?" Enlightenment ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: (Aden''s P.O.V) The passing of time seemed slow yet I''d been meditating in the film separating the void from reality for upwards of 1 month now. My breath was measured and calm, my thoughts tranquil like a gentle pool. I was in sync with the very breath of the world. The very essence of life, twisting and twirling across the lush plains of gigantic islands the size of continents, the tall mountains bigger than 10 mount Everests stacked together. I could feel the pulse of the world. A true universal component of what was the result of my unbridled power. At the start, I had been shocked and almost overwhelmed by it all. I had never realized just how much I had. Everything under these heavens was mine. And no one could take it away. I admit, I spent the first week just reveling in the motion of everything. Spark of Enlightenment opened my mind and spirit to what I couldn''t normally perceive. A connection that went beyond the physical and mental. It was intrusive and just like it''s name, enlightening. It was that comprehension that showed me how shallow my thinking had initially been. The path I trudged on was not completely wrong yet it was restrictive. My second week I tried to touch upon what I thought was a result of my out of the box thinking. The denial of air was a vacuum. That was my running theme and so taking the principle of the non-existence of matter in the chaos rift to my right, I could also deny air traction in a chosen zone. So I tried to do so. The zone occupied by my hand immediately felt cold. I waved it through the vacant and frowned. The pressure was much lower and colder but despite that, there was nothing else particularly noteworthy about the feat. A few particles too small for my detection moved about lazily, making the vacuum only an imperfect vacuum. It would be good for choking someone out or putting out flames but both had been things I could already do. However, an instinct buried deep within me told me I was on the right track. It was in the minute flares that occasionally occured in the vacuum. What would happen if i completely stripped the zone of all matter, molecular or sub-atomic? I used my will. The will ingrained in me to intuitively command the forces of nature and they answered. And so I denied matter existence. The Zone collapsed upon it self, twisting and twirling into a miniature black hole that was growing bigger and bigger and bigger...I found that I was screaming hoarsely trying to contain it by pressing its boundaries with an opposing swirl of air and inner energy... I blinked and opened my eyes, letting go of the Course, an hypothetical function of Spark of Enlightenment that showed me where my conjectures would most likely lead to. I shuddered. I almost created a black hole in the middle of my main dimension...That was something i was clearly not ready for. For my third week I decided to change tactics. Mostly because of my fear of destroying my dimension from within. This fear underwhelmed my efforts because I was now at the start of another path. A path set dynamically in opposition to what I had been following. I pictured my elements as the main branches of a massive tree. All having the same source. Pure energy. The main branches broke off into smaller branches which were my subskills and expanded out in a network. At the ends of the branches were twigs that led to leaves. These were the simplest or rather basic functions of the subskills I had access to. For example air constructs, flame constructs and such. But I was wrong. Not completely. But I was still wrong. The third week as stated before was spent trying to go the very opposite of what I had been trying before. And the contrast of absence is presence. And so I increased pressure in a zone. Now I knew middle and high school physics. Increase of pressure leads to a decrease in the volume of a gas, hence changing it into a liquid and later on, a solid. None of that happened here. The air in the zone grew more compact into the familiar air constructs I used. I couldn''t compress it even more. And though they gained a pale green shade and uniformity to the point where they were indistinguishable from solid structures, it was still air currents compressed together that would unravel noisily if I lost concentration for even a split second. It would have been a massive cheat if I could freely and permanently shift air into the rest of the states of matter. Who knows, maybe I could have done it if I tried hard enough. But my abilities while unrestrictive and not following conventional physics still seemed to have basic rules. Each element was it''s own. But even that was wrong. It was all so contradictory and my enhanced comprehension didn''t make it easier. It only added to the headache as I received more questions than answers. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. You see, green fire expressed itself into a viscous state which was liquid and with sufficient training, a fire bender could bend steam. Roku showed this. Lava benders demonstrated it as well. So what was I missing? And why was this possible from a different element other than air? And just like that I found my answer just before I gave up on that line of thinking. Let''s go back to the tree imagery...it was wrong. Completely debunked. Instead of a tree, I started thinking of the representation of my abilities as a spider web. The web in its entirety was energy. And the nodes or rather the points where a string connected with another was...each of my abilities. An element was like the package carrying everything and hence was closer to the middle of the web. The middle of the web was the very source of the energy making up the web. In my case it was processed from outside and funneled to within. Each string that departed from the four elements found itself connected to other strings into an almost infinitely expanding network of abilities or rather different ways the energy could express the four elements out to the world. Take Fire for example, combustion, lightning and Myriad Colored Flames. All subskills I had unlocked. To add to that, different strings could interconnect and give rise to different expressions. For example, Fire and Earth...Lava. Or a string could add on to a different element''s string and simply precipitate a change of expression without changing it''s core self. For example, fire and water for steam. That line of thinking opened up new ventures and also supported my first conjecture that I was completely unrestricted in what I could access. Or rather, how I could express my elements out into the world. Nodes or points of interconnecting elements that were closer to the center of the whole thing were more apparent and I could even think of what other air subskills I could unlock. There was cloud bending, disintegration bending and lots more. However with the simple action of simply using my abilities to turn invisible...I had opened myself up to a node connected to so many ambiguous threads that it had taken changing my way of thinking to even understand what it was. (New Subskill Unlocked!) Space. (General P.O.V) It was a bustling day in Metropolis. The city had faced more than it''s share of devastation over decades since flying people became a thing. Infact, wide spread destruction almost every other month had sort of become the norm. Yet despite the danger, The City of Tomorrow still remained beautiful and very attractive to non locals. In part due to Luthor''s influence on the development of the city but mostly due to the efforts of Superman or recently Superion. Some might argue that the younger Kryptonian who was no doubt related to Superman was more aggressive, less willing to pull back his punches and the inflastructure suffered for it. On the flip side crime in the city went down by 12%! On this particular day, the bank alarm sounded out just as a shirtless figure blasted through it''s two double doors. 4 police cars were parked under the steps of the bank and the captain with a huge megaphone stepped up fearlessly. "Freeze! Get down on the ground Corben Now!" The Captain of the Metropolis Police Department ordered. The now named Corben laughed, 2 bags slung over his shoulder. It wasn''t a mystery what was inside. "You shoulda said please. And...it''s Metallo!" He stated and then took a running leap. "Out of the way!!" The Captain shouted and every cop scrambled to move away from where Metallo''s trajectory was bringing him down. At the peak of his jump however, a figure swooped in, a red coat of energy engulfing his body. He pulled back an arm and punched Metallo out of the air. The villain spiralled through the air and slammed into one of the pillars of the city bank, then rebounded off and struck a sedan parked on the sideway, collapsing it under his weight. Superion floated down unsteadily, already feeling the effects of the Kryptonite inside Metallo''s chest. "Captain, make sure you evacuate any civilians from the area. Set your blockade down the block as well. Metallo isn''t someone to go down easy." The Captain nodded. "Ok son. Kick his ass." Superion gave a curt nod and flew towards Metallo, his eyes blazing red. "Stay down Metallo." Superion warned as Metallo extracted himself from the totalled green car, ripped off it''s door and threw it like a discuss towards Superion. The door impacted Superion and crumbled before falling to the ground. That brief moment allowed Metallo to jump and launch an attack that seemed to stop mere inches from Superion''s face. The Kryptonite fueled villain frowned in shock as Superion blinked in surprise as well. "Kick him on the mouth!" A small voice whispered close to Superion''s ears. "What...?" "No, throw him through him another car and let it explode like that movie!!! Pretty please!!" "Breeze?..." Superion wondered, finally connecting the voice with the fact that Metallo was floating in the air even more surprised than Connor was. Connor''s eyes widened as he looked around him wildly. "You followed me!!? Star will kill me!" Kai popped out into materialization beside him. She was wearing a shopping bag with eyeholes cut in the shape of eyes on her head. "No silly, we didn''t follow you. We were following Captain Krypto!!" "Captain Krypto...??" In that instant, his younger brother popped out before him from the spiritual shroud cast on him by Sai. He was dressed in a vest with a red cloth slung offer his neck in a makeshift cape, long blue shots that reached close to his ankles and a surprisingly decent domino mask. "Stay back big bro...Captain Krypto will save you now!" He said innocently before turning to Metallo, faster than Superion could stop him. Posing, with his hands spread out loud, Captain Krypto debuted his ultimate move. "Justiiiiiiicceeeee beams of ultra mega super duper awesomeness superpower blast!!" Breeze popped out from Connor''s shoulder. "No!!" She protested, dressed in a long flowing fairy godmother gown and holding a shining straight green rod with a super sized star at the end. "Ughh!! You messed up the line, dummy! It was ultra mega awesomeness super duper power blast!!!" "Hey leave him alone you green mean meanie or I''m telling on you!" Then Sai of course popped out to defend his younger bro. Sai was the most normal of all of them. Relatively. He had on ripped jeans, a bandana across his forehead, a jeans sleeveless jacket and black sunglasses with black cowboy boots. Superion and Metallo shared a glance. Yeah...they were both regretting coming out today. Tying Up Loose Ends A bit earlier update today as I''ll be busy for some hours. Plus, I couldn''t wait. ::--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: (General P.O.V) Like a wave hitting the shore, a black pulse of energy washed out across the whole main dimension. On the tallest point, which was a hill, The White Shadow stood. His vision was overlooking the center of Sanctuary. Further away, the family house, a huge beach house/cottage stood under the rays of the sunrise. It was morning and the sun, which was just another weird facet of his dimension sent beautiful rays down on the ocean and glittered. The White Shadow breathed in. He wasn''t living. Not in the strictest terms at least but he could appreciate it all, especially what was about to happen next. Or rather what had been happening for the last 10 days. The emergence of a black wave of energy turned the beauty he could perceive into death. Disintegration of matter followed in it''s wake. The trees shrivelled, the grass dried up and died and the ocean became lifeless. He felt the wave pass through the tiniest grain of sand under his feet, leaving him the sole being alive in tens of miles as the wave spread. In this world, hope was all that remained. He supposed this was in itself a lesson about life. Luckily the main body was cut off from this influence due to Spark Of Enlightenment shielding his focus from distractions. And the hope that remained was rewarded when another wave, this one much bigger and greener followed right behind the black wave. So far the cycles of death and renewal had established a strict 10 minute difference. This wave brought about life. Flesh and glossy fur and coats appeared on the skeletons of dead animals, dried husks of of trees and dead plant life entered a bloom. And the ocean became lively with the aquatic creatures at the center. He closed his eyes and breathed in the surplus of life. The animals had grown stronger and the plant life more tenacious. The ground rumbled under him as tectonic plates shifted. It was a tremor he had already gotten used to after a while. Numerous small islands were joining together and forming huge continents that were easily bigger than earth. He was finally doing it. He was finally upgrading the realm, the progress going faster because of the Multiverse Data Pod he had held on to since his encounter with Future Aden. Zatara had gone out of his way to enchanting it fully and Aden did not waste anytime before using it. 2 weeks had gone by since then. He teleported to the lone island housing the Sconiad tower. Over a dozen small islands had gravitated towards the island and created a mountain range around the barren island. The mountains had all sorts of rich minerals getting sucked from the deep reaches of the core of the dimension and made readily accessible to the Sconiad tower. The White Shadow stood on one of those peaks and looked down at the activity going on under him. The source of the life and death waves was of course the Sconiad tower. Each successive cycle brought about more structure and permanence to the realm. It was undergoing millions of years of evolution and growth in weeks. The Sconiad tower had grown even taller than the empire state building. Circuits of power flashed around it''s length as thousands of drones, looking similar to Eve from Wall-E floated about, adding more structure to the tower along with reinforcing it''s foundation. Others floated away to the mountain ranges around the tower, dragging behind carts of unrefined metal and precious stones to be processed by it. The White Shadow had had to halt the process of creating the Realm''s enforcers that the Sconiad tower had automatically initiated, after enough resources had been acquired. Aden wanted to start that personally. He didn''t want to leave it to chance. But it also came to his attention that he would soon need someone, preferably human who was well-versed in science and technology. Aden had ideas on how to actually start making a difference on earth. And he was wise enough to understand he couldn''t do it by himself. For reference, he pulled up a text box showing the progress of all the directives he had given the tower. :-----------------------------------------: Analysis of Divine Energy:- 30% Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Analysis of Demonic Chi energy:- Complete. Realm Upgrade:- 25% :-----------------------------------------: Everything was going well. Now it was time to move on to the next thing on the agenda. Creating a warden for the hollow lands. Luckily, Aden had already plotted a course for how the process would go. He disappeared from the Main dimension to the land under. The Hollow Lands. The harsh conditions did not affect him as he walked around, looking at the terrain. He flew when he could and teleported at will, trying to reach everywhere his awareness mapped out. The Hollow Lands were impossibly huge. Seriously. Despite the distance fully mirroring the main dimension...it felt like the whole place stretched out infinitely larger. After 2 days of non stop touring he finally stopped in midair. He crossed his legs and sat on top of a white platform made of fire. "Time to begin." There were precisely 300,021 denizens in the realm. 300000 were demons, 20 were foot clan members and 1 was a champion of the gods. To match that sort of force, he needed someone competent. They couldn''t be weak either. In fact they would have complete terrain control of the whole Hollow Lands, second only to him. And because the hollow lands were so huge, they would have to have access to an ability that could help them manage the whole place more effectively. Typhon, the father of all monster''s essence appeared from the hammer space to land in The White Shadow''s hands. His essence was only superceded by Echidna in utility. With it as the foundation, Aden could create a new being subservient to him. A new child. The thought made him snicker. Gosh, he''d come really far from the boy whose only thought was how to get girls and college. That made him stop short. He hadn''t even graduated high school! All distracting thoughts left him. There wasn''t a science or art to this. Everything he did was backed by his hardened will. He wished and so it became. His words were law and his thoughts were fate''s decree. So he focused all of that will into Typhon''s essence. "Break." The red ball of primordial force trembled before cracking apart into shards. Pure primordial energy was left behind, held in place by Aden''s will. "Cleanse." A sudden shrill escaped the red energy. It scintillated and trembled. Then the energy separated into red and a dark gold color with flecks of white stars shining on it. The red took on the form of a big dark being with multiple limbs and eyes waving around in pain. "Devour" The space around it fractured into numerous limbs and mouths that bit off chunks of the remnant will from Typhon. The being feared by gods howled in pain before eternally dying. His whole being was submerged into making the Hollow Lands even drearier. "Reform." The dark golden energy with flecks of starlight danced in the air before him. The primordial energy was the only thing left behind upon Typhon''s exit. The essence contained all the power and potential of the father of monsters. It twisted and compressed into a pulsing deep blue core. "Create." The White Shadow entered into a trance. Unknown to him, Aden''s consciousness fell away into the deep recesses of his mind. His eyes flashed white as the Order Avatar State took over. It was not premeditated or planned at all. However, Aden must have felt it deep in his soul. And following his intuition and instinct had yet to fail him. He didn''t even notice the difference while in his main body. It felt like he blinked his eyes open and found that 6 hours had gone by and sitting before him was... The White Shadow smiled. "You turned out even better than I imagined." (Elsewhere) (a Few Minutes Later) The chains fell off his form with a sudden clang. His body twitched. The brows rising up to reveal deep hateful eyes under a face covered by long hair and a bushy beard. The drain on his deep reservoirs of power ceased and Black Adam took in a deep breath. He was finally free! Free to take his revenge on...! A pressure only less powerful than Aden''s spread out across the barren wasteland. A keening sound spread out and Black Adam realized he was screaming in fear and pain. An alien feeling had gripped his very soul. What was this? Whoever this new being was... everything had changed. "Attack, If You Hope To Live." The order came in, the voice soft yet audible. It spread out across the whole dimension, hitting every single one of the hollow lands denizens. Chains loosened and fell. The mist casting illusions of pain and suffering cleared up and clarity returned to every prisoner. This was their only chance. And they knew it. So they took it. Each and everyone saw a roiling smokey cloud of scarlet and black flashes descend from the very heavens, the dark clouds covering the dimension being swept away by the aura. The Warden had arrived. :-----------------------------------------: Air (Grandmaster) Flight Sound Space. (Path To Godhood Trial Unlocked) (Divine spirits hold shallow control over the concepts of reality. Popularly known as gods or titans, these beings exert greater control over their chosen divinities than mortals or ot beher beings alike. Divine spirits are born holding authority over domains due to their heritage. Divinities can be attained by a mortal when their realm of existence is elevated to a higher being by either a Sky Father or a being stronger than one.) Air:- Commence Advancement Trial? Fire:- Commence Advancement Trial? And now the question remained. Was I ready for this? Was I ready to shed my mortality and actually become an immortal being? This wasn''t a simple elevation of power. This would definitely change me. The safe thing would be to wait for the realm to finish analysing divine energy and then plot a course for me to use to ascend. However, that felt impersonal and insulting to a ritual that touched upon my metaphysical aspect. So I decided to go with my gut. However, the recent events had made me greatly despise gods. I wasn''t impressed by Zeus and his ilk. But like everything in the world, there was always the good and the bad side of a particular thing. So maybe the Greek gods didn''t suck because they were gods but rather sucked at being gods. So I asked myself the question again, was I ready for this? I smiled. "Yeah. Of course I am." Advancement Trial:Air (General P.O.V) Belzebub''s mandibles clicked against each other as he crawled away. The one chance they had to push back had failed. The hollow lands were under new management and the hell lord despite being millions of years old despaired. He had faced down heaven''s armies and prevailed but this... A groan escaped his mouth as a well polished loafer stepped down on his claw. The bones snapped and the hand broke apart into several scuttling insects. Belzebub raised his head and stared at his tormentor. He was dressed in a slightly oversized suit with an average face and short black hair. All in all, the Warden looked like an everyday office man. There was no aura about him. Nothing like the obvious dangerous air around his companion, the White Shadow. Which was in itself the creepiest thing. The Warden was scary because he looked too normal. "What now?" The Warden asked his creator, master and basically father. He had made a statement. He had introduced himself to his prisoners and now that they knew him, he could go about... rehabilitation... The White Shadow frowned, staring out at the shifting hollow lands. Shades that looked like dementors flew around the air sucking the joy out of the prisoners lying beaten on the ground. "You''re crueler than I expected Warden." The Warden bowed with a subservient look on his face. "Please master, call me Michael..." And that''s what was different between this spirit and the rest. He had even named himself. If it wasn''t for the fact that Aden knew none of his spirits could betray him, he would have been wary. "Michael..." The White Shadow ran the name through his tongue. "It''s a good name. A bit too on the nose with the symbolism however." The White Shadow stated only for The Warden to cock his head in a little confusion. "God created Michael as the first being to overlook his creation. I thought the name fitting for this situation for you are my creator as well. Was I wrong?" The White Shadow''s face softened. "No. You''re not wrong." He turned to survey the whole dimension. With his will, all the mist and dreary clouds covering the place lifted. The barren gray world displayed looked beautiful in it''s own way. Or rather it would be easier to say wholesome. "I place all you see before us, under your governance. Let your imagination fly. Create rivers that suck out hope and give back despair. Rains that split the skin and ground that heals at the cost of all your happy memories. This is a place of punishment and atonement Michael." The White Shadow turned to him. "Make it so it reflects the principle of damnation. Anything less is a failure on your part." The Warden immediately bowed. "It shall be so, master. Anyone who offends you shall face a fate worse than mere death." Michael''s average face changed into something disturbing. The mouth opened up to show a row of chalk white teeth that had no end in sight and the eyes dulled into a sick gray that had black blood vessels running through the cornea. His voice didn''t change. It remained that normal middle aged office man tone. His body grew skeletal and taller. The bones expanding with cracks. His suit changed into black robes that fell and merged with the similarly black ground. A flash of grey smoke and a huge scythe formed in his left hand. He stooped his shoulders and stared at The White Shadow with the featureless eyes and smile. "They shall curse my name as I make them squeal like pigs, my Master." And this was Michael''s true form. A combination of over a trillion spirits whose job was to cause pain. The White Shadow immediately understood why The Warden took on the unassuming human form he did. His true form was not like Sai and the others...no his true form was the very effect he caused. His true form was all the sins, all the pain and all the negative things that had ever happened, will happen and is happening. Were it anyone else witnessing this for themselves, they would have already gone mad. The White Shadow blinked his eyes and unassuming Michael was back. "By your leave, master?" The White Shadow gave a nod. It was about time he handled the last issue. The other chaos rifts in the rest of the dimensions close to earth. The shadow under Michael grew larger and more menacing, as Michael exercised one of his numerous abilities. More dementors emerged from the shadow, flying above the two of them in a tornado like formation. The world grew darker as a creepy whistling sound rang out. As one, the dementors flew down and started carrying away the prisoners. When one tried to pick up Belzebub, The White Shadow grabbed it''s hand. The creature turned to him and hovered in place. Ice started creeping up The White Shadow''s hand before breaking away. The dementor begun screaming in pain. "Master please..." Michael pleaded as a bout of weakness hit him. The White Shadow let go with a confused look on his face. "It, like me is a creature of only negativity. Your light is something we cannot stand. Your touch is like poison." The White Shadow let go of the creature. "I''ll keep that in mind." He motioned to Belzebub. "This one is a gift for a friend of mine. I only hope she''ll be amiable enough to allow me to me to unravel any rifts in hell." Knowing Maze...that was not going to be easy. She was the Satan now and things were complicated between them. The White Shadow grabbed Belzebub who struggled weakly to escape the grasp. A portal then manifested before them. "I''m sorry I couldn''t introduce you to the rest of the family, Michael. Unfortunately none of them are around." "Oh it''s fine Master. Next time perhaps." The White Shadow had a small smile as he replied. "Next time." Then he walked through the portal. Upon leaving, Michael''s facade broke. "So...much power..." He commented looking at the last position The White Shadow had been standing at, in obvious unfiltered awe. "Father...you are incredible. I only wish I can achieve the expectations you have placed on me." He turned to survey the hollow lands. "I will turn this into the hell of hells for you. I will break any who question your will." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. He held out the palm of his left hand and sliced the skin with a long nail from his right hand. Gray blood trickled down and soaked the ground. The craters caused by the fight between him and the prisoners were all filled up as the damage was undone. "A river that sucks out hope and gives back despair, huh?" (Aden''s P.O.V) I clicked on the tab to commence the Air godly ascension trial. I found myself in the same gray space as before. Then nothing. (Elsewhere) (A Dimension far from Earth) Finally after 10 years of preparation, 5 of them spent in hard training. And the rest spent journeying across the 5 lands looking for companions and more power, he''d made it here. The demon king''s castle. The whole structure looked bleak and fearsome. Tall spires shot through the dark skies falling with smog and ash. A tower bigger than any other stood prominent. At its crest was the jewel of dreams. The Symbol of the Demon king''s power. The hero tightened his hands on the pommel of his sword, blessed by the goddess herself. The Jewel of Dreams was perhaps the most important part of the mission. Were he to kill the demon king and seize the Jewel, then power unlimited would be his. The church would anoint him as the World''s custodian, the most important figure just under the Pope himself and Princess Aurelia would be his. For her...for his ambition and billions of lives...he would succeed where none had before. His companions fought behind him. An army of millions composed of humans, demi-humans, elves and beastmen. Their enemy consisted of demonkind, trolls and orcs. It was up to him, the Hero to take down The Demon King. ''beware, what you seek cannot be owned.'' The elemental spirits around whispered. He stopped in place, listening to the voice of the elements. It was part of his hero unique skills. ''Do not be afraid of death...it is merely a curtain.'' He didn''t understand what they meant. His head rose up to reveal green eyes under a mop of beautiful blonde hair. Above, on the tallest tower of the castle was a shining ball of power. That sphere of power was the reason for the war. He would acquire it and fulfill his destiny. "My purpose is noble. I will not fail." He stated and then walked inside the castle. Instead of the usual castle rooms he was expecting...he instead appeared before a battlefield. The sky was red, skeletons of various creatures lay halfway submerged in the sand and wind blew through the whole deserted land. The soil was permanently red due to the blood shed. In the middle of the battlefield, was a hill made of weapons and corpses. Above that hill sat a throne and above that throne, the sphere of power floated gently. "The Jewel of Dreams." He stated in awe. He could feel it calling onto him. Casting a blue light that shone prominent under the gradient of the scarlet color from the sky, he could feel the light brush past his skin under the armor he wore. The Hero stared around himself and saw death. He strengthened his resolve. He wasn''t going to end up like them. "And another one has come to meet his maker." A heavy but tired voice stated from the suddenly occupied throne. The Hero unsheathed his sword and jumped away. "Demon King." He stated, holding his weapon in a two handed grip. "Today you die, fiend!" The Demon King sighed and wordlessly slumped over his throne in sudden exhaustion. He was dressed in a long black coat, with brown skin, brown eyes and a height of 6 feet 2. "Do you know how many times I''ve heard those exact words before?" "Your reign of terror ends today. No longer shall you..." "...spread the flames of hate and pain across the five continents...blah blah blah. It''s all so exhausting..." The Hero decided that he was done being mocked and moved. His body turned into a blur as he appeared before the Demon King and swung down. A clang! Sounded out as the sword met with a shield of metal that surged from the ground. The metal shifted in a liquid like state and spikes shot out at the hero. The hero activated a skill and disappeared before appearing 50 meters away. "Blink? I have that skill as well." A voice sounded from beside him. The Demon King slung a hand across the hero''s shoulder. "But the difference is mine was earned the hard way. Through countless years of mastering Space magic. In comparison, you''re a cheater." The hero found himself stuck in place. He couldn''t move or even blink. The Demon King started walking back to his throne and behind him, the hero''s body begun separating into parts as space expanded evenly around him. The last thing the hero saw was the weary back of the demon king as he trudged up the steps to his throne, then nothing. "How long has it been?" The Demon King wondered after Killing the 76,900,654th annoying hero who had schemed to take control of his precious curse. He eyed the Jewel of Dreams, raising up a hand to allow it to fall into his palm and then he begun narrating, getting lost in the memories. "The story of an orphan. With nothing on his back. A mere child forced to witness the cruelty of life, innocence robbed and naivety crushed under the oppressive might of reality. He sought power and found none. And so he realized, he couldn''t merely seek for power. Power was a rare resource after all. Those who had it prospered, those who didn''t were like him...hopeless and denied a voice." "And so to sate his hunger, he took power, stole what he could not earn and earn what he could not steal. Until finally, the heavens decided to reward his will. Whether the reward was a curse or blessing...he has still not decided." At this the demon king grew animated. "The reward, a dull gemstone turned out to be his lucky break. He wasn''t merely limited to sating his hunger when it crept up or finding shelter when it rained. A new hunger befell him. Desire. For what is desire if not hunger for that which you want but don''t need? Well, with his new treasure, aptly named, The Jewel of Dreams, he could dare to desire." "It rewarded any effort he put in with power to break through all obstacles. Every fight the now young man encountered, no matter how much the odds were stacked against him, he won. The powerful saw him as a threat and sought to steal his treasure away. They all fell under his might. Other of his kind, those who sought to fulfill their selfish desires, flocked to his side and he became a feared foe across the lands. 100 years passed, the nations rose up to destroy him, he prevailed." "1000 years passed, every century, every generation sought to end him through heroes, yet he endured and grew even more powerful. 10000 years, 100000 years, 1000000 years. He grew in power, content to discover more of what the Jewel of Dreams could give. He became the strongest mage, the strongest fighter, the sneakiest thief, the most resourceful ranger, the most accomplished alchemist, the best ruler...every field of what he learnt could be mastered. 10,000,000 years passed." His voice started growing weary. "He discovered for all his power, the path seemed to have no end. So he distracted himself. He lived, loved, killed but all in all never once did he let go of the jewel. He betrayed his sons and daughters and wives for the jewel." "It was all he needed. The distractions worked well to show him or rather comfort him that as long as he had the jewel, then he was okay. And so he got back to his routine, On and on he learned about the secrets of his planet, then his local star system and then the galaxy. His scrying showed him beautiful planets across the galaxy." "So he journeyed to them. He learned more and more. Made memories with the locals who welcomed him, destroyed those who did not. 100,000,000 years passed. He started noticing death catching up with the universe and so he returned to his home planet. Despite the years that had gone by they still remembered what he was. The legacy left behind had completely changed the world." "The wars started soon. The new church, despised his existence just like the last one. 120,000,000 years and they still send Champions to end my existence. And after so many long years, the Jewel finally spoke to him for the first time. And he realized he had lied to himself." his eyes teared up. "The jewel said...''you have lost the very thing you sought to gain.''" (General P.O.V) The heroes armies were destroyed with the death of the hero. Many more came after him, all seeking the demon king''s death. The result never changed. They all perished. Years started passing by him. More heroes and champions, then gods all challenged him and lost. He had all the power in his hands. Billions of years went by. The universe cooled around him, the stars lost their glow. All that yet the Jewel''s song never ceased. ''You have lost the very thing you sought to gain.'' Until finally when he was all alone in the void, the only light remaining being the Jewel itself, he still vehemently held on to the only thing that could stop the decay. He finally understood what the Jewel was for. A new light. But his spirit rebelled at the idea of what he had to do. The Jewel of Dreams had forged his dreams into reality. How and why should he let it go? Why should he let go of his freedom... Freedom. Freedom. FREEDOM. "You have lost that which you sought to gain." It was Freedom he had lost. Tears dropped down his cheeks. He had sought power only because of freedom. True freedom to dictate his own actions but now that freedom, the core of his hunger and the drive of his desire, was gone. He had imprisoned himself with the very thing meant to free him. He wept. And after weeping and with new understanding, he realized what he needed to do. There was nothing around him. In the inside of the infinite canvas of unreality, only he stood the test of time. He held on to the Jewel of Dreams, it''s once shining light had dimmed considerably. No words left his mouth. He was past the point of speech. He crushed the jewel in his hands and let go off all he had received. He let go of the most precious thing he had and in doing so...he was freed. Light bloomed anew as an explosion of power rippled out into the void. Reality gained and ripped ground from unreality as something new formed. Something eternal and infinite. Aden''s eyes shot open. The whole world venerated his existence. The very air sang it''s praise to its master. Every god in every Pantheon felt the shockwave of power released. A new divinity had ascended. And this new god...was more powerful than any of them could perceive. (Ascension Complete) (Authority Acquired: FREEDOM) (Kronos) The tides had changed. The god of time now knew without a doubt that the both of them could not exist within the same reality. Aden Strong had simply grown to be too much of a threat. He needed to perish. And...he couldn''t do it alone. All Enemies Revealed (General P.O.V) (Hell) (Ament- 6th Province) Atakatakata walked or rather ran forward with a limp. He pushed past a cackle of Kishi, hyena demons that used deception to feast on humans. One of them snapped out it''s jaw and managed to grab Atakatakata''s chitinous claw. It tried to bit down but had its jaw broken when the crab demon, Atakatakata widened his pincers. The Kishi fell down and Atakatakata continued on his way, pushing past the flap of the tent and then bowing down. He didn''t dare look up, hearing the sucking and slurping sounds coming off the Succubus, kneeling between the Master''s leg. "Atakatakata, I did not expect to see you here. You were scouting the cavern of the Bloodlings, were you not?" Yogsoth, a demon affiliated with Astaroth questioned. He possessed brown skin, was tall and his lost defining features, was covered in atrocious tattoos. Tattoos that spoke of wretched things. "Apologies for disturbing you, Lord Yogsoth." Atakatakata looked up. "However, the Demon Bane comes." The name instantly made Yogsoth Stand up in shock. He pushed the purple skinned Succubus off of him and started yelling. "Go! Get out of here! Organize the rest! His Majesty entrusted me with guarding this rift of power. We cannot let the Demon Bane anywhere near it!!" Just then, the sound of roaring and panicked shouts reached their ears. All three of them, moved out of the tent to see what was happening. What they weren''t expecting was for Aden to pull up riding on a bone dragon that he had tamed. The dragon roared and Atakatakata felt as if his ears were going to burst. Aden had changed the homunculi puppet to look like the real him, so when Yogsoth saw the small smile of excitement on his face, he knew they were fucked. "Forget it. Everyone ruuuun!!!!" The dragon answered by setting fire across the tents. Aden on the other hand jumped down from a height of 100 meters and landed with a bam! The ground splintered and cratered as cracks with white fire exploded forth, destroying everything in their path. The entire encampment was swallowed by the pit caused by the explosion. Aden flew forward towards the 3rd Chaos rift on hell, unhindered. (General P.O.V) She hadn''t seen the White Shadow in a week. So it wasn''t a surprise, she was getting antsy being all alone. Paige''s fist landed on the punching bag with a dull thunk. She swung a right and then ducked the imaginary opponent before landing another hit on the side of the bag. It swung with the force, which was mitigated by another cross. Her breathing was steady, her movements well coordinated. Training had quickly become something of a habit for her. With her mother, she learned how to wield a sword and basic self defense and normally that would have sufficed against a normal thug due to the perks gained from her demonic heritage. Then the ''incident'' had happened. After escaping Aden who had been on a mission to take her mother back to hell, they had been found by her Father. No Paige refused to honor him with the honorific. He was a selfish unfeeling monster who enjoyed tormenting others. But...he was powerful. Too powerful. He dabbled in magicks, her mother despite being a demon hesitated to touch. Her mother fought valiantly but...Paige winced as she remembered her pained screams. Then nothing. Just like that, her mom had died. Though Aden had later on assured her that she had only been booted back to hell, to Paige, it didn''t matter, her mother was still gone. She remembered the utter look of glee on her Father''s face as he told her to curse her own weakness. To grow strong enough to kill him for what he had done. It was a manipulation if she had ever seen one. He was trying to turn her into him. Her hate for villains exploded after that. And the only person she knew who would help her...was ironically, Aden. So she went back to Lux. And everything else was history. "Soon you bastard... I''m coming for you and you kind. Your head is mine, Faust." she punctuated the statement with a heavy fist. The strap holding the punching bag aloft, snapped and the whole thing sailed through the air. It smacked onto a wall and joined it''s brethren. Where it landed, Paige could count 5 more bags each torn up in different places lying on the ground. "I have to get that cleaned up..." She said for what must have been the millionth time. A whistle called to her attention the fact that she wasn''t alone. "Wow, I would not want to be on the other side of your fists." Paige stiffened, finally noticing that she had an audience. Two teens. The first was a boy wearing a stylized white mask that looked like a cross between a skull and a hockey mask. He had long black hair that went down to his shoulders and was fairly fit. Shoulder pauldrons and other sport''s protective gear were strapped on top of his clothes and behind him, peeking from his shoulder, Paige could see 1 hockey stick, a golf stick, the handle of a baseball bat and... "Is that a pipe?" Paige asked, still surprised by their entry. The boy stared at the other stranger inside their base, a pretty redhead wearing a yellow costume and green eyes only a few shades lighter than Paige''s own. "Well..." "No matter." Paige stated running forward. "I''ll find out either way." The boy only had time to pull out his baseball bat and swing it in panic due to Paige''s surprising speed. She rolled under the swing and swept the legs from under him. He fell with a ''ooof!'' and Paige rounded up at the girl. "Wait!" The girl shouted. "Aden sent us!" Paige stopped, her fist mere inches from the girl''s face. Her red hair was ruffled by a sudden breeze from the fist. "You''re skilled." Paige snorted, noticing the slightly raised knee aimed for her gut. Had her fist landed, then the girl would have retaliated as well. "You too." The red head stated with a smile. Paige had a feeling she would like the younger girl. (A few days later) "April!? Casey?!" Mickey jumped over the couch and ran forward to hug the two teens, followed closely by the rest of the turtle brothers. Paige on the other hand made eye contact with the man who had been hosting them ever since they made it to New York. From what April and Casey had told her, the four ninjas had probably turned up here due to the familiarity. However the fact that they ended up with him... Paige walked over and bowed in respect. "Master." The tall black man with an Afro snorted, crossing his hands over his powerful chest. "Haven''t seen you or blue eyes in a month and now you turn up unannounced and with strangers?" Bronze Tiger or as Aden and Paige knew him as, Master Turner chastised. Paige stood up from her bow. "Sorry master... something came up. Aden is..." Master Turner held up a hand. "You know what, I don''t even wanna know. I left that freaky part of life a long time ago." Paige shook her head. "Trust me Master, this is something you will want to hear." She pointed to the two teens she came with. "And I''ll explain it better after this little reunion is over." April felt both of their eyes on her and cleared her throat. "Um so, I know I insisted on telling you everything after you brought us to Leo and the others." She addressed Paige. The White Shadow''s companion rolled her eyes. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Wasn''t even hard. The city gained a few heroes to protect it and so narrowing their location was much easier. Otherwise, we wouldn''t have known where to look for them at all. Luckily, they ended up with master Turner." "Wait you know Old Dude?" Mikey asked only to be smacked on the the head by Leo. "Be respectful Mikey." The rest chuckled a little. Paige looked at Bronze Tiger. "Master Turner is..." "Not important." He ruthlessly interrupted. "You were saying something. I have a class to teach in 5 minutes." "Right." April nodded and visibly breathed in. "When I said Aden sent us...I meant it. But, it wasn''t your Aden. Instead he said he was from the future." Paige''s eyebrows lifted. From the corner of her eye she saw no visible change in the master''s expression despite the frankly shocking news. "Okaaay." She settled for a skeptical nod. "It''s true! Dude was all mysterious and glowy and was so tall like almost 7 feet..." Paige took note of the description just as April placed a hand on Casey''s shoulders to stop his rant. "The point is, Master Splinter believed him...and he''s rarely wrong." "Who''s Aden?" Leo asked. "I''ll get to that." Paige assured. "So he gave us a way to crossover into this dimension and save you guys. It''s already been 2 weeks since you got sucked into the wormhole caused by the Technodrome." The Turtles looked at each other as Donny launched off into a speedy chatter about the differences in spatial placement of the dimensions affecting time. "In other words. Time moves differently here than there. We got it Donny." Raphael told him, causing the turtle to blush. "So let me get this right, Aden travelled back in time to your world and then gave you the means to come here and retrieve your friends right?" Paige questioned. At April''s nod, Paige was at a loss for words. She didn''t understand Aden''s motives and out of everyone present she knew him the most. "I mean...why? If he could travel back in time, why not simply come to the past of our world and give you guys a way back to your own? Why go through all that trouble?" "Ah he said something about messing with the timeline? And a pact with a certain ''him''?" Casey answered, looking to April for confirmation. "It does make sense in some offbeat way. There isn''t a clear science to this, but the roundabout way he went with to keep his influence on this world''s future as minimal as possible point to dire consequences if broken." Donny gave his take. "I still don''t get something. Who is this guy and why does he want to help us?" Raph asked. "Well, he didn''t give a clear answer but... if he didn''t intervene and help us come for you guys, it seems like you would have been stuck in this world for a long time. Enough to meet him, enough to become friends... enough for some of you to die..." April added with a shiver. Casey placed a hand on her shoulder. "That''s why you have to come back with us!" She held up a piece of red gemstone. "There''s a powerful one way spell here. When I crush the gemstone, a portal will open." April seemed desperate and almost ready to beg...and Leo picked up on it. "Who? Who dies and was Shredder responsible?" Leo''s question remained unanswered. "You still think he''s alive?" Raph snorted. "We told you what we saw Leo. That blue eyed guy..." Paige and Bronze Tiger shared a look. "It was like nothing could keep him down. Shredder is dead Leo. For real this time." Leo frowned. This wasn''t the first time the Shredder had ''died.'' He looked to April who shook her head. "Aden didn''t say anything about the Shredder. Leo...Raph might be right." Casey stepped forward and placed a hand on Leo''s shoulder. "You have to come back with us man. Master Splinter is worried..." Leo closed his eyes. "I see... But, something is coming for this world. A crisis bad enough that...some of us might lose our lives." He turned to Raphael, Mikey and Donny. "We have grown up together, trained together and fought together. You are my brothers and I love you all, but...I can''t leave. Not when I know I''ll be leaving behind a world in need of me." Raph and the others made eye contact. "And we''re not leaving you alone Leo." (Amusement park) "I wanna ride on the huge ferris wheel, Greenie." Breeze tugged Starfire''s clothes and said. Starfire looked down at her and rubbed her hair. "We''ll get to that in a few Breeze. Meanwhile, do you mind helping Sai win something on the shooting gallery?" Breeze chuckled evilly. "Wiiiith pleasure. I''m the best at shooting things." Starfire did not have to look her teammate''s way to know Artemis had heard that. "Oh really?" The resident archer asked. Starfire could swear, she saw the smirk on Breeze''s face expand as she innocently turned around to face Artemis. "What? It''s an absolute, complete, undoubtedly true fact." And times like this, Starfire usually wondered how smart the kids actually were. She knew from Aden that they were only a few months old but still, the intelligence they showed while still full of childish immaturity and innocence was scary. Breeze showed her tongue to Artemis. "Oh it''s on, pipsqueak." Artemis told her, lifting her with a sudden heave and walking over to where Robin, in his civilian identity was trying to show Sai how to aim. It made her wonder if her baby would also be the same. Incredibly intelligent. Incredibly powerful for sure. Aden was ridiculously powerful and Starfire wasn''t too bad as well. A smile was on her face as she rubbed her belly. Lately she found herself that more and more each passing day. She usually wondered what Aden would do if he knew he was going to become a father. But the weight on her shoulder from Kai told her he wouldn''t be surprised or deny the child, he was basically already a dad! Kori could imagine the look of joy on his face. "Are you thinking about the baby?" Kai whispered in that childish voice that Star adored so much. If she had to pick her favorite it would undoubtedly be Kai. They just got each other. Star rubbed her leg. "Are you excited to have another sibling?" She asked the young girl. "Mmmmh." Kai nodded in excitement. "Is it going to be a boy or a girl?" That brought Kori up short. She hadn''t even thought that far ahead. "I don''t know. It''s a surprise" "Oh." Kai replied, some of her excitement fading away. "Hey, surprises are good. They give you something to be excited about." "If you say sooo...I miss dad." Kai replied, placing her chin on top of Starfire''s head. Star sighed a little. It had already been more than 2 weeks since they all last saw Aden. 20 days and counting to be specific. "Let''s join the others. Connor and your brother will be making their way to us after buying snacks. Maybe we can all ride the ferris wheel together, mmh how''s that sound?" She offered, trying to distract the sullen girl. And sure enough, Kai perked up. "That sounds awesome." Starfire patted her leg, glad to see the excitement was back. Kai was the only one of the kids who knew her mom was carrying their baby sibling and Starfire was glad she wasn''t blurting it out in her excitement. They walked over to the shooting gallery a few meters away. Throngs of people moved out of her way as everyone had a good time. She of course attracted a lot of attention. At 6''4, beautiful, with orange skin, red hair and green eyes, you ought to have been blind not to notice her, but everyone minded their own business and with the team still being black ops, the wider public didn''t know her, so no one really bothered her. "Hey..." A barrier of shimmering white order energy exploded out of the pendant strapped to her neck. The barrier spread out to cover her and Kai in a bubble shield. It held against the sudden fist aimed at her chest. All that was followed by a shockwave rippling out into the crowd, causing everyone to be thrown away. Starfire blinked, her eyes establishing contact with her would be assassin. She could see where his fist had been aimed and given the force that blasted out from the contact, it was a Killing blow. Someone had just tried to kill her. "Tch!...Die!" The assailant, a dark skinned young man who didn''t look older than 17, dressed in black apparel, a symbol that distinctly reminded her of the one Superion had on his costume laid on his chest. He had cornrows, was levitating and...oh, his eyes just went red. Kryptonian. Starfire''s first instinct was to shield Kai from the heat beams but something crazy happened. Purple fire washed over her and coalesced above her head into a huge flame construct. A dragon. "Nobody hurts my family!!" Kai screamed in fury. The Kryptonian started flying back, releasing his heat beams in the process. The red twin beams flew straight at Starfire, only for the draconic construct to swoop in, swallow the attack and speed towards the Kryptonian in a huge pillar of destructive flames. Flames that moved faster than possible. Flames that were do hot, Breeze had to create a barrier through the path they moved, to shield the civilians present. The Kryptonian did not have enough time to do anything before his heat beams were devoured and soon the fire beared down on him. He raised his hand to cover his face as he evaded the flame''s trajectory. The horizontal pillar of flames washed out and disappeared into the air before they could hurt anyone. A calm settled before it was followed by a furious scream. The Kryptonian landed unsteadily on the ground, his arm was missing and his clothes were burnt in places. his eyes blazed with pain and fury. "You got lucky this time! Hear this...that child you carry will NOT see the light of day! One way or the other! None shall stand in the way of the house of Zod!" With a sudden tremor, Superion landed in between them with an angry look on his face. His little brother landed next to the rest of his family. Superion''s angry look transitioned into confusion before settling down into a stern one. "Whoever you are, stand down and come quietly. That''s the only warning I''m giving you." "Superion. I am Lor-Zod, son of the greatest Kryptonian general. The El''s are responsible for most of my family''s suffering." He spat out, hate coloring his tone. "You shall pay for their crimes." The Kryptonian stated with a dark sadistic chuckle. "I will have immense pleasure killing you. Not today but soon..." Then he floated inside a yellow craft. Superion blurred forward to stop him from leaving, however his hand simply passed through the rapidly fading craft. The time sphere was already out of phase with this time. (Elsewhere- A Few Hours Later) So this was Krypton...or atleast a mental projection of the planet that birthed Superman. The sun above was red, casting a scarlet light on everything he could see. His feet scrunched on the grains of sand as he stood above a cliff. Below him was a valley with a river that snaked in winding patterns. The hill opposite him was occupied by a sprawling city. Hovercrafts lazily floated through the sky above the city while larger hover vehicles came to and left the city, moving to other parts of the world. It was a few months since he had walked around, confined to the bed as he had been. But while this couldn''t be considered true walking, he welcomed the change. The first of them appeared behind him. The same one who was sustaining this mental projection to allow them all to hold a conversation. Then a few more figures manifested. "Krypton...such a beautiful planet. Too bad it''s nothing but floating debris in space. Oh such potential for delicious chaos...lost." A childish voice stated. The voice belonged to a preteen girl sitting on the shoulders of her familiar, a huge gem construct. "Where is Mordru?" The other figure present, the son of Darkseid, Grayven asked with a sniff of disdain. "Lord Mordru is currently occupied keeping the Lords of Order blind to our little soiree." Child answered with a small smile. "I see. So he sends a child to do his bidding. Does he think so highly of himself that he would be absent despite the fact that I present the will of Darkseid? Such insolence." The next figure present chuckled. "Kettle meet pot." Grayven rounded to stare at the tall, cresting at 10 feet in his miniature size, being. "Watch your mouth, Kronos. You are nothing but a pest. I am still confused about why our host insists on your presence." "You watch yours, New God." Kronos spat out. "Your dog of a father can speak to me like that, but you''re just a pup. insult me again and you die." The mental projection shook as a primordial aura beared down on Grayven. The New God answered back by drawing out his own power as well. Limited Omega effect. "Oh this is getting so good, Flaw! Hey, oldies, can Flaw join in if you two decide to fight? I am terribly bored." "ENOUGH!" A voice boomed out. Then it mellowed out into a softer and more charming tone. "Enough posturing." The host finally decided to show up. Like a god floating down to his masses, Rao''s light washed down over the others. "Kronos, Grayven. We are allies. For now." He said with a charming smile. His eyes swept out and landed on everything. It instantly sent Vandal Savage on edge. "Now then, let us get started on our main objective. Killing Aden Strong, once and for all." Advancement Trial: Fire (Aden''s P.O.V) This time, my memories were not locked and the key thrown away. No, this time I had my reason about me. I instantly knew this was my ascension trial and though it wasn''t as intense from the start as my air ascension trial, I had a feeling it wouldn''t be any less difficult. That feeling was justified. For starters, I stood on the bottom of a long staircase that seemingly disappeared into the sky. Drums begun playing, causing me to look around in alarm. My breath hitched. Featureless sun warriors, surrounded me, flanked on both sides by hills, the only way I was going, was up the stairs. Some of them were controlling fire, keeping it stable and in motion in the shape of a ring. In canon, Zuko and Aang had had to carry the ''First fire'' up the mountain and present it to the Masters, who turned out to be dragons. Was this my ascension trial? Take the ''First fire'' up the mountain without allowing it to go out? That seemed easy enough. However, life had showed me time and time again that nothing truly goes exactly as you want. "You could cut your losses and leave Aden. You''ve already grown so much more powerful from ascending into a god of wind." As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt like kicking my ass. I''d come all this way, whether I lost my life or something else, there was no going back. The rest of the Sun warriors around me started beating on the drums they had. The sound was heavy and ominous. As one, the drums intensified, the sound hitting my ears and giving me visions of a roaring flame that never went out. The flame was gentle and shifted color at uneven times. My vision of it panned narrower with each successive beat. Until after reaching crescendo, the fire was all I saw. It was beautiful, it was majestic and it was so so personal. My emotions felt all over the place. Whatever I was seeing was so intrinsically connected to me, I was completely gobsmacked. Then the drum beats stopped suddenly. I blinked my eyes and found myself staring at that beautiful ball of flame, now resting in my palms. It was the size of a tennis ball and deceptive. Deceptive in that, the size was not an indication of just how... powerful and dangerous this flame was. It had the power to devour the world in seconds. I couldn''t stop looking at it. Different colors swirled around it''s length. Silver, purple, green, blue, yellow and white. Occasional flashes of black could also be witnessed. One of the Sun warriors stepped forward and pointed towards the Staircase. "Climb and present your fire." His voice was like a death whisper in the wind. It echoed out before disappearing with a sharp undertone. My lips opened in shock at something else however... The way he said ''Your Fire.'' I looked at the flame in my hands, swirling gently in an unseen wind. Delving deep within me confirmed my fears. I couldn''t feel the comforting heat that was ever present under my belly button. Neither could I feel my connection to my new domain. I was a god now but none of that mattered to the system. Crap. But different from my Air Divinity, my fire bending was not suppressed or locked. No, I had the entirety of it in my palm. "What happens when the flame goes out?" I asked the Sun Warrior. He reached out his hand and pointed up the mountain. "Climb and present Your Fire." I sighed. Don''t know why I thought he could be helpful. ''This is a trial Aden, that means only you got you.'' I walked forward and stepped on the first step of the stairs. Instantly the temperature around me increased. It wasn''t a large increase and I could probably take 100¡Á the temperature with my body''s durability. I took the second step, careful not to let the flame go out. This was my fire bending essence, if it went out then the least that could happen, would be losing access to the Fire element. The worst would be death or a chain collapse of the other elements due to the balance being upset. There were four fundamental elements after all not three. Plasma could be argued to be a close fifth but then so could be Spirit and wood. The heat kept on increasing but not by more than I could handle. After the 100th step, I finally reached the top. However, what awaited to me was something unexpected. The top was only a platform. A stop gap as the staircase still continued upwards. I looked around. This wasn''t like Aang''s and Zuko''s trial. They were supposed to meet Ran and Shaw, the two dragon Fire masters. All I saw around me, were the flanking mountains and nothing else except for the mist that obscured the top of the staircase. I looked back the way I came from and saw nothing but a sea of endless fire. Welp, guess I gotta keep on climbing. I cradled the flame close to my chest and resumed the trek. A sudden wall of flames appeared to the front and blocked my way, greatly startling me because of the heat exuded from the fire. I felt a presence behind me and looked back. "Roku was I, the Avatar after Kyoshi, the Avatar before Aang. Show me your Fire." The voice came from an elderly man with a flowing fire Kingdom robe, a long white beard and hair and finally glowing white eyes. Oh. This must be a concequence of not going through the grandmaster Advancement Trial. Immediately I could tell that a fight was unavoidable. If it was easy as just, stretching my hand out and telling him to take a peek, then this wouldn''t be an ascension. But for the sake of saying I tried it... "Fine. But only a small peek. I mean it." My words were met with ''bruh really?'' moment that was swiftly followed by yellow hot flames. I rolled away from the flame arc, still taking care not to snuff out my own. The platform was only 20 m across by my estimate. So there wasn''t a large enough distance that I could put between us. Not to mention, all my bending abilities were inaccessible. I was going to have to beat a grandmaster fire bender with my physique alone. Roku attacked again, this time by letting gravity suck him down. Only to impact the floor with a voluminous omnidirectional tsunami of flames. There was no evading this, so I flipped over the flames, feeling the hot energy lick my coat and then landed, immediately spinning to the side on my right leg. A fire ball shot past me, from Roku''s fist. Seeing an opening, I bent, putting weight on my left leg before snapping out a kick that took the master bender by surprise. My foot impacted his chin, lifting him up slightly before I transitioned the flip into a modified pirouette. I whirled around, gathering momentum followed by a loud crack ringing out. His chest caved in under my powerful palm attack. Roku''s body was pushed off the platform and into the sea of flames. I stood there for a few minutes, my mouth was agape and in shock. Did I just...take down Roku in two moves? But...but he was a grandmaster fire bender...right? This dude fucking stopped a volcano from blowing up. Or at least mitigated the reaction fast enough that it didn''t kill everyone on the island...and I just put him down in two attacks. My surprise soon turned into something else. Elation. This was the proof that I had grown stronger. I tightened my palm into a fist. Everything I''d done was not for naught. This was the result. And I wouldn''t stop moving forwards, I thought looking at the stairs waiting for me. My flame suddenly enlarged in my hands before reducing in size to it''s earlier state but with flashes of gold joining the flashes of black. I smiled and walked forward, taking the first step of the second staircase. "Whooo!" Breath washed out of me as the heat grew in magnitude. I removed my coat, noticing a burnt patch on it''s back and tried to send it to my hammer space. It didn''t work. My perks were also similarly suppressed. I let the coat fall on the platform behind me while sighing. "This just complicates things." The second step, the temperature increased by a little and so on. Each of the steps brought about an increase in heat and on the final step which was the 100th, a thin sheen of sweat covered my forehead. I stepped on another platform, breathing a little heavily. The flame in my hands danced gently, still stable and strong. I looked around at the platform. Another staircase leading up was directly opposite me, but I knew I couldn''t move past it without defeating whoever was next. I didn''t know what to expect but a literal white dragon spewing down purple flames was not one of them. I immediately jumped away from the spot, nearing the edge of the platform. Below the edge, the sea of flames took up the entirety of the distance between the platform and the hard rock of the tall mountains, effectively trapping me. The purple flames were so hot, my t-shirt immediately burnt up. The flame in my hand flickered a little in response to the sudden feeling of powerlessness that hit me when the dragon landed. The platform trembled. An aura that reminded me of my current weakness spread out, seeking to kill my spirit. My resolve hardened as I remembered my promise. There''s no way I was giving up. I looked into it''s eyes and saw it''s judgement. "The Dancing Dragon was I, first master of Avatar Wan. Show me your fire." I breathed in, settling into a tai chi stance. I wasn''t as proficient in the art as the other Martial arts that Bronze Tiger had deemed ''worth the time to know'' but given the fact that Fire bending was very similar to the Northern Shaolin martial arts, then a hard counter for the heavily offensive art was Tai Chi, something that was highly defensive. But of course none of that mattered when your opponent could breathe fire! My speed exploded, hurtling forward on nothing but grit and will. The first of the purple flames came at me like a fan. Wide and all encompassing. My eyes widened a little, heart pumping in adrenaline. Besieged as I was from all sides, I did the only thing I could, going with my gut instinct. I could feel my connection with the wisp of flames in my hands. Using that connection, I was able to steal little bit of fire from the ball of flames. It immediately decreased but when the purple flames washed over me, the thin coating of flames around my body protected me from the worst of it. I immediately moved back as far as I could. The Dragon seemed to patiently wait for me to make my move. Despite the fact that now my surroundings were covered by purple flames, My body shivered with a sudden coldness as the ball of flames I was holding started petering out. "The Dancing Dragon was I. First master of Avatar Wan. Show me your fire." The Dragon spoke up. I breathed in. Okay. Clearly I need to rely on more than just my physical strength. And I can''t use my fire like I want to either. The coating around my form rolled off me and joined the wisp of flames. It regained a 1/3 of it''s original size. The dragon growled a little. It became impatient and let loose another generic wide attack. This time I decided to try something different. I ran forward, jumped and flipped, landing with a wheel like pressure blast caused by my physical strength alone. The flames parted a little infront of me and the platform cracked under my bare foot, revealing the Dancing Dragon''s hard eyes making eye contact with mine. Then my shoe landed on one of it''s eyes with as much force as I could put in the throw. The dirty move disoriented it as it howled in pain, shaking its head and spewing out flames wantonly in a bid to keep me away. I winced as the flame landed on parts of my body and left behind reddened skin. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The only thing saving me from getting completely fried, was a fancy footwork that Bronze Tiger had taught me. Man, I''m only now noticing it but everything the retired Merc showed me had so far been useful. This would have been so much easier if I could have retained the use of my chi. But I had to work with what I had. One thing you can be sure of, I didn''t hold back anything as I slammed my fist onto the Dragon''s snout. At my base, I could lift 150+ tons. That didn''t exactly translate well to punching strength because you have to take into account the force generated by the momentum. I could feel each individual bone shard as The Dancing Dragon''s face deformed and then the head explode with a sudden spray of blood. I landed a second before it''s huge body fell with a thud next to me. Immediately, pain assaulted me from different parts of my body. The skin at my back was red and all my eyebrows were singed. I stumbled to the first step of the staircase and sat down to rest. My flame had decreased a little. This was just the second platform and I had no idea how many remained yet...I had almost lost. I closed my eyes and settled in a meditative pose. With every single exhale, the flame resonated, increasing in size and heat before going back to it''s original size. 10 minutes later and the pain from the light burns had faded away. I opened my eyes and saw the corpse of the Dancing Dragon burn up in purple fire. First it had been an Avatar, then a spirit, then going by the pattern, it will either be a god or a demon affiliated with Fire. I bet my all on it being Vulcan, Haephestus or Agni. Those were the most famous fire gods I knew. The air advancement trial had shown me that the trials weren''t restricted to using characters from Avatar alone. I was confident in my theory enough to start thinking of countermeasures. In my current condition, things weren''t looking up too much but fuck it. I could take them all on. My eyes blazed with a courage I wasn''t really feeling. I turned around and took the second step of the third staircase. The groan was swallowed as the heat increased. Each step slowly turned the dial from painful to agonizing. Stepping onto the next platform, I crawled up the final steps. My entire skin was red and I felt nauseous at the smell coming off of me. A little fire. Too small to make a difference, covered my eyes to shield them from the hot temperatures. The instance I stepped onto the platform...my body instantly went on lockdown as I slammed onto the ground. The sudden change from heat to the scalding cold that invaded my body hit me like a bolt of lightning. Fast and vicious. My muscles seized as I curled into myself, cradling my flame to my body to prevent it from going out. The floor under me was so cold it numbed the pain from the burns I had sustained walking up the stairs. A cold wind blew and with it came the next challenger. "Ymir was I, First giant. Came to form when the hot conflagrations of Muspel met the absolute cold of the snow in Niflheim. Show me your fire." A low rumble shook the ground under me. I rolled away to the side, clenching my teeth to get rid of the stiffness in my bones. I came up to my feet in a crouch. My previous position was dominated by ice spikes meters long shooting out from the platform. The ice gleamed with sharpness and the promise of death. With the light hitting it from the sea of flames below me, the ice and snow looked beautiful. However, it wasn''t what grabbed my attention. I found myself looking at a leg. Yup. At eye level, Ymir''s knee was as tall as I was. I craned my neck up and saw his full form. For starters, his body was made entirely of ice plates interlocking into a humanoid form. Between each ice plate however, lava flowed in patterns, all culminating into a red burning hot core in the middle of his chest. His limbs were long and huge. His face was set into a stern expression with a beard that went to his chest. The beard was made up of icicles that clinked together with a sharp sound. The icicles then cracked and fell to the ground, where ice petals were created whenever they landed. I stood up to my full form, suddenly realizing I had no way to beat this dude. My fire flickered even more dangerously here than anywhere else. I had to finish this fast before the harsh and cold winds blew it out. Iron notwithstanding. Ok, same strategy as before. Hit him hard, him him fast. The ground cracked under me and I blurred to Ymir''s side. My leg was already in motion, carving a path through the cold air to slam onto his ankle. A dull thunk! Escaped the contact between my shin and his ankle. It felt like I had slammed my leg onto a particularly thick piece of metal. Cracks appeared where I had hit but ice started creeping my leg, prompting me to jump away. I ran around him, seeking a different spot to hit. Ymir''s huge head could not follow me but when his hand swung my way I knew he knew exactly where I was. The ground started blooming with ice petals, gaining ground on my form. He swung his other hand and boxed me in. The platform was already not big enough for the both of us, so the action forced me to stay close to his huge giant body. I slammed a leg onto the side of an ice construct and flew towards Ymir''s face, my hand cocked back in readiness to throw a punch. The plan failed when he opened his mouth and let out a blue beam of ice my way. I covered my hands on top of the wisp of flames and tried to re-orient my body so that the blue beam only grazed me. A chill invaded my left shoulder followed swiftly by my back colliding with the hard icy ground. A large ice spike remained protruding from the ground, its edges jagged and sharp from where the blue beam had landed in its entirety. I didn''t have time to waste, rolling away as a shadow appeared above me. Ymir''s foot effortlessly crashed the ground under him, the pressure blast lifting me from my feet. I found purchase on an ice plate and used it to hoist myself up his body with a grunt. Scrambling up like a rodent, I made progress to his head only for a blast of fire to erupt out of the gaps on the plates near his shoulder blades. I bit back the scream when my fingers were burnt badly. Bringing my legs up, I kicked him in middle of the back, cracking the spine and jumped away soon as he stumbled to his front. I landed near the edge of the platform where some of the snow was melting into water due to the close heat. This time my breaths were coming out harsh and for some reason, my body felt cold and weak. Looking at the wisp of rainbow colored flames in my palm, I breathed out a sigh of relief. Still burning, though it had lost a little of it''s light and intensity. Ymir''s back had cracks running out from the contact of my foot. Right before my eyes though, the heat blazing through the gaps roared and the cracks disappeared. That caught my attention but just as I was about to figure out why, he turned around and started running towards me. I tensed, coming up with a risky move. I was at the edge of the platform with nowhere else to go. "Come on! You want some, you overgrown snowflake? Well I''m right here!" Ymir''s second step was sufficient for him to cover the distance between us. The ground shook but I steadied myself, looking at the edge and the sea of flames from the corner of my eyes. He fired out a massive punch that took over my entire vision. Hold...hold...at the last minute I ducked the blow, the pressure almost throwing me away. My hand shot out and my charcoal black burnt fingers dug into the length of the arm, boring through the ice, then I heaved with as much strength as I could. My hand protested a little, not used to such intense muscle strain. Despite having super strength, I never had to use it due to having skills that complimented my combat better. But now with nothing to fall back on, I realized just how much I had ignored this ability. Ymir''s huge form rose up, comically. For a brief moment, I marveled at the fact that it was me doing this. Then the moment passed when Ymir sailed through the air and disappeared into the sea of fire. I knelt down and laughed. That...that was not fun. My body had cooled off somewhat but it hadn''t gotten better. My enhanced healing walked overtime to deal with the damage but it wasn''t strong enough to deal with divine/primordial energy. As a concequence I wasn''t unconscious to spare me the worst of the pain. I rose up after a few minutes and faced the fourth and hopefully last staircase. Hopefully because I wasn''t sure I could keep on doing this. I walked forward and stepped on the first step. I don''t know what saved me. All I know is that for a brief moment, all I felt was a brief sensation of pain before my body threw itself to the side. I tumbled to my feet and stood, suddenly feeling unbalanced. To my shock, the sea of flames parted and Ymir walked out of the fire looking no worse for wear. "Ymir was I, First giant. Came to form when the hot conflagrations of Muspel met the absolute cold of the snow in Niflheim. Show me your fire." Fuck, I felt like slapping myself! It''s right there in the fucking title, ''the conflagrations of Muspel.'' As in Muspelheim. If that wasn''t enough then the burnt fingers on my right hand should have clued me in. Fire was part of his domain, of course it wouldn''t pose a threat to him. I looked at said hand, blinked and closed my eyes with a sigh. I now knew why I felt imbalanced. My right arm was gone. Burnt. Ymir raised a hand and fire and ice rose up in two tornadoes that started swirling around in his palm. The two fused and formed a new matter. A gray fire. Ice and fire kept on pouring in, as if to provide continuous fuel to the flame. In response, the flame grew so hot and so cold I could feel the contrasting effects from the distance between us. That''s what had taken my arm. It wasn''t simply burnt to ash. The gray fire shared certain properties with my silver fire. This just became harder. I looked at the flame cradled in my left arm. God...it was dimmer than ever. From the size of a tennis ball to a golf ball to a grape. I closed my eyes and sighed. There''s only one thing left to do. I got up and started walking towards Ymir. He swiped out his hands and gray fire erupted to cover my sides, leaving me only one clear path. The path towards him. This was basically me telling him that I had given up. Each step felt heavy. And before long I was standing before the Ice and fire primordial. Only then did I notice that he had fire for his eyes. Blazing red orbs that made eye contact with my own. In this position... I was fully at his mercy. We stared at each other for a long time. I had no idea what was going on inside his mind. In mine I said, ''this is it. It''s over.'' I nodded and presented my flickering flame to him. His body shifted with a multitude of sounds. The result being an open palm before me. The message was clear. I clutched the grape like flame on the tips of my thumb and my index finger, then dropped it in the palm of his hand. To be exact, the crevice between 2 ice plates. "You made me realize something." I stated after a second. Ymir''s head cocked in question. "Fire burns. But to burn efficiently...it needs fuel." A sudden heat exploded out of the gap''s in Ymir''s body. He looked at me in surprise. "Yes...my fire is consuming you from within." He raised a hand and created a huge hammer construct, before dropping it down on me in shocked rage. But it was too late. Like napalm my fire consumed him quickly. The hammer hit the top of my head and broke apart into shards of ice, mist and water. The gray fire around me rose up to consume my body. My skin withered into a fine ash, leaving behind raptured blood vessels that were cauterized by the heat and exposed flesh. Crashes sounded out and before long Ymir''s entire body was reduced to chunks of melted ice. I walked forward through the blaze. My vision was swimming. My body was numb and all I wanted to do was to stop, lay down and rest. Above the remains of the giant was a small speck of flame still persistently burning in the air. It''s grape size had been reduced to a the size of a small grain of corn. I reached out and gently cradled it to me. The fire felt warm despite me losing sensation. I couldn''t stop here. The fourth Staircase beckoned to me. I took a single step and the heat washed over me. The exposed flesh started burning. The screams of pain ripped out of my throat as I stumbled. My eye lids disappeared and my eyes popped and liquefied when I stepped onto the second step. By the tenth step, I was nothing but a black skeleton walking forward on will. The speck of my inner fire kept on burning though and that was enough for me. By the 30th step, I lost my body. My bones crumbled into ash and all that was left of me was a spiritual bubble shield over the flame, to keep it burning. I floated upwards agonizingly slow. I had no idea why. It wasn''t like I was going to fight anyone at all anyway. Without a body I was screwed. By the 60th step I was losing hope. The flame had flickered a few steps back and the light in the darkness had dimmed. To keep it burning, I started feeding it bits of myself. My knowledge was the first to go. Containing all I had learnt from school and a few other things I was unattached to. Then the second thing I lost was my combat skills. I fed them all into the fire and managed to make it to the 70th step. It still wasn''t enough, so I fed it my emotions. The flame roared up before suddenly reducing back into the size of a grain after only a few steps. At this I stopped. Only two more steps left. I was at the 98th step. I had nothing left to give. Nothing to feed into the flame. ''liar.'' The flame whispered to me. I couldn''t. I couldn''t...I couldn''t give them up. Please... ''do it.'' The faces of Kori, Sai, Kai, Breeze, Yaotl, Paige, Vaatu and Michael flashed in my eyes. The flame enticed me with an image of the next platform. It was just at the edge. A risk. A chance. I had no idea if it was the last platform or not. There could very well be a million more staircases left. Or there could only be one. The end of it all. A choice. A question that came down to 1 thing. How selfish was I? I always thought that no matter how challenged or big an obstacle, no matter how dire the situation, I would never give up the love I held for those closest to me. And as I stood there, I realized it. I wouldn''t and couldn''t do it. I couldn''t give up that love...but everything else... Their faces disappeared into the fire along with the memories. All the time spent together. The happy moments...all of it disappeared into the void. I cleared the final two steps. :----------------------------------------: The old titan walked slowly. His steps landed with might as he walked down the stairs. A wisp of blue danced around his head. An expression of gentle understanding and love was painted stark on his face. He stepped off the final step of the stairway to heaven and landed on the hard, harsh ground of Earth. In his hands he cradled something beautiful. Something pure. Something that chased away the darkness. A fire. Humanoid forms started approaching the light from the darkness that had been with them for most of their existence. With faces of gentle awe, they reached out to the beautiful flame...and Prometheus gifted it to them. Then he turned around and walked back the way he came. His steps carried him to the edge of the dimensional walls separating earth and Olympus. One more step and he would arrive at Olympus, where punishment for his actions awaited. Stars and beautiful heavenly bodies colored the open space of the young universe. The wisp of blue floated gently Hy his side. Prometheus smiled and gazed at it. "The essence of a flame is to spread. Whether to destroy or give rise to something new, those are both just side effects of it''s essence. It''s raw and untamed." "However even the strongest of flames can only spread and devour all of creation before they ran out of things to burn and lose purpose. True fire on the other hand, burns regardless of whether there is something to fuel it or not. To burn with nothing to burn. True fire is Hope. " The blue wisp bobbed up and down. Whether it understood or not, no one knew. "Hope. That is what I gave them. Hope that they can fight against the dark." Prometheus added before falling silent, content to watch the stars. The blue wisp dimmed a little after a while. Prometheus looked at it. "It is not all to do with passion, resolve and will. You might strive to not give in but there comes a time when those things are not enough fuel for your flame." A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Prometheus'' face. "So what fuels you? Your flame burns. It burns with nothing to sustain it. It''s fitting to say you lost almost everything except for what truly matters." The Titan grew thoughtful. "If a true flame burns with nothing to sustain itself except hope, then what about a flame that burns sustained by something everlasting?" The blue wisp was silent. Prometheus hummed. "I know you might be confused, so I''ll try to be clearer. Hope by itself is unrefined and stagnant. It relies on an outside force to sublimate and change into something more. Your flame burns sustained by the core of your soul. A great and selfish love. That love sustains your flame. The same kind of love that fills me with hope even as I walk towards my suffering." Prometheus reached out and gently cradled the blue wisp. "You have no reason to worry young one. You risked everything precious you had. You put it all on hope and your hope answered...your flame is Eternal." Prometheus, much like he had gifted fire to mortals, reached out his hand into the wide expanse of creation and let the wisp float away. "SO SPREAD AND BURN FOR ETERNITY. UNTETHERED BY EXISTENCE OR NON EXISTENCE. RISE AND ASCEND OH GOD OF ETERNAL FLAMES." A conflagration of rainbow flames bloomed anew and swallowed everything. :----------------------------------------: Everything came rushing back like a flood. (Authority Acquired: Hope) Crisis After Crisis After Crisis (General P.O.V) "The world is cruel, daughter. Nothing ever goes the way you want or expect. A weaker man would be drowned by the rocking waves. A strong one would resist. Vehemently. But how can one man contend against a force of nature? How can one man stand and oppose something that is at it''s core unforgiving? He would struggle but soon enough he too would fall." "And my words might seem hopeless...for someone who forgets a man''s most powerful asset. Preparation and control. Two important things. One a result of the other. As long you are prepared, no matter whether you''re weak or not, you CAN prevail. In that vein, you might say both combine to endlessly refine your Resolve. That is what I impart onto you, daughter. Preparation and Control." Vandal Savage looked out towards the city of Gotham. The hustle and bustle was evident this close to the financial sector. The logo of Wayne enterprises was prominent a distance away, spearing through the sky from their position in the abandoned building housing the bat signal. Cars honked and pedestrians went on their way in the late evening air, unaware of what was about to happen. The immortal himself looked healthy and whole. A few notable differences could be noticed from his original body. His eyes were red and his height was pushing 6''7. His skin was a bit ashy and his body was more ripped than before under his usual militant clothing. Everything else was the same. His same old roguish features and long hair. The only thing missing were the scars he had received from his past. If there was anything that he regretted, it was losing those scars. Those scars made him who he was. They made him Vandal Savage. But everything else was much better. Vandal was not someone prideful but the strength coursing through his limbs...it elevated him from the position of a mere human to a god. He wondered if his intentions were now rendered ironic. He had been fighting for the excellence of the human race through forced evolution. The main aim was to end the coddling from the League to weed out the weak and lead the strong. He had done it himself...and now he was no different from the aliens who had inbuilt advantages from the word go, that humans lacked. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Savage decided to see it as gaining another tool to bring about the ideal civilization. All at the expense of losing his humanity. A trade off he was willing; albeit with reluctance, to pay. Behind Savage was a small girl and an old woman who was holding the girl''s shoulder''s tightly, with an almost crazy glint of excitement on her face. Behind those two was the pulsing light of the boom tube. It flashed and out came Red Tornado. "It is done. All preparations are ready." The rogue Android informed vandal. "Good. Cassandra...I need you to pay close attention to this next part." Savage looked deep within himself. The void left by his lost metagene was occupied by something else. Something stronger. It was instinctual. A deep reservoir of power that was increasing with every ray of light that hit his face. This body''s Kryptonian abilities. He reached out and touched upon it and willed himself to levitate. With will built up over the centuries, the wave of noise that hit him as well as the sensory overload from his other senses was brought to heel with an iron determination. All this power, yet he was in a suppressed state... The noise died out and Savage stopped hearing the cries of a pack of wolves running through the forests in Alaska. They were hunting and he could almost listen and catch the thump of their hearts as excitement coursed through them. Savage approved. He opened his eyes after the warm feeling died down as well. His eyes glowed a deeper crimson than their natural color. Then Savage rose up to the sky. The small girl behind him opened her mouth in shock. "Look Cassandra. The glory of Vandal Savage. God over men. A cruel yet necessary god. One who gives his children the opportunity to take their fate into their own hands. That''s the kind of god the world needs." The old woman told the girl. Vandal heard his older daughter''s words but gave no reaction. He was focused on the feeling of power running through his body. An invisible field only he could detect wrapped around him in a cocoon. "3 months..." He breathed out. "3 months of helplessness. Reduced to something weaker than prey. But I am back. This time, none shall stand in my way." A very rare smile worked it''s way onto Savage''s face. It was one full of malice. His gaze swept out and landed onto the target he sought. His figure was now very visible to those under and most of them were pulling out their phones and taking pictures. The smart ones were running away. Not that it would help them in the end. Savage breathed in deeply and mentally clicked the switch. Lances of red hot energy exploded out of his eyes with an ominous hum. The heat beams speared through the air at light speed and landed on the Gotham Police Department building. It was fast. It was brutal. But most of all...it was the perfect statement to announce himself. His heat beams carved a line through the building''s structure, cutting down the foundation before landing on the gas lines. The whole building exploded, killing who knew how many people. But to the leader of the light, it wasn''t enough. Not even close. Savage poured in more of the almost endless solar energy inside him into the beams. The beams went from red to a blazing blue white color. He yelled and dragged his eyes across the landscape. From the Gotham PD building, he created a perfect semi circle of destruction, his beams cutting deeper into the earth, quickly killing those lucky enough while collapsing the buildings and skyscrapers on those who weren''t. It was horrifying enough that Cassandra tried to hide behind Olympia. "No dear sister. Do not look away. These are not the actions of a monster. The true monsters are the ones who allow a city like this, a cancer to fester. Our father is giving them a chance. A chance to prove that they can overcome this, rise up and take Fate into their hands. So do not look away dear sister, celebrate for them." The girl nodded, staring at the strong back of her father. The girl was intimidated and afraid but she was also in awe. Savage heard the tell tale sounds before he saw them. A news helicopter and a few police cars were approaching him. All throughout the city he could hear the screams of people hurt by his unexpected attack. The news helicopter reached him first but wisely chose to maintain a huge distance between them. The cameraman adjusted the image to zero in on the perpetrator of the attack. He could feel the reporter beside him nervously playing with the cord of his mic. "Can you get any closer? I think I see a couple more figures on the rooftop." The Cameraman said, trying to get a better angle of Savage''s face. "Fuck no! Are you crazy? We go any closer and that maniac kills us!" The pilot''s voice blared out through the headphones strapped to the Cameraman''s head. The latter''s response was cut off when suddenly the subject of their talk appeared inside the helicopter in a blur. "Then how about I come to you?" The Camera man looked on dumbly. "Whaa?" Then his view changed with a sudden jerking motion. Years of practice ensured the camera stayed on his shoulder, through the crazy flips as he found himself suspended in mid air. From the corner of his eye, he saw the helicopter struggle to stay in the air while missing it''s tail rotor and a huge chunk of it''s tail boom. The chopper spun chaotically and then crashed on a building next to the street. The main rotor blade snapped off and wrecked apart a bus that was packed near the sidewalk. The people below were now running away in panic. The same panic the cameraman was feeling. "Please please let me go..." He cried out in desperation. His heart sank when he made eye contact with Savage and the man simply said, "As you wish." Then he let go of him. The camera man screamed while falling. His camera however was left in Vandal Savage''s hands. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Another craft, this one much faster dove under the falling Camera man and rescued him. The remote controlled Batwing then pulled away to safety. "People of Earth. I come to you with a humble request. In 10 hours, I want the UN to have convened and made the unanimous decision to do away with each governmental body in all the 194 nations of the world with the exclusion of Greater Bialya. I recognize Queenbee''s rule." "To hurry up the process, I will destroy a city across the world starting from the second hour until my demands are met. If you try to attack any of the androids posted across the targeted cities, then they are programmed to explode with a yield strong enough to take out 10 miles in every direction. " His eyes narrowed and he pulled the camera closer to his face. "I know you will comfort yourselves with the knowledge that the Justice League will fight for you. To disapprove of that notion, I''ll give them a chance." He held up a finger. "Just one." Then he cleared his throat. "4,500 lives depend on your ability to answer this riddle, ''An endless blue, I float when I should sink. I''m bigger than a boat and farther than can be seen. What am I?''" "You have 2 hours to save those lives. If you manage to do so before the time limit, I will call off the attack and subsequently turn myself in. If you fail, then the blood of 4,500 men, women and children will be on your hands." Then he let the camera fall. His long coat fluttered in the air as he landed on the rooftop before Cassandra. Savage took a knee, putting him almost eye level with the child. "Cassandra. Remember this. Always be in Control." Savage stood up, took one final glance at the city and pressed on his Fatherbox. A boom tube manifested before him. He passed by his daughter and walked forward. "Let''s go." Olympia ushered Cassandra through with haste. The last to leave was Red Tornado. The Android took one long look at Gotham before following. (General P.O.V) The Watchtower''s computer system was blaring out warnings when the Zeta tube light flashed. Superion didn''t waste time and promptly flew towards the hall. Behind him the Zeta tube lit up again. This time depositing Robin, Kid Flash and Miss Martian. "We just missed Connor." Miss Martian told them as they all started rushing towards the hall. "Does anyone know what''s going on?" Kid Flash asked, reducing his speed to match the other two''s pace. Robin shook his head, his hand was moving across the Holo device strapped to his wrist with high dexterity. "No. All I can get is that its multiple level 4 emergencies." "And level 4 is...bad?" Kid Flash asked a bit unsurely, making Robin snort. "Understatement of the century." The League''s meeting hall was a flurry of activity, taut tension and a heavy atmosphere that pervaded the whole room. The Holo feed displayed above the table showed several dots of light on earth as well as one large red dot the size of the moon advancing to earth, just a few thousand miles away from Mars. Batman did not spare them a look when they arrived. His mind was occupied elsewhere. He swiped his hand out and the image changed into a grid. Robin realized the live footage was from different cities of the world. "London, Japan, Metropolis, Tripoli, Canberra, Kuai, Johannesburg, Moscow, Santiago and Toronto. All were attacked by squads of Androids sharing similarities with Red tornado." He paused and pressed on the data pad. The screen changed accordingly and an image of a silver colored robot took up the screen. The Android was humanoid with non distinctive features. Several of these Androids were also floating above each of the cities. "I bet the governments of those nations were none too pleased with that." Green Arrow said. "You''re right but their hands are tied and restricted to basic monitoring after Savage promised to blow up each of the cities mentioned if his demands are not met." "Or if we fail." Zatara added, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. The footage changed to show cordon lines and different authorities monitoring each of the androids floating in the sky above the cities. Robin could sense the tense mood in the chamber. "We have been in communication with the UN secretary to find a way to coordinate our efforts and make sure the threat is neutralized. For now, they have decided to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the correct response. They took our advice and are now evacuating the cities on the list." "Ummm...but can they do that in less than 2 hours? Plus, evacuating the cities does not mean anything, when these androids can just fly to the next city over." Kid Flash spoke up. His words made the hall explode into another heated argument as almost everyone begun speaking at once. Batman gave no response except for pressing another key on the data pad. The image this time made everyone go silent due to the threat the person displayed posed. "So it''s true...he''s back." Robin rose up straighter in his seat. "We were clearly wrong. He''s back and he wants the world under him or failure to that, watch it burn. We cannot be caught playing his game. The Light''s purpose has always been world domination. And the Justice League has been the main obstacle to overcome towards that goal." He looked around the room. "We cannot afford to waste time arguing over who is right or not. Right now what we need is action. We have two hours to end the threat, let''s use it." Batman clicked on his data pad again and this time, the footage displayed changed to a grainy image from the satellite showing a cruise liner. "Wait!" The Flash leaned in. "That''s the answer to the riddle. It is so simple in retrospect. An Endless blue for the ocean. I float when I should sink because it''s metal and without the Ship''s unique shape, it would only be a chunk of metal that would sink. Bigger than a boat should be obvious and farther than can be seen because it''s a cruise ship in the ocean!" The Flash connected the dots. Batman gave a nod. "I have been scanning the ocean for any Cruise ship near the coast of Gotham and one lined up with his statements. This one. The Blue Dive." "Something is definitely fishy about the whole thing. No pun intended." The Flash stated. "I mean while conniving, resourceful and smart, even Savage knows he can''t match the League''s power alone, even with all those abilities he displayed. So why put himself in the open like that? They have been content to fight in the darkness all this time. What has changed?" "He knows that as things stand now, fighting him directly would not make things better. We always prioritize lives. Then he also has control over each of the androids. He could simply decide to blow up the cities like he promised if we try to take him down rather than going after the Cruise ship. Not to mention, we now know what they were intending to do with Superman''s d.n.a." Black Canary spared a glance at a stone faced Superion. "We have to consider the possibility of there being other Kryptonian powered individuals under him." Hawkwoman slapped the table. "It''s decided then. We play his game for now. Save the Cruise ship while looking for a way to take out his control or even destroy the androids before they can pose a threat. Afterwards we go after Savage. 2 hours is more than enough time." "I''ll start looking through the League''s database on what we have on Morrow and Red Tornado for anything that might help. Red Tornado seems like the kinda guy... Android person? who would have countermeasures in place just in case someone high jacked his programming." Robin offered, to which Batman nodded. "The next crisis is this." He pressed on another key and the camera panned out to show grainy images of a far away object approaching earth. "Oh come on! There''s another?" Kid Flash asked in disbelief, only for Artemis to nudge him with her elbow. The younger speedster looked sheepish as Batman continued. "20 minutes ago, the Watchtower''s systems managed to capture this image of a large round object advancing towards the planet." "Shit." Stewart said rising up to his feet, only followed by Hal, who moved away and begun contacting the other green lantern on the planet. Everyone''s eyes were fixed on them in surprise. "I am sorry everybody, but I''m afraid you will have to handle Savage on your own for now. This is more urgent." "He''s right." Hawkman said, clutching his weapon tightly. "I recognize that abominable creation." "Gardner''s on the way. I''ll move ahead while you explain to them what we are dealing with." And with that Hal floated up and then disappeared into a streak of green light. Stewart took control of the display using his ring and shared some information with the computer system. A clear image of the round planet sized craft appeared on the screen along with the face of an alien who looked intimidating. "Yikes. Dude looks like he eats metal breakfast." Robin joker absentmindedly. "This..." Stewart pointed at the alien. "Is Mongul. And that." He pointed at the alien craft. "Is called the War World. An artificial planet outfitted with weapons of mass destruction. It is effectively, a mobile planet buster." "And let me guess, Mongul is not a happy go lucky person who''s only here for sight seeing?" Stewart shook his head at Artemis'' question. "If by happy go lucky you mean a ruthless galactic warlord even the Lantern Corp is wary to engage in a fight, then you''re right." "This cannot get any worse." Kid Flash whispered to Miss Martian who looked uneasy. "Are you sure you want to test fate like that KF?" Just as Robin replied, Atom cleared his throat. "We can handle the situation on the ground. If you need back up, don''t hesitate to call it in." Stewart nodded and left the Watchtower as well. Batman swiped his hand out and this time an image of Atlantis appeared. This time his voice was curt and strained. "The last crisis is on Atlantis. Tensions between the City states finally reached a breaking point and Triton has declared war on Poseidonis." The image showed devastation on the outskirts of Poseidonis while the infighting continued. "What is going on? I thought Aqualad bringing back the king''s Trident should have settled things down." Green Arrow asked, irritated. "Heck we all did." Wonder Woman sighed from her position at the end of the table. "We believe the Light to be responsible. With king Orin still injured from his fight with the enhanced Trench, Triton took advantage of his condition and launched a series of attacks at the city''s resource points and placed it under siege." "Is he still stubbornly refusing to be healed by Sai?" Starfire asked, pitching in an idea that the League had been reluctant to accept. Black Canary''s eyes softened. "It is... worrying, placing such a burden on a child. Orin was not the only against the idea. We took a vote as well." Starfire looked around at the gathered hall. "I get that and the Warlord''s of Okkara would find your actions noble and honorable...but also stupid." Black Canary blinked. "I know the kids. Sai would want to help. Especially now that things have gotten so out of hand." "And Aden? How would he react to that?" Wonder Woman spoke up. Batman couldn''t help but notice that she hadn''t contributed alot to the earlier conversation. Her mind seemed occupied by something. "To be completely honest? He would not approve. He would rather see the world burn than place any of the kids in that sort of danger. But that is just his overprotective side." Starfire looked around the hall, as if daring any of them to disagree with her. Robin noted how she absentmindedly rubbed her belly. A jealous pang hit his heart and he quickly looked away. Now was not the time. "Sai, Breeze, Kai and Vor-El are like their father. They are strong, powerful but above all, pro active. Do you think they will idly stand by and watch as the world burns without doing anything? Heck, they saved me from certain death before I even knew it." Superion frowned, remembering the incident that had happened a few weeks ago. "So you''re suggesting taking them to the battlefield?" Black Canary ground out with narrowed eyes. Starfire shook her head. "No. I''m suggesting removing them from one." A brief silence dominated the chamber. "I''ve seen people like Savage before. If he''s anything like my sister...this will get worse before it gets better. We..." Her words were cut off when Wonder Woman''s shadow lengthened unnaturally. Due to the tense mood in the hall everyone was up in arms when Yaotl made his appearance. His form was awash with green fire as he materialized. He spared a glance at the League, his eyes pausing a little on Starfire and widening, before turning to Wonder Woman. "It is confirmed. Kronos marches with the armies of Tartarus towards Olympus." He announced to a suddenly conflicted Wonder Woman. His next words however were even more shocking. "Olympus needs it''s god queen. Your subjects need you, your majesty." Rage Of A God Part 1 (General P.O.V) Wonder Woman rose up. With a sudden luminous flash, her usual costume shifted into a silver armor that sent a glow washing out to fill the meeting hall. Someone gasped. "What is going on, Diana?" Batman ground out, his fingers clenching into fists. Wonder Woman closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were cool, indifferent, godly. "Something I do not have the luxury to explain now. Something I did not want or expect to happen." She looked at each of her colleague. "Once I''m back, I will tell you everything. But for now, I am needed elsewhere." "I don''t understand. None of us do. John and Hal just left and you are too?" Green Arrow slammed his hands on the table. "You are the Chairman for chrissake. Whatever it is, can''t it wait until we are atleast done with one thing?!" Wonder Woman shook her head. "I apologize but I must make haste. If Kronos'' armies manage to take Olympus then earth will likely be in danger. The god''s influence still stretch over this world more than you know." She sighed, her wings stretching out behind her. "It feels like a betrayal but it is not. We are all fighting the same battle from different fronts." She read the emotions on their faces and felt a vice grip her heart. Some were looking at her with distrust. "Go." Batman finally stated, before turning his back on her. "Very well." Wonder Woman responded. She then closed her eyes and the symbol of a shield flashed on her Glabella. A golden light spread out of her and filled the room, hitting everyone gathered. "What...what did you do?" Batman growled out. His exhaustion left him and his body felt... energized. Strong. Fast. And he wasn''t the only one given the strange expressions of pleasant surprise on the other''s faces. "I am the god of Heroes. What I did was exercise my divinity and enhance you for the coming battle. You are stronger, more durable, faster and your abilities have grown more powerful as well. It will last for as long as you fight." She turned to Yaotl, leaving behind a shocked room. "I am ready." A turquoise fire rose up from Yaotl''s feet and consumed them both. Through it all, his panther face never left Starfire. Too bad his siblings were not around. He would have loved to see them. Starfire noticed his gaze and the question in his eyes. ''Does he know?'' Starfire shook her head with a gentle expression on her face. Yaotl understood what she was asking of him. She was asking him to let her be the one to tell Aden. Yaotl was conflicted. His duty was to the master. But he understood and so he gave a curt nod in response. Then they disappeared. (Elsewhere) "You guys ready?" Darken asked in from underneath her cloak. The voice sent chills across Mikey''s spine. It was totally different from the way she spoke in her civilian identity. "Yeah." Leo answered for all of them. "Is this the Crisis you were talking about?" Raph asked April. "Mmmmh lemme think. Rogue androids who have hijacked cities across the world and a powerful Villain who is after world domination? Yeah...I think it checks out." Raph snorted at her answer. Darken saw her Master motion towards him with his head. She turned to the turtles arming themselves. "Give me a second guys." She fiddled with the knives strapped to her hips while walking forward. Aden was still missing. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Master Ben asked her. Paige took a second to mull over the question. To be honest she would rather be training her skills to get better than being part of the do gooders. But there might not be a world left if she chose to stay out of the fight. So she gave him a single nod. She hoped it was a confident one. "Alright." The master nodded. "If you need anything do not hesitate to say." "That won''t be necessary Master." Paige shook her head. "You''ve already done more than enough." Bronze Tiger narrowed his eyes before nodding as well. "Take care of yourself." Paige smiled, her green eyes twinkling. "Always." She turned to the TMNT team. "Ok guys, hold on to your horses. This might get bumpy." Darkness started pouring off of her hands. She wasn''t used to using this ability that much. Especially with this many people but she understood the urgency. "So where are you taking us?" Donny asked. "Well, who better to save the world with than the experts?" The darkness billowed out and swallowed them. A second later they appeared before the Justice League headquarters in Washington DC. (Elsewhere) The Batwing cut through the air at its highest speeds. Batman was on the cockpit and behind him were The Flash and Green Arrow. "I still think this is a bad idea. We''re most likely walking...well flying into a trap." Green Arrow grumbled while checking his arrows. "We don''t have a choice." The Flash said, eating a Snickers bar. "How can you even eat at a time like this Barry?" The archer asked the Speedster. The Flash shrugged. "Gotta keep my energy up if it does actually turn into a trap or else I won''t be able to save your collective as..." "Don''t litter." Batman interrupted him. "Where''s the hospitality Batsy? I thought I was flying first class?" The Flash joked. Green Arrow snorted. "Focus." The Dark knight informed them, opening communication to the rest of the League members flying to his sides. "We''re pulling up on the target." From Flash''s position, he could see a white and blue cruise ship ahead of them. "Manhunter, run a cursory mental scan and see if you find anything out of the ordinary." Batman instructed. "Copy that." The Martian complied. A second later all their minds were linked. "I detect nothing unusual." He answered. "I''ll move closer and do a fly by to see what we''re dealing with." Captain Atom offered. His form pulled on ahead and started doing a winding flight pattern above the ship. The people on the cruise started pointing above at him. "Nothing but the passengers on board." He answered. "We will have to step inside the Cruise ship." Batman concluded. If there was any other option, he would have taken it. Something was fishy about all this and no it wasn''t his well known Paranoia. (Watchtower) Starfire was happy and not. She had gotten what she had wanted but not the way she wanted it. "Try to avoid escalating the matter. You''re only there to protect the kids and ensure Arthur is healed by Sai. After that, it''s back to the Surface world. Back to the Watchtower." Black Canary informed them. The meeting room of the Hub was just a game room outfitted with couches, a big screen and a ping pong table at the corner of the wide area. There were two doors. One which led to the bathroom and the other, a hallway that connected to the kitchen and the living quarters of the team. "I don''t think I need to tell you who your first priority is." Canary looked at Robin meaningfully. The Boy Wonder nodded in confirmation. "If anything happens to the four of them...lord save us all. Star would go ballistic." Starfire got up. "It''s not me you should be worried about." Then she walked away. The room behind her was left with an awkward air. "I''ll go talk to her." Black Canary got up and followed after Starfire. She found her at her favorite spot. Which was almost everyone''s favorite spot as well. The earth lazily floated in mid space infront of them. "Hey. How are you holding up?" Canary asked, tentatively. Starfire opened her mouth to retort then closed it when she saw the concern on Black Canary''s face. "You''re basically asking me to willingly put the kids in danger without me being there to protect them." "They won''t be alone. If you can''t trust my word, then trust in your teammates. Any of them would rather die than see Sai or the others hurt." Starfire nodded after a brief hesitation. "And to be fair you are the one who suggested it in the first place." Canary softly said before raising her hand to interrupt the younger girl. "That was before I knew you... "It''s fine." Canary cut her off. The Tamaranean sighed. "I don''t like this. I really don''t." Canary went forward and hugged her. "I know. But it''s for your own safety and the baby''s." She felt Starfire stiffen a little in her arms. "Touchy subject?" The older woman tentatively enquired. "No. Not exactly. It''s...more like everyone has been walking on eggshells around me for it. It''s refreshing to have someone at the very least acknowledge it." Canary chuckled. "Well, let me be the first to say, I think you''re handling it like a pro." "Thanks." Starfire pulled away. "I guess I needed that." "Recognized Superion 17." The Watchtower announced through the systems. "Let''s go. That must be Connor with the..." Canary started. "Kids." Starfire highjacked her statement. The walk back to the meeting hall was calm and comfortable than it had ever been between them before. "Stars!" "Greenie!" "Mom!" "Mom!" The kids mobbed her from all sides. Superion stood on the side watching the whole thing with a small smile on his face. "Hope they were well behaved?" Starfire managed to state when she detached herself from the mass hug. "Ma and Pa loved them to death. They even tried to help out in the farm but of course Pa was insistent they don''t." "Did you guys have fun?" "Yeah there was a tractor that went tututututu!!!" Sai said excitedly. "And we made a scarecrow!" Vor-El pitched in. "I made mine fly Greenie!" Breeze told her with pride coloring her tone. "That''s all well and..." The alarm begun blaring out in an ominous tone. Black Canary was up and running towards the Meeting Hall with no hesitation. "Console to Alpha team. Code 00-709, override comm security." She pressed on her ear piece and tried to communicate with the Leaguers. No one answered. "Dammit!" A horrible feeling gripped her. When she made it back to the meeting hall, she was met with a look of resignation from Robin and the rest. "It''s...bad." Miss Martian offered. The Holo display above the huge table showed something on a loop. The league stepped onto the ship and a second later, there was an explosion that sucked everything into it. The Cruise ship, the ones on it... everyone was gone. Canary firmed her features. She wouldn''t allow the Junior Team to notice how shaken up she was. However, even without saying it, it was clear that things were dire. The Cruise Ship had been a trap and the League was now missing. Rage Of A God Part 2 (General P.O.V) The moment Batman stepped on the ship, he instantly knew something was wrong. And no, it wasn''t the cry of shock from Martian Manhunter as he tried to tell them to retreat. Neither was it the look of stony indifference on the passengers standing in the deck. Stony indifference that soon changed to wide insane grins. On each of them. Nor was it the fact that The Flash was trying to phase his way out of the red shadow limbs that clung to his legs. The mystic power in the limbs suppressing his connection to the Speed force. It wasn''t even the fact that Green Arrow had his cross bow out and shouting, "It''s a trap!" No, what told him something was wrong, was the ominous feeling that gripped his soul. Batman knew something was about to happen. Something he couldn''t stop. His body flashed golden with the divine blessings Wonder Woman had placed on them. The last thing he saw was a blue energy flash and one statement that rang inside his mind endlessly. "Ugh, Shape shifting into a boat was a bad idea Teekl. I could feel little fishes touching...what do you mean it''s not a boat, you stupid cat?" Then numbness hit him. Batman opened his eyes...and panicked after realizing he couldn''t breath. He immediately removed his mask and took a knee. He couldn''t feel it. He couldn''t feel ANYTHING!!! Bruce closed his eyes and recited a mantra inside his mind. The mantra was designed to test his mental facualties due to the complications in intonation and subtle tone pronunciation. He did this 5 times, ignoring the panicking shouts of his fellow league members. "Bruce! Bruce! Are you alright?!" He heard someone from the side. He hadn''t felt them though. It was safe to say the situation had gone from bad to worse. Bruce lowered his cowl. Batman stood up. "Yes, I am fine." The Flash was a monotonous gray blue color. Only the shape of his costume and features let Batman know who he was addressing. He looked back at the others and found that they had all calmed down and shared the same gray and blue coloring. "It was a trap." Batman stated the obvious. "Does anyone know where we are?" He followed up with a second question. "Another dimension, obviously." Zatara stated, levitating. "Tropelet su tou." There was a flash that died out without anything happening. "I cannot breach the past the layers of space." "Mmh." Batman hummed. "It''s fine. Perhaps we..." "Wait what''s that?" Something flashed across the landmasses floating above them. "I saw it too." Hawkman seconded the Flash. Everyone stood ready. The rock to the side was smashed apart as something barreled down towards them. "Look out!" Captain Atom called out when it was too late. The creature, for that is what it was, hit the ground and cracked it apart. Stones and The League members were sent flying away by the shockwaves caused. "I believe I now know where we might be." Martian Manhunter transmitted through their mental link, adding solemnly, "The Phantom Zone." (Elsewhere) "You''re wrong Miss Canary. I don''t believe we should exercise discretion. Savage sees this as a game. He will most definitely announce to the world that the League failed. We should get ahead on that and let the world know it was a trap! That will make Savage lose his credibility and expose just what kind of monster he is." The UN secretary insisted. Black Canary stood infront of a screen. The screen was partitioned into grids with the UN secretary, the President, The General and The League Liason. "You can''t approach this as you would politics. Vandal Savage is a ruthless man, he won''t care that you might tarnish his reputation. In fact I think that would only make things easier for him. He wouldn''t have to pretend to be fair anymore." "We would also like to avoid mass panic." Robin added from Canary''s side. Every eye turned to him. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "How far we''ve fallen, having to rely on children to do our job for us." Robin ground his teeth and kept silent. "I assure you General, young, Robin and the others might be but their skill is unquestionable. They are fully capable of..." "Excuse me young lady, but you don''t expect us to place all our bets on this... hairbrained idea right?" The general interrupted her before turning to the president. "Mr.President, I am just waiting for your approval and I''ll have my men sort this mess out." The president looked at Canary thoughtfully. A few minutes later, Canary and Robin joined the rest of the team in the meeting hall. "So what did they say?" "We have an hour and 5 minutes left on the clock and they decide to tell us to stay put!" Robin raged, smashing his fist onto the wall. Cracks appeared on it. "So? The League is not answerable to them right?" Artemis asked. "Well, technically they are under UN stipulated guidelines." Kid Flash responded. "But do you think they will focus on us when the world is going to shit?" Artemis countered. Meanwhile Canary had pulled up a few files onto the display screen. "Robin, I remember you saying that you were going to go through the League database to try and see if you could find something Red Tornado might have left behind, right?" The Boy Wonder perked up. "Yes but I didn''t find anything except Morrow''s old abandoned labs." "What if you checked his room?" The young detective widened his eyes. "That could...that could actually work." He promptly ran off. "Where are the others?" Black Canary asked. "The bio-ship. We were actually waiting for you and Superion. You for the verdict and Superion because..." Kid Flash frowned. "Actually...he didn''t say where he was going. Maybe he decided to do the smart thing and escape the planet." The speedster shrugged, only to have an elbow driven into his ribs. "Ow ow, it was a dumb joke." He threw Artemis a dirty look. "Recognized Superion 17." "Warning Intruders Alert!" "Override. They are guests. April, Darken, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Casey." Superion declared. "Recognized April..." The computer rattled off the new designations as a few figures appeared from the Zeta tube behind Superion. "Team meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles..." The Kryptonian hero proceeded to introduce each of them before finally landing on Darken, the reason why everyone was silent. "You can''t be serious. She''s a Villain!" Artemis already had her cross bow strung. "She wants to help." Superion said that while looking at Black Canary. "With how everything is, I figured we could use some more help." Black Canary sighed and nodded after a few seconds. "I hope you know what you''re doing Superion." (Elsewhere) The whole realm shivered. Shockwaves of power rippled out as a clawed hand speared through the dimensional walls separating Olympus from other realms in the Sphere of the gods. Darkness bled out, followed closely by a huge hulking figure. He wore a helm that hid most of his features except for his ash like hair and black as night granite features. He was both intimidating and awe inspiring. "Hold..." Wonder Woman said, standing at the fore front of Olympus'' gathered armies, minor gods of combat, war and strength flanked the sides of the more powerful of the Major gods. The distance between the two armies was close to a mile in the grand plains outside mainland Olympus. Kronos landed from the rift in mid air, using his hand to spear into the bottom of the rift and drag it down in a zip like fashion, widening it and allowing the first of his armies through. The first to step out blazed with a wild fire. Hyperion. His brothers came from behind him and instantly, there was a shift in the Olympus'' forces. No one told them they were fighting Titans! "What is the meaning of this, Hades?!" Zeus hissed at his brother. The three brothers were separate from the main army, Wonder Woman had given them only one order, to thin out as many of them as they could before the main attack happened. "He made a deal with...''her'' This battle was supposed to happen Zeus. Something decreed it so. And so we fight." Hades argued, his voice sounding like death. "It''s time." Poseidon stated, his form growing larger and larger as he accessed his godly state. Lances of glowing water speared out towards the Titans, the sky changing ominously as the lances, twisted and gyrated against each other, forming into a tornado of water. The tornado fell on top of Kronos, who waved his hand, almost mockingly and used his own divinity as well. The water turned putrid and gray before disappearing into thin air. The tornado had failed to hit him. Hyperion looked up to where the three major gods were and smiled. "Poseidon you cunt! Come down here and die!" Zeus and Hades both accessed their godly form. Millions of lightning bolts rained down on the Titans, shadowy limbs, constructs and sharp crystal like weapons speared out of the earth. None of the attacks made it close to Kronos however. They all withered out a few meters away from him. "Ugh, I had forgotten how annoying fighting him is." Hades commented. (With Vaatu) The feeling of light had been getting stronger. The feeling of something struggling to get out. He patted his chest on the right side. ''Not yet dear sister. Not yet.'' He felt hands wrap around his hips as a head rested between his strong shoulder blades. "I feel like they are trying to steal you away from me." Demeter whispered at him. He rubbed her hands in what he hoped was comfort. "This is more my fight than Diana''s. Part of the only reason she took over was because my master knew I couldn''t rule without getting some experience first." His eyes glowed purple. "But that does not mean I will stand in the sidelines. I have to fight for my kingdom. It is my right." (General P.O.V) Her dad was missing. Zatanna knew the dangers of his work with the League. She had always been afraid that one day he wouldn''t come back. She felt the connection she had with her dad sever and now she knew without a shadow of doubt that the worst that could happen had happened. Her dad had foolishly allowed himself to get stuck in another dimension! Zatanna shook her head at her father''s antics. "Well, he can''t blame me for trying to save him now, can he?" She said to herself, while staring at the golden helmet placed in a cabinet woven with magical protections that had taken her 20 minutes to break. Zatanna reached out and grabbed the Helmet of Fate. (The Watchtower) "I have it!" Robin exploded into the room, startling Black Canary, Starfire and Kai, who was floating beside Starfire. The two beautiful women, were coordinating with independent heroes to come up with a plan for containment if the two hour deadline was reached without Savage getting what he wanted. "We were right. Tornado did anticipate something like this happening. Though it was more in the vein of someone copying his father''s work than..." Robin walked the last length of the distance separating them, eager to show them what he had found out. Then without warning or preamble, a red portal manifested, spitting out a few notable figures. Black Canary, Robin and Starfire instantly went on guard. "Vandal Savage." Canary spat out. Between them and Robin stood, the man who was holding nthe world hostage, Vandal Savage. Beside him stood, Klarion the Witchboy, Terror and Child. "Black Canary, a pleasure as always." Savage greeted. "She doesn''t seem to share the sentiment, Savage." A new voice stated. Everyone rounded up to look behind them. The data pad in Robin''s hands fell down and cracked on the floor. "Im... impossible!" Robin muttered, floating gently out through the door to the meeting hall was The Man of Steel. Superman was up. Uncle Dream and The Fantastic Chronicles of Dreamy Awesomeness. (General P.O.V) (1 week before Vandal Savage''s Attack) Vor felt funny. It wasn''t the same funny but good feeling he got when he tasted Ma''s cooking. Neither was it the funny feeling that he got whenever Mom hugged him. No, this time what he felt was a tingly sensation that spread out through his skin. He shifted in his sleep, digging in deeper into the bed sheets to find more of the comfy feeling. The bed under him rumbled and Vor instantly woke up. Beds weren''t supposed to rumble right? He blearily rubbed his eyes and stood up, floating off the bed and towards the ceiling or at least where it was supposed to be. The bright light around him told him it was morning. But if so, why hadn''t the rosters started crowing? He had already gotten used to the sound after a week of staying at Ma''s and Pa''s place. They doted on him constantly, saying he looked just like his dad. However, no matter how much his big brother''s brother looked like him in his young pictures, Vor already had a dad and he wouldn''t trade him for another. Dad was the best. He read him and his brother bedtime stories before they went to sleep, he played with them and he gave Vor and Sai shoulder carries. What use would he have of another dad? The young boy yawned, finally cognizant enough that he realized why there weren''t any rosters crowing in the morning. He wasn''t in the farm. Mmmh...okay. Vor floated higher still. "Sai?!" He called out, reasoning that if someone brought him this far out, there wasn''t a reason to leave his brother back right? "Saaaii!?" No matter how much he called, Sai didn''t seem to answer. Vor decided to change tactics. "Kai?!!" No one answered. "Breeze?!!" No answer yet. "Dad!" "Mom?!" "Big Brother?!" "Ma! Pa!" All around him, the only thing he saw was a landscape that looked similar to home. There were beautiful trees, a mist that hang over the valley and all sorts of animals grazing as far out as he could see. Most of which were animals he had never seen before. "Where are you guys??" Vor said softly, feeling... feeling an emotion he had never felt before, lonelyness. A low rumble made him look down. A look of curiosity appeared on his face, making him float down towards the ground. The rumble came from the huge slow animals walking down the hill. Mamaths? Mamot?...that''s it! Mammoths! He remembered the animal from the picture and coloring book his dad had gotten for them. Vor was the best at coloring so of course it made sense why he could remember the name! Excited and his negative feelings briefly forgotten, he picked the biggest one and landed on it''s back. The Mammoth barely reacted, following it''s herd towards the huge lake at the foot of the hill. Vor sat cross legged on top of the thick fluffy hide like his dad usually did. He ran his hands through the soft hair and marveled at the touch. That was what the tingling sensation had been! He had been sleeping on the Mammoth! Wow. "Chaaaarge! Onwards to victory! Mighty Stead!" He ordered, hoping to sound like the general from a movie he had watched with Mom and Dad. The Mammoth under him softly rumbled and continued with it''s pace. No matter how much the young boy tried to make it charge like a war house, the Mammoth remained steadfast in its trek. After a short time, Vor eventually got bored, so he laid on the Mammoth''s warm and comfy back and drifted off to sleep. On a cliff overlooking the whole valley, Dream stood watching one of his nephews. The child was special. Normally his nieces and Nephews never seemed to enter the dreaming when they fell asleep. Yet, from the time, Aden himself had asked Dream to help Vor with his Nightmares, the boy had retained the ability to enter the dreaming whenever he wanted. And the whole realm vibrated differently due to his presence. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The special thing about him however, was that he could enter with his real body, something that was supposed to be impossible. It was concerning yet fitting. Only a child of his sibling could cause such a thing. He felt the child sink through the spatial barriers of the realm easily and without his urging. Like he said, concerning yet fitting. Vor woke up with the call of multiple rosters. His eyes shot open in happiness. He was back. He was really back! The first thing he did was float up and then hug the hell out of his brother. "Ooff!" Sai let out after the young Kryptonian wrapped his arms around him. "Good morning?" Sai greeted. "Tag! You''re it!" Vor voiced out and then with a sudden whoosh! he disappeared through the window and out into the yard. It was a game they''d only just learnt of recently but by god was it good! Sai stayed there for a few seconds, face set in a confused state before his lips stretched out in a grin. "Oh you''re so on!" He flew through the window as well, ruffling the curtains on his way out. A game of cat and mouse begun as both kids flew across the entirety of the Kent Farm, being extra careful not to leave the cornfield for fear of a stranger spotting them. It was one of the things Vor''s big brother had insisted. Soon enough the smell of eggs, bacon and bread called the kids back into the house. They wouldn''t miss Ma''s cooking for anything. As they sat on the table, an orange juice in both of their hands, Starfire who was directly sat opposite Vor and next to Kai looked at both boys with a knowing smile. Vor nudged Sai with his leg. "She knows!" He sent the telepathic message to his brother. "No she doesn''t. Trust me Vor!" Sai argued back. "Know what?" Someone else joined the conversation. Breeze acted as if she wasn''t paying them any mind, busily cutting her bacon strips into tiny pieces. "Nothing. No girls invited!" Sai shot back. "Yeah, no girls allowed!" Vor agreed with his brother. Sai was the coolest ever! "That''s mean!" Breeze frowned and petulantly crossed her hands on her chest. The adults noticed it. "Breeze, is everything okay dear? How is your bacon?" Ma asked in a sweet voice. A slow smile spread across Breeze''s face. Vor thought it looked eviiilll. "Fine! You can come." Sai sent through their link before Breeze could out them. "It''s good Ma." Breeze''s smile turned sweet as she went back to eating, her hair set in pig tails swinging to the sides cheerfully. "I''m coming too." Kai told her two brothers. Vor''s eyes widened. She knew too?! "You were leaves dropping!" Sai accused, making his twin sister snort and correct him with pride. "It''s eavesdropping and yes, I was. Someone needs to keep you guys out of trouble and as your big sis..." "Debatable." Sai cut in. "Please if anyone needs to be big sis it''s me! I came first." Breeze added hotly. Vor blinked. The conversation soon went from them hijacking their trip to that ''place'', to who was Dad''s favorite. Dad didn''t have a favorite! And if he did, it would have to be him or Sai, girls were gross. "I''m telling on you, if you won''t let me come!" Kai finally gave them the ultimatum. ...Vor. I''m thinking of taking him to see Lois today." Vor and the kids absently heard the conversation going on between their mom, Connor, Ma and Pa. Ma looked at Pa sadly before they both turned to Starfire, who was gripping her fork tightly. "I... I''m not sure that''s a good idea." She managed to say. Connor looked at her face before nodding and dropping the matter. Starfire breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the kids. They were buzzing with excitement more than usual. Starfire could tell they were up to something. With the farmwork being busy as well as theraupitic for her, (read boring for the kids), it was good to see them occupied by something instead of missing their dad like she did. Starfire had begun to feel the bump in her belly grow bigger and she was elated as well as afraid of this new chapter in her life. But she knew that as long as she was surrounded by her new family, everything would be alright. Now if only Aden would stop messing around and come back! (Later on) "Ok, you guys ready?" Vor asked the other four. "Hell yeah!" Breeze shouted,a brief wind ruffling through the corn field. "Let''s do this." Sai told him. "I''m ready." Lastly Kai nodded at him, trying to keep her face uninterested but failing. "Ok...here goes nothing." They all held hands. Vor closed his eyes. It took a minute for him to find the tingling feeling he usually got. A minute that was filled with Breeze asking when it was going to happen. Sometimes Vor thought Breeze had too much energy. It was...it was like she couldn''t just stand around and do nothing...huh, neither could he infact. A hushed reprimand from Kai shut her up. Vor''s face lit up as the tingling feeling grew stronger. There was a pop and he opened his eyes. "Wow! It worked!" Vor jumped up in happiness. He had done it. "Whooaaa look at those birds..." Above them a group of Purple Flamingoes passed over their heads, briefly hiding the sun from their view. Each of the Flamingos was bigger than Pa and Ma''s house! "Where are we?" Kai asked in wonder as she saw bear cubs playing with each other while their mother slept underneath a tree. "The Dreaming." A new voice sounded out from behind them. Breeze yelped and sent out wind blades towards the figure. The kids all went into various states of readiness. Their dad had always taught them to be wary of strangers. "Who are you?" Kai asked, her red eyes glowing with power. She was ready to defend her brothers and sister. The figure floating next to them in midair merely smiled and held out the hand he had behind him, towards them. A tasty aroma spread out. "I am your uncle Dream. Now who wants cookies?" Lucienne, watching the whole incident from afar with a powerful telescope laughed when the kids instantly swarmed Dream with attacks. "Damn, those are some terrifying kids." ::-------------------------------------------------------:: (Aden''s P.O.V) Lucifer said that I could not hope to touch upon my concept without at least being as powerful as Zeus. As I was now, I had fully eclipsed Zeus so why wasn''t it working?!! What was I missing? Rage of A God Part 3 (General P.O.V) For a second, no one moved. Then the air howled and the entire chamber was engulfed by noise from broken pieces of metal. The whole Watchtower rumbled from the strike. As soon as Superman had stepped foot inside the meeting hall, wearing nothing but a one piece solar suit to feed him energy from the sun, Vandal Savage had moved. The blur was too fast for any of them to perceive. Not to mention, many things happened at once. Savage appeared before The Man of Steel and landed a heavy punch, smacking the Kryptonian through the layers of the Watchtower and into outer space, Canary''s cry was cut short and the warning alarms from the computer system started blaring out. And finally a flash appeared on Starfire''s side as she successfully sent away Kai. Robin could guess where. And a small part of him felt pity for Savage only to be squashed when he remembered the man''s deplorable actions. Bruce was missing because of him! The Watchtower emergency life preservation routines kicked into high gear, the suction only pulling Robin off his feet before it stopped and he fell to the floor. From the corner of his eyes he saw Tommy Terror, this time with a purple outline of color, trap Black Canary in a bubble shield. Boots appeared before him, the Boy Wonder tensed, knowing that in his position there was nothing he could do. In an act of defiance, he raised his head and shot a loathsome look at the ruthless villain. Vandal passed by him without sparing a single glance. Robin''s heart shattered in realization He...he didn''t even think of him as a threat. Despite the fact that he had kept his life, Robin wasn''t happy. Savage had dismissed him. Him! He would show him... "Don''t, boy." The warning came just in time. Robin''s grip on the birdarang tightened to the point where it almost tore a hole through the highly resistant material of his glove. "Move a single muscle and I will kill you." Savage threw over his shoulder, walking toward the Tamaranean. Black Canary slammed into the shield holding her aloft with her fists and kicks. Robin could understand why she wasn''t using her abilities. If the shield was reflective then her Canary cry would rebound off it and back to her. And with how destructive her ability could be, she was risking getting turned into a blood mist. After the warning, Robin couldn''t move. Whether it was out of fear or the ponderous air that seemed to hold him down, all he he could do was watch as Savage approached the girl Robin liked. Starfire was like a furious god as she floated up. Her hair blazed with a green fire. The same energy cladding her hands as well. "Let them go!" She threatened, the heat in the room increasing. "No." Savage replied coolly. Starfire was ready to charge in, fury clouding her face when she stopped, her hand trailing across her belly. Robin saw the conflict in her eyes. She looked at him and Canary apologetically. Then her hand swiftly went to the pendant with the yin symbol on her neck. Savage appeared behind her and swiftly chopped her neck. Starfire fell like a puppet with cut strings. Vandal walked to where Black Canary was held captive in a green shield. A helpless look warred with fury on her pretty face. Robin knew he should have paid attention to what was being said. That is what a good hero should have done. However, his eyes were only stuck on Kori. Klarion had appeared under her and gripped her by the neck. "Hehehe. This is going to be so much fun." Robin felt his mouth dry. "No..." "Wait... you''re right Teekl. It does feel familiar." The chaos lord reached out and plucked the pendant off of Starfire''s tanned neck.nHe held it up, his face changing, becoming sharper with red eyes rounding up the look. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Such potent Order energy..." He let the Pendant fall to the floor. Somehow as if sensing his gaze, Klarion turned to look at Robin. "Don''t worry... I''ll take baaaad care of her." The statement meant to be intimidating fell flat when the cat on the crook of his left arm meowed slightly. "Good care?" Klarion asked incredulously. "But...but that makes no sense! How can it be good care when we''re going to use her for the ritual?! She is going to die Teekl!" Robin''s heart grew colder the more Klarion talked. The feeling of oppressive weight above him abated due to the sudden anger that suffused his body. Robin could move again. He could save Kori now. Yet...he didn''t. The anger only made his fear more apparent. And it shamed the young Hero that he was afraid to die... "Let us depart. We have a schedule to keep." Savage ordered, turning his back on Canary. The veteran hero looked as if her soul had been sucked off her body. The shield disappeared and she fell to the floor just as Terror created a boom tube in the middle of the room. Almost impetuously, Savage walked inside without looking back even once. Terror followed and the last one to leave was Klarion. "This place needs a little bit of remodelling. Too structured, too orderly. Not chaotic enough." His evil smile sent chills down Robin''s spine. The lord of chaos snapped his fingers. A wave of red energy exploded out and gripped the whole Watchtower in a telekinetic hold. "Warning! Warning! Warning!" Red alerts flashed...then Robin was thrown off his crouching form as the Watchtower tilted and started falling towards the planet. Something smacked Robin on the back of his head and his vision went dark. (General P.O.V) "42 minutes remain until Vandal Savage''s threat to destroy a city comes true. I am gathered here infront of the UN as the Secretary is about to issue a press conference on whether they will agree to Savage''s demands or not." Behind the reporter, the United Nations buildings could be seen. The TV suddenly changed stations. "...wide city panic. The authorities are urging the rapidly increasing numbers of people leaving the targeted cities to exit in an orderly fashion..." The camera shot was captured from above, showing traffic jams as throngs of people tried to run away. The camera swung wide, changing the visual to one that showed a silver android hovering above the daily planet with a police cordon under the now empty building. The screen changed again. "Riots have begun across downtown Canberra owing to the recent threats of destruction issued by the Super Villain known as Vandal Savage." An Aussie newscaster narrated grimly. "The villain is suspected to..." The screen was switched off. "I can''t stay here and do nothing uncle." Billy turned to his guardian. "I have to try and help." Billy added, waiting for his uncle to refuse like he had many times prior. The older man looked at the boy, just about to enter his teen years and nodded. It pained him to see such a huge responsibility heaped on him but he understood. "Go get em son." Billy smiled, running out of the open window. "SHAZAM!" (Elsewhere) Dr. Fate could sense the widespread chaos just brewing to be unleashed. Nabu finally knew without a shadow of doubt that the Lords of Chaos had a hand in this. And while his current host was unrefined, lacking the fine control honed over years like some of his past wielders, she was Powerful. There was no comparison between her and Masali. She could also realize the astronomical importance of Fate intervening in Whatever underhanded scheme Klarion and his cohorts had. And on that point, was also smart enough to realize that they needed the League. That was why instead of taking control like he would have, Fate allowed her to steer the wheel for a bit. However this...this was beyond strange. So what had him shook? Fate''s body cut across the skies of Gotham, diverting his course and adjusting it to take him where he knew the Justice League headquarters were. At his current speed, he looked like a streak of yellow light and would have arrived there in a few more minutes. Then something whisked by him once he reached the upper atmosphere. Something fast, hurtling towards the ground. Fate stopped and tried to identify what it was, only to see it was Superman, unconscious and wearing a white body suit. Fate was about to dive in and save him when something caught his eye. The Watchtower was falling towards the planet, a red shroud covering it''s outline. "Klarion." Nabu concluded with hatred and resignation pouring out of him. "So what do we do?" Zatanna asked calmly. A second later and at Nabu''s direction, Dr. Fate split into numerous copies. One of the copies dove towards the earth after Superman while the others flew upwards and cast a net of power across the Watchtower, stabilizing it and ending it''s descent. The red glow covering the whole structure disappeared. Dr. Fate teleported inside the Watchtower ready for a fight just in case. The whole structure was flashing red and he could see a trail of destruction where something seemed to almost have plowed through. The walls of the meeting hall were charred black from what seemed to have been very hot flames and at the corner of the room, attached to a cord dug in the wall was Black Canary holding an unconscious Robin. The heroine was up in her feet immediately, not even bothering to acknowledge Fate. Her hands flashed across the League computer, bypassing the locks put in place in case the Watchtower was compromised. A tanned and worried face appeared on the screen. "Black Canary what..." "No time Catherine! Savage is planning on destroying the UN headquarters regardless of what their decision might be! You have to get put of there!" The League Liason''s eyes widened. "I..." Then the screen cut off suddenly. For one split second, Canary could swear she almost heard the explosion...She knew, without a shadow of doubt that her worst fears had come true. Savage had just blown up the UN. Rage of A God Final Part (Aden''s P.O.V) Ascension. It was like everything and nothing I had anticipated it being. Power was a given. After all gods were principalities. They held shallow control over powerful concepts. But what I hadn''t known was just how true that statement rang. I could feel my realm shake in response to a smidgen of my power. The mortal realm struggled to house me. It struggled because I was not a mortal anymore. Perhaps I should explain...or maybe I shouldn''t. Gods were a mystery package after all. Maybe explaining it steals the meaning away. All I knew was that, nothing was ever going to be the same. I ran my fingers over the luscious hair of my sleeping daughter. My presence seemed to ease her tense expression as she spiritualized. A comfortable state of rest where Kai dematerialized in my eyes and joined the fire realm. Simultaneously connected to, while being the aspect of destruction. I could now understand what exactly my spirits were. My gaze could spear past the layers of anonymity, that which even they had no knowledge of and see. But it wasn''t the time. My anger was palpable and the volcanoes erupted next to me as Kai shared that same anger. Someone had dared...dared to lay hands on what was mine. "Sleep my daughter. I give you my promise as the god of flames and air, they shall all suffer." Blazing lightning strikes splintered the sky. (General P.O.V) The world was shocked. The threat that had seemed skeptical due to the faith everyone possessed in the Justice League was now a grim reality. Geneva was in flames. The Palais Des Nations was nothing but a smoldering ruin full of smoke and cries from the people injured due to the proximity of the attack. Authorities were pulling up, ambulances and the red cross marshalling up to help those in need. The scene captured by the cameras showed a man, standing above the the wrecked Symbol of the League of Nations. Vandal looked at the Chopper and subtly motioned with a finger. The pilot started to turn back, before the suited individual wearing glasses next to the cameraman talked. "He can catch up with us if he wanted to. Do as he says." The craft slowly descended towards Savage. The camera man held onto the camera so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He gulped, seeing the Stony visage of the man that had dared to do what no one had ever managed, spat in the faces of every nation in the world. The Pilot directed the helicopter down at an open field in the wrecked grounds of the destroyed buildings. The Camera man was the first to step out, his camera managing to capture the descending form of Savage. He felt the presence of the man wearing the suit next to him. He looked like one of those secret service types from America, the camera man reasoned. Someone senior from the news station had allowed him to accompany them. The suited man walked forward once Savage landed. "Mister Vandal, I represent an elite group of like minded individuals..." "Raisin strip on your left hand to make it less obvious, an experimental bomb inside your belly and a fast acting cyanide pill inside your mouth to avoid capture." Vandal stated. Too fast for the camera to capture, Savage had the man held up by the neck. "You thought you could kill me?" He reached his fingers inside the man''s mouth and plucked out a tooth. The Camera man could see the wide eyes of the suited man. Eyes that were full of shock and then pain when Vandal speared his hand through the man''s belly and pulled something out. The Camera man was so shocked that he went ramrod stiff. The steady positioning of the camera managed to capture everything. The man''s gurgling painful hurls of blood and the sound of flesh being torn through. The pilot freaked out and started the helicopter, seeking to get away from the madman. The camera man asked why he hadn''t done the smart thing and followed. Savage looked at the bomb that was small enough to fit in his palm. He squeezed it and the Camera man''s ears popped from the sharp noise caused by the explosion of the bomb. Tongues of a bright white flame escaped through Savage''s fingers before something compressed it into a bead, the immortal held between his fingers. The camera man swayed in his feet at how close he had come to death but then felt a force grip him, holding him steady to keep filming. "Not bad. Enough power to destroy 10 city blocks." Savage commented looking at the Camera. "If this was your plan, then you disappoint me." He ascended. "And furthermore you prove my point." Every eye in the world was glued to the T.V watching the transmission. "I am an inevitability. And I tire of games. The UN were not going to announce their surrender. They were going to slander my name despite the fair way I have conducted this change in leadership." He shook his head. "The Justice League failed in their only chance to secure my captivity. It was a matter of whose will was stronger and I won out." "For those of you who foolishly still insist on fighting, remember this, I, Vandal Savage has existed before any of your ancestors knew how to forge or take care of themselves. Back when the beasts of fantasy walked the land. I became their protector. I became their light. Humanity is mine to rule by right. 30 minutes remain." With that a boom tube appeared behind him and he disappeared into it, leaving behind two words, "Tick Tock." (Elsewhere) The Watchtower was now reoriented back in its position. Dr. Fate used all the Power he could to repair the damages that couldn''t wait for any of the Lanterns to work on. Black Canary was standing in front of the display screen when a copy of Dr.Fate returned with Superman in tow. The man of steel rubbed his jaw, feeling the dislocated part fix itself. The first thing Black Canary did was launch herself at Clark and hug him. Then she stepped back, a smile on her face. "Good to have you back." Superman grinned as well. "It''s good to be back." Then he turned his attention to the meeting hall. "Now, what is going on? And how come Savage is powerful enough to send me flying down to earth?" Black Canary then told him everything that had transpired. A short version of course, time was of the essence. When she was done, Superman had a stern look on his face. "What do you need me to do?" Canary wasn''t the one who answered. "Well." Robin groaned getting up from a seat where Canary had placed him to rest after he''d hit his head. "We can start by making sure Savage loses control of those androids." "You''re up." Canary commented happily. "Good. The team is about to arrive in the coordinates you gave them. If you''re right, we can shut down the control hub by transmitting the program from there." She turned to Superman. "He found a series of unique key codes that can theoretically shut off Red Tornado''s processing core from one of Morrow''s hidden abandoned labs." "That seems a little too convenient." Superman stated, flying closer to the Holo display. Satellite feed showed Superion and a few figures Superman did not know, scouting out a building in Vancouver. "We need to get the League back." Superman said. "You said you lost comms with them once they arrived on scene?" "Your teammates are likey in another dimension. I cannot feel Zatara''s magical presence anywhere on earth." A double voiced entity made itself known. Flying in, Dr. Fate exuded power. Subtly and almost as if she''d imagined it, Canary saw Superman stiffen. "Another dimension? Oh Rao...that complicates things." "Robin and I can handle the situation here. The two of you on the other hand, need to find a way to get them back." Canary addressed Superman and Dr.Fate. "I might be able to find a way to trace their energy in the Fortress of Solitude." The Man of Steel mused. With a division of duties, Superman swiftly changed into his costume and made his way back to the meeting hall. "Are you read...y" The words caught on his throat however as the short figure of Dr.Fate started hovering in the room ominously. "He comes." The double voice that left the helmet sounded afraid and nervous. "He comes." "Who?" Black Canary, Superman and Robin looked around in alarm. Superman activated his supervision and used it to scan the room. Apart from Canary, Fate, Robin and a glorious figure covered in the first ray of light, the world had ever seen, the wild tongues of fire essence and soft wind breezes swirling green and yellow around him, there wasn''t anyone else in the meeting hall. His gaze passed over his eyes and beautiful face. Beautiful not handsome. One of his eyes was green and the other red. His black hair gently swayed behind him, shining with scattered stars while he walked forward, two symbols flashed on his Glabella whenever he shifted his stance. His feet never seemed to touch the ground. His presence was so overwhelming, none of them seemed to even sense it. He had on a green and golden robe that resembled one worn by ancient Chinese royalty. Silken garbs that emphasized his Majesty. Clearly nothing else was in the meeting hall apart from them. "I...I apologize. I must have been mistaken." Dr. Fate told them floating back down to the floor. Inside the white expanse that was Nabu''s personal space, Zatanna frowned. Dr. Fate did not make such errors in judgement and for a second, she''d felt something. Something familiar yet alien. "I am surprised you managed to catch a glimpse of it. Even if it was for just a single split second. Bravo, human minds are not made to comprehend a god''s true form." "What?" Zatanna questioned the familiar yet alien voice in confusion and a growing sense of awed apprehension. Something in her, something primal told her she wasn''t standing before a regular human. "Yes. Everything you feel in relation to me is simply your mind trying to attach meaning to something it cannot comprehend. I am of course making it easier for you but that''s not here nor there." The voice responded, growing more familiar yet more alien as it talked. Tears fell down the young girls cheeks. "Crying?" She said softly. "Why am I crying?" "Awe. Shock. Surprise... your mind is your greatest strength but such strength can also be turned into weakness by an illusion. What you believe, exists simply because you believe it does. So if Crying is how you perceive a meeting with a god would happen then that is exactly what will happen." Nabu was suspiciously silent. Fear hit Zatanna like a ton of bricks, she looked around wide endless white. "What are you?! Where are you?!" Dr. Fate fell from the sky, only to gently land in Aden''s arms. Everything cane rushing back to their minds. Time started moving again and everyone could breath. "I''ve only been gone for two months yet the world is teetering on the edge of collapse." "A...Aden..." Black Canary said, looking on at the impossible sight before her. The wide sharp jaw and distinct features, tanned skin and voice was the only indication of this being the same boy she knew. This Aden and the original one were different. He was bigger. His height had shot through the roof and was now standing at 6''8. His shoulders were broader and his whole figure generally more muscular while retaining a slim build. He exuded glory. A certain kind of beauty that was perfect. It was like everything that had been slightly off with his face had been fixed to give him the best features without turning him into a stranger. But the take away was the aura. Just from standing near him she could feel a blistering heat that didn''t seem to hurt her as well as the subtle scent of mint. Superman made eye contact with the dumbfounded Canary. His own shock was reflected in her eyes. None of them had felt or could even now feel him. It was clear he was allowing this to happen. Aden gently helped Dr. Fate to stand, before grabbing the edge of the helmet and removing it easily. Zatanna felt light headed. Her lips parted as a blush worked it''s way onto her face. His eyes were gorgeous...his lips so inviting...his jaw so strong. His... "Hey Zatanna?" The figure greeted her. She nodded, too shocked to say anything. Infact all of them were simply too stunned to react. He held up the helmet staring at its eye hole. The helmet that had been dented ever since his fight with Nabu, snapped as it became whole again, the dent on it''s length filling out. "There...brand new." Aden stretched out his hand and handed the helmet back to the young girl. Zatanna reached out and took it. Or at least tried to. "Remember... borrowed power is not your own." The girl nodded with the blush covering her cheeks. Then Aden turned to the others. "Canary, Robin, Superman." No response. "Right. Stand back." He simply ordered after seeing that they were still tongue tied. Fortunately they heeded his request and gave Aden an open space. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Aden knelt and picked up the pendant he''d gifted to Starfire as protection. He closed his eyes and breathed out before standing and clasping Starfire''s half to his own, making the pendant whole again. Then he raised a hand up. His face settled into a cool mask, giving no indication to what was going on inside his mind. He dragged his finger down the air, like ripping a canvas with a sharp thin blade, reality unzipped. A spatial rift caused by his new control over the Subskill. It was stable and looked like a single one dimensional line, from an angle. Aden''s hand plunged inside and pulled out Klarion by the neck. The Lord of Chaos took only a second before he started hyperventilating in a way none of them had ever seen before. "No...no...you can''t! You can''t do this!!! It was them! Let me...let me go LeT ME goooo!" His tone changed into a deep voice that grated on the nerves of the heroes present. Teekl growled dangerously. Turning into a tiger that jumped at Aden and bit his arm. A single flame whipped out and touched it''s skin. The familiar turned into fine ash. "Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!" A single continuous wail exploded out of Klarion. The floor under them cracked, the sound sending out ripples of destructive sonic waves that slammed into Superman who appeared before Canary, shielding them from the attack. "Shut up." Aden tightened his hold on Klarion''s neck. The head exploded showering him with blood and brain matter. The headless body fell to the floor and turned into a sludge of black liquid that tried to flow through the cracks on the floor. "Where do you think you''re going?" An unseen force gripped the black sludge and compressed it inside a sphere. "LET ME GO! PLEASE! I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG! IT WAS ALL MORDRU''S DOING! MORDRU AND SAVAGE!! THEY ARE THE ONES WHO CAME UP WITH THE WHOLE THING! PLEASE! SPARE ME MERCY OH POWERFUL GOD! MERCY!" The black sludge swirled in the sphere, hitting the bubble, trying to escape. Aden placed a hand below the sphere... "You''re so quick to scream when I haven''t even began to torture you... Klarion. Where''s the bravado! The arrogance? The glee? You think I cannot see into your dirty rotten core? You''re so afraid of death, of non existence that you don''t understand that there is something much much worse." Aden concluded, tightening his fingers below the sphere. A golden flame started burning below the sphere. Then the screaming begun anew. And it went on for close to thirty seconds. The screams were a multitude of human voices. Of children, of men, of women. It was terrible. It was gut wrenching and it was satisfying. "Stop this madness." Aden felt a hand land or at least try before it bounced off of him along with the words. He stopped scouring through Klarion''s soul and turned to the Kryptonian. Aden was taller. They looked at each other. One of them intimidated by the other but still trying to act like he wasn''t. The other on the other hand, looked right through the first one. Seeing and understanding everything about him. "I see." His eyes gained a knowing light. He then closed his eyes and the screams ended. "Klarion is only a pawn in the grand scheme of things. If we want all this chaos to end, we need to deal with the ones at the top. Savage, The Lords of Chaos, Kronos and two more mysterious figures shrouded in darkness." The information managed to stagger Black Canary. "Only 26 minutes left...how, how are we going to find them all within that time and without most of the League?" "I know where they are." Aden said, pointing at the Spatial rift he has opened. "I will deal with 4 of them. Someone else will deal with Kronos." (Elsewhere) The fighting was well underway. Titans clashed again gods, splitting the sky with powerful divine attacks, the ground rumbled as the terrain changed. Volcanoes erupted with force, sending ash to the sky and casting a dark shadow over the blood of fallen enemies. Bodies were trampled upon by allies and foes alike. It looked like Armageddon. At the middle of the battlefield, two figures danced. One wearing silver armor that gleamed with white light against it''s antithesis, a figure shrouded in darkness, that managed to erase anything that came close to him. Arrows launched by The moon goddess expired into formless energy. Helios and Apollo, the titan personification of the sun and the god of light blasted out beams of destructive heat, mowing down the almost unending numbers of monsters on the Titan''s side. Water whips, constructs of ice fell on top of Hyperion from Poseidon, their own fight causing a zone of destruction where two opposing elements crashed. Zeus was engaged in a fight with the brothers, Crius and Coeus, the former a god of constellations that sent beams of starlight to wreak havoc on the former god king of Olympus. The other titan, the god of the inquisitive mind, manifested illusions that messed with Zeus'' perception enough that he couldn''t use his formidable power to do away with both. Similar to his brother Poseidon''s fight, gods and titans alike avoided their fighting zone owing to the disastrous effects of Zeus'' divine attacks. The last of the three principal gods, Hades was dealing with his own altercation against not one but 2 of the Titan''s strongest, Lapetus the god of Pain and mortality as well as Pallas the titan god of destruction. Even more than Zeus and Poseidon, their battle completely changed the landscape. The strikes sent out from the clash of Hades divine weapon against Pallas'' destructive claws was incredible. Lapetus covered his brother by often sending pain beams Hades way, distracting him enough that the god of the underworld could not administer a powerful enough attack to destroy Pallas once and for all. However all those battles were nothing compared to the two gods of war facing off against each other. Yaotl of the heavy fist as the gods called him now. His strikes were like hammers against the broad shouldered barbaric of a man that was Perses the titan god of war. They fought with a fervor to hurt each other. No weapons, just fists and kicks that collapsed mountains under them as they laughed. It lacked grace or rather it was unrefined grace that came about from the instinctual way they fought. "Give up granddaughter! I have a force of millions while you gods have grown fat and lazy off of sitting on your thrones all day. I can give you purpose!" Kronos swiped out a hand and sent forth an arc of yellow energy. Wonder Woman ducked under it and brought her sword swinging down with power. The weapon dug into the gauntlet on Kronos'' left arm but failed to penetrate. "I have a purpose! Keeping the world safe from monsters like you!" She answered pulling the weapon down. Kronos right hand snaked out in a fist that Diana blocked with a sudden white shield deployed from the armor. "Disappointing!" He stated and jumped after her. "I guess it''s high time I stopped watching and joined in on the fight." A melodious voice declared. The words were heard on every corner of the battlefield. In unison they all looked above them. Olympus itself vibrated in happiness. The ash covered clouds were burned away by purple smokey flames, revealing him. "Hahaha...nice of you to join us brother. Just make sure not to interrupt in my fight." Yaotl directed to the sky. "No worries Yaotl. I am just here to get rid of the trash. One particular trash that is." Vaatu answered looking down at Kronos. "Another pest that I will crush underneath my feet." Kronos raged, his form increasing in size as the fights happening stopped. Vaatu snickered. "Dude are you blind? I got a fucking light show going on over here. My aura is off the charts, I got bitches creaming their undies when I smile and my manliness makes Hyperion look like a prepubescent boy whose voice is just breaking. Da fuck who you calling a pest? You know what Mother fucker? Die." And with that, the world was overturned while the air screamed. Vaatu''s wings sprang out behind him and a projection of a mighty dark angelic figure made itself known at his back. Blackish purple arrows, spears and lances rained down. Kronos couldn''t believe it. The lances did not touch any of the gods. They instead landed on the Titans and monsters, taking good care not to injure Perses after Yaotl had claimed him as his foe to fight. "Is this the power of that man''s creations?" Artemis shuddered as she questioned herself. Her world view had been drastically changed ever since he had arrived in their lives. (Aden''s P.O.V) Now I understood everything. And my hot anger changed to a chilling cold rage. Not even the least bit appeased. It was sharper now. Deadlier. A scheme to kill me. Normally that wouldn''t make me this furious. But the second plan they had, left my mind buzzing with hate and righteous fury. Right then and there, while holding Klarion suspended in the air through curving space, I decided that none of them were going to live. No endless torture in the Hollowlands, no soul contracts. I just wanted them gone. Equity appeared in my hands. I held it loosely while clamping a mental gag on Klarion to silence his begging. Then I turned to Superman. "Sometimes being a paragon of justice means doing what it says. Dealing out true justice." And then I plunged Equity''s edge into the sphere. The whole ball exploded as Klarion changed into a formless cloud creature that tried to escape getting devoured by my sword. I could feel the chaos get funneled inside. I could feel that side of me croon in pleasure. Superman and the rest were frozen, not knowing what to do. Which suited me fine because before long, Klarion was no more while I on the other hand had increased the potency of the chaos energy I could use greatly in exchange for losing myself into it. Or at least that was the case before I ascended. "...You killed him." Robin stated in shock. I ignored them and eyed the Space rift before me. "If you''re worried he''ll be lonely...don''t. I am sending his friends to him soon." I started drifting forward, only to be stopped by the Man of Steel. "Wait! I am coming with you." "Clark! You can''t be serious! The world needs you now!" Black Canary interjected. Superman''s gaze didn''t leave my back, I could feel him staring at me intently "He''s going after Savage. Savage needs to answer for his crimes...not die for them." I smiled. "Suit yourself." I stepped through. The second I appeared on the other side, I instantly felt like I was forcing myself into a stranger''s home. A stranger who was content to watch me without saying anything. Though who knew if that sentiment would hold true when I started breaking things. And break things I would, seeing as the ones I wanted to break were here, waiting for me. I spread out my divine sense and felt it all, two planets that had been embroiled in a fight between good and evil for eons. Two planets that were opposites. Contrasts just as night is different from day or a woman is different from a man. And I also felt her. My gaze speared past the army standing infront of me, a force numbering in...more were pouring out of holes in the dystopian city set up...so countless is the correct word I''m looking for. And I was in the less desirable one. A huge planet measuring millions and millions of square kilometers, earth would have seemed like your local town deep in the middle of nowhere in comparison. Back to my earlier point, I could see her, trapped in a mystical purple circle as wisps of an even darker red were positioned directly on to the points of the Star symbol constructed inside the circle. At one points of the star, was a young blonde schoolgirl standing on her familiar, a giant crystal man thing. The mystic circle itself was sustained by a black sun some 10 meters above the whole mechanism. The black sun funnily enough was made up of concentrated Chaos energy. My chaos energy. Were the black sun to explode, the whole solar system would be gone due to the amount of energy packed inside. I could feel it resist my control, likely the judicious efforts of all the Lords of Chaos. Star was unconscious. My hands went to the pendant I had strapped around my neck. They had captured her because of who she carried...my child. My heart seized and constricted in pain. I had let this happen. Failed to protect her. But the presence be thanked, it wasn''t too late. They were going to pay. For everything. I couldn''t get to her just yet but I could at least stall the energy. Using whatever control o could wrestle from Child, I rendered the black sun inert for a few minutes. Just enough time to get rid of the rubble. But it wasn''t going to be as easy as I''d thought. Being here confirmed a scary theory I''d had. The very air sang with his will. A whisper that reached my ear... Darkseid Is. A god is stronger in his domain. "So, who came up with this stupid idea?" I asked the gathered force seeking my head. "An unavoidable conflict due to nature. Your nature to be precise..." Savage spoke up, standing as the head of the forces before me. "We waste time with words. My furies stand waiting for my orders. Ready to take his head." An old woman dressed in funny clothes said. Actually all of them were dressed in funny clothes. My enemies were separated into five specific groups. At the head was Savage, the old woman who I suspected was Granny goodness, a thin man with short blades sitting on a huge dog, a bloodthirsty new god, Kalibak, can''t forget the muscle headed son of Darkseid, and behind Granny goodness were 3 girls. One of whom I knew very well. I narrowed my eyes. "Aren''t you going to say anything?" I asked my companion. "That''s your cousin." The Man of Steel shrugged from behind me, all of his actions laid bare to my divine sense. I nodded. "I see." That had become my default response. The last four groups was the huge army of parademons hovering behind them and in the air, then Apokaliptian soldiers riding on massive dogs and the last but not quite final group was of course Child and the Lords of Chaos. "I do not underestimate." Savage stated. "So I hope this army is more than enough to satisfy you. Call it a show of respect before you die." Kalibak started walking forward. "All of us against two... I''m frankly so insulted, I will just end this farce of a fight in one move." For all his faults, the son of Darkseid could actually back up his claims. He stepped forward and ran forward with the force of a bulldozer. Then he jumped, coming down at me with a huge axe held above his head. The axe ominously glowed red, seeming to heat up as he went for my head. The Axe head slammed onto my finger and raptured into small shards. My fist came swinging for his chest but Kalibak died before it even landed. Space depressed before him, turning his whole body into mist faster than he could see. "Oh." I hadn''t actually meant for that to happen. Forget my earlier words, dude was a weakling. "It''s not all of you versus the two of us. It''s all of you versus me." I declared, levitating to the sky. Superman''s heat beam slammed onto my back and curved around me, decimating a fraction of a fraction of the millions of Parademons hovering in the air waiting for the signal to attack. The skyscraper toppling down was apparently signal ENOUGH. The swarm rose up, covering the dark red skies due to their sheer number. "How did you know?" Clark asked floating up to the sky as well to face me with a wide unhinged smile. "You mean, how I knew that you were not Clark and that you have secretly been plotting to kill me so as to seize control of my dimension, use it''s connection to the source to corrupt the entire universe and place yourself at the head of all creation?" His face changed. "Or maybe you mean, how you have been lying to everyone that you are Rao, the Kryptonian Sun God. Knowing fully well that that would be the fastest route to power you can take due to their immense ability under the yellow sun, and the untapped resource of having a dozen of them trapped in the Phantom Zone. zealous fanatics who can do anything as long as they can justify it was done according to the will of Rao. Is that what you mean?" "Or maybe you mean, how I know that you are just a dark spirit. I don''t know how or why you came about. You might have arrived in this world by piggybacking through Iroh''s inter dimensional path to this world, Laid in wait through Spiritualization, knowing the nature of spirits was lost to me at that time and then escaped through my boom tube or possessed Superman and started planning on how to oust me? I wonder how your allies would react to knowing that you are a fake..." The fake Superman/ fake Rao''s eyes widened. "Shut up! Shut up!" With a blur, he closed the distance between us and threw a punch that would have devastated the entire west coast had it landed. All his momentum bled away under my power. I smiled, tapping my head. "Don''t worry, I''m not breaking you guys sort just yet. You gotta work together and get rid of me remember? All that was in your head." I raised up my index finger, making sure they could all see, then I swung it out. Space splintered and cracked, blood rained up, down to the sides, within and out when the simple motion destroyed every Parademon in the city. And because Apokalips was one huge megacity, with one simple move, I killed off all of Darkseid''s bio-engineered soldiers. Silence. You would think that my action would put them off. Scare them to the point where they begun to doubt if fighting me was good for their health. Instead Savage smiled. As if he was expecting this to happen. Then it was on. Kara pulled in first, fists held infront of her to collide against me. I waved a hand and the dark spirit that had taken advantage of all of them, pushed through the air to smack heavily on her. Both of them bounced off one another and opened up the way for another attack. "For the glory of Darkseid!" A huge woman, towering over most of everyone around was already in the air, sword poised to attack me. I blurred to her, colliding with her body at maximum velocity, felling a skyscraper, not once pausing or slowing down until we hit the ground at high speeds. I felt her ribs break underneath my knees. A growl forced me to refocus on the rest. The dog squad seemed intent on running me down. The head dog was missing it''s rider and a second later I knew why. Something bounced off my eternal spatial force field. The stoic face of the would be assassin changed when I grabbed his face in my palm. A golden fire sprouted out from the contact and the man was reduced to ashes. That gave them pause. "He...he just reduced Kanto to ashes." One of the female furies stated. I looked at her sharply from the long distance between us and she stumbled back. The dog squad had arrived closer to me by then. I could feel their wet slobber smell and fur. Raising my foot, I brought it down on the city floor with the smallest force I could muster. I didn''t want to destroy the planet just yet. The ground cratered and caved in. The whole dog legion started falling towards the dark and gloomy bottom that turned into another fire pit while I levitated away to provide a better target for them. "Well?" I asked Savage, curious to see what gave him such confidence in getting rid of me. "Mob him." Savage gave the order and as one, I was besieged by characters that would have each been at the very list, b-list villains. Their power enough to destroy the earth. On our second clash,Fake Rao moved in with a yell, his strikes landing heavily on my forcefield and failing to penetrate through. He was subtly changing as well, his true being showing through the attacks. The force was reflected back at him, throwing his body away and clearing the space to allow for a breath attack to freeze me. The cold air phased through me as I turned my whole zone into Immateria. A state of being and non being. Savage himself blurred onto my back, his kick swung out through the middle of the back but similar to Fake Rao, he bounced off. Spinning, the immortal reoriented himself and pushed out eye beams aimed for me. The lance of hot energy bounced off and hit Fake Rao. The spirit absorbed the blast and split into multiple copies that surrounded me and pushed out their hands. Red hot heat drowned my position in fiery energy. The clash folded around my sphere of protection as I curved space, thinned the projectile paths and released the attacks back to his allies. They all took cover behind the Skyscrapers and anything they could find. The sharp heat cut through the inflastructure like a knife through hot butter. "He''s playing with us!" Supergirl shouted. "Stick to the plan." Savage ordered and a second later they pulled back in. Big Barda from the right with her sword held to her hips, Kara Zor-El with her eyes glowing red from the top, Granny Goodness at the back, aiming a strange device at me, the other two female furies coming from my back, Savage at my front and Fake Rao a short distance behind him. All of them froze in space. I held them aloft with barely a thought while floating down to the ground slowly. "This fight is over." I informed Savage. He was stuck in a pose that had his fist swung out towards my face. This close and I could see the ashy tone of his skin. "How does it feel to trade away your humanity for power you hypocrite? On second thought....I don''t even care." I loomed over him. "What I do care however is that you deliberately set out to make an enemy out of me Savage. I can admire you not leaving anything to chance." I shook my head, "But this!? Kidnapping the mother of my future child for a ritual designed to enslave him or her to become the Lords of Chaos pet because of his power? An unborn child? What could they have promised you that you fucked up this bad!?" The world cracked apart as the cold rage I held tightly under my control slipped. The whole sky started burning golden in response to my emotions. "You are just an insignificant little toad!" This close and his soul looked ugly. Something I didn''t want to even look at. His eyes held no remorse or regret at what he had done. And it made me feel better about my next move. "I will enjoy Killing you..." Then I walked away, disregarding him. Space started constricting around them slowly. A pressure that built up continuously at a snail''s pace. In that zone I also added a stipulation, a law of space. Their sensation was magnified a thousand fold. So the pain they were going to feel would literally be insanity inducing. They couldn''t move, couldn''t blink, couldn''t cry. Just a pain that increased more and more and more. My steps carried me to Kara. With a hateful glare at nothing in particular, the young Kryptonian must have had her spaceship captured by the Apokaliptians who then saw her power and decided to train her to serve Darkseid. While I could most definitely erase the brain washing, I wasn''t as intuned with telepathy''s fine control as I was with sheer utility and power, so I sent her to the elemental dimension. One of the Martians could help her better than I could. Fake Rao followed after her...I wasn''t done with him. Not even close. And then I turned to begin the fight before the true fight. "Analysed, accessing Aden Strong." As if appearing from the very air itself, a being of complete yellow materialized before me. Space cracked and shifted, rips appeared in the fabric of reality, bringing forth things that should have remained unseen. Tentacles of great beings that existed in the bleed poured out of the holes as the Amazo android started accessing my abilities. Oh so this was the ''plan'' Savage had. Let the clearly improved Amazo copy all my powers and then kill me. "Error! Error! Error! Cannot access." The Android started sparking dangerously in the air as what it had gleaned from my bio signature was too complex to decipher and begun breaking down. The explosion that would have destroyed the whole of earth was safely contained in a sphere that I held in my hand. The energy was white hot and roiling around restlessly. Space fractured around, too fragile to survive contact with the powerful energy. I sent the ball to my hammer space and turned to face my real foe. I could sense him waiting for me. He was eager for this just as I was. Darkseid possessed an innate link to one of the Cosmos only exclusive energies, The Omega Effect and on top of that, he had pissed me off. To him, I presented a curious thing to study in his machinations to acquire the anti-life equation and I was also responsible for ending his army and General. It was a given we were going to clash. And at the end of it all, there wouldn''t be an Apokalips left. Part Of An Equation part 1 (General P.O.V) Luthor had his arms stapled together, watching the news coverage on the destruction of the UN headquarters. "... Estimated casualties so far number in the hundreds, with 578 people badly injured, 30007 with minor injuries and an undefined number tagged as missing. The tragedy has made national news across the globe, following the threats of Vandal Savage to continue his terrorist actions if the Nations of the world do not swear fealty." Luthor''s eyes narrowed as the anchor continued to narrate. One particular thing grabbed his attention and brought a smile to his face. "Among the deceased is the UN secretary, Giovanni Asahani." He rose to his feet, "Portal." He stated and a second later a boom tube appeared before him. Luthor walked through and came out on the other side. His new surroundings turned out to be a Cadmus facility. "Luthor...just the man I wanted to see." Ivo walked up the stairs, taking two stairs at a time while vibrating with excitement. "Amazo 2.0 just went offline." Luthor''s eyebrows rose at the news. "Did it now?" "You know what this means right?" Ivo asked, walking behind Luthor as the man headed towards the huge super computer terminal set in the middle of the room. "For you? Or for me?" He asked the shorter and older man. Ivo cleared his throat a little embarrassed. "I am of course happy I get to use the valuable data, 2.0 acquired to complete Starman." The shorter man scurried towards the glass casing on the side of the room where a being stood inside. "He is going to be more powerful and more intelligent. A perfect being." Luthor smiled, "Your enthusiasm is infectious professor." Ivo laughed . "Thank you, yes I am a genius..." He basked in the praise before his face changed into a knowing look. "But you Luthor, you have a mind even I can only hope to have. You commissioned me to create an imperfect Amazo, one with an unstable core, knowing fully well that if it met a being it was unable to copy, it''s inner programming would break down hence an explosion that would leave an object the size of our planet, dust floating in outer space..." Ivo stopped to see if Luthor would disagree. "Go on." "Whatever it was that faced Amazo...it wasn''t what killed your biggest competition...you are the one who killed Vandal Savage." A slow smile worked it''s way onto Luthor''s face. "You''re wrong Professor. Savage was undone by his own folly. I am merely tipped the scales. It''s a rule of business you see." He turned to the terminal. On the screen, an image of Superion and the TMNT team could be seen trying to access one of Morrow''s old decommissioned labs. "Just as I expected... everything is going according to plan." He turned to Mercy who had been shadowing him closely. "You know what to do." Mercy''s hands changed into cords that originated from her cybernetic fingers, glowing blue. The ever loyal assistant/bodyguard walked over to the computer and connected the cords to the ports. "What is the next step in this grand plan of yours? Take over the world by becoming the UN secretary?" Ivo joked. "Yes. That''s precisely it." Luthor answered, staring intently at Amazo''s creator. The shorter man sputtered. "Oh." Luthor turned to face him fully, a hand going to his inner pocket. "Unfortunately for you Professor, you won''t be there to see it." Ivo gulped. "What do you mean?" Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. A trail of blood ran down Ivo''s head before his body split into two. The two halves fell to either sides as Luthor removed a handkerchief and wiped the small drops of blood on his face off. "You ruined my suit." He chastised Terror whose hand lost the red glow of the construct he had created, a clever utilization of his ability to create forcefields. Luthor looked down at the dead scientist. "Really Professor, working behind my back because The Brain promised to carve out a corner of the world for you? Had you any foresight, you would realize that the reason why none of their plans will ever work is because they are going about it the wrong way." "The hard approach has failed time and time again. We learn from history, not copy it and hope for the best. You don''t conquer through fear. You conquer through supply and demand. Control through incentive. Control through necessity." He adjusted his tie. "Portal me to Metropolis and Clean this shit up." Luthor was mad. Due to Ivo''s stupidity, he had just lost a valuable resource. Good thing Ivo had left something valuable behind. He eyed the Starman, the combined efforts between Ivo and Morrow. (Elsewhere) (14 minutes remaining till the destruction of one city) Breaking into the Target, the team quickly, under the direction of Superion, found a secret elevator that took them to the underground section of the abandoned lab. It was one of the few labs the Justice Society hadn''t gotten to after taking down Morrow. Years later and the Lab was left abandoned and only now was it seeing light for the first time. The access codes to open the section were easy enough, Robin had gotten them from Red Tornado''s room, the android having had them saved in his memory banks as a precaution. If he ever got badly injured and Morrow wasn''t around, Red Tornado could access the Lab to repair himself. A layer of dust covered everything. The machines and appliances in the room were archaic by modern day standards, given by what Donny and April said. "Hey big guy, mind helping me with this?" Donny motioned to Superion. The Kryptonian floated over (something that Mikey was still going on about. The fact that a real life superhero was with them and flying no less), reached out for the white cloth placed over a huge object and pulled it away. April whistled. "That...is... impressive." "I agree." Donny nodded while running his hand along the structure of the huge computer. "Donny, time." Leo reminded his brother. "Oh right." Donny turned it on and begun fiddling with his own device to interface with the huge super computer. "Oh and Mikey, don''t touch anything. The sooner we''re done here the sooner we can save the..." An explosion of lava shot out from the ground, throwing April, Casey and Raphael away roughly. Casey had the good sense to wrap his body around April and when they landed on a disassembled machine, both of them were relatively unharmed. "What in the...heeeelll..." Mikey trailed while looking at the 8 foot monstrous creature that rose up from the floor. The air grew colder as a layer of mist covered the room, only to be replaced by a blistering heat that melted the ice into puddles of water and steam. Made up of a collection of red metal jumbled together with loose wires and cords transmitting power from its core, the android that emerged looked disturbing. For starters it had 7 limbs. 2 hands more than was normal, placed on different parts of it''s body and one of it''s legs looking bigger than the other. A half wing emerged from its spine made up of ice and Lava. Finally, it had two faces on top of being huge. "Intruder alert! Intruder Alert! Terminate." A thin electronic voice emerged from its mouth. "Oh...that''s not good." Mikey commented, swinging his Nunchuks in preparation. "Donny you handle priming the program...while we keep Frankenstein Monster''s sibling off your back." Leo ordered, his Katana unsheathing with a sharp sound. "Huh... about that," Donny begun. "I can''t get through it''s layers of security. The passcodes don''t seem to be working." The bad news stalled everyone. "What?" Superion asked in disbelief. "You cannot be serious right now Donny!" Raph shouted. "Hey focus!" Leo snapped. "Beta team to Watchtower." Superion spoke through the comms. "I hear you loud and clear Beta team...there''s really nothing I can do from here. I didn''t anticipate that Morrow would have extra layers of security." Robin''s voice sounded distressed. "Fuck." Superion rubbed his eyes. "Can you hack it?" Before he could answer, a beam of ice launched off towards an oblivious Donatello. The Kryptonian dove in between the blast and the teenage Ninja Turtle, tanking the attack and preventing Donny and the computer from getting destroyed. "Within the time frame left?...no." Robin answered. The team instantly felt the last shreds of hope left begin to wane. "There must be something we can do!" April shouted in desperation. Only 12 minutes were left till a city was destroyed. "One thing at a time..." Superion muttered. "I''ll handle the android." Then he blasted off towards the mishapen Machine, slammed onto it''s chest and rose up through the ceiling of the lab. "For what its worth..." Casey begun only for Donatello to interrupt them. "Wait! Something is happening." He cracked his knuckles and started typing on the huge keyboard. A laugh escaped out of the smart turtle. "Someone or something is pushing past the firewalls and encryption like it''s wet tissue. They''re clearing a path for me!" "Good!" Leo stated as Raph smirked. "We''re back in business baby!" From the Watchtower, Robin started running his own remote surveillance using the transmission Donny''s computer was sending to the Watchtowers system. "Someone else is in the system." Robin told Black Canary, who slumped on her seat. "Always have to cut it close huh?" She commented. "Wouldn''t be the same if we couldn''t." Robin answered but something about the whole affair bothered him. A prompt appeared on the Holo display above the table. A live video from Metropolis about a press conference. A press conference now? "...With 10 minutes to go until the madman Vandal Savage''s threats comes true and make no mistake about the serious nature of his deranged actions, I stand here today with a message of goodwill to all people. A message of the perseverance of the human will." Luthor''s voice was soft, strong and emotional. His hand shook as he used the handkerchief to wipe away his sweat. "My friends, colleagues and business partners have all asked me why I deemed it important to stay behind when Metropolis is now placed in a danger that is all too real and all too hopeless to overcome. The Justice League is nowhere to be seen. The UN headquarters are just a burning pile of debris and our own government fails to protect us..." He paused and looked at the camera. "Maybe this is a result of our complacency. For daring to place our protection in a team of individuals who while exceptional are no less infallible than us. I believe in the collective minds of our species. I believe that despite the enormous impact this dark day will have, it will pass and we will have learned from our folly." His eyes blazed with righteous fury. "And so I promise you, humanity will prevail. Whether it''s by my hands through a fluke that manages to spare Metropolis or by someone else out there who has listened to my message...humanity will prevail." Luthor stepped away from the podium and took a prepared seat before the arranged chairs. A few notable figures could be seen flanking him. The police Captain and the mayor of Metropolis. A thunderous applause could be heard before Robin closed the feed. "It''s Luthor..." Robin came to the startling conclusion. "It''s all Luthor." "And he has just destroyed the League''s credibility. The Justice League is no more..." Black Canary whispered. Part Of An Equation part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) Space...is a cloth. And I am a tailor. Making small adjustments guaranteed me the correct result I was after. However, big adjustments and I would have to contend with destabilizing the foundation of reality. Just something to keep in mind for later...Reality is fucking ruthless and nobody''s momma, not unless you were a cosmic being or the blue guy. I could feel him watching... My enemies were all frozen within a constricting hold that pressed down on them with the full gravitational force of the sun''s core. It was omnidirectional and slow as fuck, guaranteeing they would feel every bone in their body start to start to start to snap. Semantics. Basically, the pain would be immeasurable and it would be doubly so for Vandal Savage. It was easy to see now. My computational skills had shot through the roof and I was still in my base form. The dude had Lobo''s regeneration. Base form only gave me access to a fraction of the enhancement from each of my divinities. See my ascension had brought about more questions than answers. For starters, I had no fucking clue how to use my authorities. Yup. Everything else was instinctual. My flames had grown intuitive enough that I could...ok ding ding no spoilers Aden. I had more power in my pinky toe than I''d ever had in my life. It was exhilarating, addicting and oh so scary. ::----------------------------------------------------------------:: (Ascension Complete) (Congratulations) (Attained 2 divinities) -AIR -FIRE (The Ascension has resulted in you gaining the following godly abilities:- Shapeshifting:- You can change the way you look just by willing it. Power Distribution:- You can grant a mortal of your choosing access to any of your divinities in exchange for carrying out your will. (Highly dependent on FAITH) Psionic Abilities:- As a higher being, your mind is capable of accessing the Psionic realm, a subshoot of The Sage Force and gaining certain abilities:- Telepathy- You can read minds, control them with relative ease depending on the strength of the subject and alter memories. Telekinesis- You can omnidirectionally move objects without physically touching them. At higher levels this ability grants limited control over the world. Divine Sense- You can sense things from millions of miles away with excellent clarity. Extra dimensional phenomenal is hidden from your gaze as long as you''re not explicitly searching it out. This includes hidden realms and beings. Superhuman Strength:- For each divinity you possess, you strength is magnified from its base by a permanent multiplication of 10 when you are in your normal form. Current enhancement at 20¡Á. Able to lift 3000 tons with relative ease. Superhuman Speed: - For each divinity you possess, your speed is magnified by a permanent multiplication of 10 when you''re in your normal form. Current enhancement at 20¡Á. Able to move at Mach 20. Superhuman Endurance:- For each divinity you possess, your endurance is highly increased. Cannot quantify Stamina. Able to fight at full power for months without tiring. Immortality:- Your longevity far surpasses a lower lifeform. With the added benefit of being The Anthropomorphic representation of !-#%?[=¡Ì¡é?. Dying is kinda hard. Be careful of god slaying artefacts and beings on your level or above it though. Regeneration:- your enhanced healing has evolved by a few ranks. You now possess high speed regeneration. Able to regrow a hand in minutes. Losing a head will put you out of commission for... eternity? Evolving this ability will see it reach its final level. Elementalization:- This ability allows you to exclusively access one of your elemental divinities for added power and select invulnerability. All Physical parameters increased by 100x. Your body enters a state of elemental composition with its own exclusive abilities only gained through elementalization:- Divine Domain:- A zone of your chosen element where you have full control. Elemental Teleportation:- You can travel through the element with no restrictions. Full Control:- Doesn''t matter whose ability it is, similar elemental attacks to your divinity even from enemies can be controlled. Size Alteration:- Different yet similar to a normal god''s GOD FORM. You can increase your size for added physical strength. Size limit:- ?? The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Faith Energy:- LOCKED. (AUTHORITIES) -Freedom. -Hope. ::----------------------------------------------------------------:: (New Element Unlocked!) Water (Unlocked) ::----------------------------------------------------------------:: So Yes, more powerful than I''d ever thought I could get. Yet so many questions to ask. Especially given the mission I had received upon leaving my realm. Luckily, my White Shadow Persona had gotten rid of all the chaos rifts in hell. And that had seemingly been enough for the system, though I suspected that the rest of the errant chaos rifts had been dealt with by something else. Something no doubt on the level of the Lords of Chaos. I can still feel his gaze... I had elected to check out the rewards for that mission later, for now what caught my attention was the new mission. ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: (Mission Alert!) (Rage of a God) They dared lay hands on something that isn''t theirs to claim. Someone precious to you. They dared blaspheme against a GOD. Unleash your fury and watch them burn in the flames of their own arrogance. Mission Objectives:- Show Vandal Savage the error of his ways. Save Starfire and your unborn child. Completely decimate their forces. Defeat HIM. Mission Parameters:- Time Limit:- N/A Mission Difficulty:- Nightmare. Mission Rewards:- FAITH UNLOCKED. ::---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:: For starters, the mission objectives had been hella vague. Secondly there was only one reward. Nothing else despite the mission difficulty being Nightmare, a level I had never once seen before, despite my Tango with the Hell Lords. Was unlocking faith just as valuable as getting 2 perks, 200 training points and 1 unique ability from the Avatar franchise? My instinct told me... yes. And while the mission difficulty was an indication that this was not going to be a cake walk, the cold fury inside me assured that it wasn''t me I was supposed to worry about. Darkseid was about to understand why you don''t fuck with the Avatar. All of this went through my mind in Picoseconds. Crossing the distance between me and the mystic circle where Star lay was done with barely any effort. Space was mine to do with what I wanted. And I wasn''t shy in using it seeing as the whole Zone surrounding the Mystic circle was frozen. The black sun made up of my chaos energy had stilled in place, along with the flickering red essence''s of the Chaos Lords. They had tried to escape after I had done away with Savage and his retinue. I snorted, weaklings didn''t even give me a workout. The frozen space folded around me as I walked into the magic circle. All other thoughts were discarded as I knelt down and pulled the unconscious woman into my arms. My heart felt like it was on the verge of breaking apart with relief and fear. "I am so sorry Star. None of this was supposed to happen. I should have kept you far far away from this kind of danger." I swept her beautiful hair away from her face. Then hit my forehead with my tightened fist. "So much for being the Avatar." I had fucked up. Immensely. I felt her hand grasp my own and interlock our fingers. Looking up in a bit of surprise, I could tell she was still asleep. "Aden..." My name passed through her lips softly. I could feel the love, the care and consideration she held for me. I moved our interlocked hands to her protruding belly. She was close to four months old, just missing a few days. My energy joined her own, pulsing in a specific gentle frequency as I rubbed our creation. I barked out a single emotional laugh as another pulse made itself known. Weak, uneven but distinctly sharing properties to both Star and mine. my lips stretched out in a wide smile. Our child. My baby... "So eager to join us in this crazy world huh kiddo?" I wiped the trail of tears in embarrassment. It wasn''t like me to get so emotional goddamit! Another laugh escaped me before I breathed in, out and centered myself. "I promise you this Star. For as long as I live..." My gaze sharpened looking around us at the frozen space. The red wisps of flames belonging to the Lords of Chaos almost seemed to flicker in fear. "THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN." I declared, rising up, careful not to jostle her too much. Equity appeared in my left arm while I cradled Star gently with a soft breeze that levitated her body before me. I kissed her forehead just as a boom tube swallowed her gently. Star would wake up next to Kai in our soft bed. Now then...time to deal with this problem. They hurt what was mine...may the presence have mercy on their souls because I wouldn''t. I pointed my weapon at the black sun above. Using my increased perception, it was easy to understand the function of the magic circle. A powerful geass designed to bind the soul, mind and body of the target to the caster. A sudden rise of fury slammed into me again. I pushed it down, they were going to suffer. Looking at the six pointed star it was clear to see who the caster was. Equity traced the invisible threads of connection to her. As Child was in a physical vessel, she would have more conscious control over the mystic energy needed to combine with my own higher quality chaos energy, to place a slave tag on my child. Now you might be wondering why. Why go to all this trouble...guess I''m about to find out. I unfroze Child. "Flaw! Kill him! Kill him kill HIIIMM!!" Her face and voice changed at the last second, sounding panicked and inhuman. The huge crystal familiar wasted no time in jumbling forward at crazy speeds, arm changing into a huge scythe like weapon. It swung the bladed limb down at me with force strong enough to shatter a full continent. Equity rose up to meet the swing. Flaw lost it''s arm. A clean cut where the bladed limb detached and slammed onto the floor with a clang. For a second, I thought I could see surprise in its inexpressive face. Then Equity sliced out. Space converged around the blade''s edge and then split off into numerous deadly severing strings. Trillions, then quadrillions of super imposed, compressed and tight slashes. One strike copied across a single zone endlessly. The blade landed once but hit the crystal familiar almost an infinite number of times. Starlight exploded outwards; Esoteric matter from the universe as everything within where Flaw had occupied collapsed into jagged spatial rifts no different from billions and billions of miniature black holes. All the size of subatomic particles. I frowned and waved a hand, getting rid of the unnatural phenomenal before I casually destroyed the galaxy. A keening wail sounded out of child. Her form begun to flicker from the material world. "Where do you think you''re going?" Seeing a middle school kid cough out blood as Equity speared through her solar plexus was disturbing. Her eyes were pools of fear. The hate long gone. "What...what are you?!" I cocked my head to the side. I''ve always wanted to say this. "The ghost of Christmas future." My mouth split up into a wide smile full of malice. Reversing the mystical circle to serve me was easy enough due to the fact that my energy was the crux of the magic circle. Black lines rained down from the black sun overhead, connecting the red essences of the Chaos Lords to Child, then to Equity before eventually me. "And I''m here to say you''ve been very naughty Scrooge..." I stilled and scrunched up my face in distaste. "See what you fucking did... I am so mad, it''s messing with my one liners." She gurgled out more blood. I shook my head. "Its about time you were replaced from your unworthy position by someone else. Someone competent." Then I pulled. A multitude of voices spread out across the multiverse from a higher dimension, joined in a chorus. Some asked for pity. Others like Mordru tried to curse me with potent dark magicks. None of it took. I was finally living up to the mantle of the Lord of Chaos. Besides, you never say no to a power up. Part Of An Equation Final Part (General P.O.V) Reverberations spread out across the multiverse. An integral part of reality was going through a massive change. An old man walked through the rain. He had an umbrella in his hand that instead of using to shield himself from the droplets of rain, he instead used it as a walking stick. The cobblestone path under him shone from the light of the streetlights reflected on the wet ground. Despite the fact that he was being rained on, no drop landed on his body. He stopped in the middle of the road. The victorian houses flanking either side denoted to this being a different time. He sighed, tipping his bowler hat at the figure sitting on the bench to his side. The figure was dressed in a full neck and resembled a very familiar comic book artist. "Fancy meeting you here, old friend." The Presence said to the OAA. The creator of the Marvel multiverse patted the empty space next to him. "Still as reckless as ever." The Presence laughed, suddenly sitting on the space next to him. The whole area had changed into a massive white nothingness that stretched out into the infinitude. A split millisecond later, they were inside a Tavern floating in the middle of two massive bubbles of every color imaginable, every sound imaginable, every abstract concept that could exist. The distance between the two was incalculable. "So...what is this favor, you wanted to ask?" The OAA asked. "Someone might..." he struggled to find the word, "...crop up in your home." The Presence finished. "One of your own?" A brief silence dominated. The OAA nodded taking the Presence''s silence as an answer. "I see." A tea set was placed on the table they were seated on. The Presence smiled genially at the waitress, a red and yellow colored girl with streaks of multicolored lightning shifting around her form. "Thank you Sela." "Enjoy." The waitress said and walked away. Immediately after taking a sip of the tea, a glint appeared in the OAA''S eyes. "Well?" The Presence asked. "It is good." "A friend of my son''s introduced it to me." The Presence told him jovially. (Aden''s P.O.V) A rush of energy comparable to the massive amounts of divinity I had within me invaded my core. Explaining divinity is like trying to describe color to a blind person. A shallow explanation would be that I had these wells of energy inside me. One, a green ocean of infinite swirling tornados, cosmic storms and darker than dark holes. The other ocean was pure blazing golden fire. It burnt unceasingly, unrelenting and unforgiving. Even the I from before, wouldn''t survive a single touch. The black sun above me was part of my own original power, I could feel it pulsing with the same thump as Equity. Equity wanted to be whole again. The chaos from the Chaos Lords however was different. It contained an ethereal component that was missing from my own reserves. It had me buzzing with excitement as I immediately guessed what that component was. The scene around me was straight from a cinematic setting. Threads of black energy connected the black sun above to each of the Lords of Chaos, dragging out every ounce of pure chaos they possessed inside them to Child. The energy changed after leaving them to a blood red color. Child gasped as her eyes went unfocused, she visibly started wasting away, decaying while Equity greedily drank in the all their power. Instantly, my vision changed. A world of impossible dimensions appeared before me. A world where the sands of times were not linear. A world of red with criss crossing lines of everything in its deranged form. A shadow hang above head. The shadow had a huge face made up of countless smaller faces all with different expressions. It was horrifying. "Usurper! Thief! Let go of us! Let go of MORDRU! CHAOS IS MINE! MINE!!!" The shadow shouted, billowing up through the cracked glass like sky and then diving towards me. It hit and merely passed through my body without doing any damage. I laughed. "This is your own doing Mordru! I was content to let you scurry in the dark. I was content to not concern myself with you wannabe gods. Your demise was signed by your very own hands!" And with that, I claimed the very core of Chaos as mine. POWER rushed into me. A vortex of red formed around my body as I basked in all of it. I gorged myself, Equity having no limit to how much it could store. "No! Stop! Curse you ADEN STRONG! CURSE YOU FOR ALL ETERNITY!" The dying echoes of Mordru and his fellow lords rang out for the final time. The chaos rift in my own dimension changed. I could feel the separation of structure. My realm had more than doubled in size after it''s upgrade but the chaos rift had stayed there, a stark reminder of my mistake. With the deaths of Mordru and the others, the uneven, unknowable and incomprehensible realm of chaos they resided in joined with my world and a true split occured. A split that went beyond the third dimension. Chaos was it''s own dimension now. Just like the Hollow Lands, Chaos was separate but still connected to the wider expanse of my realm. And things were already beginning to get interesting there. I opened my sight and found myself back where I had previously been. The mystic circle only had occasional bursts of mystical energy. I could also feel a new web of power connected to everything. Reaching out, sparks of yellow traced along the path my fingers took. Magic. The energy of possibility. ''Not the time Aden.'' My fingers tightened as I let the arm fall. I sighed, reaching into my hammer space and withdrawing a GRANGO to munch on. I sat down on the ruined magical circle watching as Child''s pile of ash drifted in the air. The overcast red sky, the whispers in the air of ''HIS'' power, the sheer malice everything here contained, and the prisoners from different worlds I could feel toiling below the metallic surface of the planet. All pointed to the same thing... Apokalips sucked. Not the best vacation spot. I threw the seed of the Grango back to my hammer space and stood up, feeling a little rested despite the fact that I wasn''t tired at all. The ritual was supposed to be conducted on the highest point of the whole planet so as to avoid interruptions. Darkseid''s tower however was reserved for only Darkseid. I looked towards it. Towards the undeniable beacon of power buzzing in my divine sense like a sole light in a dark room. This was it. I centered myself, gripped Equity tightly and took a step forward. The next step deposited me behind a wall of gray muscles looking out into the wide area of the industrial heavy planet. A terrible storm was already brewing above head. The planet seemed to anticipate pur clash. I walked forward and stopped just a few meters away from him. "Darkseid... I''ve come for your head." I calmy announced. "Then it is doom you seek." His voice was a deep rumble. Like grinding rocks against each other taken a few octaves lower. "That remains to be seen." I answered. "Have you no sense of self preservation?" The New God questioned curiously. I snorted. "It is precisely due to my self preservation that you must die. We''re enemies but more than that you are relentless." I shook my head and continued before he could say anything. "And no. That is not a compliment. Apokalips is a cancer. You are a cancer. Even ignoring the fact that you have an unhealthy obsession with earth and the fact that I have destroyed all of your forces, you would still fuck with me, regardless of whether I stayed away or not." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. He moved, rotating to face me. His red eyes spike of every evil thing imaginable. It was... indescribable. It also made me clench my hand in worry. I had been right. There was more to this being than had been shown before. "You are right. Nothing matters except for the Anti - Life equation. Your enemity, my forces, my son...they are nothing before the promise of absolute power." He stated, hands clasped behind his back. I blinked. Up close and his power was fucking amazing. The fine hairs on the back of my neck rose and my grip on Equity tightened. "And all fall before Darkseid." I made contact with his red eyes. "Trust me, you''re yet to see anything like me." He lowered his head and went silent for a short time before his lips stretched out in an evil smile. "Yes. You are correct. There is nothing like you. I sense something hidden, woven through your skin, flesh, bones and blood." He levitated forward. "A sense of mystery. A formula of potential. Perhaps I should...delay the plans I have for your planet and slice you open to discover the secrets you hide. To discover what Equation you are a part of." I swallowed in worry not because of the threat to torture me but by the confidence in which he injected when mentioning earth. (Elsewhere) (The Hollow Lands) Michael perked up. A second later, his face scrunched up in confusion. ''What a weird request...'' He got up and left. (Aden''s P.O.V) Equity twirled in my hands. The distance between us was only separated by a handful of feet. And goddamn this fucker is huge. "A second option would be...I kill you, save all these slaves you have working for you, destroy this god forsaken chunk of metal and then leave. Just...consider it." I proposed. "You..." He begun to say but I was already blurring forward. Equity''s edge widened to a massive cleaver. I slashed out at his neck, aiming to hack through the Stony skin and behead him in one fell swoop. Darkseid''s hand rose up to block the blade, relying on his durability. He lost four fingers due to that. Red blood sprayed out and he backed off with a grunt. Without giving him time to register the pain, I was already aiming for the top of his head, Equity shifted into an axe reminiscent of the Divine axe Rhitta, Escanor''s weapon. With speed that was at odds with his size, Darkseid stepped to the side and let Equity sail down on his position. My chaos blade sliced into the ground, digging deep into the metal before shifting into a thin rapier that easily came off when I tugged. A blast of telekinetic force hit my body, pushing me away from him. My divine sense showed me something speeding my way, something that curved corners and turns through space. I slid to the right, almost stepping off the platform like roof of the whole structure. "My Omega beams cannot be evaded." Darkseid telepathically said. A quick glance at his fingers showed red glowing digits where his missing fingers were and his gaze stuck on Equity with an intense look. Did Equity count as a godkiller? The answer was of course yes. Equity came up and helped me block the omega beams, the concussive force threw me off the roof and into a second building, where I speared past it before landing in a chamber with different looking humanoid sentient creatures. Alien slaves. They started screaming and running off in panic as I rose up from the remains of the table my back had landed on. I shook my head. "Fuck, no more underestimating those beams." I''d forgotten that they were different to Superman''s. On top of being entirely unavoidable, they were also more concussive than laser like. "Hey, what''s your name?" I shouted to a middle aged man, with weary but hard eyes huddling with a few more slaves at the corner of the room. "Malach." He answered without hesitation. A boom tube manifested before them to my side. "Use this and evacuate this place if you want to survive." He didn''t give me an answer except for a nod. With my divine sense, I deployed portals across the whole planet anywhere I felt a large collection of people. With my telepathy, I spread the same message across the masses. The portals would lead to one of the massive continents in my main dimension. After my good deed of the day, it was time to go kill a galactic tyrant. Darkseid''s gaze speared from his perch on top of the monstrous skyscraper to land on me. The quiet confidence he had earlier adopted was now stained with something else. He was alert, waiting for my next move. Equity changed form into a brass knuckle that I wore on my right fist. Calmly and without hurry, I waved a hand and my clothes evaporated into divine energy, leaving me shirtless with only gray pants and boots on. My long hair brushed against my back as I stretched a little. Crouching, the whole establishment shook. "Come on! Everybody in now!" Malach ushered the last of the slaves in and threw me a look before he entered the portal as well. I shot out of the building at dizzying speeds. The air screamed around me, the building at my back exploding in a shower of wrecked metal and stone. The noise lagging behind me. THWACK! Darkseid''s cheek folded against my fist and the huge god was thrown a few paces back. My leg blazed with a golden coating of flames and capitalizing on my unexpected blow, I planted the foot onto his chest. This time the force of the blow was enough to push him through the building and out into the atmosphere. I followed through the hole only for red light to wash down in my position. The building''s ceiling came down on top of me, while the foundation itself toppled to the right. I blinked, spatially relocating to within close proximity of my opponent and slammed an uppercut onto his chin. His head was thrown back and a sudden shockwave rippled through the air from my fist. Grabbing his huge foot, I spun and heaved, letting go of him. The new god sailed through the air and smacked onto the highly industrialized planet. I dove down only to change course due to the zig zagging concussive rays he targeted my way. Unavoidable huh? With my connection to space, I stretched out the space between the rays and I into the closest approximation of infinite I could construct, a loop. The space surrounding me was instantly filled up by red threads that continuously followed billions of trajectories without actually touching me. I blinked from that position, feeling the omega beams collapse onto the empty pocket before exploding outwards, the wave of shockwaves slammed onto my back pushing me to the ground faster. While gravity did it''s thing, my body changed into diamond. Shapeshifting for the win. Legs straight and faced downwards, I plowed through the omega beams, not even bothering to dodge them. My legs slammed onto Darkseid''s forearms and pushed him further down onto the ground. He broke past the first layer of the planet and arrived in a wide hot chamber that seemed to be an assembly line. I bounced off of him and raised my hands. With the motion, pieces of metal on top of the assembly line belt (don''t know what they are called) rose up. Darkseid flew towards me with a savage look on his face and to meet him were my telekinetically thrown projectiles. They bounced off of him and embedded onto the chamber, destroying the drones at work and wrecking the place. His huge fist swung towards me but I flipped over the attack, to land at his back. Before I completely touched the ground, Darkseid was already moving. His back hand smacked onto my forearm with strength greater than anyone had ever hit me with. My bones shook and my muscles felt the sting. I could tank his blows but that shit was painful. I dug a groove under my feet while jets of golden flames exploded behind my back to slow me down. "Give up, you are no match for me." My adversary said as a matter of fact. I ignored him in favor of something else. What else have I not tested? Oh yeah... speed. The world slowed down. I stepped off the belt and slid to a stop below his huge torso. My hands pulled back and then the first fist landed, then the second and the third. The 10th. Darkseid reacted at the 60th, Omega beams deploying with a sudden vibration and moving towards me from the right then the bottom. I bolted out of the chamber, stepping onto the walls before speeding through the hole we had initially created. I broke through the air, lacking traction and floating in open space for a short period. A sensation of not quite heat was growing apparent behind me. The Omega beams were trying to catch up. Golden streaks of lightning flashed a little under my feet, not too visible. I pulled some more and the streaks increased in number. I flexed my muscles and my speed increased from mach 20 to almost a hundred. And it wasn''t the fastest I could go. A ray of golden light that turned out to be me stepped onto the ground, my body handling the land before I was off. I passed through buildings with the beams following closely behind while accelerating to catch up with me. From a high point of view, one would have noticed a steak of golden lightning zig zagging through the city while curving beams trailed after it. I pushed myself to go even faster, using space as a spring board under every step I took. My gaze grew focused and apart from the flashing lights intermittently spearing through the buildings from the far away fire pits, the world was silent. It started with a slight buzz...by now I had almost covered half of the planet. My feet touching the ground only barely and then, the buzz changed into a click sound and motion gained color. A new sense of my surroundings hit me. Reaction speed and perception slotted back into place to seem as if I was walking normally in a world that was stuck in time. I stopped in place in sudden shock. Golden lightning from my own inner fire ran erratic rounds over my body. Thinner than the gold light were features of white lightning coming from somewhere...else. "The speed force." I concluded. Somehow I had connected with the dimension governing the motion of the multiverse. Was this how the different speedsters saw the world? It it was then my earlier speed; something I had been proud of was laughable. How the Flash managed to be taken less seriously than the others baffled me. With this, he was easily the second strongest or even the strongest member the League had. And it was so easy to use. Almost docile in my hands. I concentrated a little and the streak of white lightning converged to form a jagged sword that vibrated with power. Enough skills and I could rewrite time itself, cross dimensions and take on anyone. If only it wasn''t borrowed power... I waved a hand across the air and watched as shadows were left behind. Afterimages that made it seem as if I was moving through viscous liquid. I pulled on that alien buzzing I could feel with every cell in my body and shot off before the Omega beams could even move a single centimeter. Before I knew it I had made over a dozen laps across the planet. I took everything of note. Fatherboxes, technology, crafts, precious metals and even Amazo''s parts, which I then sent to my dimension. After all that, I stopped before the concussive rays to begin studying them. The energy was tightly packed, containing a substance that displaced everything in its path along with somehow not losing sight of it''s target. I looked back at Darkseid''s relative position then at the omega beams. How about a taste of his own medicine? I felt myself slowed down marginally or rather the world got faster? Suddenly the Omega beams curved in the air and pulled up to follow me again. I released a laugh and stepped up my game, weaving through the monstrous buildings to finally arrive where my opponent was. Darkseid seemed to only possess one pose. Hands clasped behind his back and a perpetual frown on his face. I knew the split second he noticed me. For that short period of time, I increased my speed yet again and dove under his massive hand aimed to grab me and then between his legs. Stopping a few feet away, I heard the Omega beams connect with their creator and a surprised grunt of pain leave the galactic tyrant. The dust settled down and I found myself facing the god of evil. His body was smoking lightly and the frown had changed into a cruel glint. His feet finally landed onto the ground. "You are going to die a slow painful death." He promised which elicited a snicker. "Finally getting serious huh? It''s about time." "You were using me to test yourself." He concluded, walking forward. His steps left huge impressions on the ground. "Yes. Yes I was. And I gotta say...you are disappointing. So how about we step it up a notch." My face changed. "I know this isn''t the real you. This body is just a Facsimile of your true form. And I have a certain penchant for wanting to deal with things at their core. So how about this...let''s end this once and for all?" An evil smile spread across his face. "Very perceptive of you boy." Then Apokalips begun shaking. "I was going to offer you to join me in a crusade of power to bring the Multiverse to heel...but I see now that you lack vision. For all your uniqueness you are stuck thinking like a lower life form. Your humanity has cost you your godliness Aden Strong. Any last words?" An aura of red clad him, burning like flames. His presence changed into something oppressive and a prodigious amount of telekinetic waves rippled out of him. His mental abilities were far more developed than what I had. Buildings got torn off their foundations and joined a storm above him. The fire pits started feeding power into the storm, creating a burning world everywhere I looked. And in the middle of the storm, I stood. Shirtless, with only gray pants and shoes and a brass knuckle in my hand. However, there was nowhere else I''d rather be. I delved deep into my divinities and touched upon one. The world grew focused as the fire above head and in the pits became mine to control. FIGHT! (General P.O.V) Orion was destined to fight his father, Darkseid. Orion had always looked at his eventual fate with a grim determination to do everything in his power to ensure the evil of Darkseid did not spread across the universe. Orion was starting to think he was wrong. The sky shown with a massive golden light. A light that swallowed everything in its path. Apokalips had been destroyed. "It is time, Father." He told his adopted father. All eyes were on the Highfather. Izaya gripped his staff tightly as the New Gods awaited his order to move to war. The ''peace treaty'' was nothing but a sham. Everyone knew it. Darkseid had been content to let the balance be maintained. However once he got his hands on the Anti-life equation, no one was dumb enough to think that things wouldn''t Change. The Utopia that was New Genesis would face off against their opposite, the hellish landscape of Apokalips. Behind the light followed a cold darkness that wormed itself through their minds, seeking out every dark thought that was hidden deep within their souls. A void, an emptiness that they couldn''t fill. An emptiness that screamed, Darkseid Is. "Get ready." Highfather finally stated. Orion breathed out and faced the other New Gods. It was time. Time to put this all to rest. "We move out to fight! To..." "No." Highfather spoke again. "Get ready to leave. This is a fight we cannot absolutely interfere in." He turned to a shocked Orion and placed a hand on his shoulder, then smiled. "Rejoice my son, for the burden you carry has been lifted from your shoulders." The light shone on his face as he gazed at the Sky. "Rejoice for Darkseid has finally met his match." (A few minutes ago) By now it was a given that the planet shook from the power we both exuded. My size had changed. My black long hair had shifting into golden locks and my tanned skin was now the color of unblemished gold as well. I was taller than I''d ever thought I''d be. About 7 feet which put me almost at Darkseid''s eye level but not quite. And I knew I could go bigger. We eyed each other silently and then... Whoosh!!! Darkseid copied me. By waving a single finger, everything above me, floating in a storm of metal, concrete and debris shot down like bullets from a KPV general purpose machine gun. My vision was overtaken by all the projectiles. My feet hovered above the ground as I readied myself. A metal spike landed on my left, missing me by inches. I weaved and dodged lightly by barely moving. My base speed was enhanced to the point that everything seemed to move in slow motion. A huge chunk of a torn building almost 300 meters in diameter beared down on my position. And behind it, I could sense an even bigger piece of the building. I raised a hand and molded my energy. Putting a tiny tiny fraction of power, I let loose the violent energy in one massive explosion. The air popped as the laser like compressed heat landed on the falling chunk and destroyed everything above me. The shockwave was enough to ragdoll a massive container ship but all I saw was an open path towards my adversary. Another massive explosion escaped my feet, pushing me to the sky in insane speeds. This time Darkseid himself flew down to meet me in mid air. One streak of golden against one of red. We clashed and started fighting. Each punch I threw was backed by all the strength I could spare. Darkseid received the attacks and was only pushed back a little. My blows were aimed at his vulnerable body parts. A punch diverted by his forearm gave me enough momentum to transition into a mule kick that he received on his chest, only to grab my leg in a tight grip and throw me away towards a fire pit. I fell down to my normal form and blinked behind him, then entered my divine flames form. He had enough sense to anticipate the move, seeing as he threw out a backhand at the position I appeared in. I felt the blow land but then pass through as I broke down into a cloud of flames that washed up his arm to his face where I released a golden flash bang that blinded his vision. He pulled away with a wince as I reformed into a humanoid shape and landed a massive punch onto his solar plexus. His telekinetic shield blocked my attack. I struggled as the explosion held tightly on my fist begun to push against his mental hold. Another explosion occured, pushing us both away. I reoriented myself and flew back in, wary to give him enough time to regroup and come up with an effective strategy. Darkseid snarled and let loose Omega beams. The concussive rays over took my vision but I ducked under them, breaking into two forms. My vision was split into two perspectives. The first body was the Fire God form and the other one had green hair and a symbol of the air element on the Glabella, My Air God form. A perfect use for the Homunculi puppet skill. The Omega beams followed after my Fire God form while the Air God body moved past Darkseid like a breeze buffeting a stubborn rock. I reformed behind him and heard him grunt in pain. Multiple slashes appeared on his body. His rage was almost tangible. I blinked and he was before me, fist already pushing through the air to land on my chest. I turned into multiple bundles of air only to feel a sudden pain from my ribs breaking. From my uncontrolled fall to the ground I saw that Darkseid''s fist was covered by a red energy. He had used the Omega Force to ignore my intangibility. I felt my back hit the ground at maximum velocity with Darkseid following behind me with intent to do harm. I unravelled into wind again, blowing broken building parts and dust away. This time, I spun and the air in the atmosphere joined with me to form a tornado with cutting winds around him. I tried to suck all the air out of him and failed. His eyes glowed red and I knew another omega attack was coming. From above him at the mouth of the Tornado, my fire god form arrived. A sword of fire was held in his hands. I grunted as I held onto the highly compressed flame construct and swung down. The air screamed when the sword passed through Darkseid''s red shield and then touched his head. The sword broke apart from a timely intervention by the Omega beams. Still, I managed to land on his head, opened my mouth and let loose destructive golden flames down at his face. The flames washed down to cover him, boiling the ground underneath us and turning it into a dark red magma pool. My air god form spun faster and faster, containing the heat that allowed us to boil the god of evil inside an oven of the fusion of all my flames. The golden colored flames contained all the best qualities of my flames except the silver flames. The silver flames were special and I still had no idea why. Omega beams flew all around my body but an application of my space manipulation ensured none of them reached me. Instead, they all added into the hot and violent energy buffeting Darkseid. For the first time ever, I heard his guttural screams of pain. It was a sound that excited a dark part of my soul and I wanted more of it... Then it happened. A brief incoherence filled with rolling vision and impacts as I flew away. My scenery had changed. A tightness suddenly gripped the chests of both of my forms. I rose up in my fire god form, only now noticing dull but steadily growing more apparent pain in my left arm. I looked at it and blinked. From my shoulder, my left hand was missing. The realization brought with it sudden incapacitating pain that brought me to my knees. A layer of dust rose up from where I knelt. Looking around, I was in a wide crater or at least the outskirts. In the horizon I couldn''t see any buildings that had survived what that attack had been. All I remember was a build up of the omega force, before scarlet took over my sight. My air god form was trapped under a layer of metal and stones. He wasn''t moving. I widened my eyes. I couldn''t...I couldn''t feel me/him...no I could feel but it felt like I was in a deep sleep. I got up to my feet and stumbled in a walk. This fight was going about exactly how I''d thought it would. I was getting my ass kicked. I had Equity as a trump card but that was just in case. Something grew bigger from the horizon. Something huge...I only had time to pull on the connection with the speed force and roll away before Darkseid could land on me. "You cannot defeat me." The god of evil said. He seemed almost bigger somehow. His energy was certainly sharper from what I could feel. Fortunately, he hadn''t escaped unscathed. His skin visibly smoked and although it wasn''t apparent with his gray skin, he had burns across his face and chest. His upper attire was nothing but strips of clothes, that he contemptuously ripped off his form. "Fuck you!" My left hand was healing quickly but in a high speed battle like this, quick wasn''t fast enough. A golden arm made of fire took it''s place. I settled into a basic Krav maga pose. Both of my hands held up face level and the palms open. Darkseid had a lot of physical power going on for him and clashing with him head on had shown me that that wasn''t the way to go when fighting him. "I''m going to fuck you up." I promised. "So be it!" I was ready for the Omega beams this time. By ready, I mean my size shrunk within the flame construct I created in my position. The beams hit the flame construct and dispersed in a blinding flash and bang! Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I pushed out of the flames with a knee that slammed onto his face with a resounding crack. A spray of blood erupted from his nose, splashing on to my pants. He snarled and swept out a clawed hand at my head. My flame hand billowed in size and received the blow, only pushing me to his left. I completed the rotation and snapped out a kick that doubled in size, landing onto his chin and throwing him away. He dug a groove through the dusty crater, before rolling to a stop. I followed closely behind him but felt a force slam on to my back. The telekinetic blow smacked me onto the dusty crater followed by a shadow appearing above. Darkseid landed onto my back but I unravelled into golden flames that washed out into the surroundings like water before reforming into a sphere that imprisoned him inside. A tongue of flames snaked out of the bubble and reformed into me. I pressed my hands together and compressed the sphere holding him before throwing it to the sky. A snap of my finger and the flame construct exploded through combustion bending. Darkseid was thrown out of the attack and I blitzed with fast speed towards where I knew his trajectory would take him. I pulled back a hand and let loose a punch using the hand wearing the brass knuckles and my 1000+ ton strength at his face. The gales produced by the contact cleared away the smoke around the region. He shot off again and once again, I punched him through the air after catching up with him. This incident repeated itself over time as I''d finally managed to gain the upper hand. There''s something to be said about counting your chicks before they hatch. My next fist was grabbed out of the air and I was unceremoniously sent to meet the ground. A second later and the enemy landed next to me, his raised hand was lowered and below me, the ground shook rising up above and behind him like a tsunami. At his motion, the huge chunks fell to pelt my position. In response, I breathed in and roared. The sky was again awash with light as everything disappeared in the blaze. Serving as a great distraction, I emerged from the remnant flames and once again, repeated an attack that was quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Another knee slam onto his huge face and a tooth chipped off, digging into the flesh of my thigh painfully. I stepped on his chest, pulled myself up to his shoulders, raised my elbow and then smacked it on top of his head. Hard. Darkseid fell to his knees. The second strike I had prepared, landed onto the back of his hand as he blocked and by the time I detected the build up of energy, a red wave of concussive force snapped out of him, dislodging me. My chest felt constricted when instead of flying off, my opponent grabbed me by my torso and pulled me back, then smacked me onto the ground. No matter how powerful or durable you are, getting slammed onto the ground was akin to someone hitting you with a hammer the size of a planet. My spine almost broke and a breath of air left my lungs, leaving me gasping for oxygen. Darkseid brought me close to his face. His breath was scalding hot and he was breathing heavily from his disfigured face. "No more tricks." Then he begun to squeeze. My ribs creaked dangerously as I screamed in pain. The agony became unimaginable when streaks of red lightning begun washing across my body. I seized up. "It''s called the Agony matrix. The direct stimulation of every pain receptor at the same time. A very useful ability inspired by one of my servant''s unique...tastes. Goodness has always had a knack for torture only second to my own." His words were distorted, as if his voice was traveling through underwater to reach my ears. "Imagine the worst pain you have ever felt, times a thousand. Then imagine it never stopping. Never giving you the sweet release of death." Darkness started creeping up on the edges of my vision. Was I...was I dying? Then suddenly it stopped and I fell to my knees, weak. (General P.O.V) Born to a farmer, he lived his life full of hardship. Toiling the soil to provide what little he could for his family. He died at his death bed full of dissatisfaction. The king''s measures had literally worked him to death. Born as a slave with no name, no home and no hope, she faced all kinds of misery. Losing the only person she had in her life, her little brother, she decided to escape. Only to be caught, raped and tortured by her cruel master. She died with a lot of regrets. Born as a general in a life of constant battle. He became the last bastion for humanity against the endless horde of demons. Only to be betrayed by his closest friend and made to watch as the city he protected all his life get razed to the ground and the people slaughtered. He screamed his throat raw when his daughter was disemboweled before him. Death was a sweet release. Born as a dog. This time he was taken from his mother, brothers and sisters. Over his short 5 years of existence, he lost a leg and an eye due to mistreatment. He died with a lot of grievances. Born as an orphan. Born as a rich heir. Born as a mouse. Born as a bandit. Born disabled. Born as a demon. Born as an imp. Born as... Each life was worse than the last and none were similar. No matter how much he tried to change his fate, it always ended the same. Pain, despair, hate, distrust, greed...all the negativity a sentient being could feel...he felt. Then the despair gave way to something... something unfathomable. (Elsewhere) In the deepest parts of space, a region surrounded by asteroids, a dark pocket of swirling energy existed. From far away, it would seem like a generic black hole. It''s gravitational force was so strong that the nearest blue giant, a star bigger than Earth''s Sol System was being devoured. A trail of hot blue energy was being consumed by the center of the swirling dark pocket. Where it differed from a black hole however, were the sudden flashes of colors visible at the center of the hole. The two colors that were predominant were green and gold, with flashes of blue, brown and silver flashing once in a while. That difference was also why there was a Green Lantern outpost in that region of space. The outpost was built inside a huge asteroid in the asteroid field revolving around the blue giant. On this particular day? Night? The lantern manning the outpost, placed there as surveillance with direct orders to report back if anything changed, was roused from his sleep before the console by a sudden tremor. "Warning! Energy levels critical. Advised to leave the quadrant immediately." ''What?'' The Okaaran Green Lantern blinked in confusion, pulling up the satellite feed on the enigma he was instructed to watch. The flashes of color were growing more and more violent. "Warning! Warning! Vacate the premises immediately!" The A.I informed him. There wasn''t time to call HQ, so he covered himself in a green shroud and speared through the walls of the outpost into outer space and then slipped in to FTL. Behind him he could feel a pull. A pull that worked on him despite the fact that he was flying at speeds faster than even light! He screamed in exertion before barely breaking away from the pull. He slowed to a stop at the next quadrant over and watched in shock as the whole region was devoured by the strange black hole. The last dregs of the blue giant disappeared into the void and everything went dim. The black hole imploded upon itself to a point where nothing could be seen. A region of 500 light years was left bare of nothing. The closest thing to a true vacuum. Even the remnant cosmic radiation left over from the formation of the universe was simply...gone. "Green Lantern Altin to..." He stopped the transmission as something blinked within the center of the dark space. A light, blooming... The light grew larger and brighter. It was as if space was expanding. A second later he realized he was wrong. Space wasn''t expanding, something was headed towards him! He freaked and strafed to the left, just in time to see a blinking ball of rainbow light sore past him. "I have to tell the Guardians." The light went past the furthest reaches of space before eventually bearing down on a sector with only two huge planets. One a Utopia of great prosperity, the other a hell. The light headed towards the latter. It broke through the dark red sky, visible to only one being. Death was seated on a top of a wrecked craft sipping on a juice box. She watched as the light speared past those she had come to collect and headed towards her. Then the light stopped a few feet away from her, hovering over the twitching form of her youngest brother. She observed the light before sighing and getting up to stand above him, pushing away the green locks hiding his face. "This will be good for you lil bro. I only hope you don''t lose yourself like many others have." She said her piece and walked away, she had a few souls to collect and safely usher into their respective afterlives. Bad or evil she didn''t choose, she treated them all fairly. Taking that as the cue, the light entered Aden''s chest and fused with him. Immediately, the young Avatar opened his eyes. Somehow he had escaped. He didn''t know how. He didn''t feel any different but he had escaped from the endless cycle of lives brought about by Darkseid''s attack. Now that he knew the lives were just a simulation, he could lock away those memories. Resolving to solve the mystery later, Aden remembered he had a fight to get to. He blinked from his position and appeared, floating above Darkseid who was torturing his Fire God Form. Aden reached out and unravelled the form. He felt his fire divinity recede to his inner reserves. Equity appeared on his right hand as a brass knuckle. The whole fight had been him trying to clash Darkseid with overwhelming power...and he still hadn''t given up on that front. Aden NEEDED to fight him and WIN in his own terms. No one and nothing had ever given him a true challenge. A challenge that carried with it a chance of death. Frankly speaking his blood boiled with every punch they traded. Every omega beam dodged. Darkseid challenged him both physically and mentally. And so he would win without relying on his Trump Card. Aden touched down before the New God. His pants were frayed and his long green air was covered in a layer of dust. His skin was covered in a thin sheen of green aura from his element. Darkseid did not look any better. For starters, his huge form was covered by slashes with dried blood flowing down, his nose was broken and a trail of blood fell from the top of his head. Lastly his skin was horribly burnt and he was missing a tooth. The god was surprised. "How did you escape my Omega sanction?" He questioned. "No matter. I had hoped to give you a peaceful end, yet you have chosen a painful one." Darkseid said. "One of us is not leaving here alive Darkseid and it''s not me." Aden''s face changed. "I have people waiting for me. A family that I can''t disappoint." A laugh bubbled out of the galactic tyrant. "I have seen millenia. I am Power. You will soon come to learn the futility of your actions, Aden Strong. From one god to another, I offer you one last chance at mercy." He held out his hand. "Join me and let us reshape reality in an image fit to be ruled." Aden shook his head and crouched. From here on out no more words would be exchanged. He pulled in more power from the Speedforce. With the base enhancement of ¡Á100 even he had no idea how fast he was...the world didn''t just slow down, it trembled while struggling to keep shape. Aden for once saw what lied beneath it all. Strings of foundational energy holding everything together. He looked at his hands and found himself made up of the same strings but ones that vibrated differently from the rest. Looking up, his shock became all the more pronounced when his gaze landed on Darkseid. Darkseid was made up of the same strings that were a part of everything. His However seemed more grounded and connected to the world than Aden was. What shocked him however was the projection...the brief flash of an entity behind Darkseid. ''I was right...every version in the Multiverse is a watered down Facsimile of the true being existing in a higher dimension...could that mean the same for all the gods? Could that mean the same for me? After ascension, did the true me ascend to a higher plane and leave this version? This third dimension me here to look after our family?'' he stomped down on that thought process. His new vision did grant him something else apart from his existential crisis. The reason why he was getting his ass kicked when they should have been more than evenly matched was Apokalips itself. The planet was actively enhancing Darkseid''s power. It gotta go. But even at full power, Darkseid would likely prevent that from happening. He had shown to possess great telekinetic abilities and an amazing control over the Omega Force. So he had to use physics to his advantage. Lightning danced across Aden''s eyes as he shot forward at light speeds, the acceleration was almost instantaneous. Darkseid waited for him, his eyes glowing scarlet. Before they could clash, Aden blinked away. A thousand light years from Darkseid, Aden appeared still keeping the same momentum as before. He pulled more energy from the speed force causing every other speedster connected to the dimension of motion in the universe to momentarily lose their powers. As a concequence his speed kept on increasing. A storm of light covered him as he cut through space like a shooting star. A child of an alien species born without wings unlike the rest of her family, sat on a lone branch. Wonder appeared in her eyes when she saw the shooting star streak through the sky. She closed her eyes and made a wish. A second later, white beautiful wings sprouted from her back, dripping with embers of starlight. She gasped and fell, closing her eyes in fear. However she found herself floating before her shocked family. Several scenes like these appeared across the planets that laid their eyes on the shooting star. However, only the truly desperate, those who needed help and had pure dispositions had their wishes granted. Some called it a miracle and a faith was born. This happened despite the distance from the nearest planet being hundreds of light years away. Somehow the light arrived to the closest planets without caring about physics. It was a miracle. Back to Aden, he had no idea that he had changed something fundamental without even knowing or trying to. All he was focused on was the far away planet growing larger by the milliseconds. A full attack while on Apokalips would be countered by Darkseid using the Omega Force, but a strike from literally light years away? Aden begun spinning dragging out air from little pockets connected to his dimension. The storm surrounding him now was an energy field of gigantic proportion spinning like a drill. Darkseid saw the light and his red eyes widened comically. There was no way to...before he could finish the thought, the light landed. Apokalips did not tremble or shake, it simply...ceased to exist. An explosion of light and energy ripped out and slammed onto the walls of energy erected by Highfather to protect New Genesis from the world ending event. But he knew that this fight was far from over... because Darkness was now truly unleashed and the only one who could stop it was the young god fearlessly standing in opposition to the god of Evil''s power. Where Logic Meets Madness (Aden''s P.O. V) Light. My eyes were closed yet I could still see the overwhelming rays of the explosion through the eyelids. The fact that I was at the center and was relatively unharmed was shocking. For a few minutes, the light was all there was to the world. Even in my divine sense, no shred of the emptiness of space remained, just rays of super hot plasma. I breathed out a sigh when I could not detect Darkseid. Finally, I thought, allowing the exhaustion to set in. My body felt mushy and heavy. I was about to open a portal to my dimension and sleep off the last 10 hours but something suddenly changed. A smudge of darkness appeared inside the light. A persistent oily substance that was different from true darkness. Darkness'' nature was to consume light. This darkness was tainted. Like a ravenous predator, it didn''t just stop with the light. Every person has those two extremes. Good and bad. This darkness fed on the good side and fed the bad side. The Darkness had a name. "I am beyond your linear perception of time. Far above your feeble understanding of reality." "Darkseid Is." "Existence itself demands it." The darkness overtook the light, consumed it like a parasite wantonly feeding on the host for power. I grew dim, feeling the dread latch onto the only other thing around. Me. I felt myself sinking. I was a god but whatever Darkseid was, it wasn''t anything I had ever faced before. There was a reason why this particular mission had a nightmare tag. I didn''t have any other choice now. I could not allow him to win. Whatever I''d done had let him pull more of his true self into the universe. I didn''t want to do this... I looked deep within myself, making a connection with Equity and called out to my chaos side. Something else answered. (General P.O.V) The scales of morality suddenly shifted. Good was trampled by bad as evil came out on top. Wars of conquest were won and wars of survival were lost across the wide expanse of the universe. Kindness was turned to cruelty. Greed overtook selflessness. The light of good in the universe started fading. The Endless felt it. Some of the sibling''s influence grew too much to almost overshadow the rest. Destruction shielded his eyes from the blinding sun, plunging the axe in his hands on the log next to him. He sat down on a rock looking out into a wide expanse of trees and snorted. "Not my problem." He wiped his face, got back up again and continued chopping firewood. (Elsewhere) Highfather took a knee, suddenly weakened. "Father!" Orion held him up. "Orion...you did not join the others." Highfather concluded. "How could I leave you here, alone during this final crisis?" Orion looked up at the dark sky and tightened his fingers into fists. A shimmering shield of white blocked the darkness from consuming New Genesis, held together by the Highfather. However it was just a matter of time. That was his fight dammit! But here he was... doing nothing. He sighed and let his hands go slack. Orion held Highfather by the shoulders and lead him to his throne. "The others?" His adopted father asked. "Under the protection of Infinity Man. They are in the Lantern corps headquarters." The two stayed in the empty throne room looking through the open cavities in the palace. The darkness was spreading. "Orion...I feel weak. My power...the balance between Uxas and I has shifted tremendously." Highfather stared at his son intensely. "Darkseid cannot succeed. I need you to take on my power and add it to your own. Maybe then..." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Orion''s face changed. "You cannot be serious, father." Anything Highfather would have said was interrupted when a pressure greater than anything Darkseid could exert made itself known. The same scene as before repeated itself. However this time, the result was decided before it even happened. Inside the all consuming darkness rapidly spreading across space, seeking out intelligent life to enslave, a glowing white figure with indistinguishable features grew from a pinprick of light. The darkness tried to drown the light in its deep and massive form but the light persisted. That persistence grew until with an explosion, all darkness within a zone of the light was expelled. In the fourth dimension, space was dominated by a temporal loop, causing the inhabitants to perceive the present, past and future simultaneously. A fight was, had been and will take place. Linear perception was merely a construct for 3d beings and lower. 2 massive figures roiled around each other, nonuniform and lacking a limited physical vessel. The first figure was Order. A bright light of epic proportions that would have overtaken the size of a galaxy and the second figure was Evil. It sought to dim out the good and spread, plunging the whole universe and remaking it into a copy of an universe in the dark multiverse. No words were exchanged. Words were meaningless here. They communicated through thoughts. Tried to manipulate each other through thoughts. And when that failed, taunted each other. Distance was only as long or as short as you wanted it to be. In the 3d physical world, a much tamer but still epic duel of power was taking place. Order looked around. He was like an island in the middle of the storm. Tongues of darkness, speared out at him, only for him to break down or remake the laws of physics in a way that denied them purchase in the real world. It got to the point where the light was overtaking the darkness again! "I am a necessity!" "None can deny me!" Darkseid was steadily getting pushed back. The scales had changed stupendously. And he knew that every single second, his opponent was gaining more ground. So he decided to make one final impressive attack. The dark rolled away from Order''s position, clearing an area of over 1 light year. Then the darkness gained a reddish tint as Darkseid pulled on the omega force. The darkness billowed out in size, gaining more mass and heaviness then at insane speeds, it plunged down at the Order Avatar''s position like a tsunami. Order saw it coming but instead of an overly panicked response, he merely raised a hand. On the palm of the feature less arm, a pure white sword manifested. It vibrated constantly, as if out of sync with the world. Order swung it down. Four white arcs, like pillars that held up the sky shot out of the sword, spreading across four directions at the same time. A new sun bloomed in the sky and anyone with the capability of watching knew that the fight had been decided. Order held something in his hands. A thin being with grayish skin and malnourished looking body. The 9 foot thin, squirming oily substance, tried to spread across his form but lacked traction. "What are you?! Darkseid asked in fear that he had never felt before. Not ever since he used to be nothing but a lowly farmer. "This is not how any of this is supposed to happen! I foresaw my victory! I shall not be done in by a..." "Shut up." Order stated calmly, his voice managing to sound like a multitude of voices. Given the way it was cocking it''s white head to the side, one could tell whatever this being was, it clearly was not mortal. "I am the victor and you the loser. Just as it should be. Any last words?" Instead of replying, Darkseid begun to laugh. "I see now...I understand. Just as well then that I will still prevail even when you destroy this body." Order squezed the New God''s neck. "What do you mean by that?" Darkseid choked a little. "A measure. One that ensures mutual destruction in case any of them had decided to intervene...the earthen gods." Aden would have been worried. Aden would have asked more questions, Order on the other hand wanted to bring the whole affair to a close. The logical thing was to end this for and prevent Darkseid from ever coming back and with Equity that was more than possible. Darkseid must have felt the apathy in the gaze that was levelled at him. He quickly spoke up. "My son Grayven is in control of the War World, a device capable of destroying an entire planet in just under seconds. Let me go or you can say goodbye to every human on earth." Order took a chance to review the choices. It was either he allowed this enemy to walk away, therefore saving the earth or destroy the enemy and the earth would pay the price. It didn''t even consider the chance that Darkseid was lying. Nothing could lie to order because the lie would be missing substance and the structure of truth. So the choice cane down to one question. What was better for Aden in the long run? If the earth was destroyed, many villains that would have posed a danger to Aden would die. Order was also not a fan of the Justice League. They had meddled in his affairs time and time again. And on a larger universal scale, earth was only one planet, if he allowed Darkseid to escape, he would pose a danger to multiple galaxies, all with planets and intelligent lives of their own. So according to Logic, taking out Darkseid was the first priority. Fuck the earth. The sword in its hands seemed to gain more substance. Darkseid sensed his incoming death and struggled with all his might. For light years, one could see flashes of red that appeared around the white sun before losing form. Order plunged Equity through the god of evil''s torso and severed it''s connection to the Omega Force. "FEED." He gave the order and Equity complied. Darkseid''s struggles grew anew and more panicked. A roar of pain exploded out from him. Across every universe of the DC multiverse, Apokalips was dying, Darkseid was dying. The sword had managed to cut into his true form. To cut into an abstract concept and steal away it''s essence. From the fourth dimension, Darkseid was losing more than his life. He was losing his meaning. "Mercy...mercy..." The being that had been a threat towards the universe withered away visibly. Equity drank in its power without stopping and in the end, Darkseid''s form started flaking off, piece by piece. The last thing his red eyes focused on was the apathetic look in the gaze of Order. "Curse you Aden Strong. Curse you..." Order blinked as finally, the darkness was chased away. He held Equity up and studied it. The sword had seemingly dulled but he could feel the power inside the blade. His bright white eyes were reflected in the blade''s length. He blinked again and Aden''s normal eyes appeared. Aden was back. The memories came down on him like a torrential downpour. He could hardly believe it. Terror gripped him. The decision he had made...was incredibly selfish! Aden blinked away in panic, clearing over billions of light years to appear in the Sol System. His chest inflated in pain as he gazed at the results of his carelessness with his wide eyes. ''No... please oh god...'' Where earth had been, all that was left was floating debris and chunks of the rock. By choosing to destroy Darkseid, Aden had also caused the destruction of his home planet. After Crisis (General P.O.V) One minute everything was going well for Robin, then the next it all changed. Someone was helping the team to hack into Morrow''s old computer. Although it looked like there wasn''t enough time, with 3 minutes left on the clock, Robin knew it would be a close call but that the plan itself had worked. "I need a vacation after this is over." Black Canary said, leaning back towards her seat and rubbing her eyes. The worst part was the waiting. "Believe me, I know exactly what you..." The light in the Watchtower suddenly went out. Robin and Canary scrambled out of their seats, suddenly alert. Robin''s wrist computer started shining a light on their surroundings as a shiver went down his back. Was it just him or had it suddenly become chilly? "Watchtower to team?" He called out through the comms. Nothing but static. No wait...there was something, something heavy and breathing. "Close your eyes..." A whisper came through. It was raspy and really low. Like a sharp breeze. Boy Wonder removed the comms and stared at them intently. Then he strapped it back to his ears while his heart was pumping heavily. "I don''t know who or what you are, but you are messing with the wrong people." he warned, clicking on his wrist computer to try and understand why even the backup power system was offline. "Close your eyes..." The whisper came again, and with it the shiver Robin felt intensified. "Canary..." He turned to the League therapist only to find her seat empty. Robin swallowed and clutched birdarangs in his hands. There was something else in here with him. "Close your eyes..." The voice sounded very near now. like it was just behind him. Boy Wonder had been scared for his life many times before. When you live in a city like Gotham, with people like Jonathan Crane aka The Scarecrow, you get used to fear. But this, whatever this thing was, cut deeper. It was a visceral fear. One born out of every hair on your body standing up. The purest fear of all, the fear of the unknown. Robin shivered when he felt a cold hand clutch at his shoulder. "Close your eyes..." The whisper this time, sounded very close to his ears. He thought of turning around and confronting whatever this thing was. What stopped him however was his instinct. Contrary to all his training, Robin allowed himself to go slack. "Okay." He whispered back, closing his eyes. "Just please don''t hurt Canary." There wasn''t an answer. All he felt was a cold sensation across his body and then he smelled it...ocean water. Clean ocean water. The waves slowly rocked the shore and when he opened his eyes, he knew exactly where he was. There was only one place as beautiful as this. And he wasn''t surprised at who was responsible for bringing him here. "Aden...of course." "Where am I?" A sudden voice said. What was surprising however was that he wasn''t the only one. From what Boy Wonder could see, the whole coast was populated by people who had just appeared out of nowhere. Normal everyday people. From different ethnicities as well. The only reason that would be...was if the earth was in a danger even Aden couldn''t save it from. The crowds begun growing restless, one even pointed at him. One man blamed the freakish nature of their arrival on the League. Robin took a note at how tensions were rising and knew he had to do something to stop it. "Wait! Look!" The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Another person said, pointing to the sky. An angel was floating down. Robin shook his head to get rid of the childish crush he harbored for Kori, he knew that red hair anywhere. Seeing her brought a relieved smile to his face. Kori was alright...she wasn''t hurt. "Hello, everybody." Her voice was loud and projected nicely through the crowds. "We are terribly sorry for pulling you away from your daily lives without warning." She breathed in and Robin could notice the stress built up in her eyebrows. She seemed to notice him and nod, likely letting him know to wait until she was done. "I cannot give you a concrete reason as to why but believe me when I say that the earth was in an astronomical danger that required the use of mass teleportation to save everyone." Robin looked around and saw that her worlds rang true. There were stations with sick people being taken care of, the teleportation having brought the machines necessary to keep them stable. "Behind me are med-pods, drones that can heal any sickness or injury to within reason." Robin frowned in surprise as the air behind her shimmered and green/silver, soccer ball sized metal drones appeared. They had been cloaked. Robin''s eyes rose up. Looks like someone had been prepared for an apocalyptic event. "Please be nice each other. The drones will bring you food and any other amenities you might require." She smiled to ease them. "Just hold on until this whole crisis is over and then we can all go back to our normal lives." (Aden''s P.O.V) There was nothing... Just chunks of floating rock around a quarter of the moon. The natural satellite having also been affected by the massive explosion that shaved off more than half of it''s total body. My hands shook at the enormity of my actions. This is why I was always wary to use any of my States. Without full control, I was an apathetic, logical, unfeeling monster. And the Chaos State was not any better either. It turned me into an impassioned, unpredictable and gleeful persona. Two extremes that were better in moderation. It almost seemed like the distinction between Batman and the joker. Not a comparison anyone wanted. Those two were conditionally insane. Not medically though. Joker was termed as an individual who was Super sane while Batman''s disassociation between his two personas might have counted as a mild case of split personality. I breathed out, despite being in a space that was filled with super hot gases that were rapidly cooling. Not everything was lost. Yeah...If Michael had followed my instructions then everything was... everything was okay for now. Of course barring the fact that the earth was no more. My divine sense alerted me to the one thing responsible for this. My face was overtaken by anger. I whirled around and stared at the huge planet like object close to the fourth terrestrial planet in the Sol System. My eyes further widened when the machine like planet started charging it''s canon. It''s core igniting and the target seemingly being Mars. Multiple bio-ships soared out of the martian planet, headed towards the artificial planet. They weren''t going to make it. My face hardened some more. Warping space always felt like for an instant my whole being was connected to the fabric of existence. It almost felt like if I could push more... something would happen. This not being a time for experiments, I appeared infront of the canon''s trajectory just as it let loose another planet killing beam at our next door neighbors. I roared and increased in size, floating at a whooping 10,000 feet. The Bio-ships behind me curved to avoid the sudden appearance of a green haired giant holding a similarly huge black sword. (General P.O.V) The plasma beam from the canon cut through space and in no time was before the giant. Aden reached out into his inner self and pulled on his fire divinity. He underwent another instantaneous change. His green hair shifted to gold as well as the cloak of energy surrounding his body changing color. Aden looked at the plasma beam bearing down on his position and opened his mouth. The blast hit his face and disappeared as he swallowed the supercharged attack. The occupants inside the Bio-ships were shocked. "Huh, you guys saw that too right?" The first Martian who was on a gray Colored Bio-ship asked the rest through telepathy. "He ate the attack." Another one added in disbelief. "I''m thinking of retiring. This just makes the decision final for me." A third one commented. The rest of the 5 ship''s occupants merely stayed silent. But not for long however. "Oh oh wait, something else is happening! Something cool af!" The occupant in the youngest looking Bio-ship said excitedly. "Your mind has been corrupted by Earth''s nonsensical entertainment." An older voice chided. At that, their already bad moods plummeted. "Things will never be the same again..." The younger voice said morosely. "Focus. We are not out of danger yet. Let us make sure we don''t lose our home as well." At that, the Bio-ships adopted a wait and see approach And just like one of them had mentioned, something could be seen brewing. Aden had consumed the energy, using his divinity to take control of the heat and electric energy within the beam. He then condensed it within himself, opened his mouth and sent a thin almost white laser attack at the canon. The War World was rocked by tremors as a significant portion of it''s central mass was blown up into chunks. It tilted heavily, but remained whole despite parts of it detaching inti space. Aden had taken extreme care not to destroy the whole planet because he wanted, no, needed to capture Grayven alive. The giant turned to the Bio-ships and nodded. The crafts had been pushed away by the shockwave from the attack. Aden shrunk and with red lightning coloring his legs, shot off towards the artificial planet. He was getting more and more used to the enhancement from the Speedforce. Given that some of the abilities afforded were similar to his space manipulation, phasing through the outer chassis by vibrating his molecules was as easy as breathing. He stepped out into a long hallway stretching out on both sides, to the left and the right. The hallway was vacant but noisy with an alarm blaring out loudly. In his divine sense he could sense multiple beings put in stasis on a section below what he thought was the main deck. Separate and with more vibrant energies, were 6 individuals in another section, though two of those energies were dimmer than the rest. Aden didn''t waste time taking the correct route. Metal shredded and gave way to his form as easily as cardboard. His flight was aimed at a slightly slanted angle, so when he broke into the chamber, he did it through the floor. Shards of metal and a shockwave erupted out, sending the occupants of the chamber into a flurry of activities. Called It (General P.O.V) There are core concepts that are needed for the continued existence of the universe and on a larger scale, the multiverse. Those cannot be killed, not without destroying the whole thing. And even if you did manage such a feat, these concepts will just pop up anywhere else with life. They are truly eternal. The Endless are such. Below the concepts are abstract beings, beings that through necessity came about after an aspect of life grew to large proportions. Cosmic beings all around felt the end of Darkseid. It came as a shock. Darkseid was not just your run of the mill god. The true forms of all the gods were abstract entities that existed above space. Above the 3rd dimension. Many of these beings could not interact with mortal beings save for two ways, one, having a presence in the mortal world through a belief system and secondly by having a larger standing in their own dimension that they could impose their selves on to the mortal world as pale reflections. Facsimiles that had shallow control over an aspect. Normal gods relied on mostly the first option, by having the denizens of the lower world acknowledge them as beings with power and influence over the world. The new gods relied on the latter. They were strong enough to impose a copy with only very limited control over an aspect of reality in any and all universes without relying on faith or worship. Normally, if a god died in one universe, their true existence which was localized above the third dimension was unaffected and wouldn''t raise any concern or shock. In one universe, the Olympian Pantheon was fully destroyed by Ares, however the true incarnation of the gods were unaffected, they only lost presence in one universe. It was complex, a maze of otherworldly tales with twists that had twists that had twists. The situation was very different this time. An actual abstract being was dead. Destroyed. The will had been eroded and non existence granted to the former god of evil. And in so doing, the balance between the worlds had been greatly upset. Pre ordained events, drastically changed. Even without a true temporal change, the timeline had shifted considerably. The shift was too great to be ignored. And Aden was going to pay for the concequences of messing with reality. As the victor, the repercussions fell to his shoulders. Forces begun moving in the dark. Unnoticed by Aden, a text box had appeared in the corner of his vision, the minute Darkseid had been defeated. (FAITH UNLOCKED) (Aden''s P.O.V) It only took a second to understand what was going on. "Aden?" Hal with a busted lip and civilian clothes said. He was kneeling on the ground, cradling his right arm to his body infront of a fallen Guy Gardner, who had a hole through his chest and was lying on the metallic floor on a pool of his own blood. He was also missing his iconic lantern suit. The craziest part was that he was still breathing, albeit shallowly. That was one side of the room. Straight before me, was Stewart with his mouth and eyes open in an expression of unspeakable agony. blue streaks of electric energy clad his form. My expression went carefully blank. The Agony Matrix. I knew first hand just how painful that thing was. Imagine the pain of having your skin stripped raw in a slow crescendo of anguish without relief. My gaze drifted to the other individuals present. A gray skinned alien with white hair, Grayven, a yellow skinned huge alien and...I snarled and lost it when I saw the last person. A black Kryptonian. My hand rose up, palm opened and a blast of lightning had the little shit that had tried to assassinate Kori, landing and cracking the huge throne in the room. The yellow skinned alien broke out into a mad rush towards me. I met his fist with an open palm, which produced a loud shockwave that I nullified through space manipulation. Failure to that would have seen a hurt Gardner and injured Hal get blown away. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. My fist rose up in retaliation and I brought it down with the crack of thunder. The alien''s head exploded, brain matter, flesh and blood burning away in the air. "You... impossible!" Grayven shouted, rousing from his shock at my appearance. I snapped a finger and a golden flame rushed through the Lanterns, healing them and in the case of Stewart releasing him from the Agony matrix. "Those aren''t yours." Another finger snap and the green lantern rings in Grayven''s hands were teleported from him to the their owners. Grayven looked around at us in panic. Between the powering up Lanterns and me, it wasn''t a surprise he was shit scared. "Thank..." Hal begun but I waved a hand, dropping them through the boom tubes that appeared under their feet. "Save it." I threw behind me before Jordan was fully through the portal. The chamber was suddenly silent as I turned to face Grayven. We eyed one another and the new god stumbled back from my murderous look. "You know the worst possible thing a cruel bastard like Darkseid could do? Decide to be pettier than the petty. So it''s a good thing, that I had the fore sight to have every human being and animal alive on the planet teleported somewhere far away." I shrugged. "you know, just in case something of this nature were to happen." The repercussions hit Grayven and he paled. "No..." "Oh yes." I narrowed my eyes and smiled. "If hearing that makes you despair this much, you must have been gloating to Stewart and the others rather heavily." I chuckled, feeling the itch to just end this already and go see my family. "Or maybe you''re just a sick fuck who gets off on death." "I..." "Oh and Daddy''s dead." I interrupted him bluntly. "You must have felt it and convinced yourself that it wasn''t true." I shrugged at his rapidly breaking spirit. It was in the way his world seemed to shatter. "Sucks to be you cuz that''s far from it." I walked over closer and leaned in his ears. "You are all alone. Apokalips was destroyed in the fight, but I made sure to kill every new god on the fucking planet too." Grayven cracked, allowing his hand which had been holding the device that caused the agony matrix to activate to go slack. "What?" I cocked my head to the side, "Cat got your tongue? No worries, a few sessions with one of my creations and you will find your voice again." I couldn''t keep the cruel glint out of my eyes. A boom tube swallowed him before he could protest or do anything. I both heard and felt as shards of the broken throne were thrown away and someone floated out of the debris with an angry look on his face. "Aden Strong!" The Kryptonian teen shouted. "Yes?" I answered easily. "No need to shout moron, we''re the only ones here." "Long have I waited for this day. You are the cause of so much of my pa..." "And you''re going to wait some more." I interrupted him again, something he did not like, given by the yell of fury as he lunged out at me. My telekinesis froze him in midair before I walked towards him. I turned his head to face me. "Look, I''ll be completely honest with you, you c-list villain, you''re going to die. One way or the other. But I also need some information only you can provide. So, I propose you don''t fight me as I rip it out of your mind or I make you suffer a painful end." I gave him control over his mouth and he spit at me. Oh boy, I...did, huh, I did not react well to that. The anger I had been trying to keep a check on snapped and the telekinetic hold I had on him, suddenly pressed onto him from all sides. His eyes bulged, and his body exploded or rather imploded into itself. In a single second, The Kryptonian went from being able to handle some really tough punishments to a ball of pulsing flesh the size of a marble. The gravitational force of this thing was crazy. It tried to warp space and collapse onto itself into a miniature black hole but luckily the energy it needed to do that was still weak. I held a hand under it and let my golden flames do their magic. I couldn''t be sure, but I felt the second his soul left his body. Mmmh, gotta look into that some more. And now I was truly alone. Of course that was if you didn''t count the thousands of prisoners in the War World put in stasis chambers. I waved a hand and with telekinesis and space manipulation, the throne that had been destroyed was swiftly put together into a better form than even before. What a scary combination. It seems like both skills gave me an in into matter manipulation. It was a minor control over substance of course but with practice, maybe I could do some crazy things. I sat on the throne and rubbed my tired eyes. My body was teeming with energy, not the least bit exhausted. And even my mind was unnaturally clear. However, that was the problem. That clarity is what allowed me to actually see the shit ton of long lasting concequences, saving everyone on earth had on well... everything. Mass panic, mass fighting as governments tried to exert whatever minimal control they had over the people. My own eco system would be threatened as well, humanity was worse than a pest in some ways. The mind that gave them the ability to create also gave them the ability to destroy. Not to mention the sentimental aspect of it all. People had literally lost everything except for the clothes on their backs and family members. No one was going to die for quite some time as I knew that my realm wouldn''t let the natural cycle continue with creatures that were not a part of it. But that was still a problem in and of itself. Leave alone the unnaturalness of it all, there was the whole soul and afterlife thing. The earthen gods would no doubt be on my ass about that. Infact, the odds of my getting a sermons... Oh, I think I might be a prophet. A golden light bloomed at the center of the room. A handsome dude just a few years older than I was phased through the walls and appeared before me with a thud. He stood up from his kneeling position while I studied him with curiousity. "Greetings god of fire and air." He said sternly, confidently and respectfully. "I am Mercury and I need you to come with me." Called it. Reactions part 1 (General P.O.V) There was something in the air. Something different from the cold concrete and metal bars that made up Arkham asylum. One second, they were in the process of letting Ivy have her usual monthly therapy session and then the next, dread had crawled up her spine while in her cell. The shadows had lengthened and her blood had grown cold as a smoky form coalesced into a ghost like figure flying in the air. Ivy''s mouth had grown dry and she scooted far into the corner of her bed, holding her body close to herself. She wasn''t going to call for help. She''d rather die than let these pigs see her weak. "Close your eyes, daughter of the green." The thing repeated the words over and over. "No! stay the fuck away from me!" She thrust her hand out in anger, to try and bind the ghost in the tattered robes with vines. It didn''t work. She was too far out of range on anything she could use and although they hadn''t strapped a power dampening collar on her neck, it didn''t mean anything when the cell itself was lined with the same technology. A wheeze escaped the creature and only after it spoke again did she realize it had been laughing! "Humans. So fascinating in their complex emotions and simplistic biology." "Well fuck you!" She showed it the middle finger and the wheeze returned. "I truly mean you no harm. Infact, I am here to save you." A grey swirling vortex appeared beside it and she could see the other side. Something, a sense that had always vibrated just a hair''s breadths away from her touch, took over. She could feel the plant life coursing through the green forests she saw on the other side. It was beautiful and called out to her desperately. Without even knowing, Ivy had walked forward and into the vortex as if in a trance. Her mind ignored the faraway shouts of fear and screams coming from the other inmates at Arkham. But even in her muddled state, the echoes of a deranged laughter managed to make their way to her ears and then she stepped through the vortex and it disappeared all together. Silence. Tall trees, green undergrowth, bubbling creeks, roiling mountain ranges, critters skittering about and flowers blooming. The plants felt her presence as well, vines reached out to her, producing fruit and flowers as they neared her touch. They craved it without her prompting. Came when she hadn''t called. A combination of a cry and a laugh escaped her lips as she fell to her knees. So much silence. The good kind. There was no human here to ruin everything. There was no polluted air. It was just a buzz that grew bigger and bigger the more plants that came to her. The connection went deeper than she had ever thought possible. And she embraced it. She embraced it fully, falling into the soil and the greenery moving to hold her in its embrace. A green cocoon covered in vines enclosed her within its form. The cocoon pulsed with the rate of a beating heart and nature itself coiled around it in a protective zone. Vines with thorns that dripped with a green poisonous liquid, Venus fly traps that were bigger than an average cinder tree swayed each direction of the cocoon. They all ensured she was safe. A few hours later, a bud grew from the top of the cocoon. The bud was the size of a marble but as each minute passed by, it grew larger and larger before exploding into a mesh of vines that was vaguely humanoid. The new creature took to it''s legs unsteadily. It fell the first two times before learning how to twine it''s vines tighter to give it more stability. The body gradually formed, memories stored in a spiritual space being accessed as the creature grew larger and bulkier. Half an hour later, Swamp Thing opened his red eyes to the new world. The last thing the man/plant creation remembered was a blue light that shone in the skies, then overwhelming heat as everything was scorched within milliseconds. Swamp Thing had roared in indignation as the light and heat swallowed him and then... The green...it was missing. Yet, how was he alive? How was he moving about as if it was just a normal day in his bleak life. Alec had never asked for this but Swamp Thing knew his duty and this was not earth. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The most confusing thing however was the cocoon behind him. It was heavily protected even discounting his presence. Which is how he came to learn of his new duty. The green was missing from this new world but...the being inside the cocoon was the closest thing to it. "Daughter of the green..." His words were deep like the roar of a huge waterfall, flowing into a deep cavern. Maybe that''s how he had survived? Maybe the Green had felt the end of it''s tenure on earth and thus had appointed the next collective consciousness of plant life to be this being. This...girl that Swamp Thing knew all too well. "A new beginning..." Swamp Thing was hopeful. "I shall protect you, sister Grove. Rest easy, I shall." Swamp Thing promised before shifting into hundreds of vines that encased the surrounding trees in another layer of protection. You never know. (Hollowlands) Michael smiled from the head of the tour. The spirit of the plant life on earth had been the last being to be allowed into the elemental dimension. And with that, Michael had completed his master''s instructions. Now where was he? He heard a loud scream that was suddenly cut off as one of the prisoners fell from the shaky wooden bridge towards the gray depths covered in smoke. None knew what was below except for the Warden but they could guess. After being told to go crazy by his master, Michael had done a stellar Job of it. Red light glowed below the smoke and hest washed out, making the prisoners drip with sweat. One of the billions of his dementor bodies floating in the sky swooped down and caught the falling figure by the leg. Michael stopped and the line halted as well. He looked back and crossed his hands on his chest like a stern music teacher. The nearest Arkham inmate, Ratcatcher, flinched and scooted far back. He wasn''t the only one either. After carrying out his master''s instructions, he knew that letting any of the imprisoned humans, mingle with the rest would result in...chaos and anarchy. Two things he was actually fond of. But he knew what his Master would say. So he had elected to bring the worst of the worst humans, based on how likable they were to him (see the anarchy and chaos statement for context) and was now giving them a tour of their new home. Of course knowing that some would try to act rowdy, Michael had simply shown them a split second instance of the shadow of his true form and they had immediately gotten terrified. Well kinda, there were a few characters that took to his form with awe and as a concequence, among the throngs of people, The Warden had a cult forming in his name. Then there was the special case who saw his form and actually...laughed. He was... interesting. "Ok, who was it this time? Who tried throwing Kite man off the fucking bridge for the goddamn eighth time?" The Arkham group was a headache, which was why they were the first group behind him. The rest of his prisoners and sicks fucks from across the world were being shepherded by his servants. "It was the clown." A slim man with a sinister smile said, lazily pointing behind him. "Oh? How surprising..." Michael shook his head in mock disbelief. "Fuck you riddle man." The Joker slipped in. "It''s the Riddler!" The themed supervillain wildly protested. "Joker, is it true you were the one responsible?" Everyone else made a collective groan. This was the eighth time, the Warden had asked the same question to the same crazy person. It got to the point where everyone started wondering if maybe the Warden was just as insane as the rest of them and belonged in an orange prison uniform as well. "You can''t prove anything, office boy." The Joker cackled. The smart ones could see the lazy almost imperceptible smile on Michael''s face. The Riddler for example read the expression and figured out what was going on! It was another twisted display of a battle of wills between them. A sort of lax, Prince of crime against the dark knight clash of insanity and sanity. The Joker wanted to see how far he could push Batman so that Batman killed, while he also wanted to push Michael but fir different reasons. He wanted to see how far he could push him before Michael gave up his facade of a polite man in favor of... His true self. That ''thing'' they saw earlier. The Joker was egging him on while Michael was letting it happen. The Riddler saw Michael''s eyes pass over him and if he looked more closely, the eyes of this ''normal man'' were cold and lacked any light. The Riddler gulped and stepped back, only to step onto the toes of an average sized man of Latino descent. "We are given vision not to see and understand but to understand what we see." The man said, his eyes boring imti Riddler''s own. "Bane..." The Riddler realized who was behind him. "And there is literally no contrast to those two statements." He added afterwords, whispering. Bane did not say anything, only stoically stood behind The Riddler up until Michael seemingly gave another useless warning to the Joker and the tour resumed. Never once did the prisoners stop and think...where are we going? How did we get here? What happened? Why are we not rioting? They simply moved forward as if it was the most natural thing to do. The only one who could get close to the mental strength needed to question their new reality, was too busy trying to clash their super sanity against something that defied sanity. And so the tour continued without ever stopping. (Elsewhere) They had no need to eat, sleep, rest or...do anything really. None of them could tell how long it had been but they all agreed it had been a few weeks now. To keep themselves busy, a structure had been put in place. First had been finding out how to interact with the non physical material in this dimension in a physical way. They had found out that Will played a crucial effect here. The stronger your determination the more control you had over yourself and surroundings. And they could also sort of avoid/ push back the creatures they encountered there with a stronger will. Regular scouting of the area, enabled them to draw out a map as they tried to find an exit out of this nightmare world. Then one day, a shimmering yellow portal had appeared above them in the form of Doctor Fate. Zatara took one look at the figure wearing a the helmet of Nabu and broke down crying. "No...please...not her. Anyone but her!" Just like that the League was saved but it left a bitter taste in the mouths. Now then, time to get back and save the world from Savage. Batman only wished they had enough time left of the clock. Reactions Final Part (General P.O.V) Having the entire task force X base teleported to the middle of the jungle and another world to boot, would have mostly been met with a lot of panic from trigger happy soldiers. Men who had been to war did not hesitate in labelling every and anything as hostile in a strange environment. That caution had saved many of their lives while on tours in Afghanistan, Iran and other dangerous warzones. Colonel Rick flag watched silently as Amanda Waller reviewed the scout''s information with her brutal keen attention to detail. "None of our gps or coordinates measuring devices inform us of where we actually are." The scout stated the obvious, "Just that we''re not on earth. The most obvious example of this would be that we cannot recognize any of the constellations." He traced a finger over the rough sketch taking up half of the makeshift table they had made, along with an I pad showing photos of the new land they had scouted as well as the stars in the night sky. His finger hovered over a section of the map as he continued his explanation. "40 clicks to the Northwest and we come up on a large lake, easily over 5000 miles in diameter. The area itself is occupied by these...strange creatures." He swiped his hand on the screen of the I pad and revealed to them a herd of beasts that looked like a cross between a moose and something lizard like. "I''m thinking, Dragon moose." Everybody looked at the tech guy. "Shut up Economos." A blonde woman seated next to him on the flat surface of a sawed off log nudged him on the ribs. At Waller''s no nonsense look, they quieted down. "Continue captain." Waller ordered. The Captain nodded and continued. "We have identified multiple unique species each sharing a trait between two..." "We are not zoologists, Captain." Waller interrupted. "I need to know if this base is safe, not whatever abominations you and your team came across. Given the fact that you lost not a single one of your men, regrouping with the rest of our operatives is priority number one. I doubt we were the only ones teleported here." And that was why Rick Flag both hated and admired Waller. She discarded any other distractions that would detract from the main mission. However that same cold disposition did not translate well when it came to concern over the well being of her troops. To put it simply, Waller could be a bitch. A massive one. Flag listened without listening. A necessary skill he had cultivated to simuteneously pay attention to the surroundings and still hear what was being said. The Captain''s report ended with an observation that a massive storm was coming. "Flag any thoughts?" Waller asked for his opinion. On what he didn''t really know but he could guess. "For now, standard operating procedures. We reinforce this base enough to handle the harsh conditions from the environment and then do what we have mostly been doing, scout. We can even use the flares to send a signal to anyone else who might have been teleported here like us." "It could also be an invitation to hostile parties." Harcout pitched in. "Not if we use the flares away from the camp." Flag walked over to the table and pointed at the map, showing the base. "We know we are here at the foot of this cliff. Well protected at the back by the range of hills and with a direct view on the mouth of the valley without being too visible. Behind the hills we also have the lake, which is much easy to keep watch of because of the animals. If they act strange then we can assume someone is trying to access our position from the back." He traced a finger to the left, following the hills before stopping at the top of another hill, almost 3 miles away from the cliff the base was under. "If we use the flare here, our men will have a higher vantage point, seeing anyone coming towards us from miles away." Flag finished making Waller nod in satisfaction. "Ok, I expect you to organize that Colonel." Flag face a curt nod. "On to the next agenda. Harcout?" Waller called out to the blonde agent. "We have enough supplies to cater for all 185 of us for one full week. We can stretch that out my minimizing the rations by a few days but we will need to look for alternatives by then." "That is thankfully easy to solve. The air is breathable and clearly the ecosystem supports life. We can scavenge for food." The Captain shrugged. "Find out what''s edible and what''s not. Worst case scenario something turns out poisonous and we can administer a dose of that special antidote commissioned from Lexcorp. Single most valuable thing off of taxpayers dollars." Waller agreed to the reasonable idea. "Get to that then." The Captain saluted and gave a nod to Flag before going out. Waller sighed a little after the man''s exit. "Finally got that vacation you have been bugging me about Economos. Hope you''re happy." She joked in that serious way that only further served to alienate her from those under her command. "My options were Hawaii or Italy. But this works as well, I hear Rome sucks this time of the year." "What would you expect? There''s always an influx of middle aged Americans facing mid life crisis going there this time of the year. Like you." Harcourt joined in, throwing a jab that made Flag almost wince. "Fuck you Harcourt." Economos showed her the middle finger and promptly turned away to stare at his laptop screen while the woman laughed. What Economos was doing with a laptop in the bathroom when they were all teleported away, was anyone''s guess. During the lighthearted jokes, Waller motioned for Flag to follow her to what dubbed as her private office. The were lucky in how they found this base. Setting up a perimeter below the cliff and infront of an abandoned cave tunnel that was suspiciously well made. It looked as if the cave was made by man made machines. An oddity, Flag was no doubt aware that Waller has noticed. After the flap had fallen behind him, Waller turned to address him. "We cannot stay passive like this. We have no back up, fall back plan or any of our resources." "We also have no man power or knowledge of our surroundings. Staying passive is the only thing we can do." Waller frowned at his answer. "What are you thinking Flag? Out with it." She demanded. "Well, the whole situation is weird. However, we still have a few more options. Whoever is responsible for bringing us here might be keeping tabs on us without our knowledge, or they might contact us soon. And given the fact that we are still alive I think it''s a fair assumption we will get out of this more or less unharmed." Flag shared his thoughts. "Never took you for an optimist." Waller snickered. "Yeah...it comes and goes." "Well, now that we..." Flag held up a hand to silence her. A few shouts were heard from the outside. They made eye contact and knew that something was up. Without much fanfare, Flag handed a handgun to Waller while he himself grabbed the assault rifle strapped to his shoulder. They were lucky they were carrying out a training exercise when they had been teleported. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The shouts increased as Flag and Waller moved towards the entrance. "Ma''am move back!" The Captain said upon spotting Waller and Flag. "What is going on here?!" Waller demanded. Over 40 of her best soldiers had their weapons trained on a green sleek looking drone that floated in the air. A sudden blue light shot out of it''s eyes and scanned Waller. The soldiers immediately opened fire at the drone. The bullets seemed to hit its body and lose momentum. "Stop! Hold your fire!" Flag ordered and the assault ended. Waller looked down at herself and found she was unhurt. "Greetings, Amanda Waller." The head of Task Force X widened her eyes. The green drone had a slightly electronic and echoey feel to it''s voice. "How do you know who I am?" "It was no wish of mine to alarm you. Before the exo planet designated as Earth was destroyed, my systems managed to interface with all of Earth''s telecommunications, technology, science and every database containing every written word ever invented. This includes movies, documentary, music, photos and much more. You can say I have the repository of man''s recorded history on the planet." Silence dominated the whole area. A soldier dropped his weapon and fell to his knees. "Earth...was destroyed." "No." Another shook her head, lifting the weapon in her hand and pointing it threateningly at the drone. "This thing is lying!" Flag on the other hand was massaging his temple in worry. Worry that the claim grew more credible the more he considered the Drone''s words. "Lower your weapons." Flag gave the order and although there was some hesitance, they all complied. "Ok,let''s start from the beginning. Who the fuck are you?" The drone flew lower as it came to hover slightly above Flag and Waller. "Steady Captain." Flag cautioned the happy trigger man fidgeting with his gun and his team. "I am a scout unit, outfitted with communication and medical programs. Are there any injured among you." "No, although telling us you''re a scout unit dies not really answer our questions." Waller answered in a calm tone that hid her true feelings away. Flag noticed her finger nails biting into the flesh of her hand. "Oh." The drone blinked it''s lenses, a particularly human like action. "I am part of a whole and the whole is me. You can call me Gaea." Flag and Waller shared a look. "You said the earth was destroyed. How many...how many people survived?" The scout unit drone blinked as it tallied the number and answered immediately. "7,067,605,193 earthlings possessing the human d.n.a, 231,765,310 earthlings possessing a variant of the human d.n.a designated as Atlantean, 6,199 Earthlings with alien d.n.a and 458 hybrids." Hope came back. "How many losses were incurred when the earth was destroyed?" She doubled down and the drone answered. "As of now, none." And that answer more than anything stunned everyone present. "Impossible." Economos muttered the word they were all thinking of. "I am here with a message from your Earth''s representative." Behind the drone and closing in fast was a huge aircraft in the shape of a slightly rounded leaf blade, colored silver and with a sleek design. (Elsewhere) (later) ''50,000 miles and still counting,'' Flag noted. He''d taken the console of the autopiloted craft and was going over some of the specs and details, the A.I or drone or whatever Gaea was willing to share. Waller had been left behind as a precautionary measure. In case this was all a trap. Not that Flag believed that. For a trap, this had to be a very elaborate and overly complicated one. That didn''t stop Waller from straddling him with a dozen soldiers and a couple of officers. After much thought, Economos was also ordered to join him and the man''s constant complaints and ramblings helped Flag stay grounded. They had been flying for only 10 minutes yet if the stats were to be believed, that was enough to cover over 50,000 miles. Flag knew that none of Earth''s fastest aircrafts could go that fast. The mystery of where they actually were in the cosmos, increased as he saw more of this new world. The vegetation looked untouched by any human, the air was so fresh it was crazy. And the scent of rain seemed to hover around. "Oh my god..." Economos'' awed tone made Flag turn his gaze towards the area he was looking at. Flag''s eyebrows rose up. The mountain they had been flying over, gave way to a vision of both a modern civilization and one in tune with nature. For miles and miles, he could see silver and grey buildings that looked bizarrely sci-fi spreading out across the horizon. Whatever this piece of civilization it was, the city had to be bigger than anything Flag, the soldiers and Economos had ever seen. At the center of this pseudo utopia was a huge structure being built that stood head over shoulders above everything. "New York would probably look like a small town compare to this." One of the soldiers commented. "New York?" Another snorted. "This city has to be bigger than Texas." The question was how how long it had taken to build such a huge civilization. "Prepare for descent." The slightly mechanic voice of the A.I said through the headphones on Flag''s head. The answer to his question was soon answered however, when they pulled closer to the ground. "Are those..." "Drones constructing buildings to house more people as well as facilities needed for your species survival." The A.I of the craft, Gaea anticipated the question and answered. "What are you?" Economos asked in curiousity, finally tired secon guessing and coming up with his own explanations. "I am a creation of the Master. The conscious mind of all you see. The drones, the material used to build your housing facilities, the trees, the air... everything you see and feel interacting with you, I am all that." The profundity of the response was only broken by her next words. "I also make a killer butler." "Neat." Economos said after a while. No more conversation was had as the craft begun to descend on a cleared out space. This near the ground, they could all see people standing in lines and pointing at the craft they were in. The weird thing, Flag noted was a group of black clad soldiers keeping the people in check with weird weapons strapped to their arms. Flag narrowed his eyes. Something was off with them. The ship landed and the clear glass doors opened with a sudden whoosh. "Hope you enjoyed your flight and have a nice day." Gaea said as Flag disembarked with his team. The craft rose up again and flew off. Before they could even look around, a commotion appeared in the lines of people going inside the huge building that had the sign of a plate with a fork and a spoon on each side. Eyes were turned their way and fingers started pointing. Dozens of different languages escaped the mouths of the people there and Flag was suddenly hit with the fact that if what Gaea had said was true, then the world truly had no boundaries between nations or races now. They were all just humans, trying nti maje the best out of a bad situation. The line parted as whispers sprang out. A small and sleeker looking vehicle cut through the crowds and appeared before Flag and the rest. With barely any sound the vehicle landed and following the action, a draft escaped it''s hatch when it opened. A red haired woman in a suit emerged and looked around intimidatingly. The people gathered around shrunk back upon the urging of the black uniformed soldiers. Flag stood up straighter once he saw the next person to emerge from the vehicle. "Is that..." Whispers started ringing out. "Lex Luthor." "I hear he''s the stand in for the UN secretary general." "...The president is still missing..." "Luthor managed..." "He''s got the army in his pocket you know..." "Shh be careful of your words you idiot..." Luthor adjusted his tie and walked over to Flag and the others. "Colonel Flag." He nodded at the soldier''s way. Flag had met Luthor several times before. Mostly to test out new weapons Lexcorp had developed for the army. The billion dollar company had many contracts with the government. "Luthor." Flag returned the nod with a smile. "So you''re humanity''s representative huh?" Luthor laughed at the words. "You flatter me." He shook his head. "The world simply needed someone to take on the responsibility of where to steer the vehicle now that we''re on rough terrain." He gestured around them. "A fitting analogy, don''t you think?" Flag''s eyes fell on the black uniformed groups of soldiers directing the people into orderly files towards the building. Luthor followed his gaze. "I call them the Enforcers. The different facets of the army and police was too unequipped to deal with over billions of people from different ethnicities, cultures and nations. So I proposed a unified force made up of carefully vetted personel who would help maintain order." Flag snorted. "And I bet they only answer to you." Luthor''s smile never slipped. "Naturally. No one else was willing to step forward and lead humanity through these uncertain times." Luthor turned and gestured to the vehicle he had come in. "I assure you Colonel, my intentions are purely benevolent. I seek the prosperity of our race. If you would like, we can continue this conversation somewhere else?" Flag looked around and noticed how everyone''s eyes were on them. "Alright, lead the way." Then he turned to the Captain. "I need two of your guys With me. The rest can walk around and see the sights." The Captain face a curt nod understanding that Flag was basically telling him to investigate this place and see if there was anything that stood out. "I only have one question." Economos spoke to Mercy once they boarded the craft. Economos was seated between Terror and Mercy Graves, facing Flag and Luthor directly opposite them. "What are they building?" He pointed out towards the center of the civilization. Luthor smiled. "This whole realm belongs to one being." A look of uncertainty appeared in his eyes. "People have called Superman a god for years. He can fly, shoot beams from his eyes and can tank anything we throw at him without fail. But...he doesn''t hold a candle to him. Out of everything earth had faced...this man is the closest thing to a god there is. And his name is Aden Strong." Economos was listening with rapt attention now. Flag was weirded out by the almost zealous fervor Luthor unknowingly spoke with. "What they''re building is a statue in his honor. A being capable of teleporting out each and every human from our planet in an instant and with no deaths or injuries sustained during or after the action. Do you know that no one has died in the 38 hours since humanity found itself homeless?" Luthor let out a mocking laugh. "A problem we have all been working, trying to solve, poof! Gone because one teenager decided death wasn''t a thing anymore. The drones are something he created to help in constructing residences for people to live in. Families have been reunited because apparently, Gaea decided to copy everything we had stored in our memory banks." Luthor leaned back on the seat as he loosened his tie. "Makes you wonder, you know." He said with a far off look. "For all my brilliance, it makes no sense. Science does not work like that. The physical world does not follow such unconventional rules. No sense at all." He whispered. Silence fell among the occupants of the vehicle. Luthor sighed and shook his head. "I just want what we all want. A new start. Earth is gone. Maybe we can make a life in this paradise. Or maybe our host gets bored of us and decides to finish the job." Flag''s perpetual scowl never left his face. What kind of a person could make Luthor so...reflective? It was clear that every word that left the former billionaire was true. There was just no way you could fake all the smallest cues successfully. Flag was an expert in reading body language after all. "You speak of him as if he''s an actual god." Economos joked and laughed a little. The laugh petered out when he looked around and saw the serious looks on everyone''s faces. "Wait...guys, you can''t actually be serious. Mr.luthor, gods don''t exist. There''s only one God, the creator. You know the one responsible for basically fucking everything..." "It''s all in belief Economos. We ascribe the title god to a being we cannot understand based on the way we perceive their actions. That begs the question, what is a god. The answer is the scary part." Flag''s eyes established contact with Economos'' own through the glass. "What if gods are actually real and the closer we are to them, the more we give them a foothold in our lives? I have seen some unexplainable shit during my life. Lived when I should have died. The unbreakable will of a priest who defended an orphanage with nothing but a rosary and words that cut through like a knife on butter. Just one of the many examples. "Maybe gods are real but most of us have closed our minds and hearts off to such a possibility that we fail to see what is visible underneath all of it...maybe that makes us unreal to them except the chosen few." Fear For The Future (Aden''s P.O.V) "Ok, you ready?" I asked my kids. Kori, me and the team were all standing infront of the beach. The kids on the other hand were in the air, above the water, floating in a triangle form with Vor in the middle, facing Breeze with his back turned to us and the twins slightly behind him. What were we doing? Well the twins had found out that by channeling their immense spiritual energy into Vor, he could basically absorb both of the fire attributed flames and shoot it out in a multicolored beam attack from his eyes. It was mostly due to him being part Quintes which offered him a wide range of advantages. From what I knew, Quintes had incredible energy manipulation capabilities. Vor''s Quintes existence was a concequence of my Realm''s own ability with energy handling. Quintes could absorb other energies and use it for various effects. So taking advantage of that ability, the kids and I were running an experiment to see if we could make the best rainbow, (yeah you heard that right) we could using various things. For starters, the twin''s energy in Vor, Vor''s own light beams, my newly unlocked water bending skill and Breeze''s precise air control. Something told me could produce something beautiful. It was exactly the thing that Kori would shake her head at, sit back with a bowl full of pop corn and watch the show. "Yeah dad! Let''s do it! I wanna see it! I wanna see it sooo bad." Breeze vibrated with energy. Laughter broke out from behind us. "What? She''s just so cute!" I heard Artemis defend herself from a teasing Kid Flash. "Quiet on the set." Kori yelled from her position. I looked at her appreciatively. "What?" She asked me with a small smile. I shrugged with a lazy smile. "Nothing. Just a question...ever heard of role play?" She went beet red and punched my arm while I laughed. The kids had basically grabbed me the second I had teleported in and asked me to play with them. Given that I hadn''t seen them in over a month, I had decided to humor them. I hadn''t had time to even talk to Kori, something that I needed, badly. My eyes kept falling to her baby bump which was followed by the sensation of free fall and shivers across my body. It felt...it felt overwhelmingly, terrifyingly, incredibly right. I was out of my depth. Sai, Kai, Breeze and Vor were at the least, toddlers. But this was a baby made the normal way. It means he/she would need to be protected, fed and cared for as it grew up, every single day. I''m not complaining however, lord help anyone who ever thought of harming any of my kids. I would not destroy them, no that would be too easy. I would keep them around and tell Michael to go crazy. The truth was that I was scared. I was afraid that I wasn''t ready for this. That somehow Sai, Kai, Breeze and Vor had turned out so well due to a mixture of luck and kori. I was afraid I wasn''t good enou... A soft hand grabbed my own. I looked up and saw Kori softly smiling at me. She gently pulled my hand and placed it on top of the baby bump. The moment I touched it, I felt something resonate. Something so incredibly powerful that their potential was seemingly infinite. A smile broke it''s way onto my face. This baby would be strong. So strong infact that it wouldn''t matter if I sucked at being a dad. Either way, they would be awesome. ''Goddamn that boy...he looks tasty Af when he smiles. The things I wanna do...'' I clammed my control down on the loud thoughts from Artemis that managed to pull me out of my musings. A concequence of my abilities growing to levels I never thought possible was that even without trying, I would now pick up on some strong thoughts. And Artemis'' crush was back. Her body basically tingled in delight every time I looked at her or smiled. Like now. That whole situation itself was a concequence of now looking like the god of beauty. My face had changed so drastically yet remained the same in some weird contrasting effect. When I had arrived a few minutes ago, the only one apart from the Kids who recognized me was Kori. And that''s because believe it or not, while she liked that I had been elevated from a shaky 6 to incalculable in the looks department...she liked me for who I was. Her thoughts were pretty loud on that. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. But Artemis and to some degree M''gann, were sending out ''Fuck Me'' vibes that Kid Flash was no doubt picking up on and getting slightly jealous. Maybe I should research on how to make a glamour spell? I have access to magic now. Chaos magic to be precise which means I can do anything as long as it is chaos attributed. "Daddy! Stop flirting with mom and let''s make the rainbow already!" Kai ordered, hands on hips and her rudy cheeks inflated. "Yeah old man! I''m gonna turn 10 waiting for you!" Breeze added, which was like a dam collapsing. "Yeah she''s right, just because you don''t know how fun fun is, doesn''t mean we don''t!" My mouth opened in shock. Sai...had betrayed me! And then the craziest shit happened. It was like they had recited or something. "Yeah! Dad don''t kill my vibe, dad don''t kill my vibe, we just want a rainbow and you wasting our time, dad don''t kill the vibe, dad don''t kill the vibe, you don''t know what fun is, why you got no life?" "Was that Kendrick Lamar?" I looked at Kori who was similarly shocked like I was. "Who taught my kids to listen to hiphop?" I heard a whoosh and reached out to space, cutting the distance between a fleeing Kid Flash and I. Kid Flash appeared in the air with my hand around his neck. I squeezed it a little. "Ok, I can explain." He hurried to say, eyes wide with fear. "They are only 4 months and 28 days old!" I wasn''t that mad mostly just surprised. "They heard me listening to Rigarmortis, (best Kendrick song ever by the way)." I squeezed his neck some more. "Sorry sorry." He patted my hand and I loosened the hold. "Priorities, Wall man and you''re wrong it''s, ''Bitch don''t kill my vibe.'' It''s a special track. Horizontal, stoned-in-the-sunshine music at odds with the fretful lyrics about fame and the state of hip-hop." I told him my opinion. "That sounds like you got it from an online critic article." Artemis muttered from the side. They had all walked over to see me kill Kid Flash for teaching my kids 14+ content. "You can''t prove it." I answered. "No need to. You are normally not that articulate." I looked at Artemis and smirked, sending her into a blushing mess. "Did you forget I got something which might or might not belong to you in my hands right now? A certain paramour of yours I might add?" For added measure I shook Kid Flash like magic 8 ball. Protests of dude sounded out from the Speedster. "Ok that''s enough Aden, let Kid go." Aqualad spoke up. I shook my head. "Not until he apologizes." "Okay okay I''m sorry for teaching your kids to listen to Kendrick Lamar, the greatest rap artist ever." "Now that, we can agree on." I let him down and turned to the kids. "Okay where were we..." My eyes blinked. Seems like they had gotten bored. I found them in the water, playing by splashing water on each other. Rainbow making experiment forgotten. Kori had joined them as well. It was a beautiful scene. "Now that''s the right idea." Artemis pulled M''gann and Kid Flash towards the ocean, leaving me and Kaldur on the beach as the others played around. "You''re lucky Aden." The team''s leader told me. I placed a hand on his shoulder. "I heard about what happened." Tula was in a coma because she had saved queen Mera from a particularly nasty attack that targeted a person''s soul. She was not dead but her soul was damaged greatly and Aqualad was not in a good state for the last couple of days. Based on what M''gann had shared. "When she chose Garth...I thought, I thought I would stop caring and move on. But now that she''s in a... now that she''s the way she is...it''s like, it''s like I''ve grown even more possessive. I feel like fighting for her now more than when she was with him." "Love is...chaos. It''s likely one of the most chaotic things ever. You cannot explain it like you would any other emotion. Because while hope can give you the courage to push past your limits, love can basically lead you to do anything. Sensible or not. Evil or good. It makes no difference." I squeezed his shoulder some more, making him turn to stare at me fully. "Listen to me Kaldur, don''t let this chance slip you by." A confused look came upon him. I pointed to our backs. From the backyard of our cottage, a girl dressed in a yellow top appeared looking confused. When she laid her eyes on Aqualad, I could see over a dozen emotions pass between them. "Tula..." Aqualad choked out, tears falling down his cheeks in a flood. "Kaldur." The Atlantean girl''s hands trembled. "Oh Neptune''s beard... you''re... you''re alive." "I know how important she is to you Kaldur. That''s why when I teleported everyone here after the earth had been destroyed, I made sure to have the realm heal her." I held up a hand to stop his next words as he immediately turned to stare at me in shock. I had avoided telling them what had gone down with the whole New God affair, because I didn''t want to repeat myself again. There were a few people my intuition was telling me to wait for before I told them everything about the planet''s destruction. "We''ll talk about that later. Right now, you need to go to her." Only 4 hours had gone by since the destruction of their home planet. I was not looking forward to the conversation I was soon about to have. And as if on cue, I felt someone invoking my name. Now that I was a god, anyone with sufficient power, influence or overwhelming need could call out to me. I separated into my two godly forms. One of my two bodies had something important to deal with, namely taking care of the situation I had put myself in by allowing over 7 billion intelligent beings into my realm, i.e managing them. The other body? I stepped out into outer space or rather the chunk of moon left behind after earth had exploded. I flew down towards the ground, seeing a yellow bubble shield surrounding a very very familiar group. At the head of the Justice League was Doctor Fate. Looking into the faces of the League, it looked like all of them had aged by decades due to the stress lines on them. Barry had his head clutched in his palms while seating on a rock. Hawkwoman had her hand slung over his shoulder in a gesture of comfort. Captain Atom, Green Arrow with his crossbow held loosely in his hands and Hawkman stared off into space at the general direction of where the Watchtower had been. Also gone. Batman and Zatara stood below a floating dr.Fate, the latter had his eyes boring through the environmental shield Dr. Fate had no doubt cast, into mine. So it was fitting that the first thing I told them telepathically was, "They are all alive. Everyone you love. They are safe within my dimension." Barry Allen, the fastest man alive, broke down and cried in relief. Strangium, Ordum and Chaoum. (Aden''s P.O.V) "We have a lot to discuss." I followed up my earlier statement. Batman gave a nod of confirmation and the light of a big boom tube appeared under them. After carefully sending them to my realm, I looked around at the Solar System and sighed. Everything looked so lonely without the tiny tiny blue world orbiting the sun. The cradle of humanity...reduced to nothing but rocks and space dust. "Fuck you Darkseid." Then I teleported out, preparing myself for the millionth time Batman and I had to ''talk.'' At least I had one more stop to make before that. While my air god form was busy interacting with the League in my secluded island a ways off from one of the 5 major continents, my flame god form was dealing with something completely different. The Sconiad tower had always been something out of this world, literally. It was a wonder how a civilization that had existed tens of thousands of years ago, The Sconiads could have made such wondrous technology. I wasn''t tech savvy or a genius and the little I could understand indicated that I had not even scratched the surface of what this fusion of Sconiad tech and my realm had resulted in. But in that particular moment, I was about to be immensely shocked. If anyone had had the capability to see me at such a long distance away, literally 5 million miles away from the main continent, supporting the lives of over a billion humans, they would have seen a golden glowing figure. One that was sitting cross legged in the air above an empty ocean that stretched out farther than the eyes could see. It wasn''t as empty as one might think. Behind the layers of folded space that bent the light was another layer of supercharged energy shield that was resistant to blunt damage and energy attacks. The more you tried to break through it, the more the core of the web of power holding the whole thing together, would pull more energy from the realm to protect itself. Under the energy shield was Assault level drones. Different from the medical drones/scouting drones, Utility drones and construction drones, they were the final layer of protection before you accessed the Tower. Assault Drones were constructed from the strongest unobtanium metal/mineral? alloy I had in my realm. The Star Alloy. It was a resource developed from the fusion of a crystal stronger than diamond that glowed white called, Ordum and it''s variant Chaoum, crystals that literally ate light and energy, storing it and emitting a field of darkness where everything inside was broken down into energy and fed to the crystal in a sort of self sustaining feeding cycle. Ordum was very straightforward in what it did. Take Chaoum and just flip it''s functions. Ordum repelled any and every energy thrown to it. Everything bounced off of it. It did not want to be changed and the only thing that had been able to manipulate it had been my Order Avatar State. Welp until now, but I''ll get to that later. The last component of the alloy was a very weird and volatile metal. Honestly it was like nothing I had ever seen before. To explain it better, take ice for example. Ice cubes float in water because water is denser than the cubes. That''s weird right? Especially when you consider that for other liquids, their solid state is always denser than the liquid. Chunks of rock would sink in lava, not float. The reason why Ice is slippery is connected to this weird property of water molecules. You see a thin layer of not ice and not water covers the top of the ice. This thin layer that rapidly changes from a solid to a liquid is called a Quasi liquid. Strangium was like that, a Quasi-liquid that took it much farther. Yes, I named the metal Strangium. It was even more special than the crystals. Under dense and high pressures only found in the core of my realm, Strangium could basically bond anything together. All it needed was incredible heat, 2 or more minerals of whatever you wanted to fuse and voila, you would get a substance that was a perfect fusion of the original materials. Vibranium, Adamantium, Amazonium, Mithril, Katchin, Uru, Nth metal e.t.c? No worries, just get me a lot of heat and immense pressure, I''m talking the core of a blue giant and we''re golden. I can fuse it all. All of it. I don''t know what would be the result of the merger but here''s the crazy part, the Strangium would also remove any individual weaknesses of each metal while enhancing their desirable properties some more. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Sorry for the rant. It still felt as if I all I''d seen was till just the tip of the iceberg. There was probably more to what this Quasi-liquid resource could do. And all that was thanks to the Tower''s mining capabilities. Along with being the only direct route to my core, I ensured that I spared nothing when it came to protecting it. So the final layer of protection were five Assault Drones. The name was deceptive though because following my input, the realm had fashioned them to resemble Ultron from the Avengers, only bigger,sleeker, stronger, more durable and possessed a learning matrix that was capable of adapting to an attack after the first time they were hit with it. The best part though had to be the energy beams they attacked with. Using the property of Chaoum, they could fire out a black beam of destructive energy that shredded the bonds between molecules, effectively disintegrating anything they touched. None of that explained why I was shocked though. It had only been 5 hours after my fight with Darkseid and during that time, I had yet to access the dozens of text boxes I knew were waiting for me. One of them had grabbed my attention the second I had popped up above the Sconiad Tower. If it wasn''t for the fact that I''d wanted to see a more detailed summary of the new functions of my realm, for example...I now had a star system...(I promise I''ll get to that later), then I wouldn''t have known about the life changing rewards from completing my latest mission. ::---------------------------------------:: (Congratulations) (Mission Successful) ::---------------------------------------:: (Mission Alert!) (Rage of a God) They dared lay hands on something that isn''t theirs to claim. Someone precious to you. They dared blaspheme against a GOD. Unleash your fury and watch them burn in the flames of their own arrogance. Mission Objectives:- Show Vandal Savage the error of his ways. Save Starfire and your unborn child. Completely decimate their forces. Defeat HIM. Mission Parameters:- Time Limit:- N/A Mission Difficulty:- Nightmare. Mission Rewards:- FAITH UNLOCKED. ::---------------------------------------:: Faith:- The complete trust and confidence your worshippers have in you, even if they cannot see you, hear you or feel you, they believe wholeheartedly that you exist and are a Supreme Being. Gives access to Lesser Divinities. Major Divinities -God Of Fire -God of Air Lesser Divinities -God of Stars (Unlocked) -God of Light (Unlocked) -God of Life (Unlocked) -God of Space (Unlocked) -God Of Speed (Unlocked) -God of War (Unlocked) Wait...hold on. Ayo, What the fuck?! ::--------------------------------------:: I stiffened in place as I appeared in the Hall of the Gods at Mount Olympus. And no it wasn''t the cracks running down the chamber that housed the god''s Thrones that shocked me. Nor was it the fact that Kronos'' head was mounted above the huge purple black throne, which was inspired by my very own throne safely tucked in my hammer space. The throne looked fairly new and stood above the other Olympian seats of power. Neither was it the spark of glowing white power I could sense inside Vaatu, who was seated in the massive throne I mentioned earlier. The gods looked exhausted and their auras were weak but that still wasn''t what shocked me. No, what shocked me were the streams of invisible yet powerful energy making their way to me from...somewhere. Hermes looked up in shock. "You..." I knew what had stumped him. I could feel his divine imprint in the new domains I was now connected with. Speed was his divinity yet...I could now access it as a separate divinity. Fuck. I came here to get Wonder Woman, Yaotl and Vaatu, so I''m just gonna ignore everything else. Yup! I ain''t dealing with this shit right now. I snapped my fingers and the three of us disappeared from Olympus. We reappeared in the middle of a stare off between Batman and Green Arrow. "...you letting him have his way and now we have lost every fucking thing Bruce! The fucking planet is gone! The Watchtower destroyed! And it''s all your fault because you decided we should trust him!" Green Arrow concluded his tirade once he noticed that everyone was looking behind him. He whirled around and came face to face with my unimpressed stare. He tensed, worry was etched onto his face and the League members behind him looked ready to jump in if I tried to attack him. "Relax..." I held up my hands and smiled. "Let''s all just have a decent civilized conversation. Would you like to join me inside? I''ll explain everything that has happened in the past few days." I showed them the cottage. I had asked Kori to go Dragon riding with the kids, to spare them from the talk about to commence. I didn''t wait for them to decide whether to follow me in or not. However when I pushed the door open and entered the cozy but small room, I felt two presences behind me. Vaatu and Yaotl had followed me without hesitation. I hid my smile and concentrated on the next task. The space inside could not comfortably fit everyone. I waved my hand and space expanded, turning the lounge into a massive room the size of the Watchtower''s hall. Then came the question of the seating arrangements. A small hand gesture and the cottage sprouted branches that increased in size, changing their usual shape into a huge central table with wooden chairs that had a cushion made of tiny plant furs for comfort. We''re going green yay. Another wave and bowls filled with fruits and fresh juice in wooden cups appeared on the table. "Okay that''s cool." Vaatu admitted from my left. "I very much agree brother. Master, that is indeed very cool." Yaotl added formally. "Let''s hope our friends think the same." I sighed. "I really want this to go as smoothly as it can." "You sound as if you''re sure a fight will happen, Master Aden." Yaotl said. In response I turned to look at the both of them. "Imagine you just lost everything. You have no one to blame because someone else already dealt with them. But your hate anger and fear need an outlet. So what do you do? You start looking for enemies where there aren''t. The second best option to blame. That''s me." Yaotl gave a curt nod while Vaatu frowned. "You have my weapon at your disposal Master Aden." Yaotl said, kneeling. I said nothing, merely turned my gaze towards Vaatu. We held eye contact for a few seconds before he knelt as well. "My loyalty has never changed. Will never change. You are more than my master, my father...you are my god." I smiled. "Arise." Lesser Divinities 30 advance chapters in my Pat.reon. Pat.reon.com/Saintbarbido. Please gimme ?????????? your Powerstones people. ::------------------------------------------:: (Aden''s P.O.V) My finger hovered over the plus sign at the end of each godly title. I was unsure if I even wanted to actually read on how I managed to acquire over 5 more divinities. It felt...unreal. As if this was a cosmic prank by the Presence or some other entity still out of my reach. "Fuck it. In for a penny, in for a pound." I clicked on the first divinity all the way to the last. A new, more detailed interface appeared in my vision. I won''t lie to you, I gasped like a character from a tv show drama. Tsk, my gangster points just went into the negatives. ::---------------------------------------:: Lesser Divinities:- -God of Stars (Unlocked)- A benevolent deity. One whose providence and grace shines a light to the Botanical - humanoid hybrids of the planet Alstair in the Antares Star System. The people of Alstair receive sustenance from Adenal, the sun which they believe is the personification of the Sun God Adenal. Effects:- God physique- ¡Á 5 to all physical parameters. Starlight control:- You possess the ability to control photons emitted by stars. Miracle conjuration:- In response to your worshippers'' prayers, sacrifices and offerings, you can use your immense Faith reserves to do miracles. Immortality:- As a god you possess longevity incomparable to a mortal. -God of Light (Unlocked)- For the People of Tamaran, this god is relatively new. The queen Komandr after receiving a divine boon that gave her the power to fight against their oppressors, declared that Adera, the god of light''s name be worshipped across the world. Effects:- God physique- ¡Á 5 to all physical parameters Electromagnetic spectrum Control- Light is a wave of alternating electric and magnetic fields. Although different from the emotional electromagnetic spectrum, it is no less powerful. This particular domain offers you control over all facets of light. Miracle conjuration:- In response to your worshippers'' prayers, sacrifices and offerings, you can use your immense Faith reserves to do miracles. Immortality:- As a god you possess longevity incomparable to a mortal. -God of Life (Unlocked) :- For the fairly new race of Elvians, a humanoid species with outstanding features like pointy ears and white wings behind their back, The God of Life Adan, is the one true deity. After the high priestess of the church of Adan was blessed with pure wings of starlight, she begun spreading his religion throughout the world, eventually housting the old gods as the religion of Adan took center stage. Effects:- God physique- ¡Á 5 to all physical parameters Life manipulation- You can grant life to an inanimate object, heal any wounds no matter how serious and bring back the dead as far back as 1 year. Due to this being a lesser divinity, the intelligence of the creatures created cannot reach that of a sapient creature. Miracle conjuration:- In response to your worshippers prayers, sacrifices and offerings, you can use your immense Faith reserves to do miracles. Immortality:- As a god you possess longevity incomparable to a mortal. -God of Space (Unlocked) :- Due to increasing your mastery over the Space Subskill, the skill has evolved to it''s own version of a divinity. Effects:- God physique- ¡Á 5 to all physical parameters. Space-Time rudimentary control- you Do NOT hold control over Time. Despite the two being interconnected, any temporal effects that result from your control over space are indirect and unpredictable. Achieve control of Time and the lesser divinity will evolve to a major divinity. Immortality:- As a god you possess longevity incomparable to a mortal. -God Of Speed (Unlocked):- The New Gods of New Genesis saw you as more than an equal to Darkseid. But aside from your amazing combat skills, your speed stood out to all in the know when the speed force chose you. Every speedster in the Multiverse felt your influence. You can only create more skills after mastering this lesser divinity and evolving it. Effects:- God physique- ¡Á 5 to all physical parameters. Speedster Packet- A collection of abilities and skills that a speedster has access to:- Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.1) Super speed. 2) Molecular Phasing. 3) Temporal crossing. 4) Enhanced healing. 5) Enhanced Strength. 6) Enhanced reaction speeds. 7) Electrokinesis. -God of War (Unlocked) :- You are the true God of War. Countless creatures felt and witnessed your legendary battle with the forces of Apokalips. You managed to defeat a Kryptonian/Czarnian hybrid, A fully powered Kryptonian, over 5 New Gods, All the Lords of Chaos and the New God of Evil, Darkseid. Your combat prowess will be hailed as a legend across the universe for generations to come. Beware however, War/battle/combat can''t help but find you. Effects:- God physique- ¡Á 5 to all physical parameters. Battle Enhancement- The longer a fight goes on, the more powerful you get until you hit your maximum enhancement cap. Plunderer- Fallen enemies are nothing but souls and bodies for you to animate and have fight your battles. Any creature reanimated has a 50% decrease in ability. Immortality- As a god you possess longevity incomparable to a mortal. Yeah... I''m OP. ::---------------------------------------:: I snorted from my seat. The action did not go unnoticed. "Something funny?" Green Arrow asked in a tone both I and Yaotl found... inappropriate. "Watch your mouth human." I held up a hand and waved Yaotl down. The panther-man narrowed his cat eyes before obediently sitting down on my right. Vaatu was next to me on my left. The rest of the seating arrangements were pretty random with a notable exception of Batman sitting directly opposite to me on the far end of the table. It was clearly a tactic to show that despite my holding all the cards, the League would not simply acquiesce to my demands. "Sorry about that." I apologized. "Just thought of something that made me happy. Now, I''m sure you''re aware of the empty seats scattered around the table..." I gestured. There were more than 10 unoccupied seats. One was next to Yaotl while the rest were in between different Leaguers. "We still have a few more guests that will arrive...ah, speak of the devils." I changed my statement halfway when a grey portal swirling like mist appeared beside Yaotl. The first person to walk out of it was Black Canary. "Dinah..." Green arrow rose from his seat. Canary''s eyes were drawn to him and she took a few steps in his direction before hugging him tightly. "Ollie. Guys...you are all okay..." A look of stunned relief had overcome her. I could basically see the mood of the Justice League members improve, except for Batman who was still looking at me as of we were in a stare off. I also felt Wonder Woman''s eyes on me. She on the other hand, had a thoughtful expression on her face. Canary surveyed the room before her eyes landed on me. She pursed her lips together and stepped away from Green Arrow. "Sorry everybody. I''ll try to act more professionally from now on." "Canary." I nodded with a slight smile. "If you wouldn''t mind, could you please have a seat?" She said nothing as she occupied the seat next to Green Arrow. Michael and his theatrics... After Canary had taken a seat, the other guests we were waiting for walked out of the portal one after the other. Stewart, Jordan and Gardner had healed up nicely after I''d, well...healed them. "I wasn''t sure whether you wanted Guy here for this talk, but I felt bad leaving the guy in the dark, when he fought valiantly against the one responsible for the planet''s explosion." The three Green Lanterns took their seats without much fanfare. They simply nodded at the colleagues and sat down. Their moods were depressing and an aura of gloom hung above them like a cloud. They blamed themselves for failing to stop Grayven. I stood up. "What is the measure or rather quality that decides whether someone is a hero or not?" My question was met with silence. I shrugged. "Exactly, no one knows. So despite what you say, the decision to have the junior team present for this thing is not yours to make." Beside Vaatu, to my right, a yellow boom tube opened up. Aqualad followed by his team, Superboy or was it Superion now?, Miss Martian, Robin, Kid Flash and Artemis walked out. "Aqualad, I guess you will have to also participate in this meeting as the representative of your King Orion." I told him, running a critical eyes through the room. "This is as much a political meeting as it is an account of devastating events." He gave a curt nod- Aqualad style and together they all took their seats. Only two seats were left unoccupied. It surprised me just how somber and quiet the room was. The Flash didn''t crack any jokes. He fidgeted with an engagement in his palm, staring intently at nothing. I sighed. "We have two more people left to join us." I looked back at the gray portal on Yaotl''s left. "Michael?" I asked and 2 people stepped past. A gasp was heard by almost half the room. Everyone stood up to rush to him but I froze space around each of them. "Please be patient." I looked at the last son of Krypton. Or rather his body. "He''s not who you think he is." I added walking closer to the strenfely quiet figure whose hands were locked together in full grey manacles. The thing looking back at me was not in any way Superman. It''s black eyes were unfocused and dull. It''s expression was slack and empty. "He was acting out a little so I drained him off all motivation. Literally" Michael explained. Some of his abilities included positive emotional draining. He could leave you a mewling unmotivated, hopeless sack of meat with no will to live. My spirits were fucking crazy man. I nodded. "Release him from the hold." Michael bowed, took a step back and snapped a finger. Clark blinked his eyes, looking around in confusion. When he saw me, all the color blanched off his face. "Mo...monster! Monster! Stay away from me!..." I felt some of the Leaguers struggle under my hold before a telepathic message from Martian Manhunter, telling them that the one in control was not Clark did they settle down. I increased the weight of the manacles holding him by a factor of a million. His hands shook with the sudden weight pulling him down and he fell to his knees. I walked up to him and placed a finger on top of his forehead as he tried to move but found out that space was frozen. I wonder how this was supposed to work... It couldn''t be that hard right? I already had an intuitive understanding of how to control divine energy, just follow that sane intuition. It might have sounded easy but it was not. If my main divinities were like infinite +1 oceans then my lesser Divinities were like infinite oceans. Confusing? Yeah I know, me too. Finally I managed to access my God of Life domain and I could suddenly sense the world with a different awareness. Life force awareness. I could see everything that worked together to make life...life. Webs of a certain energy that was undetectable under any means with threads criss crossing everything. Inside Clark''s body, I felt two souls, two life forces because a soul can also be termed as life. Anything that existed as a direct opposition of the universe''s base nature...fell into that category. I grabbed onto the sickly parasitic soul I could feel and dragged it out... kicking and screaming. A red tinted energy poured off Clark and tried to blanket the whole room. The red energy started coalescing into a huge featureless face that roared. " You shall all perish under my power!" "Yeah right." I flexed my will and the red energy rapidly shrunk to the size of a marble. Seriously what is this obsession with round things? Let''s do it differently this time. I flexed my will again and the energy roiled in my hold before reforming into a red rat. I turned to my audience and unfroze them with a casual wave. "You..." A pressure of immense magnitude was exerted in the chamber before the League could start making an issue out of me controlling them. "Thank you Yaotl." I raised the rat for all to see. "Now then, I want to introduce the sole cause of this entire Fiasco." Deus X Machina (Aden''s P.O.V) "Stop squirming goddamit." I warned the vermin held in my palm. In response to my words, the rat bit my finger. Hard. Then it promptly squeaked when it''s teeth shattered against the hard skin of my godly index finger. Everything about me was godly so...I got no idea where I was going with that thought. To be honest there was a deep anger inside me that had been mounting since I first rescued the Justice League. And that anger was mostly directed at a few of their members. No matter how I thought of myself as above their petty bullshit, I was still getting tired of the constant disrespect and pushback from Green Arrow and the blatant distrust and suspicion Batman treated me with. If there was anything that would break these negotiations or whatever, then it was safe to say that these individuals would be the one to spark that particular flame. But I was a god now, Adenal, Adera, Adan, Aden Mother fuckin Strong. There had to be a limit to their bullshit. Lord have mercy if I reached mine before Green Arrow''s. Yaotl''s claws were out, all he needed was the order from me and a blood birth would commence. The only thing that stopped me was that these were Kori''s friends. And also the fact that for all my resolve to do whatever it took to actually save the world, I would never do go after the good guys without a good reason. And "Green Arrow was being petty" was not a good reason. Just an excuse to destroy the league and take over. Fact is, I didn''t want to conquer or rule anything and THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEVER UNDERSTOOD IN THE FIRST PLACE! Calm breath, don''t lose the smile on your face. If there was anything I had learned from diving through Luthor''s mind, it was that emotions were like cards...you keep them hidden up until you''re ready. Up until you are sure you will win the hand. "Everybody, say hi to Hundun, a malevolent human turned dark spirit,defeated by a powerful force for good and crossed over to this world from the Spirit Realm." "I feel like that''s the extremely short version." Kid Flash stated after a second of them processing my statement. "It is. The long version doesn''t matter that much to us. It''s not where the story begins. No." I lowered my hand and turned the rat towards me, forcing it to stare into my eyes. I created a telepathic link with everyone in the room. "See, the story begins with a half empty glass of spiritual energy, if energy could be looked at as a liquid. This energy contained the last traces of Hundun''s will after a particularly tough battle with the Avatar of that time. I am an Avatar in case you didn''t figure that out, Batman has it in his report, I''m sure." I begun distributing the images to their psyche. The illusion of a purple swirling dust cloud that could fit in the palm of a child''s hand drifted aimlessly in a world of rainbow. Wondrous creatures from dreams walked, flew and swam in the air. The Spirit World. The illusions they were seeing were so detailed, they felt like they were there. All of this was done through reading Hundun''s memories. "Hundun was on the cusp of true death. With time, that spiritual energy would join with the rest of the Aether or get devoured by other spirits, ceasing to exist. But...somehow, after a friend of mine crossed over to this side, the last vestiges of Hundun''s spiritual energy piggybacked along the connection, ending up in my realm." The purple dust cloud followed a thread of whit, protected from the blacker than black darkness of the void. "At that time, I was unaware of the invasion. You can''t look for an enemy you don''t know exists. Hundun tried many times to take over any of my creations but failed. He wisely stayed as far way from me and mine however. He had decided to bide his time and wait for the perfect opportunity to regain everything he had lost. A blight in my perfect world." Next an image of high peaks, misty mountains, beautiful beaches, endless oceans and green vegetation appeared. I heard a few gasps at just how beautiful my realm was. In a deep cavern filled with darkness where monstrous snake hybrids native to some of the islands near the Sconiad tower, a dark purple limbless blob stuck to the wet cave walls, feeding on the glowing mold. "And then The Light had engineered a distraction to ensure Superman''s battle against Lobo was not interrupted. Superman was hurt badly. He was... dying. Despite our differences, I understood that I couldn''t let the symbol of Hope and the American way perish. So I took him to my realm to heal him when the sun failed owing to the Kryptonian he''d been hit with." "That''s where things had gone wrong. During the healing, Hundun had seen the perfect opportunity to not only leave my dimension where he was in constant threat of being found out, but to also begin anew in a strong body." Hundun had seeped through the ground while I had been distracted by Sai''s sudden weakness. All these months later and I now understood why he had reacted that way. He was sensing the evil chi burrowing through Superman''s spirit and unfortunately he couldn''t understand what evil spiritual energy was, having never sensed it before. "Superman fought him for control over his body, hence entering into a coma as he refused to give it up willingly...but then Hundun had used a dirty trick. By poisoning Clark''s mind with the images and illusions of his loved ones dying over and over again, with Clark powerless to stop it...he managed to lock away Superman''s mind under a prison of guilt, despair and fear." I stopped and turned towards the kneeling Superman. His eyes were downcast. He reeked of a man who had lost everything. His mind was still under lock. I could break past all the locks with my power, but this needed a more deft hand. I was about to ask either of the Martians to do it before I stopped. Why was I avoiding personally touching his mind? I was more than powerful enough and skilled enough to do it. Here goes nothing. I knelt before him, feeling a presence leave their seat and float to hover above me with glowing blue eyes. Connor. Yaotl was a up on his feet, crossing his huge hands on his chest. "If I was going to hurt him, I wouldn''t be planning on healing him now would I?" I looked back and saw the clone descend. "I know." Connor nodded. "I just think having a friendly face when he wakes up will be good for him." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. He answered politely, throwing me off a little. So Connor could now be reasonable huh? Maybe all hope is not lost. "Fair enough." I waved Yaotl off. Connor walked over and knelt next to me. "Thank you." He stated, too low for anyone else but me to hear. "You''re not a bad person Aden. You saved my family...you saved everyone. I owe you." A small smile graced his face as he looked at me from the corner of his eyes. "Huh." For truly the first time, I was tongue-tied. So I settled for a simple nod. "Let''s...wake him up shall we?" He hummed in Confirmation. My thumb was placed on his forehead. Then something that would dictate practically how this entire meeting would go happened. It was unprecedented and showed me I needed to find a place to practice and acclimate all the new abilities I now had access to. A deep instinct buried deep inside my powers took over. I couldn''t tell you what roused it up. All I know is that my spirit, much stronger than before made the right call. The pressure that spread out was so overwhelming, reality changed as a result. Space folded and time begun acting weird. I felt the League spring up from their seats, ready to defend themselves incase this was an attack. The room disappeared as everyone was pulled in to a realm of light. Light that spread outwards to encompass their full existence. Everything was pulled into the light indiscriminately, the room, then the beach, the continent and the animals. I forcefully halted the process. Anymore and I would have over the trillions of life in my realm inside the domain personification of my soul. I felt each of the League like tiny pinpricks of fire dancing in a blaze of white. My spiritual domain. One by one they each lost strength, falling into the light, getting submerged by my soul, melding with my core. "Ade...n." Wonder Woman''s hand reached out towards me in desperation but my will was now completely focused on one thing, cleansing Superman''s soul of the evil chi roiling inside him. Their plight seemed... inconsequential. The influence from Hundun had turned the Man of Steel into a thrall and the process of how he''d managed to so thoroughly change one''s soul intrigued me. "Stop!!" Batman yelled, his black and grey suit getting tarnished by the limbs of white energy grabbing onto him and the Leaguers, pulling him inside the depths. Dr.Fate created a shield housing those closest to him. Zatara begun chanting while The Flash accessed his speed to try and outrun my realm. Nothing worked. The Martian''s phasing failed. Flight became an issue as the attractive force from my soul became too strong. One by one they were each pulled to the ground. "Connor!" Miss Martian called out but Connor refused to look away from the glowing blue figure with his fingers on his Father''s head. Or rather he didn''t hear. Him, Yaotl, Vaatu and Michael who all stood behind the god of the Elemental Dimension were not harassed by the soul''s devouring effects. Why would they? They had accepted Aden. He was their master, their benovelent god. Why would they be hurt by anything belonging to him? In comparison, the Justice League and the Team had continuously challenged his authority, his power. They had treated him with disrespect. And now that they were under his mercy...they would know who they were dealing with. I felt all of it. All of their thoughts, their fear, their despair...I felt all of it as one by one, each of them was swallowed by me. Into my huge incomprehensible soul. The Justice League were no more. They were now a part of me. Batman''s extensive knowledge on basically everything, Wonder Woman''s divinity, Green Arrow''s ability with a cross bow, the nth metal properties contained in the weapons of the hawkpeople couple... everything that had ever been theirs was now mine. A huge part of me wanted to stay like that. That unification of souls. It demanded that this was the way it should have been. The Avatar had authority over balance right? Why then should I steal this beautiful gift I had offered them? The gift to be a part of something that transcended mere godhood... I laughed at that part of me, seeing the very very very small thread of Fate that had come with assimilating the League try to latch on to me and lead me towards a path of self destruction. If this was Fate''s way of trying to make me break bad...these bitches had another thing coming. "I had allowed you to live, to reflect upon your past transgressions and come to me, grovelling for forgiveness. The only reason, I let you live Lachesis, Atropos and Clotho was my fear at what would happen to humanity without you. Without Fate...but now I understand, you are leaches preying on a pale reflection of what my brother is. You are so insignificant that Destiny never bothered himself with you." "And now your luck has run out." I merely willed and Michael had his foot on the middle of three incredibly old women. pulling them from the Sphere of the gods had been as simple as tugging on a rope held on the other side by a child. Their hair was white and was falling off, exposing patches of rotten skin. My soul merely burned their putridity out of existence. "Please my Lord..." "Forgive us insignificant ants..." "Mercy! mercy! mercy your sovereignty..." "Michael..." Their begging went silent as I concentrated on finishing the task at hand. The infection Hundun had left behind in Clark''s body was finally cleansed and the man of steel''s eyes threatened to open. I sent him back to sleep. His soul needed the rest. Connor was there to hold his body before he could fall. "Thank you." He said without looking up. Tears of red were falling from his eyes. This was his soul''s pain and joy manifested. In here, nothing could be hidden. No falsehood could survive. I turned to the Fates, their lips had been fused together, leaving behind unblemished if leathery skin. Michael, Vaatu and Yaotl made way for me as I floated through. My gaze fell on each of the Fates. Their eyes were full of fear, resignation and despair. "I, Duality of the Endless, Spirit King, Lord of Chaos and Order, Crown over True Balance, pass this decree. No longer shall any iteration of the Fates exist in this universe. Mankind and every sapient creature in existence are free to choose whatever path they want." I felt something significant leave me. A sort of high level energy, incomprehensible to even my strongest creations. Only Michael frowned a little, as if he had sensed something shift. At my feet, Lachesis the alloter, Clotho the spinner and Atropos the inflexible burned with the silver flames of the god of flames. A flame that not only burned their souls but even the idea of the fates. Every iteration of the fates in other pantheons died to silver flames as well. I could feel it. And through that I could also tell that I had made more enemies. In the upcoming universal convention to discuss my actions, I would be surprised if someone was on my side. I blame my war divinity. "Master," Yaotl broke me out of my thoughts by kneeling and placing his weapon next to his feet. His head was lowered as he faced me. He was nervous, just like Vaatu was. "I know what troubles you Yaotl. The both of you," I gestured to him and Vaatu. "Have formed bonds with the heroes and now you want to request for their freedom." "I apologize for my impudence master." Yaotl responded. I breathed in. "Anything to add?" I asked Vaatu who shrugged and looked away. "She makes a good sparring partner." I laughed, knowing he was talking about Wonder Woman. "That she does. I remember one training exercise the team and I went up against her. She kicked our asses." "What! You master Aden? But you''re...you are so powerful my Lord." "Jeez, get off the ground, Yaotl. You''re making all of us uncomfortable." I told my extremely loyal god of War. "He''s not wrong." Michael added. "Your wish is my command Master Aden." Yaotl sprang up to his feet. "Yeah that''s the thing, it doesn''t have to be. Master doesn''t like it when we''re so formal with each other. We are a family, remember?" Vaatu told him in exasperation. "You''re both right and wrong. Sometimes formality is needed..." Michael joined in. I chuckled to myself as they continued arguing among themselves in good nature. Sometimes I forgot that despite how mature and level headed the three of them were, they were still chronologically young. I muted them out, considering my next move. The Fates might have tried this last ditch effort to make me an irredeemable monster but their words had a point. The League had not once or twice tried to undermine my actions, control me and almost label me as a villain. Was it justified? If it was up to their ideals then yeah. Green Arrow and Jordan would no doubt love to see me imprisoned under layers of security in Belle Reeve. So the question is, do I let them go? The answer came to me a split second later. Yeah. If I chose not to, a) Starfire would kill me, b) the choice wouldn''t really feel like mine due to the Fates intervening and c) the league was more useful to me alive. Now, where the fuck did I put those soul contracts... No Takebacks Chapter 238 No Take Backs. (Aden''s P.O.V) The second we were back in the real world, chaos broke out. I stood in the middle of the storm, a small smile full of unending patience on my face. No matter how much they lashed out, they had lost. It was over. "Don''t hurt them too badly." I informed my spirits, leaning back in my chair. "You bastard!" Green Arrow released one crossbow bolt after the other. Yaotl''s Axe slashed out and made quick work of the projectiles. Then in a short bust of speed, he buried the flat side of the axe blade on the chest of the archer, sending him flying off while vomiting blood. ''Nicely done Yaotl. That was a long time coming.'' I praised my god of war for carrying out what I had only dreamt of doing. The fear of casually exploding him into a mist of blood had held me back. ''I exist only to carry out your will Master Aden.'' The axe was twirled expertly as Yaotl used it to block the sonic waves from a furious Canary. The table behind Yaotl suffered the most as each of the other League members were forced to jump away. I made eye contact with Wonder Woman. There was no way they were going to stay out of this. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, I knew it was on. I immediately detected the telepathic fluctuations among them but decided not to listen in to whatever strategy they would come up with. Yaotl, Michael and Vaatu could more than handle this. Oh! Almost forgot! I held up a hand and froze space. Everything found itself in an unbreakable hold. "Time out! Time out!" I dipped a hand into my hammer space and came out with an emergency bowl and package of popcorn. The popcorn popped under expert heat control before I ripped it open and poured the popcorn into the bowl. I tasted a couple and frowned a little. Needs butter. The aforementioned butter appeared in my hands from the fully stocked kitchen, Kori had convinced me to set up after deciding that chicken and pizza were not healthy foods for growing kids. Tch, what did she know? Pizza was basically a package of nutrition, and Chicken? Nothing beats a well seasoned chicken. I poured the butter on the popcorn, adjusted my back on the seat and sighed in contentment. Was I being unnecessary arrogant? Maybe but the truth was, none of this really mattered and the League would soon find out why. I snapped a finger and space unfroze. Yaotl''s hold on the axe was steady as he grabbed a chair and threw it at Canary. The chair broke into pieces under her power. Instead of pressing the advantage Yaotl spun and threw the Axe towards my position. The axe collided with a fast moving blur, smacking the Flash onto the wall of the cottage behind us. "I had him." Vaatu stated in a bored tone. "Flash!" Several voices called out in alarm. Yaotl''s Axe glowed Torquise before my eyes. I followed it''s movements as he called it back to himself. Turns out during his earlier attack, he had jumped into the air. The axe arrived in his hands as he descended to the ground glowing with an aura of power. He slammed onto the table in the middle of the room, breaking it into thousands of wooden shards and throwing the Justice League away. Dust covered the surroundings. With a wave of Vaatu''s hand, a sphere of wind covered us. "Thanks." I told him, offering the bowl of popcorn. He reached out and picked up some, munching on them with a thoughtful look on his face. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "Michael?" I held out the bowl. "Thank you Master Aden. Should we intervene?" He asked making me laugh as I remembered a particularly fun conversation I had had with Yaotl. Time to pass on some more wisdom. "Sometimes, nothing beats an epic 1 vs many fight scene. All the greats have done it. Uchiha Madara, White beard, Monkey D Luffy, Aden Strong...the list is truly long. It''s one of life''s simple joys. Yaotl has understood this...be happy for your brother as he realizes his inner battle maniac." My spirits, flanking me on the sides had on a look of confusion. Confusion that was dispelled when the dust cleared and they spotted Yaotl''s wide smile. Surrounding him on all sides was the Justice League and the Junior Team. Oh boy were they pissed about me assimilating them, it didn''t matter that I''d let them go soon afterwards. Of course it wasn''t without some ''adjustments'' but seriously...you would think they would pay attention to the fact that I had created a boom tube under Superion and Superman. The boom tube had sent them to where I knew a certain Kent family were staying. You''re welcome Lois. Batman''s fist was balled up. His other hand reached behind him and came out with glowing green cuffs. Manacles that were distinctly divine. I narrowed my eyes while seating up in my seat. "You crossed the line Aden! There is no coming back from what you did. Surrender." The dark knight growled out with conviction. Seriously? The smile on Yaotl''s face slipped as he lowered his Axe in disbelief. Vaatu and Michael looked at each other then at Batman. Heck even the other Leaguers and Junior Team were surprised. "Umm...you do understand that I''m like waaaay more powerful now that you''re in my realm right? Not to mention I am a god, no seriously, ask Wonder Woman. If I leaked out just the tip of my true aura you would all be squeezed like a pimple before the pressure." I leaned forward. "I can unmake you, I mean incase you forgot I did do that, for just a few seconds but I now know each of you better than you even know yourselves. Heck, I also know where you got those divine Cuffs. A deal Constantine made with an ancient primordial evil. Something called Pagan." "The collection of the vengeful spirits of a defeated Pantheon from the second civilization. You think the souls of over 100 Primordial gods is enough to bind me? I destroyed the god of evil, Darkseid. I killed him in all the infinite universes and...you ask me to surrender?" Upon the mention of the name Darkseid, the Hawkpeople, the green lanterns and Martian Manhunter reacted nervously. "You...killed Darkseid?" Stewart flew down to the ground. The others were now second guessing themselves. Fuck that, I had popcorn I needed to finish and a show to watch. "Oh no no no you don''t get to act all shocked now." I laughed in disbelief. "No take backs. You wanted to fight me right? Well how about we fulfill that wish." I looked to Yaotl. "Yaotl full power. Don''t break them too much." "As you wish Master Aden." My god of war said. You might think I was being needlessly cruel. However, they needed to be taught a lesson or else this cycle of the League vs me would never end. I hated how they had pushed me into being unreasonable. I was okay with talking it out but...it is what it is. Blue and green flames swirled around Yaotl, growing in intensity as his body underwent massive change. "Everybody back!" Wonder Woman jumped to the front and slammed her cuffs together. The whole cottage exploded as she released her own divinity to combat Yaotl. "Master, the house..." Vaatu pointed out, nothing of what I had lovingly built remained, wrecked under the strength of the God queen of Olympus. Our position was left relatively undisturbed, a zone of 10 meters around us kept safe under Vaatu''s power. "I can put it back together with a mere wave." I frowned. The destruction though still irritated me. "Yaotl don''t play with them. Put them down before you wreck the beach as well." I ordered. Yaotl had undergone massive change, for starters he was now in his hybrid form after shifting from his human one. He was over 7 feet tall and the axe was nowhere to be seen, or rather, his weapon had similarly shifted into black gauntlets glowing Torquise with Aztec symbols. Two golden shields hovered above his shoulder, held in place by nothing. His eyes were a deep Torquise color. "Yes Master." The battlefield was separated into two sides. Yaotl was to our left facing off against the group of heroes on the right. Wonder Woman was at the front, silver armor glowing with starlight cladding her form and the godkiller sword in her hand. On her sides was Captain Atom, bolts primed and ready to shoot, while the Hawkpeople flanked her right. That reminds me...I shaved of a tiny sliver of the nth metal off their maces and sent it to the tower to process and see whether my realm could naturally begin reproducing it. "They are going to lose. Badly." Michael commented from my right. "I don''t know...I think Diana has a chance. Maybe she can last 2...no 1 minute before they lose?" Vaatu countered. "My bet''s on 58 seconds." Michael added prompting me to throw him a glance. "That''s...oddly specific." He shrugged. "I''m an odd guy." "True." Vaatu agreed. I decided to...let it go. Something told me Michael was a mystery I did not want to uncover. His oddness made him him. My eyes flashed white for a second. "I bet 1 minute and 12 seconds. A full 14 seconds more... someone is going to momentarily power up due to the Aether in the air." "Mmmh." Michael hummed, staring at the heroes present. I had theorized that the spiritual energy hanging around the atmosphere would change any outsiders. "I see it now." "Still, Yaotl is a god but that''s not all, he is also a spirit. No matter how powerful she will get, it won''t change the fact that he''s better at controlling spirit energy more than a human." Vaatu commented making Michael shake his head slightly. "Not a human... she''s a different species all together. She only looks like a human." "He''s right. Now everyone shush, it''s about to begin." I ordered just as Yaotl made the first lunge. ::---------------------------------------:: A shorter chapter because I''m not feeling well today guys. Might need to take a break. Why?! (Aden''s P.O.V) To put it simply, they got wrekt. Oh, you want a more detailed version? Probably wondering about the implied Power Up Miss Martian went through? Okay. However, you should understand something, a fight is usually very short. When you''re in it, it''s a different matter all together. You just react and hope that your body has mastered all the skills you have painstakingly practiced. That said, no matter how powerful you are, if you were the League minus some of it''s heavy hitters, the chances of actually besting a god of war were...not great. (General P.O.V) Yaotl was faster than Kid Flash and using that to his advantage he took out Canary through an expert chop to the neck, then spun around Wonder woman''s Lasso, knocking it off course with a blast of well timed flames. The lasso wrapped around Hawkman''s wings and the tug from Wonder Woman brought him crashing down before she could stop herself. Only for Hawkman to meet Yaotl''s fist across his jaw. The smack actually produced a minute shockwave and Hawkman was out for the count. His wife screamed out in rage and flapped her wings, descending on Yaotl like a meteor. The mace struck Yaotl on the face and he burst out into Torquise flames as the construct unravelled. Two almost silmuteneous explosions sounded out. The flames exploded around Hawkwoman, leaving her a smoking mess. Then he ground under, Robin, Artemis, Aqualad and Miss Martian exploded as well. Yaotl sprang out from the burning pit and punched out to his left. A pressure wave followed by a massive fan of flames rushed out towards Stewart, Batman and Martian Manhunter. The shockwave blasted Green Lantern''s shield to smithereens, clearing the way for the humongous flames to bear down on the Dark Knight and the Martian. Screams escaped Martian Manhunter when he started to burn in the flames. "Uncle J''ooonn!!" M''gann screamed out, alerting Yaotl to her presence. Yaotl waved a hand and the burning flames roiled around him before exploding outwards at the second Martian. Miss Martian was badly beat up from the previous explosion, so she could nothing as the attack neared her. Wonder Woman landed infront of her, the ground quaking under her 10 foot and increasing frame as she brought her gauntlets together in a resounding clash. Yaotl''s flame''s were thrown back, flaring across the midday sun like huge curtains. "Stand ba..." Wonder Woman''s Words were cut short when Yaotl blasted through the flame curtains, hand cocked back and ready to strike. The God Queen anticipated her fellow warrior''s next move as she tracked his advance. They had regularly sparred in the past and apart from a few wins by technicals, Diana had never actually managed to best Yaotl in single combat. That didn''t matter now, she had him right where she wanted. Two feet away from her, Wonder Woman wrapped her fingers around the handle of her god killer sword, unsheathed it and swung it out at break neck speeds towards Yaotl''s neck. The blow landed on Yaotl''s gauntlet. Spark''s flew out from the contact and Diana was shocked when Yaotl grabbed the edge of her sword with his open palm. Then he pulled on it. Wonder Woman found herself tugged on by strength that the god of war, the so called ''diplomat'' had never displayed before. Too late she became away of another attack. Time seemed to slow down as ripples appeared along the path Yaotl''s fist took. The fist was similarly covered by a blue energy. When it landed on Diana''s chin, the ground shattered. Spiderwebs grew from their position. The ocean water was pushed away from the beach, revealing shells and fish jumping in the air. The pressure blast from the contact was enough to send M''gann rocketing back into the jungle. Captain Atom, shielded his eyes from the sand wind produced as a result of the attack. Clouds begun forming overhead with rain threatening to fall. The dust cloud finally settled as Captain Atom, Jordan, Zatara and Guy looked around at the devastation. Wonder Woman lay inside a crater, unmoving. Her armor was gone. Replaced by her usual costume. "What was that?! ...I have never felt anything like it!" Captain Atom shouted in alarm. That blue energy had immediately caused Wonder Woman to pass out. "A spirit attack. My god! the shockwaves went deep into her soul." Zatara did the sign of the cross. "Where is he?" Guy asked, forming a large fan that blew away all the dust. "Be careful, this might be another trick." Jordan warned them, his eyes however were stuck on him. Aden Strong. As if feeling his gaze, Aden looked up to him and smiled. The anger was mostly gone from Jordan''s heart. Something else was taking it''s place, nervousness. If this continued...his ring would lose power as his willpower plummeted. No! They had to win this... A flash of yellow appeared next to them in midair, taking the shape of an Ankh. "Nabu!" Zatara said and then levitated closer as Doctor Fate appeared from the portal with magically platforms carrying an unconscious Batman and a badly burnt Martian Manhunter. Dr.Fate held up a hand. "We have better things to do than argue Zatara." The Lord of Order rebuked. Zatara ground his teeth but kept quiet. "Ok then, what''s the plan?" Gardner licked his lips and asked. He had no idea why they were fighting someone who by all accounts was stronger than them. "We surrender." Nabu stated. "Wait what?! Are you cra..." Hal''s statement was interrupted by an outpouring of incredible energy. The same energy they had all felt from Yaotl before. This time it was coming from the jungle. "You hurt Uncle J''onn! My friends! I''ll destroy you!" The trees were uprooted as something barreled right through, coming towards them at supersonic speeds. "Intriguing. She can control the nascent energy in the air." A deep voice stated from between them. Zatara, Captain Atom, Jordan and Guy turned to the center only to see Yaotl standing in midair, in a T-pose. "You came up with an effective strategy. It is cowardly but surrendering is your only way out." "Hsalf ezeer...mmhf!!" Zatara''s ice spell chant was interrupted when the two shields behind Yaotl produced red clothing that wrapped around everyone present, halting their actions and binding them in place. The could only watch as M''gann, her body glowing blue, advance towards the god of war. Behind her, held by more blue outlines, were all sorts of things. Hundreds of trees, rocks and soil. She snarled, her eyes pools of hate nobody had ever witnessed before as she threw the telekinetic held attacks, Yaotl''s way. "Commendable mental prowess, child." Yaotl said, feeling the battering ram on his mind but slapping it away with contempt. "But I am a god." A flash of blue fire exploded out, burning everything behind M''gann except for her. M''gann''s eyes were exposed to a split second sight of Yaotl''s true form as were the Leaguers behind them. Their minds were stunned and they all fell unconscious. And just like that the fight had ended. (Aden''s P.O.V) The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Master, sorry about the beach." Yaotl placed M''gann on the side next to the other Justice League members and said. I sighed on my throne. The fight had ended but I had a feeling that the lesson I had intended to teach had failed. "Master...you lost." Michael unhelpfully informed me. Yaotl frowned. "I...I don''t understand." "We made a bet on how long it would take you to beat them all. Master Aden bet 1 minute and 12 seconds. You exceeded that by 2 seconds." "So 1 minute and 14 seconds." I shrugged. "Not that far off." "PLEASE FORGIVE ME MASTER ADEN! I HAVE FAILED YOU!" Yaotl surprised us by apologizing and slamming his forehead onto the ground. "Whoa whoa whoa calm down big guy! It''s alright." "I am your shield, your sword. What good is a sword that cannot cut as fast as possible? I will atone for this mistake by..." "Trying harder next time." I interrupted him, not wanting to hear him say ''by slaying over a thousand enemies and presenting their scalps to you'' or some other over the top action. "Now stand up Yaotl, it''s time we wrapped up this whole affair." I told him without room for argument. Yaotl nodded and rose to his feet to stand next to Vaatu. Looking around, the whole beach... no, the whole coast was devastated by the Yaotl vs League fight. My cottage was nowhere to be seen, there was a crater where the kids played making sand castles and any vegetation a mile out from our surroundings was gone, only charred ground remained. After Earth had been destroyed, I had sort out a way to prevent the same from happening again or even undoing the damage if I wasn''t there. Normally that would have strayed into the path of temporal manipulation but since I did not have an active Subskill in that category, I went a different route. I got up from my seat and walked a few paces infront. I had complete control over my world. Which meant I could do anything and everything as long as I didn''t overtax the realm too much. Now that she had upgraded and currently having an interesting conversation with my other godly form, she could handle more. However, this time I wasn''t using my authority over the realm to put everything back together. "Spatial Load!" I called out the name of the skill for the heck of it. Faster than the blink of an eye everything was back to normal. The League were all sitting in their chairs looking confused and befuddled by what had happened. "It''s called Spatial Load. I basically saved an exact mental copy of how space used to be before you and Yaotl begun fighting. I just loaded the saved the copy and cut out the one where you were all bleeding on my floor." I explained. It might have sounded easy but Spatial Load was the most dangerous skill in my arsenal right behind silver flames, chaos and order states. Every second chemical reactions happened in midair, one wrong tweak when activating Spatial Load and a chain reaction towards destruction would begin. Space would stretch, shrink, break, shatter and a plethora of undesirable outcomes. "Now." The ever present smile that had been on my face disappeared. I had frozen space around them for equal measure. They couldn''t move or do anything, only listen. "No more games. I will talk and you will listen." They kept silent of their own volition; I couldn''t feel anyone struggling against my hold. Eyes downcast, faces hopeless, they tried to come to terms with the fact that they had been so soundly defeated, if it was death none would have escaped. I slammed my hands on the table, stunning everyone. "3 TIMES! 3 FUCKING TIMES! That''s how many times we''ve had the same dance and song. So I''ll make this clear, this is the final time." I rose up to my full height, eyes flashing as I sent over my memories to all their minds. I looked on as their faces underwent changes at different intervals. Vandal Savage organizing a force to kill me, me destroying them and capturing Hundun and Kara (the young Kryptonian was undergoing de-brainwashing by a specialized medical bot in a secluded island), my overwhelming battle with Darkseid that led to the destruction of two planets the size of the Solar System, Darkseid''s death and then my arriving to find the earth destroyed. I put my emotions in the mental retelling as well. The hate I held for Darkseid for destroying humanity''s home and the pleasure I got from remembering how I had killed him. Then I showed them, hijacking the War World, saving the Lanterns and sending Grayven to Michael for some one on one time. I skipped over the Mercury interaction as well as the time I had spent with my family. "And that leads us to now." I spoke up cutting off the transmission. "I saved humanity, got back at the ones who started this entire crisis. But, time has shown that, I will always be the evil party in your eyes. And to be frank, I respect your dedication to upholding truth, Justice and honor. The only thing I don''t understand is why you choose to see the bad side in every action I take. Why not the good as well?" "I don''t fucking concern myself with what you do. I don''t dig my nose into your affairs. So why do you clamor to shackle me to those same beliefs when they clearly don''t work for me? I have the power to destroy an entire galaxy! Do you understand that?! Can you fathom that size? 100,000 light years, gone. Poof! But I haven''t, have I?" I was actually realizing just how much their dislike for me had affected me. The truth was, these had been my heroes. My heroes were looking at me with fear. As if I was the villain. "You say I should not kill, tell me something Batman, is there a prison strong enough to hold Darkseid? And even if there was, earth villains like fucking Kite Man escape Arkham all the fucking time, scale the damage they wreak to Gotham by a few magnitudes and you''d be telling me to let someone capable of juggling with planets for fun to walk away. An irredeemable monster who if it weren''t for my foresight would have been responsible for the death of over a trillion beings!" A few of them seemed contemplative. "But hey, don''t mind me. Just ranting here like I''ve done a thousand times before. You know at some point, you just gotta say fuck it. To each their own." I gestured to myself. "I''m content to say exactly that, do whatever I want as long as it doesn''t hurt anyone innocent but you...even without trying, you will still poke your noses in my business. The Lanterns will use the excuse of being the galactic equivalent of law enforcement (sorry my realm is not part of the universe). You will even find that your rings will not recharge even if you use your lantern." "This is not earth so the majority of you have no jurisdiction and Diana, you are the god queen of a pantheon that does not have any influence in the forces of my world. Basically, you guys are guests. No even worse, you''re unwanted guests. But I realized that you had nowhere to go, so I ALLOWED you to enter my realm. Whether you stay is up to your willingness to follow the rules." "For starters, the Justice League no longer exists. Not in any unofficial or governmental capacity." Their wide eyes were priceless. "A universal force of peace keeping and maintaining law and order shall be picked from a wide range of different nation''s police force, army, navy, air force and other intelligence agencies. If you wish to join the Enforcers, which is the name they''ll go by, then you will have to apply and wait one month before being allowed to join as a probationary member." "The use of your abilities will be closely monitored. This might change based on how long it will take to find another planet humanity can live in with their own forms of self governance. Food, clothing, shelter and medical services will be provided for each and every person. However, education, recreation and other secondary activities shall be discussed in due time. Remember, humanity is not here to stay. Now you can talk." I unfroze them. "What makes you think you have the capacity to stop us from helping someone in need?" Wonder Woman bit out. The same question was in everyone''s mind. "Have you forgotten the beating Yaotl just unleashed on all your collective asses?" I shook my head. Never met a group more stubborn. "Fine, I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you this. When I absorbed you into myself, I tweaked with something. Your souls signed a contract with me for your freedom." I could see horror dawn on their faces. "The contract is very straightforward. You will follow any rules I set up concerning your interaction with anything, anyone and everything inside my realm. The contract loses meaning in the outside world but as long as you''re here, what I say goes." I finished. "You...you monster." Canary accused. I held Yaotl from jumping in and splitting her into two. "Yes, a monster who saved countless lives when you were stuck inside a floating space station. Where do you get the courage to accuse me of being a monster when I am just looking out for my realm? When you go to someone''s house do you act accordingly and with grace or do you ignore his courtesy and rules. Do you shit at the table of your host?! Do you break the plates and cups?! Spare me that load of horseshit Canary." I looked around. "If you can''t follow the rules..." A boom tube manifested to the side. "Then you''re free to go. This boomtube will take you to OA. The guardians planet is safeguarded by an environmental shield, so no danger of suffocating in the harsh environment of space. You can stay there until they decide what to do with you. It''s clear to see that I personally really really really don''t want you here. Aqualad and his team can stay however." Silence dominated the room. Guy rose up. "Guy, what is the meaning of this?!" Hal hissed. "Someone has to inform the Guardians about what happened to the planet and all the people there." He explained to the others before turning towards me. "I...have family. Can I please stop by whenever I can?" He asked me politely. I gave him a nod. "Just invoke my name three times and a portal will open as long as you''re alone." He nodded in gratitude and walked towards the Boom tube. The next to rise up was Hawkman. "I similarly have to send a report to Thanagar. My planet had vested trade interests in earth." I nodded. "Invoke my name three times and you shall be allowed in." He walked through after hugging his wife. Wonder Woman made to get up but I subtly shook my head. Diana and I were not done yet. There was the issue of her sisters to discuss. Now that humanity was living without borders, a lot of aggression would definitely form between the men hating Amazons and the general populace. I did not hurry to close the boom tube in favor of M''gann. The martian girl was alternating between staring at her team and the portal. Everyone could see her indecision clearly. Eventually she made her choice, choosing to remain seated next to her friends. I closed the boomtube. "It''s not right." Batman bit out, shaking with emotion. That''s when I realized I had completely beaten them. There was no way Batman would leave over 7 billion lives under my rule. The man was the walking replica of paranoia, distrust and suspicion. Still... "I know it feels like slavery. Not to mention how violating the whole experience must have been. That was not my intention, but life is rarely fair. The fact that you''re all grown adults in costumes fighting crime speaks in favor of that sentiment. I apologize. I cannot undo the contract but I apologize." "Why?! You took the choice to willingly follow your rules from our hands. Nothing you say can alter that fact." J''onn spoke up. His calm countenance, a facade for the tumultuous emotions I could see in his eyes. "Why? Because you''re stubborn. Persistent and worst of all, accountable. The League loves to tout about how you respect the UN and every nation. You wouldn''t go into a country without permission. And that means you believe you''ve covered for any and all errors in judgement you might make." "You believe you know better because there is someone to hold you accountable incase you mess up and that leads to you thinking your ideals are the only ones that matter. But it''s a sham. I mean if it truly came down to it, how the fuck would the UN or any other government hold the league accountable? You''re stronger than any nation''s army! The whole notion is laughable." "You would have fought me tirelessly. And your conviction would have only grown with each push. You would begin utilizing everything at your disposal to take down my ''dictatorship.'' You would have mistaken self entitlement for Altruism. When you think you know better, in your eyes nobody else does." I paused, deciding to finally tell the truth. "And...you would have made me kill you." She Is Gaea part 1 (Aden''s P.O.V) I tried to push away the memories from my Flame God form. I had concluded my tense meeting with the League and then taken them to the residential areas. Seeing Barry reunite with his girlfriend was heart warming and made me miss Kori and the kids even more. Getting the others situated turned out be much easier as they each just disappeared into their assigned areas. The bots had simply led them to more reinforced and closely connected houses due to who they were. Separating them would have been the wise move for sure and would probably lead to the League getting absolved eventually but an idea sprang into my mind. An idea that would ensure I would have nothing to worry about from the Justice League again. After everyone had left, I was standing on the roof of a building with Batman and Wonder Woman behind me. "Look around." I spread out my hands. "Tell me this isn''t the closest to an ideal world that we can get." "An ideal world is not backed by a dictatorship." Batman was quick to answer. "Let us agree to disagree on that front." I moved past the aggressive move to start an argument. Jeez, you''re already beaten, accept your defeat. "What do you want Bruce?" I asked him. The detective stood up straighter. "A compromise. The world might not need our fighting skills but the League has much more to offer than that." "So you want me to allow you the freedom to plot behind my back?" I turned to look at him. "You''re not even going to try to give this a chance, are you Bruce? You have nothing. No money, no influence, no endless resources to throw at problems. Maybe this is an opportunity to see things from a different perspective. To understand how those who had nothing growing up, live their lives. There is honor in a simple existence." Batman said nothing. His jaw was clenched as he kept a blank expression on his face. "You''ve always wanted to leave the cowl behind. Maybe this is the time to do exactly that." I pressed on. "As long as there are people who try to enforce their ideas onto others, the world will need the Justice League." Batman answered. He reached to his cowl and removed it. "But I am willing to do this differently." He amiably added. "All I ask is for you to practice what you preach. You do not want to be a dictator, then allow us to see that. Give me access to what I need to make life better for the 7 billion lives you took it upon yourself to save. If you''re afraid I''ll be coming for you then I''ll ask you where the confidence in the power you displayed went." "Bruce." Wonder Woman warned, however I held up a hand. "You know what Bruce, I''m disappointed in you. You used to stand for something true but now you''re resulting to provocation just to prove a point. The truth is, yes, I am afraid of you. But not because of what you can personally do to me. I''m afraid of you because you might be the final straw that broke the camel''s back." I stepped in closer. "You see, when you''re on my level, morals take a back seat. I care because I want to care not because society constraints me in a set of rules. I''m a god, a fact not narcism Bruce and if you want to keep pushing your luck, so be it. You''re free to make any proposals to the current governing board responsible for humanity''s integration into the world." I smiled, "The head is actually a good friend of yours. Lex Luthor. All the presidential representatives of each nation chose him as the leader of the United Earthling Coalition, the successor to the UN." I looked away in clear dismissal. Talking with Batman was always exhausting. "I''m sure the both of you are going to have lots of fun." I heard as the Dark Knight leapt away, finally leaving me with Diana. She walked closer to stand next to me. "You made the wrong choice. Bruce is relentless. This will not end the way you expect." I snorted. "On the contrary, it will end exactly as I predict. You fail to grasp something Diana, I know everything there is to know about each of you." "Batman dreams of wrapping his hands around the joker and squeezing until light leaves his eyes. Hal craves for power to surpass any before him. The Thanagarians had a plan to slowly but surely annex earth to be a part of Thanagar, Kid Flash is always afraid that when he goes out to fight crime...one day his speed might not be enough and someone dies..." I turned to her. "And you..." She tensed. " You guard your inner thoughts with an impressive resolve because you are ashamed...you are ashamed because of what you want." I touched her cheek with the back of my hand. She gulped and leaned into the touch. "When did it start Diana? No. silly question. You''re just attracted to strong men. First it was Clark because he could break the planet in half if he wanted, then it was Batman because his mind was even more deadly and then along the way...me. Powerful, smart, ruthless when it calls for it. The perfect combo of power and intelligence." The illusion faded, showing that I had never left my position, content to stare at the wider world. "We can never be a thing Diana because you lack something Kori doesn''t. She chose me. You on the other hand will always be held back by ideals you do not even believe in and refuse to give up control. The point, to all this is that, you''re all players in a game that I control. So start acting like it." I didn''t need to look behind to know she was clutching her fingers into tight fists. Winder Woman Was prideful, a warrior who had tussled with the best. She took a deep breath and looked up, trying to hide the pain of my rejection. "Why did you want to see me?" Her tone was formal, so I matched it. "Your mother informed you of what your people have been doing to the males you sire right?" She gave a curt angry nod. Her eyes were scrunched up in disgust. "It is a barbaric practice." I nodded. "Exactly and now that the Amazons are not isolated inside an invisible island, I fear that interaction with the outside world will bring forth more than a few problems. My drones are currently monitoring their every action but it is not a permanent solution. One of my own will oversee a meeting between the two factions. Tell your mother that I''ll summon her soon." She agreed and left without another word. I ran a hand through my long golden hair and sighed. One last thing to do and then I could go get me some sweet Kori attention. I warped to the budding UEC building (United Earthling Coalition) the zone before the UEC was undergoing construction for a very cool project. A 500 plus mega statue of yours truly. You see, something came to mind after realizing I could acquire more divinities through getting worshipers. And I had a potential massive number of worshipers in my realm. So this was an experiment. An experiment to see if I could create a cult. Yikes, how the heck did my life turn out like this? This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. There was a lot of activity going on in the EUC building. The realm had copied the same design of the United Nations set up. So it was an eerily familiar human set up. The ongoing construction on that, seemed to freeze as a golden man appeared in the middle of the room. Everybody raised their eyes to look up at me in wonder. Over 1000 people pointed and whispered as I floated above them to where I knew the elevator was to the conference hall. My body phased through the elevator shite and simply flew through metal and the material used in creating the walls to arrive through the floor of the UN secretary''s dais. A loud wave of gasps sounded out when my form emerged. "What is the meaning of this?! An asian representative who sat with a plaque that read Mongolia demanded only to have a massive pressure land in the room. "You run your mouth with impudence mortal, unaware of what stand''s before you." Yaotl coldly stated. "It''s alright Yaotl, they will soon learn." I waved him off, the pressure disappearing as they all watched me ascending to my rightful place. My spirits, Vaatu and Yaotl, flanked a throne above the UEC''s raised platform where Luthor sat with a strange look on his face. He stared at me with something unreadable. Then slowly, Luthor got up, faced me and bowed. "Welcome to our humble discussion, your honor. We are glad to have you here." Well well well, who knew Luthor could ass kiss. The best part, he was actually serious. He knew I had them all at a clear disadvantage. The new pecking order was me, then everything else in a descending list the way I wanted. I was going to have so much fun. (Elsewhere) "Focus. Don''t let your mind wander..." I instructed. This was harder than I thought it would be. "No, you''re trying to press everything together and hold it with pure will, that will only exhaust you in the long run. It''s like a puzzle piece...oh you don''t know what a puzzle is?" I sent her an image of what a puzzle was. It''s individual pieces separating then combining perfectly to form something beautiful. We were communicating through a spiritual language. Her mind was not strong enough to bear my full touch, so i took special care not to bombard her with too much information. It was slow going but at the end, it would be worth it. (General P.O.V) (3 days later) He woke up feeling like he had had the longest and most relaxing sleep of his life. Clark''s eyes widened when he remembered everything that had happened. "Lois!" "Shh... I''m here Clark. I''m here." A teary voice said, hugging him as if her life depended on it. Then she started bawling. Clark instinctively brought his palm to her back and rubbed her gently, holding her to his arms in a vice but gentle grip. "Oh god...oh thank you god. I thought...I thought I had lost you." "Shh, don''t cry. I''m not going anywhere." Tears were threatening to fall from his eyes as well. Over Lois'' shoulder he saw his other precious people. "Oh Clark my boy..." His mom and dad were standing on the doorway. "Ma, Pa...I missed you." They both walked forward and came to hug him and Lois. "Connor...?" Clark asked. Ma and Pa looked at each other. "He''s outside. He wanted to give us some privacy." Pa shook his head. "Told him he had to be here too. He''s family too but..." Clark nodded with a smile. He knew his son was just as stubborn if not more than him. "I''ll talk to him." Clark assured, he could already guess what was troubling him. Guilt mostly. Only after a while did Clark notice that something was different. "Umm...where are we?" Finding Connor was easy. Crossing the long distance from the residential area the Kent family had been assigned was a different matter. Everything was so alien and there was much to see. The buildings were built in the most optimal way possible to make for a fully occupied space without feeling too crowded. Clark had analysed the metal and concrete making up the walls of the building and found out that the material was constructed from a mineral that was highly resistant to damage as well as malleable to some extent. Clark pushed his supervision to it''s limit and managed to find conduits of energy running down to the ground from the residential house. Every building was not constructed on the wide flat area rather it was constructed FROM the ground itself. He had to fly above the clouds to avoid detection. After what Lois and his parents had told him, he did not want to alarm anyone by his presence. Not until he regrouped with the Justice League and came up with a good excuse for why he had been missing. His civilian identity was even more complicated to sort out. Where had Clark Kent been for the last 3 months? All these questions ran around his mind nonstop, as he enjoyed the scenery. The whole realm was beautiful. Vegetation randomly grew between the houses to provide a more wholesome feel. The open ground and roads were just a smooth layer of the same material making up the buildings, and each building was constructed in the same monotonous way. Clark knew that would change soon as creativity have way to new color tones and ingenuity. The whole of humanity was confined to one massive continent...it boggled the mind and left the recently awake Kryptonian shocked. Far off into the distance, he could see a huge statue that was taller than the empire state building. The statue was still under construction but Clark could definitely see who the statue was being dedicated to. Aden. Clark frowned. Unsure of his feelings on the young man. He had saved him and not only that but flashes of someone familiar when he had been under the control of...Clark stopped in place. He had been trying his best to avoid thinking about that. There was no reprieve to be found. All he could remember was a tiny dark space that squeezed unto him. The sensation of space shrinking around his form, tightening. Like a hangman''s rope choking him and... "Are you alright?" Connor arrived before him. For a second both of them said nothing else and then Clark hugged the young teen. "Connor!" "Hey... dad." Connor smiled. That word didn''t feel as weird now as it did back then. "Glad to see you''re awake and already looking for someone to save." The younger boy joked, hiding his tears by wiping his eyes with his sleeves. After the pleasantries, both Kryptonians floated around at a leisure pace. "...And so that''s when I decided to name myself Superion, hoping...no, knowing that you WOULD come back. Superman is a symbol of more than hope, it''s an ideal we aspire to reach. You inspire the masses just by the mention of your name. It belongs to the people just as much as it does to you. I did not want to selfishly take it for myself." Clark laughed. "What?" Connor asked, bewildered. "I don''t think I''ve ever heard you rant before." Clark answered, patting the younger man''s shoulder. "I''m happy that you chose to go your own path, Superion. I''m happy that you found yourself. That you found an identity you can aspire to live up to." Connor smiled. A genuine smile that lit up his face and eliminated the last few things that distinguished both men from each other. Connor looked like the spitting image of Clark. Seeing the matching smile on his father''s face, Connor looked away in guilt. That smile reminded him of his little brother. It reminded him that he had to break the news soon and that Clark would not take it well. For now though, he didn''t have to worry about that in favor of even more urgent things to think about. No rest for the wicked indeed. "Why don''t I show you around some more?" Connor offered to which Clark agreed to enthusiastically. The first place they flew towards was the beautiful lake that was to the east of Aden''s statue. Getting there took over 20 minutes at their leisure flight speeds, which was a lot. The trip to the lake turned out to be just what they needed to break the ice fully as Connor told Clark about everything he had missed. The lake lacked a name though. Then they went back the way they came. "Wow." Superman said, looking at the slowly enlarging Statue in his sight on their way back. Up close and the structure looked even more massive than he had initially thought, taller than the empire state building at least. They pulled in closer, Clark stopping to stare at the masses of white and gray dressed people standing before the safety boundary of the foundation of the statue. A massive well of glowing white water shimmered in the afternoon sun. Behind the Statue was a huge stretch of castle like buildings making up the administrative complex. "What are they doing?" Clark asked, about to use his super hearing but deciding to first hear Connor''s explanation. The younger Kryptonian smiled. "Worshipping." Clark blinked. "I see. So it''s true then, the earth is truly destroyed and Aden saved everyone." Connor nodded. "More or less. However, it''s a bit more complicated than that." Clark frowned at the response. "Follow me." Connor informed him, taking off towards the west where a huge mountainous range took over for thousands of miles before the ground evened out again. Clark followed behind with a confused frown on his face. They flew for a few hours before landing on a thick jungle leading up to the huge range. Clark had witnessed over a hundred different species of animals. Hybrids that made no biological sense. Inside the jungle the phenomenon was even more common. Eventually, Clark could feel as his body passed through a film of energy. His sight eventually grabbed something peaking out of the rough and uneven terrain. A tower of sorts that was similar to the ones you''d see in fantasy movies. "A magical veil?" He questioned in the way of asking what purpose it served but Connor shook his head. "Let''s get there first." They drew closer to the tower before finally passing through the huge openings and arriving in a sparse but neat reception area. A woman in a white overcoat was behind the reception. She rose up in shock. Clark wasn''t wearing his usual costume but was instead dressed in a strange garb that undulated with a certain energy, he couldn''t clearly perceive even with his powers. The garb was tight fitting, like the Solar Suit Connor had been wearing before. It was most likely something left behind by Hundun, then with a touch of Aden''s power, the suit had changed into something else. Clark had the feeling that if he wanted, the suit could take on any form he willed. The fact that the Receptionist recognized him while he was wearing the purple body suit made him do exactly that. He concentrated and willed for the body suit to change into his classic Superman costume. The red, blue and yellow was comforting to his eyes. Connor whistled. "Neat." He walked forward, leaving Superman admiring his costume. "The 9th slice of the pie please." He informed her in secret code. The pretty receptionist blinked and then pressed a button under the desk. Connor stepped back as the ground lit up in a yellow glow. "What is this Superion?" Superman asked, intrigued as they stepped into the glowing circle. "A group called Interests Of Humanity (IOH) has sprang up in the past couple days after Aden made a huge announcement." The light swallowed them and a new view appeared before their eyes. It was an entire world made up of an unending white space. The horizon was more white and their outlines were different as well. A yellow mystic energy clad their bodies as they flew towards the only thing that looked out of place in the white world. A huge castle in the middle of all the white, the grey tones of its structure contrasted well with the white void around everything. "A creation of Dr.Fate. Normally nothing can escape Aden''s perception. This entire place is a pocket dimension linked to the Lord of Fate''s helmet." A look of suspicion appeared in Superman''s eyes. "Interests of Humanity. IOH." Superman''s eyes grew hard. "Bruce is part of this, isn''t he?" Superman wondered. Connor looked at his father and sighed. They were drawing closer to the castle. "Yes. And I need your help to stop him from getting himself killed...or worse." Connor shivered. Superman did not need to ask what was worse than death because he was already aware. They flew the rest of the way in silence. She Is Gaea part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) "This is the final part and you''ll be good to go." I informed her, then waved my hand in mid air, presenting her with the photorealistic illusionary blueprints of different humanoid forms. A total of 6 prime forms for her to choose from. "I am sure you have no doubt recorded the d.n.a strands of these 6 races. To start off, we have Kryptonian, then Tamaranean, Martian, homo sapiens sapiens and it''s off shoots, homo sapiens superior, homo sapiens Aqua, homo sapiens magi then Thanagarian or the strongest d.n.a, Quintes!" I proudly announced, eyeing the faint bright outline that was her nascent mental form looking through and judging what she wanted. She stopped before each faint body illusion before moving on. The illusions were generic featureless figurines. What she was doing was pairing each race name with the d.n.a information of that race stored in her database. She lingered on the last figure Quintes, which was different from the rest of the illusions. This particular figure was just an adorable image of Vor. I smiled at the action. It might seem meaningless but everything I was doing was part of a test. The bright and ghostly form stepped back before turning to me, looking indecisive. The smile on my face grew larger. "Well, which one do you choose?" "Which one do you choose?" She repeated the words back to me. A shocked laugh escaped me as I leaned in. "''I'' don''t have to choose. You need to choose. ''I'' do not NEED to choose. By process of elimination of need..." I waited with bated breath. "I want to choose." The reply was sure, confident and did not lag. I closed my eyes. "Finally." She had breached the last wall to consciousness. Now for the last test. "Which one do ''I'' Choose?" I shrugged. "I have no idea. You tell me what you like." She went silent, going around the images once again. "Based on my data, all of these have one form of easily exploitable weakness, that will hinder me in carrying out my functions. I estimate a reduction of 60% in functionality." I nodded. "That is true. Nothing is truly perfect. Even the concept of something being perfect is imperfect. Perfection might be the greatest imperfection out there. The fact that something can have no flaws, when everything in its make up is intrinsically linked to flawism. The explanation, the sight, the existence." I smiled at her confused feelings. "I hope I''m not boring you. Anyway, my point is basically this...we can only get as close to perfection as we can. Life is an opposition to the true nature of the universe. The universe wants to be dead yet we steal that right away. That''s why each problem you face is nothing but another obstacle to overcome. So tell me, what do you think you should do?" She was silent for even longer before her mental outline begun to materialize more. "I have created 2 new tasks. The first way to tackle this huddle is by attempting to remove each weakness inherent in all the d.n.a samples." I nodded, a feeling of satisfaction gripping me. "And the second?" I asked in curiousity, sitting at the edge of my seat. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "Run simulations and observe the chances of combining all the samples into a stronger variant made up of each d.n.a in their prime, weakness- removed form." Her answer was everything. "Congratulations Gaea, you feel and now you reason too." The blurry outline of her mental form was now more than that. Before me hovered a completely blue girl made up of lines of code. She looked young. About 4 years old with no hair on her head. She blinked her clear and glowing white eyes as she looked herself over. "I.. am." "Yes." I nodded. "Yes you are." Gaea gazed up at me and changed her body from a 4 year old to a completely green colored 9 year old. Then the color changed again into a bright yellow matched by a 12 year old body. A long dress and hair flowed down her form, the lines of code changing into bright yellow skin. I stayed silent through all these critical processes. She looked at her hands and cocked her head to the side. Her skin tone shifted once more along with her age. This time she was dressed in a black dress with white skin and white hair. Her face gained more humanoid features. A small nose, lips, eyelashes framing her beautiful white orbs and similarly white teeth, hidden by blue lips. It was a certain kind of alien beauty. Something you could only look at but never get close to. A glacier beauty. She frowned before looking at me and gaining a thoughtful look on her face. Her pasty white skin went tan, then brown and then dark brown. Her white eyes remained the same but acquired green, brown and red rings. Her dress changed from black to white, then her hair changed into thick blue strands that suspiciously looked like water. A crown of leaves made from chipped pieces of rare minerals like diamond, platinum, rubies and other precious stones formed on her head. She looked to be about 16. I helpfully used the limited control over my new unlocked element, water to create a mirror for her. She recoiled from her image in a way that hurt my heart. I appeared behind her and turned her face towards the mirror. "No, look, look Gaea." Eyes wide with the fear of her own rejection, she studied the way she looked. The mature yet young features that distinctly looked like no one I had ever seen before. Hers was the most exotic of all exotic beauties. She shared familiarities with everyone I had ever seen before. And when I finally understood why, I only hoped she would realize how incredible she was. "That is why you couldn''t chose either of the d.n.a strands. Your beauty transcends all. You cannot be one thing because you''re everything. This realm and everything inside is you Gaea. Even the non-existence stars surrounding the star system. Every grain of sand, every insect native to you or to earth, the animals, the plant, the people, you are all of what you are. You are Gaea. More in its encompassing form." Reaffirmed by my words, the girl underwent the final change in my eyes, her eyes changed from white to a swirling mass of stars floating in the darkness like the night sky. The color rings in her Cornea separated the stars into three regions. "Well done Gaea. Well done." The mental projection was finally strong enough that I could do something for her about an autonomous body separate from the realm. Not a body for her to live in but to live through. I turned to face her and led her back to our meditative area. "Ok the next step is mine. Tell me if you feel anything weird." She gave a nod, content to watch her hand as she traced curves and lines through the air. Her actions were accompanied by spirit energy following closely behind every action she took. I closed my eyes and breathed in. Gaea was always not going to get a real body. That would be too restricting and cause complications as she would lose all of what made her her in the first place. She was the realm, not a biological creature but something even greater. However, ice cream is unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, real. And Gaea was part of my family now. I wanted to share all the small but good things that made life enjoyable. So she wasn''t getting a body strong enough to clam all her essence into thereby changing her nature. She was already as perfect as she was. Free as a bird. Infact the spirit energy in the air belonged solely to her. What she was getting however was something akin to an Avatar. A glove. This could be achieved by creating a secondary form, attached to her in a meta sense that she could deploy anytime she wanted. Like a puppet she could control and feel through but wouldn''t be at risk of danger if the strings cut or the puppet died. I had never done this before but I was a god. The limit of my lesser divinities were obvious after much looking into. I could not create life out of simple materials and then hope that that life would be tangible enough to exist free of any complications. The spirit would only be as real as the body and vice versa. That''s why a person''s soul took the shape of the body despite the two being contrasts to one another. Luckily, I wasn''t creating it out of scratch. As long as either of those two important things existed, then I could do something with it. I could use the body to form the spirit or the spirit to form the body. This particular case, I took a step back and only lent Gaea my divinity to use as a clutch for the last step. She was going to create her own Avatar without any interruptions or distractions from yours truly. "You ready?" I asked. "Yes. I am although...I feel a few people plotting against you Master Aden." I smiled. She was getting more and more real as time went by. "Don''t worry about that. Right now, you''re the only thing I care about." Gaea had her lips opened in faint surprise. Then her mental projection smiled. "Right!" I laughed at her enthusiastic answer. "So, have you decided what your Avatar is going to look like?" A thoughtful look appeared on her face. "Mmmh... actually, yes." She perked up. "I like blue." Welcome to Paradise: The Announcement (Aden''s P.O.V) "Are you ready?" I asked Gaea who was busy floating in the air above the Sconiad island. My fingers moved over the holographic keyboard hovering over the massive console attached to the Sconiad tower. I was inputting some basic directives. Hard coding data into a compressed packet of information, observation and solutions on how to make life much better for the lives that were now depending on me for sustenance. Here''s the thing, humanity destroys. The steps that mankind had taken over the last 2 centuries or so were crazy. A society backed by industrial revolution but missing one key factor. A strong foundation. That was the reason why Earth was or rather had been on a slow trek to death. Climate change being the most impactful consequence of running before we could walk. Humanity was also responsible for why so many species had gone extinct, lost to the annals of history. I did NOT want that to happen to my realm. Gaea could probably handle it though, she was a conscious world. So you could say, the directives I was feeding into her were a set of rules and guidelines to ensure that humanity did not get too carried away with innovation and end up destroying everything I had built. "This feels so freeing yet so narrow at the same time. What a strange feeling." Her voice reached me from everywhere. "Yeah I bet it does." She had chosen a completely blue like form, choosing to look like Cortana rather than the exotic beauty of her mental projection''s form. The latter was her true self, given substance. It was glorious but dangerous as well. I hadn''t known it but after asking her why she had insisted in choosing an underwhelming clear blue instead of how she viewed herself, her answer had been enlightening. "Just as you, Yaotl, Vaatu and Michael are wary to show your true forms to mortals, my true form would break their minds. I estimate a 98% likelihood that anyone who sees me in that form would end up with their spirits enslaved to my will." She still looked gorgeous though. I wonder, is beauty somehow synonymous with power? More questions for when I don''t have over a million things hanging over my head. My flame god form was just beginning it''s announcement to the EUC and luckily I was already wrapping up everything I needed to wrap up so that the new changes would take effect the minute I stopped my announcement. (Residential Area) In each of the billion plus complexes housing every human, from a newborn to a senior citizen, a hologram with the Avatar symbol appeared. On the outside, the hologram took effect as massive display above the EUC building and could be seen from hundreds of thousands away. Space seemed to impose the size of the hologram evenly throughout everywhere to the point where the size didn''t change whether you were 2 feet away or a million miles away. Humanity as a whole tuned in to see what would happen next. The logo which was a collage of different colors that managed to communicate the feeling of perfect balance to everyone''s mind, changed into a feed showing all the government leaders barring the ones who had died during Savage''s Attack. (The EUC) "Order." Luthor called out, his voice reaching each representative of the previous nations of earth. ''Previous'' because to me, segregation meant entitlement which led to extreme nationalism which led to conflict down the line. Fuck that political bullshit. Luthor ran his gaze around the whispering room. These politicians were nervous at my presence because they knew, democracy, laws and international relations would do them no good here. They didn''t have nukes to bargain or threaten me with. I WAS the leader of this world. And it brought me endless elation to see these greedy men and women who had excelled at keeping the gap between the rich and poor caught so off guard by me. Stolen story; please report. "Approximately 6 hours ago, earth faced it''s greatest calamity. A crisis which we all felt would end when those who we call our heroes saved us." Luthor sighed. "No one could have anticipated such a drastic turn of events. The Crisis changed from what would have been a tragedy to a living nightmare." He went silent, as if processing what he had said. "Earth is gone." A somber mood gripped the whole room. Some of them were even shedding tears. "But not all is lost. What is a Kingdom? Is it the land or the people? The people are what make it all move. A king cannot rule rocks, trees and soil. The people are the beating heart." His words seemed to alleviate the negative feelings in everyone''s heart. "And so we will persevere. Just like our ancestors have endured for generations, mankind''s story does not end with us. We will rise up once again. A new start." He looked up at me and nodded. What an intro. "A new beginning." I added, rising up from my throne, set above the Secretary''s chair. My body must have cut an impressive figure. Dressed in a long flowing robe with it''s sleeves cut, standing head and shoulder above everyone else and my skin glowing golden. They all sat up straighter, eyes comically wide with awe. I did not need to add any effects to the glow that suffused the entire room, it just happened naturally. My lesser divinities working through the flame god form to display various effects. The light touched upon them and healed their broken souls and weary bodies. I held nothing but contempt for politicians but my compassion and kindness for those who were hurting outweighed that. "The future is never written in stone. Your fate is yours to carve. No one can take that right from you, not anymore at least." I stopped in midair, standing on nothing yet completely sturdy. "Let me officially welcome you all to my paradise." I spread out my arms and allowed more of the light to leak out. Gasps rang out through the whole room. "Kami..." The Japanese representative whispered to himself and I immediately begun to sense a torrential downpour of faith energy get funneled into my core. Speaking of which, there wasn''t a tab to show me how much faith energy I had. My reserves were a mystery. I cleared my throat. "When calamity struck, your gods abandoned you. They were not fast enough to stop the servant of the god of evil from taking everything you have ever cared for, away from you." "I heard your plea. Your souls, your futures calling out to me. To save you and what you hold dear. And so I did. Not out of duty, or out of a need to be worshipped but because just as you believe in gods, I chose to believe in humanity. To believe in your complex moral attunements. To accept the bad and the good and seek to preserve this special thing you have been gifted. LIFE." The entire room was almost blinding as my majesty beared down on them. My lesser divinities were feeding on the belief I was gaining. The trust these people looked to me with. "No more shall people be homeless. No more shall sickness be a problem, no more shall pain take a hold of you and lead you down a path of self destruction. No more shall others hurt you because of jealousy, sadism or running away from their own pain. I bring with me the promise of a true paradise." They were entranced by now. I could feel their souls resonate with my words. Their hearts believed, their minds released dopamine from the anticipation of satisfaction. I had them right where I needed them. In the palm of my hand. "No more shall you struggle to find food, shelter and...pleasure." the last word was said with a sinful expression on my face. "I encourage freedom, love, care. You can choose to be who you want, however you want. Work towards your goals and you will achieve more than just survival..." I held out my palm, showing them a swirling ball of spirit energy, roiling around in my hand. "you will achieve fulfillment. You will achieve uniqueness, power, you will achieve Greatness. " Their eyes stared at the power I held in my hand almost obsessively. I closed my fingers into a fist and absorbed the spirit energy into me. Everyone blinked, some gulping in greediness at what I had just displayed. A look at Luthor''s face and he knew exactly what I had done and why I had done it. I had chained humanity to me. My reasoning was simple. Humanity is an unsatisfied, conflict ridden species who turned out the way they did because of how evolution works. The need to keep moving is what separates them from any other creature. With nothing much to do inside my realm, the fear of survival dramatically decreased and having access to technology greater than what they had, they would be bored and someone bored is arguably even more dangerous than someone determined. So I settled on a ''kill 2 birds with one stone'' idea. I would introduce something to keep them occupied, a rare chance at learning a power system and gaining new abilities.I was going to turn humanity into a cultivator race. Why? Easy. I knew the next step to elevating Gaea to the next level. To a Realm that spanned the lengths of the universe. And that next step was creating a sapient species that was native to the realm itself. Basically, I was going to use humanity''s innovative minds to refine the genetic make up of the energy intensive Quintes. To make them better in all possible ways by observing how humans used spirit energy. When I was done, Quintes would be the most powerful race ever and I...I would truly stand above it all. I remember the mission the system had given me. To be above it all. Above all the deities, above all the cosmic beings, above the Overvoid. But for all that to happen, my realm needed to be upgraded further. Gaea was my strongest asset. All that was far off mind you but the first step is always the hardest and I had done more than take the first step...I was already halfway there. Welcome to Paradise The Announcement Part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) Now after the carrot, comes a little bit of the stick. "However, for society to keep functioning, strict rules and laws that keep us from destroying what we should preserve WILL be adhered to." My expression changed from a benovelent god to a no nonsense symbol of strictness as I imposed the seriousness of what I meant. "Structure matters more than an individual''s self interest. There are no main characters in the world and if they are then it''s all of you. Prejudice, racism, discrimination and cruelty have no place in my realm. Which is why the punishment for these crimes is harsher than before whilst being fair. If you are someone who does bad things for the sake of it, get ready to pay for your actions. I see all." A unanimous shiver of fear went through them. "An ideal world is termed as impossible because of the difference in interests, fears and personality of each human. Take away that and you would have a society that thinks the way you think. A dictatorship. That is not my intention." I could see my words were confusing the lot of them. "I believe we can achieve balance by transcending past the petty emotions that come about in response to outside stimuli. But that is not something that can universally change at the same time across the hundreds of thousands of miles that this continent spans." I could probably do something like that with my divinities but it would be no different from programming machines. That wouldn''t cut it for what I needed. I went silent. "Which is why the Enforcers are needed. The Enforcers are men and women among you chosen to be the new authority on keeping law and order. Using complex data analysis modules on behavioral patterns, the candidates will undergo numerous screening and training to ensure impartiality to everyone." "Police officers, active soldiers and retired veterans from every late nation on Earth will be allowed to work on a probationary basis for two weeks as the EUC comes up with a more effective way to put into effect the new rules and laws." My eyes found Luthor. "Mr. Luthor will expound more on that. Furthermore, any Vigilante, be it the Justice League, justice league minors and independent heros are strictly prohibited from trying to enforce the laws put in place." Murmurs begun spreading around throughout the room. "Quiet." I told them in annoyance and the whispering quickly died out. "The Enforcers will be issued weapons meant to restraint a wrongdoer and if the threat turns out to be superhuman in nature, special drones designed to help the Enforcers maintain order will be deployed on site to handle that situation. A warning, the drones are capable of withstanding over 20000 kilotons of force, escalation of violence will be met in kind." 20000 kilotons was a lot of damage. The fact that all the drones Gaea commissioned from the Sconiad tower had these kinds of specs was daunting and hopefully terrifying enough that no one would test it. Otherwise they were fucked. "Our society is no doubt a superhuman one. I don''t discourage using your metahuman abilities. I only discourage using them to harm others. If you have abilities that are hard to control, you need not worry. Along with creating a training institute for Enforcers and other much needed agencies, a school for metahuman ability control and use will be established as soon as possible to provide a safe and secure environment where you can express yourself without worry." "This school will take in everybody from aliens, magicians and promising Spirit energy users. I would encourage heroes and other experienced metas to apply for teaching positions. Along with that, normal schools will resume after the EUC drafts the necessary plans." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "I am aware that this will not be easy. There is still the issue of currency to discuss and other important civil structures needed for a functioning society. All that will be handled by Luthor and his team." "Moving on, close to 2 months ago, vortexes full of chaos energy appeared all across the planet. For the families of the victims, please send the details of the ones you lost to the EUC. It is high time I made things right." "An information packet with a brief summary of this paradise will be made accessible for browsing at what I call the terminals. Each house has a terminal, a device that can project holograms to play music, videos and documentaries. Fortunately for you, Gaea has in her repository everything ever recorded into a digital format." "She also has an extensive collection of all the books in the biggest libraries and institutes like Harvard that could be found. More information on that front will be released by your leaders. Anything I have not mentioned, the EUC will handle." I had been talking for a while now and although I had their rapt, undivided attention, I couldn''t help but wish for a break. Seriously, if this is how ruling the world felt like, no fucking thanks. Luckily, I was almost done. The only thing remaining was the most important of all. "Who is Gaea?" I asked the question that was all in their minds. "To explain that," I gestured at everything. "look around you. The air, the seats under you, the building, the insects buzzing around and to an extent, even the person sitting next to you...that is Gaea." In the middle of the room, a bright blue light exploded out, drowning my own aura under the scent of the morning dew, deep in the forest, the first rays of the sun, laughter from happy kids, the chirps of birds, the roaring of a mountain lion. A majestic and beautiful divine aura that culminated to feel like the gentle touch from a mother. "I am Gaea." She announced to the awed room. I could already feel weebs bemoaning the fact that Rule 34 was no more. (Elsewhere) "This changes everything." Artemis commented, removing her mask with a sigh. They were watching the Holo feed in the sky that had changed into the symbol of the Avatar after Aden had finished his announcement. The whole team was standing on the roof of a building, west to the statue of Aden being built. That was the only way to describe it as the residential areas were yet to be separately named. "He has no weakness. You know what this is? This is a situation where hanging the cape is the best way to help people." Kid Flash said his piece, running his fingers across the lightning bolt insignia on his chest. A far away look was on his face. "I mean, think about it. We fight and the flood gates will open. Those who support us or those who feel like Aden is overreaching will take up arms against those who just want a simple peaceful life." Everyone listened without interrupting. Those same thoughts were in their minds. "And so what Mmh?" Red Arrow kicked off the wall he was leaning on. Dozens of eyes turned to look at him. "We just decide to accept it? To lie down and let it go? We have lost everything! Every fucking thing! And if it wasn''t for Aden..." "Then none of the 7 billion people out there would be alive." Robin interrupted with narrowed eyes. "Don''t forget that." Roy snorted. "Does that excuse the wrong things he did before then?" Kid Flash shook his head. "No it doesn''t but you don''t get it Roy. No one has the ability to hold him accountable for any of that. He is not just powerful, he is unbeatable. Literally." "And he''s trying! He''s... trying to make things right. Right?" Miss Martian looked around for support. It felt like her whole world was shattering and all she could do was try to hold the pieces closest to her heart together. "We all heard it in his announcement." Artemis agreed, smiling encouragingly at the martian. She knew why M''gann was so upset. It had been some time since they''d heard from Connor. M''gann gave Artemis a grateful nod. "Look, I don''t know much about him. But if you ask me, you''re focusing on the wrong thing." Leonardo spoke up. The Turtles, April, Casey and surprisingly Darken had arrived on the roof of the building for the mission. The interaction between them and the Junior Team was...tense. Which was an understatement. "Yeah and I don''t remember anyone asking for your opinion. You''re not even from this universe." Everyone groaned at Red Arrow''s words. "Dude not cool." Kid Flash grimaced. "Hey hotshot, you better watch that pretty little mouth of yours before I wreck it." Raphael growled out gripping a Sai menacingly. In response, Red Arrow smirked. "I would like to see you try." "Aaand no. If the two of you feel like measuring dick sizes, do so after we know why Superion called us all here." Darken came in between the two, darkness swirling around her intimidatingly. Red Arrow narrowed his eyes at the green eyed girl before snickering and turning away. Darken watched him walk away with an unreadable look in her eyes. "Dick." Raph snorted and turned away as well. Only for a crossbolt to cut through the air aimed at him. Raph twirled his Sai and blocked the projectile easily. "Say that again. I dare you." Red Arrow bit out in anger, his weapon trained on the mutant turtle. "Oh this is gonna be fun." Before a fight could break out, something appeared from the distance flying towards them at high speeds. "Wait look! What''s that? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it''s...wait it''s actually a plane. A space ship." Mikey called out in wonder just as the Bio-ship landed before them. The hatch opened and out stepped, Aden with green hair, Kori, Aqualad and Superion. "Ok guys, now who''s ready to permanently put a stop to an underwater civil war?" Sister (Aden''s P.O.V) Aquaman had lost control of his people. Well, putting it that way sounds more harsh than it is. To be completely honest, a mutiny hadn''t exactly happened just yet. Things were tense because although the Trident had been returned, the city states were no more and different factions were springing up from Atlanteans who wanted power for themselves. Knowing that the conflict would soon spill to the surface world, I decided to send the Justice League junior, Darken and the teenage mutant ninja turtles I was yet to send home. Meh, I''d deal with that when the time came. The minute I stepped out of the Bio-ship and announced myself, their faces underwent different expressions. There was fear, nervousness, awe, surprisingly trust and from Red Arrow, distrust that bordered on hostility. Aqualad had insisted on him being there because he was apparently a good strategist. "So I know most of you have questions." "That''s an understatement." Robin muttered. "You got something to say Boy Wonder?" I asked him with a small smile. "Yeah. I do. Why us? The League is better trained, more powerful and have better relations with the current king of Atlantis." Robin complained. Instead of answering, I looked at Aqualad, who was standing behind me. "If you don''t mind answering that." Aqualad gave a nod at my request. "It''s time." He solemnly begun. "We cannot always rely on the League. We have to do this mission because like it or not, the League is not cut out for this. Not as splintered as it is." What went without mention was that I wouldn''t allow them. His words affected them. "There is no one else." (Elsewhere) The world was fucked. This time however, it was fucked in a good way. She didn''t have to worry about that man again or the multiple misdemeanors and criminal charges filed on her report. Holly hadn''t made it a secret that she disdained the law. A bunch of pissants sad about how low their prospects for the future turned into reality, cops were fucking corrupt pigs. At least she didn''t hide her actions under a badge and pretend to be good. Holly had learned from a young age to be independent and selfish for herself, just like Dove. Her sister had ran away when it became too much. Holly only regretted she hadn''t followed right after her. Dove was at least smart enough and brave enough to do what she had failed to do. But life was rarely fair. There was food now at least. Food and a place to stay filled with all kinds of entertainment without getting charged for an atrocious rent. The world was now truly fair. If only...Dove could see it. Holly wiped her sister''s face mechanically. It was something she was already used to after months of the same since Dove had been injured in a car accident. The guy behind the wheels had been drunk driving and the concequence of his actions had been a dead mother and a paralysed sister. Life was unfair. Everyone else that had been sick, no matter how bad their condition, had been healed after all of humanity was teleported away from earth. Dove was yet to wake up though. Holly did not know what to do except keep on tending to her. Once things settled down, Holly would seek out more help. Maybe she should pray to Aden? Naah too weird. However she knew his religion was catching on like wildfire. She''d read that in some of the articles and news reports being published in the Realm''s version of the Internet called the Aethernet. It was a phrase coined by a few web developers and it''s popularity was growing steadily. Blatant plagiarism of Earth''s famous games and websites was happening as people fiddled with the terminals to find out just how the devices worked. Holly finished tending to her sister and prepared herself. She was going to a festival. The very first of it''s kind in the new realm. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ''No, it''s Gaea now'', she reminded herself. The festival was aptly named, ''Ascension'' and if it was to be believed, even celebrities would be there. Apparently the festival was endorsed by the EUC to promote unity among people from different walks of life. Holly was mostly excited for the beer. Oh and the unveiling of the huge Aden Strong statue, the one true God of Gaea. Holly had first thought it was all bull crap but now, after reality had set in and she had processed everything...maybe just maybe, there was truth to some if the things Aden had claimed. Plus he was hot as fuck so... She left the house after kissing a sleeping Dove on the forehead, something she normally wouldn''t be caught doing. Every second of every minute, it seemed like changes were rapidly happening. It felt as if the residential areas were changing, becoming more...homely. She waved at her neighbors, a cool African man and his two twin sons. They were from Senegal if she remembered correctly. Luckily the man spoke English which was about all Holly knew with a little bit of french and Germany. Around her, were people from different ethnicities. A true diverse community. The first of it''s kind. The houses were also actively shifting depending on a few factors like the number of people in each household, their ages and conditions. Holly had no way of knowing but Gaea was running billions of programs each dedicated to every house and it''s needs. She was personalizing the way of living for everyone present and encouraging meaningful skill development. The house of someone dedicated to gardening would have a larger backyard space as compared to someone whose main interests laid in coding and tech design. In addition, there was a tab where one could place a request for something they needed and the program would decide whether the request was reasonable and necessary before approval. Requests varied and would be approved based on necessity. For example, it wasn''t necessary to have a PS5 but it was okay if the terminal was upgraded enough to support game design. This is how the public commuting system was created. Enough requests and Gaea approved. Someone had even gone to the lengths of designing how the commute system would look like based on early maps of the residential area easily accessible through the terminal. The commute ranged from big hover carts that transported a large group of people and cargo from one place to another and something called the speed tunnels. These were nodes placed in almost every street,L like telephone booths. The speed tunnels were where you could enter and chose which sector in the residential map you wanted to go out of the 390,000 quarters, by simply clicking on it. Then without fan fare, you would be enclosed in a highly resistant capsule and be transported through tubes on the ground towards your destination. It was easy and very fast. Gaea had actually wanted to introduce teleportation stations. By tweaking the zeta beam tubes technology she would make travelling from one place to another no matter the distance, instantaneous and more efficient through Zeta wrists watches. Aden had refused, citing that would make humanity too lazy. Holly walked over to the Speed Tunnel and after squashing the little bud of fear at how everything could go wrong, she clicked on her destination and closed her eyes. The transition was fast and barely uncomfortable. Except for a mild case of vertigo once she stepped out of the capsule, the trip had not taken more than 10 minutes. Highly convenient. The loud blast of music was her only warning. She looked around in amazement. Never before had she seen so many people gathered in one place. It was crazy and the very air was charged with something she couldn''t quite describe. "Amazing right?" A voice said from behind her. She looked back and rise her eyebrows. Chiselled jawline, beautiful eyes and tall. Yeah coming here was the right choice. (Aden''s P.O.V) My gaze speared past the multitudes of people gathered to land on the red haired girl. With my air god form planning the Atlantis mission, I had to take care of something else. Vaatu and I were invisible as we floated in the air after a very interesting person. The person in question was a girl about 16 years old with red hair. "Is that her?" I asked more in a way to make conversation rather than a genuine question. I already knew the answer. "No." Vaatu shook his head. "That''s the sister." I turned to him. "So why show her to me instead of the sister." Vaatu shrugged. "She''s special as well." He surveyed the while crowd. "All of them are. But with her, I sense a potential." I nodded. Holly did indeed have the potential to become highly skilled in spirit energy manipulation and with her sister being even more special, I could see what Vaatu meant. "I did give them the right to choose their own fates. So yeah, she might surprise us in the future." I warped space, the two of us leaving the noisiness of the Festival and popping up above a sector of the residential area to the south of the statue of strength. Yeah, that''s what they decided to call it. A bit too on the nose? Probably. Do I still love it? Definitely. "For now, I am more interested in Dove." I told him, looking at the house directly under us. We fell, allowing gravity to do it''s job before phasing through the roof of the modest 2 bedroom building. You could see the efficiency with which Gaea had constructed these houses with. The inner layout was something out of a high class apart with gray and silver decor highlighted with amazing lighting. "It''s decided, I''m asking Lady Gaea for help in designing Olympus. Place looks archaic. It could use some Elder god touch." "Thank you Vaatu." Gaea''s voice sounded from around the room. Vaatu took a bow. "It is a pleasure my lady." "Now if the both of you are done stroking each other''s ego, Vaatu we have work to do." I interrupted them, eyes cast towards the girl sleeping before me. "Dove." Her red hair had been almost overtaken by white strands. Inside her, something resonated with my order state. I looked to Vaatu who was put in a trance staring at her. "Are you ready?" He gave a nod, eyes not leaving the sleeping Dove. "Okay. Let''s wake your sister up." Order (General P.O.V) Everything has a mirror opposite. Life is death, strength is weakness, dark is light. Dualities that are the bedrock of reality like chaos and order take that to the extreme because of their scale of effect. They encompass everything. Chaos is the big bang and Order is the structure that followed. Order makes sense, you can attribute a certain arrangement to reality, Chaos or disorder is the opposite of sense. It thrives in madness. In the chance context of everything that can happen is happening and might not happen and should not happen and could not happen and did not happen. See, nonsensical. One thing they share is the aspect of being opposing forces to each other. The crux of their being. They could not exist without conflict. It was impossible. (Aden''s P.O.V) Setting up a spatial barrier around the house was easy. That and I also managed to stretch out the room inside to the size of a football stadium. The walls of the house were now over 50 meters away and the ceiling was similarly far above our heads. The ground flashed white as I constructed energy barriers to stop any of their power from leaking out. Dove was sleeping on the bed in the middle of the room with us standing over her. "Huh Master Aden, any reason why you just..." "...Made space my bitch?" I smirked. He had no idea the shit storm about to hit. Oh this is going to be fun. "Just watch." Vaatu narrowed his eyes in suspicion my way. "Gaea I need you capture this footage and stream it to the public." "Any reason for such an action?" "Easy, encouragement. By showing them the wonders they can achieve through Spirit energy manipulation, they will be more motivated to practice. No one can say no to massive explosions of power, grandiose last stands and the majesty of a cloak of power shrouding your form. It''s basically a trait of the 21st century. You gotta have power flexing." "Oh so it''s propaganda?" I rolled my eyes at her short sighted response. "Don''t call it that. Let''s look at it as a display of the heights they should aim for. Remember, you need this too Gaea." I could almost feel sigh. "Affirmative, Master Aden. Though, I still think you should atleast warn Vaatu." I took a glance at the god in question and snorted, "He''s going to be fine." I could feel the mental eye roll from Gaea. Bah! What did she know? You have to have tension in a fight otherwise, it will cease to be a fight and become a generic low stakes spar. I placed a finger on the middle of Dove''s forehead and dove (haha) into her mental space. "Vaatu hold onto my shoulder." I instructed almost too late. I felt his fingers land on my left shoulder tightly. Then a tugging motion happened and we were pulled into a world of celestial bodies, heavenly miracles and starlit wonders. Complex structures of things, seen in its macro scale like planets of various sizes orbiting a huge black hole, a field of asteroids floating like a river around the whole star system. Clouds of hydrogen gas rested at the edge of a supermassive sun to our left. And busy crafting the sun''s body from the hydrogen gas was a huge figure dressed and glowing in white. She had her hands around the sun, molding it from a simple formless entity into something beautiful and powerful. "Where is this?" Vaatu wondered. "Her mental space. A world with substance like any other. Though, it looks familiar to the outside world, even the physics matching the known reality don''t be fooled, in here she has the highest authority. Well that''s if I wasn''t around." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I smirked at his suddenly horrified expression. "She has the highest authority?!" He looked at her huge form and took a few steps back, looking around. "Wait, you do know I''m her complete opposite, right?" He questioned. "Mmmh." I nodded, my smile widening a little. "And I''m inside her mind... Chaos in Order''s Domain...how in the hell did you think this was going to turn out okay?" He was catching on. An ocean of water, no matter how abundant would not survive in an universe of fire. The water would evaporate. It just made sense. "Oh don''t worry, you''ll be alright...maybe." At that second, the female figure turned around to face us. The expressionless face staring back at us, judged us and found Vaatu wanting. Raava''s face shifted into an angry scowl. "Vaatu, your presence taints the sanctity of all that is good! Prepare to face my righteous fury! Aarrgh!!" A ball of white energy formed inside her mouth, she opened wide and aimed at Vaatu. "Yeah this might be a good time to run." I advised Vaatu. The beam in Raava''s mouth, exploded towards Vaatu, blasting him from his position and far into Raava''s mental space over a thousand light years away. Vaatu tore apart a moon orbiting a planet the size of Saturn before falling through the surface of the star in the middle of the Star system. The Star went Supernova, releasing a ton of supercharged solar energy out into the model of the universe in Raava''s mind. The planets were drowned in the resulting wave of power, clearing space in a hundred light years in dimension. I laughed at Vaatu''s smoking form. A shield of red swirled before him, splitting the beam of pure order energy into multiple thin lasers that devasted the entire star system. "Aaargghh!!! Master Aden! A little help would be appreciated!" I waved him off. "Ah it''s only a sibling spat. You guys work it out among yourselves." "Dammit." Vaatu cursed and exploded in size, growing to more than 10 million miles in height, matching Raava''s size. "Now we''re talking." My Overlord throne appeared behind me and I sank into it with contented sigh. "Hey, Gaea. I hope you''re getting this." I sent her a mental feed of the battle of giants happening. "Should I start streaming it?" She questioned to which I nodded. "If you don''t mind." Then I settled down and watched a battle between Chaos and Order. Raava took large steps on a path constructed with Order energy and run towards Vaatu. The chunks of debris around floated before them, pulled in by the gravitational pull of both giants. Vaatu, now in a purple that looked almost too black, snarled and similarly started running forwards, a path of red energy appearing under his feet. They reached each other and clashed palm to palm in a battle of strength. A wave of both chaos energy and order exploded out of both. Enough to destroy hundreds of Star systems. "Sister, calm yourself down! I mean no harm to you!" Vaatu shouted in a strained voice. "How arrogant! You think you can match my power here? Think again!" Raava pulled her knee up and dug it into Vaatu''s belly in a vicious move that saw the Chaos being spit out saliva. Then she pulled in close, lifted him up and with a yell, smashed him onto the path of order energy. The resounding smack was so loud I felt my indestructible bones shiver out in the outside world. Vaatu''s hold on my shoulder out in the real world tightened. In Raava''s mental space, Vaatu rolled away from a foot stomp aimed at his face. He floated to the side and threw a ball of Chaos energy Raava''s way. The ball landed and pushed her away with a bang and a resulting angry howl. Vaatu tried to capitalize on the opening by kicking out at his little sister''s chest only for space to lock his leg in place before he could move an inch. Vaatu looked at me accusingly. "Seriously?" I shrugged. "Hey that''s not me, I told you she had full authority in here. Plus even if she didn''t, big brothers are not supposed to bully their younger sisters. Such is the law." I replied sagely. "Are you fucking with me? She''s kicking my ass!" "Vaatu! Don''t you dare ignore me, agent of darkness!" I winced, Raava was Chuuni. Or maybe her host was? Either way this shit was funny as hell. "Not the hair! Not the hair!" Raava now had the Chaos being in a headlock and was pulling on his hair. Crunch. "Aarggh!" Raava yelled out in pain. "Did you just bite me?" Okay now this is just getting ridiculous. Vaatu had enclosed his mouth on Raava''s palm. This is not exactly how I saw this going. Within seconds, the fight had devolved into an actual sibling spat. One part of me was like ''aaawww'' as much as that applied to giants bigger than the sun fighting. Then another part of me was skeptical that this was the promo clip I needed to push my agenda about Spirit energy. My thoughts were broken when Vaatu''s body sailed right by me from the force of Raava''s punch. Her hand was comically smoking like Saitama''s. Yup so Chuuni. "Gaea cut the feed." I could hear her shaking in laughter. "Not what you were expecting was it?" Vaatu was trying to tap out. Raava had apparently put him in another submission hold. I sighed in contentment. "Yeah. Not what I was expecting but I can''t find it in myself to complain." I smiled. "This is too wholesome." I can''t wait to introduce Raava to the rest of the family. (Elsewhere) In a land of gray, the landscape of the castle overlooking a valley was devastated more than usual. Millions of dead carcasses littered the area. A civil war of massive proportions had broke out between the princes of hell due to fighting over the souls of the condemned available in hell. Earth was gone so the supply was cut. Demons are not creatures of patience. And they always took the easy way out. So hell had been thrust into a huge war for the most precious resource in the infernal realms. Souls. The aftermath was the destruction of over billions of demons. A huge fraction of that number attributed to the Satan who squashed the rebellion with a tough hand. The instigators of the fight were busy licking their wounds. Light bloomed above the castle, the light coalescing into the figure of an archangel. Gabriel established eye contact with Mazekeen. The Satan jumped off her throne and walked to stand at the balcony overlooking the dark and dreary mist filled valley. "Gabriel." She nodded, dressed in a form fitting armor, face turned upwards to stare at the angel and leaking a terrible aura. "Maze." Gabriel nodded back. "It''s time." Maze closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them. "Who else is going to be there?" "Everybody." Show Me (General P.O.V) "Preposterous! You demand to rule over all the oceans, why should we swear fealty to a king with no riches, no palace and...no power?" Orin clenched his jaw. The comment about no power was well deserved. No matter what Orin did, his command over the aquatic life was simply gone. Aden had saved all of Earth''s creatures which naturally included marine life. Yet, Orin could not command them as easily as before. Leave alone the native and strange creatures found in the waters of this realm. Orin rubbed his left hand in reminisce of the pain after a nasty encounter with the Unagi. "Admit it to yourself, Orin, your legacy is no more." The Xebelian delegate spat out viciously, slamming his palm onto the table, managing to rouse Aqualad from his deep worrisome thoughts. The meeting was happening in a '' Neutral ground'' Not an expression, the word was for a zone that supported any type of life without taking into account the environmental aspect. It literally provided a human with the necessary personalized conditions to enable biological functions without negating the same for an Atlantean who could only breathe underwater. It was only made possible through Gaea''s innate control over all life inside her. Miss Martian had had the idea of creating a mental conference room and link everyone''s minds, the delegates and the team sent to act as arbitrators into one mental space. The Atlantean delegates who came from each Atlantean city state were understandably distrustful of her motives because of Aquaman''s connection with the League. So Gaea had had to step in, warping the Bio-ship into the zone where the meeting was taking place. She had even gone as far as to provide wooden chairs and a huge table for them to use. "Sit down, you Xebelian scum. Atlantis has only one true king. And he is a leader worthy to follow, I Nanaue!" A hulking Shark Atlantean announced to the room. From the sneers on the face of the other delegates, it was clear to see he wasn''t liked all that much. The room descended into a chaotic ruckus of arguments. The Xebelian and Nanaue were most vocal but even the rest were just as loud and pompous, all except for Orin. A hush swept through the room once King Orin got to his feet. The arguments died down before his commanding presence. "Atlantis stands as one. We have not endured all these years to be undone by our own hands. Right now is the time to unite. The time for Atlantis to take that final step we have been teetering on the edge of, for so long." "Your words of honey will not convince me, your majesty. My people need stability. Stability that you cannot offer as things stand." The Shayeris delegate spoke up in response to the king. A chorus of nods from the others soon followed. "This doesn''t look good Kaldur." Miss Martian telepathically told Aqualad. She had the entire team in a mental link. They were split into three groups. The group who were part of the meeting consisted of Aqualad, Miss Martian and Superion. The rest were trying to keep the peace among the Atlanteans'' splintered groups. The infighting had been a great source of concern. Gaea had provided breathing masks and a wrist band that covered the less durable junior members in a protective membrane meant to resist the pressure of the deep seas. They were out in the water, patrolling the same type of residential areas the people on the surface had. Gaea had opted for the same type of set up, a long stretch of interconnected buildings spread out over a large distance. Miss Martian''s telepathic range seemed to have more than doubled after arriving in Aden''s realm, so she was able to make communications between all of them easier. The other two groups sent regular updates on what was happening on the ground which luckily wasn''t a lot. A few riots that were easily handled by the combined effort of the turtles and the Junior team. Aqualad said nothing but from the wrinkling of his eyebrows you could tell he thought the same as Miss Martian. Within that brief instant of interruption, the room had devolved into yet more arguments and threats. "I do not want to rule." Orin announced. The surprise etched on their faces was priceless. Aqualad noted, knowing what it was that his king was planning. ''Hope you know what you''re doing, Annax.'' "Atlantis is it''s people. Not it''s king or it''s tradition, or it''s grand tales of splendor in ages gone by. Atlantis is it''s people and it''s high time we practiced what we preach." If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He cast his gaze around the room, eyes lingering on Aqualad. "I propose we change our ruling system into a democracy, where every single Atlantean can have their voice heard." (General P.O.V) The crash happened suddenly. All she felt was an overwhelming pain then darkness. The darkness was interrupted by flashes of the same pain and instances of light, then at one point that stopped and the darkness reigned true in her core. In that unchanging darkness, one millimeter of light suddenly bloomed, growing to the size of a soccer ball in a shirt time. It''s light was glaring despite it''s size and she immediately fell in love with it. "Follow me and I shall lead you to your answers." The light promised in a clear female voice and started flying away. She barked out a disbelieving laugh before willing herself to move forwards right after the light. And once she was closer, the pictures begun playing like a video. The images showed a young child. Her. In some she was dressed in diapers then the next kid''s clothes as she played with toys. Even as a child she was peculiar. One instance she would stack toy bricks in complex formations and then unravel the whole thing by removing one intergral piece. You could see her transformation from a clueless child to an even more clueless teenager. Those days were not easy on her. A few images showed a grainy picture of memories she tried to forget but couldn''t. One or two instances were of mugshots. Yes she had gone to Juvie and her experience there only enforced the fact that she was actually alone and no one cared what happened to her. This time however, she had learned to be one of the sheep. Not saying no to society and doing what they decided she was good for. "Your past should only serve to sharpen your resolve." The ball of light commented and she understood the question hidden within. "So why did I change my ways despite my mind knowing fully well that I was lying to myself? That I should have ran far away from the city to a place where no one knows me. You''re wondering why I tried to act normal despite being a freak." She looked into a memory showing her and one of her ex boyfriends, the one that got away with breaking her heart despite the fact that she had sensed his underlying intentions. She had ignored that sense of rightness or wrongness she felt and chose to trust him. "I guess being part of the sheep is comforting. I didn''t need to worry about anything. Yet everyone inside feels an overwhelming need to stand out. To be chosen. To be granted purpose." The images changed to show her in an airport. Alone. "So I got on the first plane I could and left for the US, the land of dreams. Maybe things there could be different for me." "You are a complex child." The ball of light commented. She knew it wasn''t a compliment. "I know." Yet after living in the US for 3 months, she had understood that it was all a sham. Or maybe she was the sham? She had wasted so much time trying to be a sheep that she forgot how to be herself. Yet she could not give in without trying. She wanted to be an actress. The difference between her and other more skilled and lucky people was her experience acting out her while life. It''s easy to close yourself off from the world when no one sees how special you are. It''s easy to forget it yourself . She knew of the structure of the world. Had known it from the first time. She could sense when that order was greatly upset. Her mom finally leaving her deadbeat father, Holly following in her footsteps, each echo of chaos was followed by more order before changing into more chaos down the line. She could feel when death was coming for someone. She didn''t know why or how this ability could be. Was it one of those metahuman abilities? Was her freakiness a curse or a curse dressed as a blessing. "Unlikely. Think of it as a rare rare personality trait. Perceptive Aptitude. You can sense the course your life plots as well as the flows of the people you interact with. A useful ability for a god not so much for a normal human." The ball of light explained. "Wait." She finally asked, dreading the answer to the question that followed. "You mean to tell me that all those times I felt I was being watched by something in the dark corner of my room or over my shoulder or the corner of my eye...it might not have been a trick of my imagination?" The ball fell silent just as the images grew closer to the incident. "Special people attract special beings. Benign or not, it all depends on your luck. It''s how I''m here after all." The images showing the following week left her with an undescribable feeling of anxiousness as she watched her clueless self stumble through life. Holly and her mom had come to visit. "Luck, can you quantify such a phenomenal? What makes you lucky or another person unlucky? Maybe it is all forgone. Written in the pages of your life even before you are born." The ball of light speculated. The images had stopped on a family picture. Holly and mom on both her left and right. The next day, their mother would die and she would be injured greatly by the car that she would go into a deep coma. Dove looked at the picture for the longest time. She was unsure what about the picture moved her. Maybe it was the overwhelming love their mom held for them. A love that sort to protect them despite her mom being a cowardly woman. Or maybe it was the slight frown on Holly''s voice hiding a slight smile, all Dove knew was that she had an answer to one of the biggest questions she had ever had. If there was structure and order to how things were supposed to be, was she chained? Was life a set of complex programs meant to be followed by every being? Because...despite knowing of how structure and order played a big part in everything she perceived...she hadn''t seen the accident that upset her structure in a massive way coming. Dove turned to the light. "Why? Why does it all happen? "I was getting to that." The ball of light replied. "The ability was not meant for mortals yet you were gifted with it. Life lives. There is no grand plan just a never ending fight between existence and non existence. Structure and order can be found in everything and that can be mistaken for a path carved before someone to follow. You became susceptible to what is the biggest misunderstanding of all, that there is a plan. And if there is one then it''s a plan of no plan." "I see." Dove finally answered. "Can you show me?" She asked the ball of light, wondering how different it could be if she lived without the nihilism she had cultivated through life. "Show me what I misunderstood." She insisted. The ball of light excitedly bounced up an and down and sideways. "I am Raava. The spirit of Order, light and peace." The First Step (Aden''s P.O.V) "I mean I understand the excitement but did you two have to destroy the house during your fight?" I sulked, looking below to see 4 or 5 of the residential area was burning with a white flame that softly danced in the air, uncontrolled and free. The battle had moved on from the mental realm to the physical once Vaatu had started being overwhelmed. I was about to wave my hand and return it all back to the way it was when Gaea interrupted in me. "Please master Aden, let me." Left with nothing to do, I watched the whole set of events play out. Construction drones appeared abd begun taking care of the problem. Luckily no life had been lost. "Did you have to hit me so hard?" Vaatu annoyingly complained. He could heal any injury like he wished, blows and magic performed by just about anyone. Things changed if he was up against his complete opposite. Dove went silent. She was armed with completely glowing white hair, a beautiful face and a pale blue pair of eyes that seemed to see everything. She was also dressed in a long flowing dress and looked out into the realm with an indecipherable look on her face. "So beautiful. I can sense the boundaries between us even more clearly, brother. Your dominion surrounds this world from every side. A true film of chaos with no beginning or end." She commented in a soft and mellow voice, different from the double voice she used before. I could feel Vaatu''s gaze on me, wondering how I was taking this new change. He knew. I could tell he knew that his sister was different. The realm had separated into two distinct realities upon it''s evolution to the next stage. It was now the set up of a star system with planets revolving around the supermassive sun in the middle. I said set up and not size because in sheer size terms, the Realm''s Star System was roughly 30 times bigger than the Solar system. The main dimension alone was bigger than an average star system all by itself. "Could you excuse us for a minute Vaatu? I''ll be over to introduce your sister to the rest of the family soon. Just need to have a quick chat before that." I calmly asked him. Vaatu bowed without hesitation, happy to leave this headache with me. "As you wish Master Aden." He straightened up, hands on his ribs. He had a black eye and a split lip that was beginning to heal. In comparison Dove/Raava looked spic and span. Meaning nothing was too out of place. No visible changes or injuries. He sank into a purple portal with a salute, leaving the two of us floating in the air. "Hold on." I advised and then warped us to a cliff a distance away from civilization. This place was untouched by humans. The cliff overlooked a lake where animals enjoyed a drink under the sunny glare of the sky. Dove/Raava blinked. "So...natural. Untainted. A perfect Paradise." She commented. "Thanks for the high praise. I''m sure Gaea appreciates it." I responded politely. There was a brief silence between us. "You''re not really Dove or Raava, are you?" I asked, a question that had been plaguing me for some time. Ever since the fight had begun. "I mean I can simply call you Raava because her traits lingered around the most from the combination of both of your personalities." Her body started shivering with nervousness. "Don''t do anything stupid. We both know I could never hurt you. I would rather die first." I shook my head. Fear was alright but I never felt comfortable using it to intimidate others. Having your enemies fear you would most likely lead to them revolting in a way that at the very least assured mutual destruction. It was better to have them respect you. For a family member to fear me left a bad taste in my mouth. Her tense shoulders relaxed. "I guess, I couldn''t hide it away from you." The dread ended and she turned to me with a nervous expression. "How...how did you know?" I sat cross legged on the flat ground of the cliff, patting the space beside me to have her join me. She folded her feet over each other like mine and sat calmly waiting for my answer. "I started suspecting something was different when Raava established a link to Dove over the past few days. Her spirit was voluntarily leaving Vaatu and settling into Dove''s soul and body. It was too fast. Rushed. As if she didn''t have much choice." The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "Then I understood from examining you when you were lying on the bed. The accident that had seen Dove hurt and in a coma had had a very huge impact on her brain chemistry. That''s why the drones could not wake her up. Her soul was injured. There wasn''t much left of her essence, it had been bleeding out into the earth and later on my realm. She would never have woken up." "So Raava resulted to doing something reckless, she used her essence to reinforce part of Dove''s soul, patching the ''leak'' but the process took a different turn. Instead of replacing her soul''s energy field without much impact on her own essence, therefore healing Dove back to health, the mixing of both of their essences and spirits gave rise to an entirely different being. You are not the Raava that I sensed everytime I looked at Vaatu." "The light that was the antithesis to his darkness. Neither are you the scared little girl that ventured her way into an entirely different world. Somewhere along the line, the both of their melded spirits gave rise to you. A god that understands mortals due to being mortal. We are both different from anyone else." Her shoulders shook. I placed a hand around her and pulled her close to my embrace. We stayed like that for a few more minutes before I spoke up again. "So, what do you want to be called?" She sniffed a little before detaching herself from the hug. She wiped her tears before looking up. Eyes blazing with confidence, she answered. "I am Raava." My smile was blinding. "Good. Now how about we go say hi to the rest of the family?" (General P.O.V) Martial arts are more than a discipline of the body, it is also the discipline of the mind and more than that a culmination of both. Two disciplines working in tandem. A true warrior. Each strike executed with maximum efficiency achieved through control of their body that bordered on the supernatural. That was the line separating expert martial artists from Masters of the art. But what''s next after that? It wasn''t known to most but The vaunted grandmaster level where one could access their internal life force in the form of Chi and use it for various effects was real. Unfortunately the number of people who could use Chi was astronomically low, to the point of it being possible to count them by hand. These figures had honed their bodies to the limit. They had naturally broken the limiters in their bodies which enabled them to tap into the energy contained inside their body cells. Two such figures were meditating on separate but close to one another rooftops. The first was shirtless and dressed in a pure white loose sparring pants. His body was toned, rippling with cords of muscles that emphasized, strength, speed and stamina. Perfect musculature. He breathed in slowly, letting the hot breath he breathed out, dissipate in the air. On the building opposite to him was another such figure. He was even bigger than the first man. He hard dark skin and where it looked like the first figure fought by relying on speed, this other man was pure power. You could tell just by looking at him that you didn''t want to be hit by one of his blows. His eyes were also closed like the first figure. The difference was the soft golden glow under his ebony skin. Bronze Tiger allowed his chi to flow smoothly through his blood vessels. The heat from the energy inside him was not let out as with the case in Richard Dragons. Bronze Tiger used the energy to further temper his flesh. Even the undesirable and tainted filth inside him was turned into thick carbon chains underneath his skin for increased durability. Each of them followed different methods of meditation and Qigong manipulation. Each of them were at the height of power that the human body could exert without biological cheat codes like metahuman abilities and outside help. Yet there was another level above that. A level that had been an impossible goal to reach in the old earth but here? Here...they could finally cast off the final layer of mortality and become true martial arts. Here, they could fly. Gaea noted the swirling energy around the two of them as they absorbed the spiritual energy in the air. The Aether formed into an invisible vortex of power that was getting sucked into their bodies. She monitored the process intensely, careful not to miss a single thing. Her scans went further than skin deep. She probed their spirits and souls, body cells and even the effects the energy had on the microbes in their bodies. And once she was done, she realized something. This made no absolute sense. It was a different matter if the spirit energy was absorbed, either enhancing existing abilities as was the case with an energy manipulation heavy race such as a Martian. Or the other likely option of a flat, permanent connection to the spirit energy in the air, providing the subject with a wide range of Abilities. What the two martial artists were doing was different. They did not use the energy to enhance their strength, nor were they tapping into the Aether to power their abilities. They were effectively stealing the spirit energy produced by Gaea and changing it into their own life force through a mysterious process of conversion. The energy was then used to endlessly refine their bodies through both of their different methods. Richard Dragons used the energy to remove the persistent waste and toxins from his body while Bronze Tiger used the energy to forcefully refine that same waste and turn it towards enhancing his body. It was something new. Something Gaea did not have in her database. Something that was a great first step into creating the perfect race. Aden had been right. This was truly the way to go. Wanting to see more, learn more and understand it all, Gaea directed most of the pure energy in the densest part of the realm towards the two grandmaster Martial artists'' endeavors. And from that she was able to learn more from their actions. For example, the rate with which they absorbed the energy did not increase, but their breathing method somehow emphasized on taking in the more purer energy as opposed to the energy around the residential area,tainted by human emotions. It was like they were somehow managing to separate the pure spring water from a murky river. Secondly she was going to have to need to see more of the same process in different subjects to come up with more results. An analysis of only two individuals would not be enough. Before that though, she used the similarities in both of their biology to scan for more exceptional individuals like them. (Aden''s P.O.V) "Well crap." I said, looking at the list of potential candidates most likely to have it easy in manipulating Spirit energy. Right behind, Bronze Tiger, Richard Dragons, Lady Shiva and O-Sensei was one very familiar name, Bruce Wayne. And knowing Bruce, if he was pushed into learning this new skill to stand a chance at opposing me, then he would be the very best at it. All of them were exceptional martial artists. Formidable opponents who had mastered their bodies and minds, honed their skills to the point where every body part could be used to destroy someone. The strangest thing was the fact that Bane''s name was among the list of 12 potential individuals. "How long do you estimate it will take to complete the objective of enhancing the potential of the Quintes D.N.A using this data?" "Can''t really say. I have nothing in my database to compare and contrast with this...strange process. It will probably take even more time." I heard her sigh. "Mmh." I hummed. "In any case, we''re not in any hurry. Focus on scanning and monitoring the process like before." "As you wish Master Aden." Gaea answered with finality. I looked to my front, seeing how my family was receiving Raava with open hearts. My gaze landed on Kori, who similarly looked at me and nodded towards the cottage. It was time to have a talk with my baby mama. Finally. Star, My Goddess part 1 (Aden''s P.O.V) I pulled up closer to her, grabbing a GRANGO off the bowl of fruits on the table. She had a small glass of fresh grape juice, taking a short sip while leaning on the table, the sun was halfway gone, only one half peeking out from the horizon and casting a beautiful evening glow over the beach. The ocean hit the shore gently and the kids were dancing in a circle around a huge bonfire. Raava sat a ways off, watching them while singing gently. She had a really nice voice. It reminded me of my own love for music. It made me want my kids to grow up with a passion they loved. Which was one of the subjects Kori and I needed to discuss. She watched our big family interacting. Grape juice was her favorite and the fact that the glass was magically refilled everytime it became half empty was points for Gaea. "Hey, Stranger. Why so silent?" I oozed charm while sliding next to her, leaning on the table as she did. "That is your opening move?" Kori rose up her eyebrows, hitting me with an unimpressed expression. I sighed in exasperation. "Can''t you at least pretend to not notice the awkwardness of first impressions." She giggled. "You must be a hit with all the ladies." I smirked at her statement. "Oh you have no idea." I leaned in. "For example I have this awesome Tamarananean warrior chick who somehow sees past a lot of my bullshit." "Oh." She said interestedly. "She sounds amazing. Tell me more about her." I looked unsure. "Are you sure? I mean I don''t see how I''ll have a chance with you if all I do 1 minute upon introducing myself is talk about another girl." "I don''t mind." She placed a hand on my shoulder. I was now taller than Kori and it seemed fitting having her look up at me with those green beautiful eyes. Infact... "She has the prettiest green eyes I''ve ever seen." Her smile widened. "And her hair." I touched one strand and ran it long my finger, bringing it close to my nose to smell her scent. "Is her easily her second best feature. Long strands of scarlet with the scent of Strawberries." A blush appeared on her cheeks. She gulped feeling the heat from our closeness. My heart hammered inside my chest. God she was beautiful. Kori bit her lip and asked the question I was waiting for. "What''s her best feature?" Without hesitation, I placed my hand in her belly and softly rubbed it without saying a word. Star choked up and hugged me tightly. "I love you Aden." I wrapped my hands around her and my chin on the top of her head. This felt right. "I love you too Kori." We stayed like that for a few minutes before Kori pulled away and stared at me. "Damn, I guess this means I blew up my chance with you. Talking about my girlfriend at this particular time." I shook my head. "Bad move on my part." The playful punch I was expecting didn''t come. Instead, Kori grabbed my face and softly kissed me. The softness of her lips, brought about a surge of arousal in me and I leaned in to the kiss, getting lost in the sensation. Kori pulled away again, motioning to the kids. Nooooo!! "If you want to continue with them around, you will have to give them ''the talk.''" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. She warned making me wince. I was not looking forward to that. The thought of any boy looking at my girls like that? It filled me with a sudden irrational rage. Huh, guess I am a dad now. Still...my hands snaked around Kori''s hips to grab some of that ass. What can I say? I''m black. The ass does it for most of us. "This is not over." I growled, making her shiver and gulp. "I''m counting on it." Damn. Our thoughts were stolen away by the sudden arrival of my god of War. Yaotl had been monitoring the Amazonian situation to make sure a fight between them and the larger populace did not happen. (Yaotl''s P.O.V) Amazons. A proud tribe of warrior women who had more bravery in their pinky toes than some of the men Yaotl had ever come across. He liked them. And it wasn''t because a faction of these women had elected a statue to honor him as their new god of war. The previous one was a dick. Or so he heard. So how fitting was it that he carried his essence within him. Every fighting experience Ares had was Yaotl''s now. Normally that would be accompanied by memories of all the deeds the dead god had committed. Which were deplorable acts of cruelty Yaotl could not stomach. Hurting innocents was not something to be proud of. True strength lied in being powerful, dangerous and last and most important, Peaceful. It was ironic and hypocritical but that was the god Yaotl aspired to be. That was the kind of god he knew his master needed. Not having Ares'' memories but his combat skills was a concequence, a very good one, of having a master who cared. So it wasn''t surprising that Yaotl had refused the Amazonian''s worship if they did not induct Aden Strong as their God King. They had been hesitant at first but after a fair match without his powers against one of their strongest for that right, Yaotl had succeeded and the Amazons had taken up worship of Aden Strong. Their pantheon had a whole new set of priestesses dedicated to Master Aden, their God King and Savior. Yaotl was only waiting for the time when Master Aden would announce the full pantheon to the mortals. Yaotl wanted his Master''s name to reach far and wide! He arrived at the beach, ready to give a report about everything that was happening. The moment he stepped out of the portal, Yaotl ground to a stop. That angelic voice...that voice was the first thing he heard. His eyes instinctively looked around for the source of the voice. When his gaze landed on her, everything changed for him. Yaotl''s heart started beating fast in the only way it did when he was in a fight. The beautiful white hair, the beautiful face and smile as she watched the kids dance around the fire pit...Yaotl brought a palm to his chest. "What...what is this?" "Love." A voice answered from behind him. Yaotl managed his best to tear his face away from her and looked at the source of the word. "Vaatu." Vaatu had a strange smile on his face that brought about a shiver down Yaotl''s spine. The god of chaos walked forward and slung a arm over Yaotl''s shoulder. "Walk with me, Yaotl." He thought of refusing but Vaatu tightened his hold on Yaotl''s shoulders. Ok, Yaotl was never afraid of anything but the way Vaatu was acting made him...wary. Yes wary, nothing else just wary. Yaotl chanced a look at his back to ask for help from Master Aden and the mistress but all they did was wave at him with smiles full of humor. "Come on, Yaotl you''re acting like I''m planning to kill you." Vaatu said cheerfully. Yaotl noticed his eyes did not smile along with his face. "You''re not?" He gulped making Vaatu bark out a laughter. "Yaotl, you made a joke!" He slapped him on the back. They were now far away from the family beach, having taken a sharp corner along the coast line to appear in a section of the beach that was filled with coral stones and rocks. "No, I''m not gonna kill you." Vaatu stated while shaking his head, as if he couldn''t handle the absurdity of such a notion. Yaotl wasn''t so su...ah there it is! Vaatu''s face underwent a change. "However, that makes me curious just like I''m sure it does to you too." Yaotl was pretty sure he now knew why they were having this ''chat.'' His brain was finally pointing out the similarities between Vaatu''s energy signature and the angel on the beach. "Curious about what?" Yaotl asked, confident in his assumption that this was Vaatu''s way of telling him to stay away from her. "About a hypothetical situation." Vaatu shrugged. "In other words, what could you do that would force me to think of the possibility of killing you? I mean you wouldn''t really be dead dead but I''m sure the process would be... unpleasant." Yup. This dude was a sis con. "Is this about her?" "You''re damn right it is. That is my little sister!" Whoa. Yaotl had never seen Vaatu so out of control of his emotions. "So what exactly are you worried about?" The question brought Vaatu to a stop. Yaotl saw the opening and pounced on it! He was not going be able to stay away from her so why bother lying or pretending when he could squash this whole thing right now by giving Vaatu the assurance he wanted. Yaotl placed a hand on Vaatu''s shoulder. "I would rather die an infinite number of times than ever hurt her. I swear on my Master." Vaatu''s mind went blank. That conviction. He knew that the world would end countless times before Yaotl betrayed Aden. They were all like that. Aden Strong was just a really really good master to have. It made it easy to love and respect him because he would die for them. It was also why Vaatu lost the feelings of worry and misgivings he had about Raava''s protection. His little sister was different now and Vaatu had felt weak and helpless after he had failed to save her. But he remembered what she had told him the last time they spoke. She hadn''t died...she had just become more. He had to let her live. For life is precious because of the freedom to make choices. "I believe you." He nodded at Yaotl. This time the smile was genuine. (Aden''s P.O.V) "Is he giving Yaotl the shovel talk?" Star asked. "Yes most definitely." I chuckled. "Did you see the way Yaotl stared at Raava?" She agreed with a nod. "I have never seen him so entranced before. I ship them. I think they would look good together." Ignoring the fact that Raava was physically 19 and Yaotl 22, they were still technically too young. However both of them were created having a mature mindset so the conundrum basically balanced itself out? Who knows. The only thing that mattered was their happiness. "Mmmh, I see it now." "We''re really lucky." Star stated. "Yeah we are but we could be even happier if we dealt with a few things." At the seriousness of my words, Star looked up. "I think we should discuss a few things babe." Star, My Goddess Final Part (Aden''s P.O.V) "You look so worried. What is going on?" Kori asked the minute we were alone. She had a hands on my cheeks, and a concerned expression on her face. I gently removed her hands from my face and held them in my own. "It''s not worry. Just..." I breathed in, struggling to fully explain what I wanted to say. The meaning was there but the words kept on slipping through my grasp because of fear. I...I couldn''t take her rejection. Maybe now was not the time to ask the question? Immortality and godhood were not for everyone and I was terrified of Star choosing to remain mortal, content with growing old when our kids and I would live for a very long time. The concept of forever is hard to grasp but by the time I reached my end if there was one, the universe might have already died and been reborn a dozen times over. "Just ask." Kori''s voice broke through my wildly raving thoughts. I blinked. "It''s not that simple." The corner of her lips turned up. "The big bad demon bane: Aden Strong is scared of asking one simple question." Oh...she gone do me like that? Wait. "How did you know I wanted to ask something?" I asked, grabbing her tight to me. She giggled at the action. "Answer me honestly or the war is on." I threatened with a glint in my eye. Kori stiffened in alarm, staring up at me in disbelief. "You would never..." I held up a hand and started wiggling my fingers. "You don''t think I will? Are you sure you want to take the chance? Once I start tickling... I''ll not stop. Ever." I whispered close to her ear. Kori shivered before sighing in defeat, a flush on her cheeks. "Okay okay okay you win." She admitted, wrapping both of her arms around my neck. "You get this cute look on your face whenever you''re about to ask something. I''ve learned to read your expressions." I raised my eyebrows at that. "Ok, that is fucking hot." I growled and pulled her closer, my lips inching towards hers. Kori stopped them with her fingers and a tiny shake of her head. "Not until you ask me what it was you wanted." I huffed. "Maybe my question was why you keep on teasing me?" I caressed her ass, peppering kisses on her neck. "Mmmh that''s...good." she moaned and I grew bolder. I kissed, licked and sucked on her neck; she was really sensitive there, until her legs started shaking. An explosion from outside the cottage followed by a loud, "Explosion is art!" From breeze, cut into the mood and allowed us to briefly come to our senses. "Aden no." Kori pulled away from me. We were both breathing heavily at the brief contact. She fixed me a glare and closed her arms over her ample chest. Goddamn those tits are... "Eyes up here. Remember you had something to ask?" She said in a stern tone. I knew there wasn''t escaping this talk now. I ran a hand down by face, wondering just how pathetic I could get. I mean I had faced off against the god of evil. I had so many abilities than I knew what to do with but the prospect of one honest conversation with Kori scared me. Why are the simplest things always the hardest? "Ok...okay." I started pacing, gathering up the courage. "Aden what is it? You''re scaring me!" Kori was now just as nervous as I was. Fuck, get it together Aden. I took a deep breath and blurted it out. "I want you to let me turn you into a god!" For an instant, nothing happened. "What..." Kori took a step back. Oh no. But I needed a clear answer. Even if it hurt. "I NEED you to let me turn you into a god. Please..." She rubbed her arm and looked away. My heart broke a little. I guess she noticed it because she was upon me in a second, hugging me. "No Aden! Please don''t misunderstand! I just...it''s a lot. I''m...not ready. Not yet." With each word, my world seemed to gain more cracks. I knew in the past I would have been insensitive and immature. I wouldn''t have wanted or even tried to understand her point of view. Just seen the betrayal. I would have said something that would have hurt us both, something like...''If you really loved me, it shouldn''t take you a second to decide.'' But I wasn''t that scared little boy anymore. I lifted my hands and hugged her back. "Alright, then what do you need to do first before you give me an answer?" Kori sniffed inside my embrace in relief. "I''ve been afraid that all this has been a dream. Is a dream. My biggest fear is to get so lost in it that when it''s time to wake up, I''ll...never be able to dream again." And with that single statement, I understood it all. "This is about your sister, isn''t it?" The silence confirmed it for me. "She wasn''t always so bitter. However, living in a place where everyone has the one thing you have never had, took it''s toll on her. I would have been broken growing up if I was the one in that position." She was wrong. "I don''t believe that. You have a genuine heart of gold Kori. I have never met anyone like you before. Never doubt that." "Thanks...babe." She replied after a while. We both broke out in laughter. This was the first time she had called me ''babe'' in...ever. "It''s okay. I got you." We hugged for what felt like forever before I shook her gently, only to find out that she had fallen asleep in my embrace. I easily lifted her off her feet then looked at her belly and smiled. "This is your doing, isn''t it? She''s been getting tired a lot easily these days." I carried her to the bed and placed her under the covers. "Don''t be too hard on her okay." I kissed the baby bump, taking a few seconds to listen to the tiny thump of our unborn baby''s life force. It was such a tiny thing but the quality of life that the child had was already above most gods. "You''re going to be terrifyingly powerful. Make sure you use that power to protect the ones you love." I liked to think that it could understand me. But even if it couldn''t, talking to my unborn child was like therapy. Still, it bothered me slightly that the child was taking in more energy from Kori, hence putting her at risk. I rolled up my sleeves. "Time for daddy to contribute." Now then, I''m a god of life, this should be easy without exhausting myself too much for what Gaea and I needed to do after I was done here. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I looked deep within my oceans of power. Vast expanses of tranquil reserves, waiting to be called on. I possessed an innate understanding of every single domain under me. Webs of white, life-giving strands of energy poured out of my arms and into both mother and child. Kori had asked me for time to come to a decision and I respected that. However, time and time again had shown me there was always something I couldn''t account for. And before she was a god and able to better protect herself when I couldn''t, these enhancements were important. I used my control over life to enhance her body. Her energy storing and distributing cells were made more plenty. She became able to absorb every light in the electromagnetic spectrum, her bones were hardened to a high degree that she could be placed in the core of the sun and not get crushed by the gravity. Her flesh fibers grew stronger, more flexible yet remaining sturdy to counter any great pressure or trauma inflicted upon her. And lastly her skin was weaved with a barely detectable energy film that prevented piercing damage, energy blasts and provided environmental shielding to a certain degree. The last function of the energy film was to regenerate any part of her body almost instantaneously. Yes, something that had been bothering me for so long, was taken care off in a matter of seconds. I could now regenerate, which meant...training montage!!! The energy film was powered by the excess energy she absorbed at any given time due to her new ability to absorb all light. That was as far as I could go without revealing to her the fact that I had enhanced her. Who am I kidding, she would know. Oh, I could blame it on our kid. I kissed the baby bump. "Hey champ, sorry but you''ll have to take one for the team so that we can make sure your mom is safe, okay?" He was my kid, I knew he would understand. Done with Kori, I decided to focus on the baby. There wasn''t a lot I could for it as it was already on the path to being stronger than anyone I had in my realm...which made little to no sense. I mean, the child had been conceived when I was only a grandmaster in my elements and was yet to attain any type of divinity. That didn''t stop it''s potential from casting a shadow over everything and anything. Still, enough wasn''t enough. I made the same changes to it''s make up as I did with Kori. Somehow it was easier and harder. Easier because it was still in its maturing phase and hence these changes would settle down in its biological make up much easier than with a full grown adult and with zero chance of side effects. Harder because the child''s own network of personal energy that was a blend of spirit energy and just pure neutral energy tried to fight me off. Once I was done, Kori glowed with a bright white glow. Her red hair flashing with a green fire, before shifting through every color of the rainbow. Her belly glowed a deep golden as well. When the light show died away, I could tell that each process had gone off without a hitch, making me sigh in relief. I had been ready to use a miracle just to ensure that everything happened the right way. I then tucked her in, kissed her forehead and left the room, a million thoughts racing inside my mind. These two days had been exhausting mentally. The realm was stable enough that I could now delegate rather than oversee everything. Which would open up more time for me to begin my preparations for the universal trial. One wrong move and I would garner the dislike of multiple cosmic and conceptual beings. There wasn''t a maybe to it. I knew I would make more enemies than allies because of my nature. I wouldn''t take any shit. To protect myself and everything else I held dear, I had to be more trouble than it was worth it to deal with me. I needed to be stronger and more prepared. Which brings us to the first of my preparations on the list. "Gaea, are you ready?" I called out once I was outside. "Of course Master Aden." "Let''s do this." What are miracles? And what makes them different from...every other type of power system? The answer? Miracles had no limits. With enough faith and divine energy, you could do anything. No seriously, I''m talking reality manipulation bullshit. You could create an entire universe with that. Granted it would take a lot of precise energy control or reliance on the fundamental connection, a god''s divinity had with reality to do something on that scale. It was why gods, true gods at least could do whatever they wanted with faith energy as long as it was within the confines of their domain. Most of that was subconscious things, like immortality, great Psionic Abilities, power distribution and many more abilities afforded to them, independent of their particular domains. All gods could use telekinesis but not all gods could manipulate fire. The latter was a divine exclusive ability, the former was the subconscious ability made possible through the mysteries of perceiving gods as higher beings. So to put it in very simple terms, miracles were packets of faith energy gained from worshippers plus a god''s own connection to their divinity which gave rise to super divine energy that could do anything as long as you knew exactly what that ''anything'' was. The alternative was to rely entirely on your own divinity to shoulder most of the burden. For example, A lesser miracle like blessing an army to win a war was something I could do even if I wasn''t necessarily a god of war (though I was). I was still a different breed of god when compared to the normal ones. The same feat could also be achieved by any other authentic god of war but not a god of love. Different domains and all that. That''s besides the point. 99% of gods don''t know how do anything more than lesser miracles. The difficulty in controlling all that power scaled with the amount of energy you were dealing with. And that was an iron clad rule, otherwise reality would be dominated by gods doing what they wanted without repercussions. Here in comes the complications, I was more powerful than any god yet, for all my power, I lacked the computational capabilities to precisely control or in this case perform a miracle on the scale that I needed. A universal scale. Gaea Didn''t. I warped space and appeared at the core of the realm. A world that was full of complex equations that determined the continued existence of my realm. Inside Gaea''s core, I closed my senses off to the world and concentrated inwards. The power rose up like a tidal wave. An almost infinite amount of faith energy received from all my divinities, be they lesser or major. Worship meant for Adera, Adenal and Adan poured into me. I compressed the power as much as I could. Time lost it''s meaning while I was in that space. 10 years casually passed by me as I kept on compressing and refining this energy for the large scale miracle I wanted to perform. I learned so much about energy control. My comprehension taking over and making known to me endless possibilities on how I could apply all this power to do whatever the fuck I wanted...but that was not what I was going for. My mind whispered to me that I had more than the capability to use this miracle without fucking up the process but I relented. I couldn''t ruin this. It needed someone who was always exposed to a huge amount of data and information to initiate the process and that was Gaea. Time passed some more. 10 more years spent without noticing the passage of time, only brief sparks of knowledge that I had spent more than two decades compressing the energy. In the outside world, only two hours had passed. Until finally, I held meaning within my soul. Above my oceans was a gigantic humming sphere of unlimited power. Every shred of energy inside was made up of the hopes and dreams of over a trillion minds. A mystery. A miracle. "Gaea, it''s time." Gaea appeared in the core in her true exotic form. She gave a serious nod. "Let me take over now." She widened her hands and everything changed. (Elsewhere) The presence in the form of an old man with an umbrella sat on a bench infront of a tranquil pond. A pond that to him was very special. The pond was always, ever tranquil. It''s very nature written in the core of it''s being was '' calm waters''. An idealistic representation of what he knew his creation could never be. For life was living and living was a conflict. A conflict with the void. The pond also doubled as a way to see what his creation was up to through it''s bottomless depths and serene surface. The presence had been seated on that bench for what might have been eons or maybe seconds when things changed. Something suddenly happened. A ripple that spread out from the middle of the pond, breaking the tranquility. ''calm waters'' no more. Something fundamental to the continued existence of DC had just occured. Something had strayed from the plan. Instead of being alarmed or angry, The Presence smiled with pride. "Attaboy Aden." (Aden''s P.O.V) The world splintered into multiple fragments and I found myself spread out through everything. I was everything and everything was me. My whole elemental dimensions, air, fire and the recently unlocked water were nothing but extensions of my will. The entirety of the realm, felt. Not seen. And by my name, was it all so beautiful. I could stay like this forever, feeling what Gaea no doubt felt every single waking moment. Then I felt a power, no a substance entrenched in complex meaning. Meaning I couldn''t hope to understand now with my limited perception. That meaning wrapped itself around me, like a warm blanket. Around my realm. And then, the dimension as a whole, left the great expanse of the void. Base reality, where all universes with the possibility of existing have existed and will exist. I broke the norm. My dimension was no longer part of ''that'' fundamental layer of existence. I had pushed past the boundaries of something infinite and transcended it''s unrelenting push and pull. The void was all there was. Everything inside the great white void, was the great white void. All except for my realm. This new layer of reality was something that had existed before yet hadn''t. A paradox. I have no idea how long it took me to force myself back into a humanoid figure. Infinitely larger, infinitely wider, hovering around a swirling sphere of energy and life. A representation of my realm, with nothing tangible or physical existing beyond it''s boundaries. A conditional void. However, if nothing could exist beyond it, then how come I could perceive it''s boundaries and exist outside their influence? Was this conditional void truly different to the void from before? Yes and no. It was hard to explain an Extreme. I had achieved what I had set out to do and that was enough for now. ''Which was what exactly?'' I could imagine Lucifer asking with an upturn of his lips. Well, I had managed to separate my realm from the DC multiverse or any multiverse for that matter. I now existed outside of it in a different dimension of reality. I couldn''t call it higher because that would mean there was a precedent to it''s existence. It was just different. The Presence, the Great Darkness or any number of cosmic entities had no way to ever reach me. They could only perceive what they had created and where. But the Elemental Dimension followed it''s own rules now. My Rules. It''s nature was technically easy to comprehend. Remember, this was beyond space and time but not beyond reality. Base reality is what we believe to be the truest foundation of existence. Anything less than that or more is simulated reality. Still the question remains, what exactly is this reality. This conditional void. And why is it conditional? Gaea and I called it The Self dimension. A theorized dimension that Gaea and I came up with to allow me direct and entire control over the realm as well as separate it in case the universal trial did not go the way I wanted. I was realistic. For all my power, there were a few beings who could challenge me and kick my ass. This way though, no matter how powerful they all were, none of them could hope to reach my realm. There was an infinite amount of distance between them and I was the only short cut available. You can think of The Self dimension as a reality dominated by the agency of being. My being. My thoughts bring about it''s tangibility. Thoughts are merely electric signals running through neurons in someone''s brain and activating a response based on an external stimulus. I think. Gaea explained it much better. However, that simplistic and often ignored quality is what enabled all this. See, thoughts cannot be seen or heard or touched. They do not have physicality. Even the way telepaths read minds is through using their own neurons to interpret what someone is thinking. Thoughts are the truest expression of being. The soul is the being but the mind is understanding of the being. So the void was conditional because only I could perceive its existence. Only I could know what it was or wasn''t because I was the void yet the void was a different entity entirely. Here''s a perfect example. Try accurately explaining what Nothing is to anyone. That was what the void was to any other being that was not me. Solving Energy Problems (General P.O.V) On the edges of unreality,the film of energy separating the waking world from the dream world, an ethereal cloud of starlight and awe-inspiring gradient roiled around, waiting. The scene changed. The surrounding gray nothingness shifting into high mountains with oceans in wide basins on top of them, ice covered grounds that gave way to rivers of honey and birds the size of airplanes that broke apart into billions of insects. Pockets of dense energy dotted the place causing differences in the creatures and life found here. The dreaming was unreasonable. The aforementioned mysterious cloud roiled around before collapsing into the figure of a tall angel with a huge sword strapped to his back. This angel was different from the usual type. He was not astoundingly beautiful. His face was carved with straight lines that gave him a very stern expression. His aura was not welcoming either. It did not put any of the creatures around at ease and as one, they ran away. Even the sky above started thrumming with thunder and lightning. The angel was over 7 feet tall and was dressed in an ornate golden armor. His wings while white were duller than most, glowing with a Gray tone. "Dream, where is your brother?" Metatron voiced out into the wind. His eyes shifted around, capturing everything. Knowing. "Do not presume this to be the silver city, Metatron. This is my realm and I will not allow you to act with impudence." The smooth deep voice that replied was followed by flakes of black energy that formed from the ground up. Morpheus and Metatron stared at each other with clashing gazes. One a figure of dressed in black, The Sandman and the other the voice of god himself. "I come in peace, Lord of Dreams. It would be wise for you to answer my question." Metatron warned an impassive Dream. "Where is Aden Strong?" Dream narrowed his eyes. "Leave." He then turned around and started walking off. Metatron looked at his retreating back. "I came with the will of God. You turned me away. Remember this day, Morpheus." Then he exploded into a cloud and shifted towards the sky, leaving behind a trail of white light. "The voice of god? Metatron is still the delusional fool he has always been, I see." Lucienne added, once Dream told her what had transpired. They were now inside the library. An empty library despite it''s fully stocked nature, for you see, every book was blank. The histories of over 7 billion people simply gone. "Careful Lucienne, power is still power, no matter who wields it." He cautioned, causing the librarian to stare at him from the corner of her eyes. Lucienne cleared her throat, adjusted her glasses, placed the book in her hands on the table and turned to her master. "Sooner or later we will have to face the reality Lord Morpheus. Whatever your little brother did, it has fully exempted him from the laws that govern reality." Morpheus'' jaw worked like crazy. "Why?" Lucienne opened her mouth, closed it and opened it again. "I am sure you are quite aware of the reason yourself Lord." "The trial." Morpheus murmured, stroking the spine of a book titled ''Vaatu''. Vaatu was technically a creature of the dreaming and that connection between The Dreaming and him was stronger than the average person''s. Yet even he was... missing from his senses. "He could have asked for my help..." Morpheus added, face scrunched up in a frown. "Like you did when you had to recapture the escaped Nightmares?" Lucienne countered. "Like it or not, Lord Morpheus, you and your siblings like to handle your problems on your own." Lucienne reasoned. "Though in the case of some, cause them." "You mean my brother Desire?" This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Morpheus asked, startling Lucienne. The woman dressed in a killer tux, looked embarrassed for a second. "Oh my, did I say that aloud?" Morpheus scoffed in humor. "You''re not wrong. Desire loves to create mayhem where he can. I am surprised that this is not his doing." Lucienne nodded, promising to herself not to forget who she was talking about. Still, she had an idea. "What about your elder brother, Lord Morpheus? Surely nothing can escape the gaze of destiny?" Dream stood straighter for a second as he contemplated the idea. Lucienne was not exactly wrong but she was missing the point. "What is Destiny without Dreams? What are dreams without destiny?" He closed the book in his hands with an audible snap. "Understand this Lucienne...each concept of life, is as important as the next." He waved his hands and an illusion of each of the Endless sigils appeared in mid air. The sigils were arranged in descending orders. From the oldest, Destiny to the youngest, Duality (Aden). Another wave and the sigils flew off their arranged orders and started roiling around, pivoting on their own self imposed axis without a logical order. "There isn''t a first or last or what came before each other. We all existed together as one bundle of consciousness that seemed to splinter out into individual components only because of the way sentient creatures view time. As something moving forward. You imposed order to something that up until then needed no order. So anything Destiny cannot see, I cannot as well. And vice versa." Lucienne understood enough now. If Lord Morpheus did not know where Aden was, no one would. What Lucienne did not notice was how the chaotic words in the illusion created by Dream seemed to slow down and start orbiting around one word, Duality. Dream saw it though. The illusion broke and Dream got back to sorting through the books. "A change like this...after more than a million years. Fascinatingly terrifying." (Aden''s P.O.V) "Well Gaea, tell me the news." I had my fingers tightened into fists, tense with worry. "Initial diagnostic run shows that everything went according to the plan. The shift has not changed anything substantial." I breathed out a sigh of relief from my position at the top of my favorite meditation space. The air plane looked as it usually did, a bright day with no discernible source of light, yet visibility was not an issue. Mist and clouds with peaks of individual mountains that speared right through the layers of water drops floating in the sky. "That''s good to hear, Gaea. Now we just need to solve one thing and we will be fully equipped to face anything that comes our way. Which means that I cannot ignore the trial or miss it. Not yet." Practically no one knew my realm had a direct link to the source wall, which is how the core of my realm was sustained. That however meant there was a likely possibility that someone powerful like the Presence knew already. I wasn''t taking any chances. There were a few alternative methods to energy that Gaea was working on to ensure we attained full independence from that layer of reality. The methods did not even need to be permanent. As long as we could upgrade the realm to the next level, it would start producing it''s own energy. The process would also be made efficient due to the concept of an energy conducter made from a special alloy that ensured only less than 1% of the total energy was lost. we could use and re-use energy as much as we wanted without fear of losing it completely. Unfortunately, for all of Gaea''s incredible computational skills and genius, she was one entity and couldn''t consider all infinite outcomes to such a difficult subject. Earlier, I stated that the realm would not want for energy after it had been upgraded. The reason was fairly simple. Souls were immortal packets of pure source that produced soul energy or most commonly known, spirit energy. With the Quintes connection to the realm, Gaea could repurpose the spirit energy they would naturally give off during their day to day lives to use as a battery. That alone would keep the realm running. But taking into account, all the changes I wanted to bring about, that alone would not be enough. It would have been much easier if I could just carry out another miracle but after expending all that power to tear my realm away to its own space, I needed time to gather more faith energy. After discussing a few more options we landed on the most optimal solution. One that would solve two of our problems simultaneously. The first would be that I wouldn''t have to wait for the Quintes race to be created so that the realm could upgrade and start producing energy without refining it from the Source. Secondly, the potential amounts for the energy produced would be massive by way of this project. Getting to that idea hadn''t been a smooth ride however. Gaea had had the idea that after enough data analysis and simulation experiments, creating multiple artificial souls that would be unified into one super consciousness which would act as the Realm''s source of energy was possible. Leave alone the moral and ethical wrongness of such a practice, it was philosophically backwards and showed Gaea''s limitation as a thinking, breathing entity. That at the end of the day, she wasn''t human or mortal. She was the consciousness of an entire world with millions of different species. so why would she feel that her favor was meant for one specific species when she was a mother of more? Luckily, she was still learning about reality''s favoritism. We were more intelligent and our souls moved on to various afterlives upon death. That, permit me to say, allowed us to be at the forefront. We came before any less intelligent species. Such is life. So that plan was completely scrapped, we could not use sapient creations for something like that but anything else was fair game. That got me thinking and from that mulling, a plan was formed. We couldn''t use human, quintes or any other reasoning being''s soul but that didn''t mean we couldn''t use, plant life. And boy did that open avenues. Botany already contributed to mankind''s survival. This wouldn''t be different. What we needed was someone like Lex Luthor. Someone very smart who could turn my idea into a reality. Preferably an expert in spirit energy manipulation due to it''s abundance and importance to not only the project but also the realm as a whole. Those qualities could be found in a very very eccentric scientist who was ironically enough, an expert in spirit energy generation and manipulation. And all I needed to do to get him? Use one of my perks to make it happen. It was time to activate the Sapience Bundle and bring Iknik Blackstone Varrick, business magnate, inventor, crazy man, rebel leader and foremost expert in spirit energy, into my realm. God help me. Oh I couldn''t forget his assistant/wife either. Damnit. Luckily the mission to destroy the Light and kill every major supervillain in the world had some really really enticing rewards. I snapped a finger and relayed a message to my most bloodthirsty spirit. "Michael, how about we begin operation ''Clean up?'' His reply was calm with an undertone of excitement. "As you wish Master Aden." Delegate Part 1 Merry Christmas everybody. ::--------------------------------------------------:: (Michael P.O.V) The negativity coursing through his veins felt euphoric. Different hateful emotions like fear, doubt, loathing, envy, greed...they all feed into him, pushing his abilities ever forward. Truly Micheal himself had no idea how powerful he was. And it was all due to this little plan his master had cooked up. The strength increase was a bonus. What took the cake was the delicious death happening all around him. Calling it death was not an apt description however. Michael liked to think of it as a...timeout on life. The souls of the fallen were harvested for future use. Every villain inside the huge and reinforced arena had done some heinous things. Any other villain whose biggest wrongdoing was robbing a store and maybe flying without a license in the case of Kite man was not part of the lot. Those petty crime villains were getting punished as well but only according to the severity of their crimes. Most were being forced to relive their lives in an endless cycle of regret up until they truly and properly repented. They were forced to feel every single uncomfortable moment from inconveniences that they had caused to others. Such an emotion when compounded would prove to be hell to anyone. Those didn''t intrest Michael all that much. Polite and well dressed in a suit didn''t mean jack. When he peeled away the layers, Michael was one sadistic fucker. He knew it and relished in his Master''s enemies faces when they found that out. He looked down at the Arena, invisible while in the sky. 90% of all the villains that had been fighting in the arena were dead, their souls tucked away in the core of the realm. He looked at the 16 villains left alive, huddled under various things. The largest group so far was inside a tall dome of ice sustained by two villains, Killer Frost and Mister Freeze. They had chosen to stay as far away from the battle as they could, only taking lives in an act of self defense. That said, some among them had still killed others before deciding to sit out the blood bath. Why was this so important? Easy, because Michael had heightened each and every Villain''s aggression to make them fight and kill. Anyone who had managed to fight against his manipulation of their emotions had displayed that maybe just maybe they had a chance to be redeemed. So...back to their punishments. Just because they had survived did not mean they would automatically be allowed to join the populace. They would surely cause problems. No, Master Aden, wanted things to go as smooth as possible. It wouldn''t be considered smooth if Mister Freeze decided to start Killing innocent people, until someone told him where his wife was. If Michael was any less Sadistic, he would''ve told the ice themed Supervillain that his wife was okay. There was another group of ''special'' Villains that Master Aden had allowed Gaea to take from the Hollowlands. Ra''s Al Ghul and a very ferocious woman who Michael had instantly liked called Lady Shiva. Gaea needed them for a super secret project. Michael somehow found himself pitying them. "Oh seems like I have kept my pets waiting too long that they have begun to grow restless." Michael commented, deciding to finally reveal himself. (General P.O.V) "Is it...is it over?" Captain Boomerang asked from within the dome. Things had been silent for a very long time. The fighters left had been Bizzaro, Enchantress, Mammoth, Blockbuster, Wotan and a few more high powered brutes. But that had been before Killer Frost and Mister Freeze had reinforced the walls of the ice dome to avoid dying from the shockwaves produced as these juggernauts went head to head. Things were silent now. Too silent actually. Killer Frost lowered her arms that were sustaining the ice dome and fell to the ground, suddenly weak. "Frost!" Deadshot was there to hold her before her legs gave out. "Hey, hey what...what are you doing!? Keep using your powers, the ice is cracking!" A scared Shaggy Man cried out. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Shut the fuck up, Shaggy Man. Can''t you see that she can''t keep it up anymore?" Cheetah growled out, hitting him with a feral look. Shaggy man stumbled back, stepping on Scarecrow''s feet. He was huge with thick red fur but that did not mean he wanted to cross Cheetah. Unfortunately, an argument sprang up between Shaggy Man and Scarecrow after Shaggy Man stepped on his feet. Deadshot caught Captain Boomerang''s eye and motioned to Shaggy man and Scarecrow. Boomerang looked at them and then shrugged in a ''the fuck you want me to do to them'' way. Deadshot shook his head and aimed his wrist gun at them. A pasty white hand grabbed his wrist and lowered it down. The hand belonged to Harley Quinn. The normally excitable and upbeat villainess had a cold expression on her face. She walked over towards the two of them who were dangerously close to fighting and then grabbed their heads together and smashed both of their faces onto each other. Hard. Both cried out, stumbling away with broken noses and missing teeth. In the case of Scare crow, his face looked to be more hurt from the collision. Harley spat on them before looking around at the rest of the villains, challengingly. A slow clap sounded out from above them. "Wow, well done Harley. Have you ever considered that the Joker might have been holding you back before?" The voice had them all turning to face the sky. Their mouths dried, their eyes bugged out, their legs trembled. Terror the likes of which they hadn''t ever felt before hit them. "T.h..th...the whisp...ers. The whispers..." Cheetah sounded absolutely scared. Yet she was better off than the others who peed or shat themselves. What she meant by whispers was the universal voice they all had, whispering all their regrets and despair to their ears. There was nothing they could do then and there was nothing they could do now. Michael''s eyebrows rose up. "Oh, so your souls recognize me..." He floated gently down. The villains all stayed in place. Too overwhelmed by fear to do anything. "No...you... you''re not real! This is an illusion! Dammit! I killed you!!" Deadshot''s wrist gun was already up by the time he finished his words. He targeted Michael''s vital organs. All 37 bullets slowed down as they closed in on Michael, seeming to move in thick syrup. Deadshot''s attack seemed to rouse almost everyone else and in desperation they joined in. Ice beams, Polk dots, boomerangs...all kinds of attacks flew towards The Warden. Michael smiled. Reality around them begun to change. The arena broke away into fragments of millions of dementors all flying towards the sky. They formed a black cloud that sucked away all the light and the warmth around, hovering above Michael as if he was the eye of the storm. "The whispers in the dark, that which hides in the corner of your eye. The fear of the unknown... Well... now you know." The villains abandoned their attacks and started trying to run away, towards anything. Only for the ground to break apart and reveal wide bottomless chasms. Their screams were the only thing left echoing out as they were devoured by the darkness. Michael looked up at the sky. "You know Gaea, I just had a thought. That whole thing would make awesome entertainment." Michael''s surroundings changed as he teleported away from his realm. "You have a point. We could use the footage from the fight as a sort of way to debut the realm wide news network project. It would hurry Master Aden''s plan." Michael floated down towards the huge EUC building headquarters. The statue behind it depicting Aden had been completed and in his opinion looked as grand as Fuck. He managed to capture the figures of both Superion and Superman as they flew towards the woods. Enhancing his sensing skills, Michael was able to capture the building constructed deep into the mountain range. That was also coincidentally where Superman and Superion were headed. He narrowed his gaze. "Is that going to be a problem?" The question was directed to Gaea. "No. Master Aden is quite aware of their little fan club. However he hopes that some of the more...wise members of the hero community will be able to talk the rest out of whatever foolhardy schemes they may be plotting." "And I''m guessing one of those ''wise'' members is the Kryptonian? Someone who wears his underwear above his costume." Gaea was silent for a while. "Just get here." She finally said which earned her a laugh from The Warden. Michael took the direct route. He flew down and phased through the roof of the building, appearing in a small conference room occupied by a few notable figures. Gaea was standing at the front of the table. Behind her was a holographic display of a few incomplete building projects which seemed to be what she was discussing with Luthor and a few others. The whole set up was direct. There was a row of thrones, on what passed as the stage. The thrones numbered 7 with one huge throne sitting right in the middle. Below the stage was what would come to be known as the Council. And the only ones occupying the seats were Luthor and a man that Michael had never seen before. The man was dressed in fine clothes and had a moustache across his face. He was also struggling to open a can of pineapple slices. He was visibly sweating and red in the face. Before long he gave up and wordlessly offered the can to the girl wearing similar clothing to him, standing behind his chair. She received it and opened it with no effort before passing the can back to the unfamiliar human. Michael was instantly annoyed. He questioningly looked at Gaea. She ignored him in favor of levelling a hard stare towards the new couple. The realm mother sighed in exasperation. "Varick, if you could please pay attention." Michael''s expression underwent a change. Wow, his master did not waste time using his vast powers to bring an Otherworlder to the realm. Michael really wanted to learn more about the man. Despite his eccentrics, anyone Master Aden picked must have been useful. Michael sat on the far left throne while thinking a lot. His attention was only broken when Master Aden along with Vaatu, Yaotl and Raava appeared on stage all at the same time. Michael was up to his feet without a hand. Aden looked around at the conference room and clapped his hands together. "Well then, how about we begin the most important meeting of all time?" To Aden, after today''s meeting, he would be free to do anything like Training for more power and exploring the water realm. With his increased comprehension speed, it was only a matter of time before he completely mastered both water and earth. He anticipated they wouldn''t even take up any time. With only a few weeks of meditation he could reach Grandmaster level and past it. Delegate Part 2 Merry Christmas guys. ::----------------------------------------------------:: (Aden''s P.O.V) The entire room grew silent the second we appeared. Lex sat up straighter, Varrick''s laid back attitude shifted to a stiff yet forcibly relaxed demeanor. It reminded me of the conversation we had had after summoning him from the system. "This place is beautiful." The genius man had said as we faced each other on the beach infront of my house/cottage. The kids were asleep as was Kori and the sun was just beginning to peak through the horizon. The last embers of the camp fire Raava and the kids were dancing around were still burning bright. Zhu li his wife and assistant was dutifully standing behind him, ready to do whatever he needed. "It is." I agreed. The rocking waves of ocean water gently lapping at the beach...no matter how many times I described the scene, it never got old. "So what exactly are you?" Varrick answered after a few minutes. I stroked the fire with a stick, watching the sparks fly up into the dawn sky. The sparks begun to change into strange images. Varrick looked on with interest. "That depends on whether you are ready to learn the truth." A Symbol of the Avatar appeared on a spark, shifting colors between the dark state and the light state. Chaos and order. Varrick watched on, entranced. "Zhu li, are you getting this?" I heard a flash of camera light and saw one of those classic camera''s in Zhu li''s hands. ''Where the heck was she hiding something so huge?'' "I am what you would call a cosmic entity." The sparks reflected everything I said. "Many think of me as a god and send their worship. Offering up their eternal servitude in supplication to me." An image of all the different planets worshipping me appeared in mid air. Statues of Adenal, Adan and Adera with the largest one being the Aden statue in my main dimension showed up in the air as well. "Are you?" He asked, a glint in his eyes. "We are taught that gods are beings we cannot ascribe understanding to. Yet I see you, hear you and smell you. I doubt...you." I chuckled. "You''re right. But I never said I was a god, did I?" Varrick smiled in disbelief. "I am shocked that you would admit that so easily. Keeping up the lie would have eventually grown exhausting." I smiled back. "So you do not believe me?" He shook his head. "I am an inventor and businessman. I am grounded in reality." "Your reality." I interjected. "Not mine. I never said I was a god...I am something more." Even Zhu Li shifted uncomfortably. Varrick leaned in. "You already know what I am going to say then." He leaned back and crossed his hands together, stubbornly. If I wanted to order him around, there would be nothing stopping me. He was linked to me through the mechanisms of the Avatar system. Something that for all my power, I was yet to even understand. Something that provided for me everything I needed without knowing I actually needed it. I wonder if I could create my own version of it? "You want me to prove it to you?" I settled instead for asking him the question. "Naturally." He shrugged." I am a scientist after all." "Good." I abruptly got up and shed away the layers of reality. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Varrick and Zhu Li screamed in alarm when they started falling away into stellar Cosmic equations, explaining the core of being and sustenance of the Elemental Dimension. No other human had ever been here except for the two of them and the only reason, I allowed it was because they were completely bonded to me. Their souls, their minds and their bodies were mine to do with as I pleased. However, that kind of control was something I never wanted to exercise. It was better if I showed him a single glance if what I was. It pointed out how insane Varrick was that the raw collision between matter, energy and meaning did not break his mind. Zhu Li must have already gotten used to his antics as she was also more or less unharmed after the experience. After that, Varrick agreed to work for me of his own volition. Maybe telling him that he could continue his research into spirit energy as an alternative means to energy, without the fear of his inventions being used as a weapon had something to do with it. I left him with Gaea, warping space to a meeting with the Amazons that was long overdue. I had followed one of Yaotl''s advices and separated the Amazonians from the rest of humanity, choosing to give them an island stocked with everything they would ever need. Within a few days, the female warrior society had changed the island to look like theirs, complete with a fighting arena, archery ranges, riding tracks and weapons Training grounds. A more respectful man would have used the door to the small palace that they had built out of the material Gaea had provided for them. Me? I teleported straight inside. The chamber was actually really well constructed. They were so badass they wanted to build their own houses. Of course Gaea made distributing the material and correcting any errors in construction her job, doing the bulk of the work. Still, they had shown dedication. The second I appeared unannounced, they all...did nothing? Huh. Where are the spears and arrows? Where is the hostility I was expecting due to being a man? As one, the Amazons gathered lowered their eyes and took a knee. There seemed to be court proceedings going on, with Yaotl standing dutifully on the side of a throne. The queen''s throne. Next to Hippolyta was another throne that had Wonder Woman sigil above it''s head. Diana was not in the realm now, having opted to leave due to being a god queen of her own Pantheon, so the seat was empty. Hippolyta rose up from the throne with a regal expression, walked down the stairs and took a knee. "Welcome my Lord." To say no more, the meeting went splendidly. I had thought I would need to make an example out of them. To show them exactly who they were dealing with. Now assured that I would face no problems with the Amazons and after going through their revamped list of traditions and laws, I decided to let them live life however they wanted. Who knows, maybe I could find a use for them? They were more talented than the average person in spirit manipulation as well. Gaea scanned them and told me. And we needed more of those. So we left the meeting to go to another one. Hopefully, this one would be the last in a long time. Yaotl and I picked up Vaatu and Raava on the way, before warping towards the conference hall of what was to be the governing council in the EUC building. Gaea, Varrick and Zhu Li, Luthor and finally Michael. I gestured and everyone sat down. My spirits took the thrones behind us while I remained standing. I cleared my throat. "First of all, I want to introduce you all to our new Colleague and his assistant." It was clear I was talking about Varrick. "You want to say hello?" I asked dryly. Varrick jumped up on to the table. "Zhu Li! Do the thing!" "Yes sir." A whistle and a bunch of confetti exploded in a spectacle behind him. "Feast your eyes upon the greatest inventor you will likely ever see..." I immediately regretted it and quickly cut off the rest of his long winded introduction. "Varrick, Everyone." I then turned and introduced everyone else to the eccentric scientist. "Now that that''s out of the way" My tone grew serious, just as an image of the Earth continent (the continent holding all the humans) appeared on the Holo screen behind me. "Let''s get down to business. As you are all aware, the EUC is responsible for the welfare of every human in the realm. That will not change as long as you have a democratic system of governing among you Luthor. Gaea retains the position of an Overseer and has the ability to take matters into her own hands in case the situation calls for it." "If I may, Sir." Luthor replied. "That''s quite a contradictory system. Democracy applies on all levels. It''s inclusive." I knew he was pointing out the hypocrisy in giving them freedom that was conditional in them acting the way I wanted. "Suck it up human. Life is not fair." Vaatu answered grouchly. He hadn''t seen Demeter in a few days. "Luthor, admit it, humanity is a danger to itself. Before Darkseid, you were well on your way to destroying your own planet. I will not risk my realm by allowing you to do whatever you want. Gaea is in charge. Got that?" He eyes briefly landed on the Realm Mother and he nodded. "Good, moving on." The hologram behind me panned out to reveal 5 more huge landmasses and over a million islands the size of the largest continents back on earth. Varrick whistled and Luthor blinked at the scale of distance provided. "102,000,000 square miles." "And expanding." I added. Here comes the bad news. "The other continents are off limits to any human. There are delicate eco systems that are in an infant state and I want to give them more time to grow before humanity begins to destroy." I snorted. "This might turn out to be a challenging adventure in the future. Something for explorers to seek out. But for now, tell your people Luthor, you''re all on house arrest." He looked like he wanted to protest that but instead settled for a curt nod. "Varrick will be heading the technological side of things. Luthor, you will be included in the fold but only as a consultant." "We have no need for weapon advancement, medical services due to the drones or a number of the projects you were involved in where you had government contracts. There is only one thing I am interested in and Varrick is heading it. Be sure to provide him with anything he requires within reason." Luthor and Varrick looked at each other over the table. Luthor sighed before nodding his head. Varrick merely smirked. I wasn''t interested in them being friends, merely working well together was enough for me. "Good. The matter of the day to day lives has been taken care of. There is now a system in place. Gaea has helped you and will continue to help you in constructing everything you need, from making up new laws or readjusting old ones to fit in with the new standard. Not to mention look for necessary people to hold necessary positions." "School will soon start as well. Different career opportunities will be made available as Gaea withdraws her influence from the things you yourself can handle . I estimate that within 3 months, things will go back to how they were. In a sense." I looked around for one last time. "I won''t be around for some time but I hope you all work together to make this work." I gave a nod to my spirits and the others before teleporting away, hoping and wishing that I hadn''t made a mistake by choosing to leave matters in their hands. There was nothing I could do though. I had to get ready for what was coming. But before that, I had to see Kori and my kids for the last time before I started my training montage. Training Montage part 1 (Aden''s P.O.V) Kori and I hadn''t had some time alone in a long time. And with Raava capable of looking after the kids, that provided us the perfect opportunity to bond. I set up a beautiful picnic on the edge of a waterfall that fell from a really long height. The spray of water managed to create a very beautiful rainbow that paired up perfectly with the greenery of the island we were on. The beach here as seen from the distance was simply a work of art. Gaea could engineer the best tropical getaways or such beautiful landscapes,that you would lose your breath from sighing in happiness too much. The best part of this island? It was all natural. As natural as it could be given that the whole realm was only a few months old. Holy shit. The realm was actually only a few months old? My surprise aside, I made sure to set up the most romantic date we had ever gone on. The best part about the island was that the waters near it, were home to a school of Flami-dolphines. Creature that were hybrids between Flamingos and dolphins. They were also humongous. Easily the size of a blue whale. Everytime they jumped out of the water, it was a spectacle to see. Kori enjoyed it immensely. We stayed there just chatting about everything. She told me about her worries and I assuaged them. I told her about my doubts and she hugged them away. It was nice to have someone who wouldn''t judge you. Nice to have someone who cared. After the beautiful day, I took her home and enjoyed the evening with my family. The kids could sense I was about to leave and so more than usual they wanted to spend every single minute with me. At the end of it all, I stood alone watching the ocean, my toes digging into the sand. The stars in the sky, a mere illusion yet they managed to cast a natural light down to the surroundings. I knew that one day, every single star I could see, would ignite and become real. Gain substance. I wasn''t going to stop until I made this realm the best. I would even take all the followers I made in the other universes and bring them over. I would create a Utopia not free of strife or suffering but with just the right amount of pain and the right amount of pleasure. Pure Bliss for eternity is no different than pure suffering for all eternity. In a way. So my creation was going to have realism. Where you were free to achieve anything you wanted. My ideal ideal world. I was still not sure about letting humanity stay though. The amount of faith I was receiving from the populace was increasing each day. It felt scummy to eventually abandon those who decided to worship me. That was something the Greek gods did, not me. Yet, humanity had proved time and time again that bitter change usually accompanied them. Was I dooming myself and the realm for considering what I was considering? I stayed there for over 3 hours. Not meditating or doing anything of great importance, just chilling and thinking. Eventually, I had to depart. Duty called and I would be remiss if I didn''t answer. No one says no to a training montage. I jumped to my feet and closed my eyes in concentration. At my urging, my body split into two forms. The original body had green and red eyes while the Homunculi puppet looked like the White Shadow. It was strange seeing myself from outside my body. I had grown really tall. I was my dad''s height now and although faint, some of the resemblance that had been there still flashed through in certain angles despite my face now looking like...this. I was really really handsome. It threw me out of loop and left me feeling weirded out that I was staring at myself. How the fuck had no one pointed out the unnaturalness of the whole thing? Oh, yeah, the ones who would have said something were too scared of me and the ones who wouldn''t, saw past my outer image. They saw me for me. The Homunculi puppet perk had evolved. I could now sustain another Homunculi without any side effects. Which gave me three independent forms for each of my unlocked elements. That meant that sooner or later, I would be able to split my attention among all the elements and their Sub-skills. I could coordinate attacks with myself and have a better layout of the battlefield. This particular Homunculi only had access to the water element. It had no connection to any of my divinities, major or lesser. All it basically had was my strong body and skills. My mental facualties were fortunately split between all my active forms, so my comprehension speed was still very high. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. I saluted the original, which was still me, I guess. So I basically saluted myself and then disappeared into the water realm. My original self shook my head at my antics before turning to the realm mother. "Gaea, is everything ready?" I stretched my body, the air undulating and the sand on the beach shaking. I heaved and jumped with my physical power alone. The air tore apart and a path of super hot energy was left behind my trail. I reached the atmosphere of the planet in a split second and then beyond that to plunge into the cold of space. The sun was huge. It covered every corner of my vision when I looked at it. Space itself was cold but my godly immortal body easily shrugged off it''s effects. I was now sustained by my power and domains. Nothing lesser than me could kill me. Gaea''s answer came just as I was drifting around, basking in the rays of the sun. As the god of light and the stars, the sun was under my control. I tried to absorb some of it''s power and found it easy. Though I would probably need like a hundred suns to actually absorb a good amount. "Yes. It was difficult but with the Justice League''s data on wormholes and spatial manipulation for faster travel, I came up with a working model. Though it only goes up to 500¡Á the gravity." She answered through telepathy. I hummed in acknowledgement and reoriented my body, then shot off towards the only other giant planet in the star system. I hadn''t bothered with creating other exo planets, deciding to wait until there was a need. Gaea was huge, almost the quarter of the sun and closer. The other giant planet was near the outskirts of the star system. Gaea itself had several Jupiter sized moons revolving around it. The number was six. Gaea had a project to combine them all into one moon, stabilize the gravitational forces between the two to stop any adverse effects and give Gaea one beautiful moon that occupied the night sky. We were literally rewriting the laws of physics however we wanted. For her it was just a matter if saying, ''it works.'' and it would. With trillions of simulations running on how to make the planet more evolved, then it really was a matter of saying, ''it works.'' I weaved through an asteroid belt, escaping the field with crazy flight maneuvers that reminded me of my favorite sci-Fi shows, to come up on the literal opposite to Gaea. Even from space itself this planet was an enigma. It was silver with a layer of white covering it. Not to mention, Smooth like a globe due to the high gravity restricting the formation of tall mountains and hills. The planet was also frozen over with temperatures that approached the absolute cold, only off by a few degrees. It was made for ash living. The air was not breathable and instead contained an atmosphere dominated by a gas that was highly poisonous to biological life forms. The planet had customer made drones that could go toe to toe with the Justice League and best them. Those were going to be for sparring. The thing that set the planet apart from Gaea or anything else however was that I could afford to go all out here without the danger of breaking it apart. The planet had a Chaoum core and absorbed any energy you threw at it, giving off a field of dark energy that cast the planet in a dark light. The darkness drained even more energy from someone. It was the perfect training place. The planet was Gaea''s size as well. But the gravity was crazy. 500¡Á the gravity of earth or Gaea''s own adjusted gravity. The pull from the planet was bringing me closer to it''s atmosphere without my wanting to. The second I breached the zone separating it from space, I plunged right through like a meteor, feeling a slightly uncomfortable weight acting upon my body. It was easy enough to shrug it off, but my trajectory kept on shifting due to the increased gravity. It would take some time to get used to it. I hoped the other me was having more fun. (White Shadow) Yeah. I was having fun. Infact, it wasn''t just fun, it was something else entirely. Awe and Satisfaction. I had just found the winner for the prettiest plane in my realm. A world made entirely of water and the occasional ice landscapes floating above the surface. Despite that, the temperature was not freezing. It was actually warm in a way. The clouds above were a beautiful golden color that seemed to exude out a light that hit the water and caused all these beautiful shades through the environment contained inside. And that was where the awe came from. The underwater was it''s very own sustained eco system. It contained beautiful aquatic plants and animals. The sea life looked like something you would see straight from a fantasy movie. The entire dimension was as big as the rest of the planes, with no discernible end. Or something like that. To be honest, space was folded and stretched out in places. The elemental planes did not follow the same rules as the main dimension. The main dimension had a sun, none of the planes had that. I swam inside the waters, just enjoying the view. Huge sea creatures that were bigger than the Unagi passed me by peacefully. I touched one of them and had it leaning into my touch. They recognized me. And just as they recognized me, I recognized the spark of life inside each of them. The connection they possessed that made them stand apart from the rest of the creatures in my fire plane and air plane. That spark of life culminated into a special universal consciousness that I could feel watching me curiously and with interest. I smiled as a name appeared out of nowhere, glowing with the light of knowledge inside my mind. Aqua, the spirit of water and life. She wasn''t ready to meet me yet though. I could feel her hesitation. She was... unsure. I was something else. I was different. She could not feel me or control me or be me. I smiled, closing my eyes and allowing the water to pull on my body, causing me to sink into it''s blue embrace. ''Its alright, I mean you no harm.'' I sent forth calming telepathic tones, hoping that I made a good impression on her. I had a feeling that water training would go faster if I had Aqua helping me. Training Montage Part 2 (The White Shadow''s P.O.V) 5 days. That''s how long I spent inside the depths of the ocean. Everything was dark all around me. This was not even the deepest part of the water plane. Yet it was a veritable void with tons of liters of water weighing down on me. For reference, the deepest part on earth was or had been, the Mariana trench located in the Pacific ocean. It measured more than a whooping 34,000 feet deep. That was literally nothing compared to the deepest part on Gaea. The oceans in Gaea went deeper than 4 million feet. That is more than 1,219,200 meters deep. The water plane was much much deeper. To be honest, I had no idea how deep it went. I was already more than a billion feet inside. Yeah. That was why my theory of space being folded or stretched out in particular places was more than just a theory. It had some truth to it. I just couldn''t verify it in this form. I didn''t have access to my spatial abilities so I couldn''t accurately figure out the mystery myself. One thing I knew however was that there was more to this plane than the ashy landscape of the fire plane or the cloudy peaks of the air dimension. The golden clouds... something was off about them. Anyway, the reason I was deep inside the ocean was fairly simple. I was going about things differently. This time I wanted to begin my water bending by mastering a Subskill, to be precise it''s solid form before the most common expression of the element, it''s liquid. The reason was that in my eyes, ice was not only more fascinating but was also connected to a certain Fundamental aspect of reality that I was coordinating with my original body to learn. I got the idea from Esdeath. If she could tap into time and freeze it then I could to. And if I could freeze it, then mission complete. I would have had a taste of time manipulation and could work from there. Too bad Vaatu destroyed Kronos, I could have studied his divinity and copied it. So my first training aspect of water bending was trying to form ice. Not just any ice though. The question comes in, if I was training to learn how to manipulate ice, why was I not in one of the ice islands floating on the surface of the ocean? Why was I so deep into the ocean that no ordinary life could be sustained by such an environment. Well, because of the very high pressure of the water, the ocean floor was nothing but a dense connective layer of ''ice vii'' a crystallized solid formed by the high pressures in the depths of the ocean. The whole sea floor was made up of ice. I meditated in those depths, trying to understand the process in which the ice was formed. And what caused the water above me to remain in liquid form while lying above a plate of ice that had no end. The crust, the core...everything below the water was ice. Yet, life lived. How did the aquatic plants survive? Thick roots the size of storey buildings that stubbornly dug into the ice floor and then branched out into a mesh of branches and leaves that formed a fake sea floor. Above that fake sea floor, life thrived. Sharks, schools of fish, hybrid aquatic creatures...you name it. Too bad I hadn''t seen any Mermaids, which was a bummer. "Mermaid?" A soft voice asked, straight to my mind. Aqua. She would occasionally check up on me. I had deliberately let my mental walls down which was how we communicated. Through the same innate link I possessed with the rest of the kids. Aqua was so shy that she only said one word at times before retreating to where she usually stayed. Which I couldn''t pinpoint exactly. I sent her an image of what a mermaid looked like. I chose Ariel as an example, but changed her hair and tail into a blue color. I felt Aqua''s emotions suddenly shift from cautious curiousity into excitement and happiness. "Love." She sent over before cutting off the connection, leaving me all alone in the darkness. Finally, I saw some results. I had been trying to understand the formation of water into ice and by the fifth day of my meditation, I finally succeeded. Just bleed out the temperature. Yeah it was that obvious. I had thought there would be more to it but seems like I had been wrong. Or maybe instead of saying that that was the way, it was more accurate to say it was one of the ways of forming ice from water. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Because I could not form ice vii, nor was my ice the normal type that could break apart into chunks and melt above the surface of the water. My ice was more akin to a crystal. It wasn''t as cold as normal ice but neither was it as...weak. To reflect on my progress, the display box accurately displayed my stats. ::----------------------:: Water (beginner) -Ice - ::----------------------:: With that out of the way and seeing no progress in freezing time, I decided to move on to actually learning how to water bend. My original body was still meditating on time and he was more than capable of handling that problem. There was no use in wasting precious time when I could be better off mastering my new Element as quickly as possible. Learning how to create ice using the little control over water I had, came to be a blessing in disguise. It opened new avenues of training that I was all too eager to try. I stood bare chested on a small piece of ice that was softly swaying on the surface of the water. It had already been 2 weeks for me. Most of the time after learning how to freeze water into ice had been spent trying to take it''s temperature lower and lower, approaching absolute cold. It hadn''t happened but that precise ice control came in handy now. The ocean all around me added to a feeling of immense tininess I only felt when staring at space. All I could see, horizon to horizon was water and golden clouds hanging low. The sheet of ice I was standing on was about one inch thick and could barely handle my weight. If it broke, I would unceremoniously be dumped into the water. Now, my body could handle the cold easily but getting wet is not always fun. My long hair especially was a bitch and a half to dry without access to my other elements like air. I breathed out as I readied myself. All the distractions left me. My mind became focused, falling into a rhythm with my body, where thought and action were separated by a very small margin. Water bending was an art that was very similar to Tai Chi, an elegant and flowing style that is in constant motion. This type of bending required deep breathing and fluidity of the physical body and of the mind. It was all about the push and pull, a cycle sustained by the flexibility of the wielder. It could change from calm to angry like a storm in seconds. Water bending was arguably the best bending art in the Avatar world. You could heal with it, form water from the atmosphere, bend an enemy''s blood ( I can imagine being able to bend an entire army simply by wanting to), could form ice, control plants by bending the water inside... honestly, despite my love for Fire bending, Water bending took the cake. And I couldn''t wait to see how I could break it. The basic moves of the art were clear in my head. The moves emphasized going with the flow, the sway, the motion. When water meets a rock, it flows around it, unobstructed and uncaged. Different from air that had less mass and could be released in short bursts, water had to be coaxed but in return brought with it more power behind each move and better control. 2 water benders were equal to 4 fire benders, it just made sense. Which was surprising because the Fire nation had managed to almost destroy the Southern water nation. The purpose of the thin ice platform was to teach me how to go with the constant roils, twists and laps of the ocean water under me. I swept my leg from the front to the right. The motion rocked the ice sheet and I tensed, locking my body to stop from breaking through the ice. A second later the sheet cracked in to tiny ice plates and I was dumped into the water. Inside the blue depths, I blew out a raspberry before coming up to the surface and trying the test again. The water solidified into another thin sheet of ice. I stood atop it and tried to fall into the rhythm. My eyes closed. I stretched my hands to the sides, as if painting a picture on a canvas hanging in the air. The motion of my hands followed a set of moves that emphasized on stretches and coils. My fingers bent, followed by the arm, then the other hand followed the same motion closely... I breathed out, sweating a little because it wasn''t easy trying to maintain the structure of the ice. I lifted one leg, held it level to the knee of the other leg and then crouched low, sweeping out the leg to the right along with my right hand. And then came the spin... The ice sheet broke and I fell into the sea. I swam up and spit out the salty water. ''Okay...maybe this is not going to be as simple as I envisioned.'' I considered using the Spark of Enlightenment but then decided against it. It would have been such a waste. Why was it so hard to get this! I was frustrated, I was angry and I was irritated. I calmed myself down and got back on the horse, I hadn''t come all this way just to give up now, right? I was the Avatar. This shit was in me, I just had to pull it out. Once I was back on the sheet of ice, I stayed still, just feeling the effects of the water''s bouyance on the sheet of ice. One thing I noticed was that the sheet of ice did not try to counteract or restrict each and every action the water did. If it roiled, the sheet roiled with it and by concequence, I roiled with it too. Huh, so it wasn''t trying to adjust itself to fit by the waters'' rule, instead it simply allowed the water to do what it wanted. It was going with the flow and the motion because it was in the water''s domain. My mind buzzed. That''s it. I had been trying to copy the motion and do the basic move sets of water bending according to an order. What I should have been doing...is surrendering completely. If the sea raged, I would rage. If it was calm, I was calm. True Harmony. Training Montage Part 3 (Aden''s P.O.V) Stepping foot on the giant training planet was more akin to the exertion of running a million miles. I could easily do it but still, the effort was noticeable. I burst through the ever present gray clouds that could instantly flash freeze a human just from being too close. The entry was fairly okay. Before my eyes, I could see a smooth landscape made up of shallow craters and small mounds of rock. Ice covered a huge portion of the planet and no life was present here. No carbon life at least. Silicone based life forms could maybe survive here but I was not about to find that out. This was my training grounds. A place I could go all out without fear of breaking something. My breath fogged and broke apart into tiny ice shards that fell to the ground. I immediately decided against breathing. My feet landed on the ground and the pull of the planet''s gravity, stuck to me like glue. Immediately I could tell that any other flier would be hard pressed to leave the surface of the planet without a great amount of propulsion. The first thing I did upon reaching there was go into meditation to mentally prepare myself for the task ahead. I knew what I wanted and how to go about it. All I needed was the will to keep at it. My Homunculi puppet was similarly training, having started upon the concepts of ice and time. I didn''t think there would be a lot of noticeable progress from that, but it didn''t mean that that particular path was wrong. Everything was connected. It was all about finding that bond. I arranged my thoughts, using a telepathic skill I had learned where I completely discarded any other thoughts processes not pertaining or relating to one sole objective. I felt my mind grow sharper, the faces of everyone I knew and loved taking a backseat. Was it possible to be more powerful than I already was? Yes. How though? A few ways come to mind. First of all, I could essentially gain more divinities and domains. Every single divinity would come with an enhancement to my physique that stacked on to what I already had. This would effectively increase my physical parameters to even scarier levels and came with additional powers and skills. The second way was to focus on shoring up my weaknesses. Which begs the question, what weakness did I have? My energy manipulation abilities had always been the focus and my main Fighting style. Using elemental attacks to bombard an enemy from different angles. I had been in so many numerous fights, I could come up with attack strategies that they wouldn''t see coming. And with my Homunculi puppet focusing entirely on water bending, it was safe to say that this particular fighting style would only grow. It wasn''t accurate to say it was my weakness. Then we have the divine side of things. To be completely honest, being a god was harder than I thought it would be. No, I''m not complaining. I always had to keep my aura in check. Especially my true form which was whenever I went into elementalization or cast away my mortal flesh and became a being of super energy. Power? I had lots of it, the problem was the control at times. Imagine walking around with cuffs in your hands, that was what it felt like whenever I had to interact with a lower life form. Ha ha, can''t believe I thought of them like that. Then again, it is factually true. So while it wasn''t correct to call it a weakness, neither was it a strong point. Only meditation and increased mind and body mastery could help that. Moving on, there was the matter of my psychic abilities. I had telepathy which I constantly used, telekinesis which I rarely if ever used (the complete control over the realm I possessed made me spoiled), clairvoyance and a number of crazy mental abilities that I had the potential to achieve. Time was the problem. I especially wanted to master telekinesis, having seen the information that at its highest level, I could effectively achieve control over reality. The system never lied. If it thought I could do so, then I had the potential for it. The skills were too undeveloped to call them a weakness though. That would change if I focused on my mental abilities and found my talent for it lacking. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The spirit or rather the soul was next up. To be frank, I probably had the most talent in this branch of my power system than anything else. Let me explain, the Avatar was the bridge between the physical world and the ethereal. That was the core of my being. That was the basis of all of it. I was literally made for this. It was in me, which is most likely why I took it for granted. My approach to it was the weakness. The last and most underestimated of my combat styles was my physique. When I had first arrived here, all my focus had been on ensuring I survived. And that had meant having a stronger body. Taking advantage of adaptive physiology, I had managed to use two serums to upgrade my body to the level where I wouldn''t immediately die from the aftershocks of a battle between powerful opponents. But then when my skill in elemental manipulation picked up, my physique had taken a backseat. That was my true weakness. A stronger body only posed an advantage for me. It would ensure that controlling my other powers went smoothly. A strong body meant doing feats that were crazy. Saitama only had his body to rely on. And now that I had regeneration, paired up with adaptive physiology, it would be dumb and a blatant insult to the geek community if I didn''t take this chance to power up even more. This would be completed in two sets of training. The first was Body Refining. I did not waste time and immediately delved into the first set of the training. With immense control I was able to coax out my flames. The golden flames were the combination of all my myriad flames apart from my silver fire but that was not what I was going for. Instead the former was the highlight. Silver fire was still the most dangerous thing in my arsenal. The more I developed into a high tier being, the more I was weirded out by it''s nature. Silver fire could burn something in its entirety. It followed no one''s law. Even I could only direct these flames, not control them. Not really. And I was going to use them for something that was downright insane and reckless. Body Refining. I had stumbled my way onto that particular perk by accident and it hadn''t had time to shine yet. That would change today. So how? My sliver flames rose up under my direction, covering my body in a silver cloak. Instantly in a zone of about 500 feet all around, the temperature grew to insane levels, melting the ground and ice into a viscous watery gell that popped and released noxious acidic gas. The clothes I was wearing, disappeared in the blaze. I let it happen. I started sweating as the silver flames buckled against my control. A few seconds of this and I would be burnt to a crisp if I wasn''t careful. I wouldn''t die but I would also be stuck in agony for eternity. My immortal soul would be sustained by the realm and my divinities while the silver flames continued to burn tirelessly. Aiming to destroy me. Luckily, it did not get to that point. I directed the flames through out my body, refining it by focusing on any waste I had accumulated. A pleasurable feeling invaded my body. It felt like the best massage I had ever had. A few hours later and I looked different. My brown skin had a glow to it. My teeth were sparkling white, my eyes were clear and twinkled and my height had increase by an inch. My hair funnily enough trailed all the way to my lower back. I felt euphoric and itched to try and see the effects of the change. However, I stopped myself, preparing my mind and body for what was about to happen. Burning away the accumulated waste was not enough. "The vessel, the holder, the container." I chanted a calming mantra. "Imperfect. Perfect in potential." I fell deeper into the conceptual, my mind pulling me past the walls of my personality into my metaphysical state. A state where my whole being did not distinguish from the soul, the mind and the body. A unification of all. My whole being was laid bare for me to see, to read to understand... to change. A bunch of incomprehensible jargon to someone else, I could see the aspects of myself I hid from the world. The driving force under every action. The code. Authorities held together each of these aspects, connecting and detaching with every change in thought but never fading away to obscurity. It was a world onto itself. Maintained by Trillions of cells all with their own functionality and living mark. I passed that and delved even deeper into my existence, then deeper into the shackles imposed on that existence. There, I found it. Below my true name that I immediately erased the memory of, I found the 3rd dimension being template. The signature of my creator in other words. The limits of my being. A stop gap to ensure I never became more than I was supposed to be. The signature reminded me of the same spark of power The Presence had in every single creation of his. Weakness Mortality Disease Death Emotions These were the locks imposed on my existence. I could not exist without them because they made me, me. This was the true ''going against the heavens shit.'' They might have been me. Might have been necessary for this component of different aspects that was ''ME'' to essentially keep living. However, my silver flames had something to say to that. Training Montage part 4 (General P.O.V) The streets outside the EUC building were crowded with Rioters. About a hundred thousand, holding up boards with words such as, ''Down with Tyranny.'' ''Life is sacred'' and ''False gods Die!'' The rioting had happened right after the clip showing the battle royale among the villains in an arena, was played. What was meant to be a symbol for solidarity quickly changed. There were multiple deaths and only a fraction of Villains managed to survive. The rioters opposed the blatant blood shedding and hoped to prove a point by boycotting the EUC building. On the highest floor of the EUC building, a meeting was happening. Luthor, Tarlock, Zhu Li and a few more high ranking officials were in a heated debate on what to do. The meeting was interrupted by a sudden flash of light. They all turned their eyes to stare at the thrones placed above the stage. Luthor stood up. "Your excellencies." He nodded towards the new arrivals. Vaatu and Raava. Vaatu had an impassive look on his face as he walked down the stairs, followed closely by Raava who was staring at Terror, standing dutifully behind Luthor. She had on a curious look on her beautiful face. "Gaea sent us here saying something needed our attention." Tarlock snorted at Vaatu''s opening words. "Just humanity being humanity." Luthor and the others looked at him with various expressions on their faces. "I see." Vaatu replied. "Is it something you can handle by yourselves?" He asked about to leave. Luthor blinked his eyes, as an easy smile appeared on his face. "But of course. We were just discussing a few measures." He said it in a way meant to wave away their concerns. "Wait." Raava spoke up, placing a palm on Vaatu''s shoulder. Her brother looked at her with his bored expression. It had been long since he had seen Demeter and it was messing with his mind. Raava told herself to remember to ask Gaea if they could release Vaatu into the Otherworld. "I''m curious about everything. Gaea would not send us here if it wasn''t important." Luthor''s face smoothed out as he adopted a blank expression. "Of course milady." He nodded in acceptance. Vaatu sighed and turned to face the rest. "Fine. What''s the issue." After telling the both of them what was going on, an overpowered aura erupted out of Vaatu. An aura that dominated everyone present with the exception of Raava. "How dare you?" Vaatu asked coldly. "You humans are ungrateful creatures." Raava''s own aura burst out, counteracting the effects of Vaatu''s rage on the officials in the meeting room. "Vaatu! Brother, calm down!" Her words went unheeded as Vaatu threw everything away with a shockwave and begun to float towards the wall of the EUC building. The concrete and stone making up the wall were pulled away by a purple energy that washed out of Vaatu. He floated out of the building and proceeded to take steps in the air. The rioters shouting and yelling at the base of the building fell silent as the sky above started to rapidly change. Dark ominous clouds had taken over. A cold biting wind begun to blow and their spirits and souls shook with the emergence of a purple light from the sky. "Hey what''s that?" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. One of them asked, pointing a finger at the sky. The purple light pulsed and with each resonance, the very air buzzed with some unseen force. "Humans, you stand so brazenly with your backs to my Master''s inviolable statue." The voice that spoke was audible and clear, sending the whole courtyard full of people into a silent state. "With sticks and boards made from the realm, you seek to question your savior, to impose your meager influence upon a force of nature who favored you enough to allow you to live. For that transgression, DIE." Vaatu finished and raised a hand. It didn''t matter that Death had no influence here, Vaatu was determined to send them all into their soul states, consequences be damned. The rioting group realized that something bad was about to happen. Something that they couldn''t stop. Cue the screams as over a hundred thousand people started shoving and bumping into each other to run away. Many were trampled under foot and the panicked sounds could be heard over miles away. The purple sphere forming above Vaatu''s hands grew bigger and bigger before finally, he cast it down with a soft statement he thought fitting. "Judgement." A new sun bloomed behind the rioters. Holly who had been invited to the riot by a friend she had made in the festival a few days ago, could not believe that this was happening. She had only come here to see if she could find traces of her sister. And now...now she was going to die. Her shadow grew larger and larger as the purple sun from behind neared them. Then a blast of white power appeared in the path of the purple sphere attack. Cracks appeared on the ground as everyone closest to the collision between Raava and Vaatu was bodily thrown away. Raava exerted a little strength and sent the ball flying away into space. The sphere exploded, pushing away the ominous clouds and dying the sky in a purple color. "Enough Vaatu." ''That voice.'' Holly pulled herself off the destroyed street and the throngs of moaning people to stare up at their savior. She had on fully white hair now when a few days ago, there were only steaks of white in her red hair. She wore a beautiful pale blue dress that was unique, seeming to reflect light like a mirror. A white light. "Dove." Holly muttered in disbelief. Her sister was alive! "Dove!" She screamed out, frantically running towards Raava. Raava turned upon hearing her previous name. She blinked in surprise upon seeing the person calling her. Guilt and a multitude of other emotions hit her. "Holly..." The two sisters looked at each other without speaking for a few long seconds. Then Raava turned to look towards Vaatu who was flying away, leaving behind a sonic boom. Raava breathed out heavily. Yeah she needed to talk to Gaea and see if Vaatu could be allowed to leave for a short time. But first... "I''ll...come find you. We have a lot to talk about." She said and then flew away as well, leaving behind a stunned Holly. (The White Shadow''s P.O.V) I had mastered the basic forms to a high degree. Now I could dance or rather move through the sets without overly upsetting the ice sheet below me. It had yet to break even after 16 continuous hours of synching my actions to those of the rocking waves and tides below me. After that, I went on to a staple water bending exercise that was not contained in the basic forms but provided a deeper connection with the element. The concept of push and pull. It was the bedrock of all other motion. A concept that was higher that what I termed as True Harmony. The concept of Flow. Standing on the same sheet of ice, I exhaled and tried to push the water out with the exhalation of my breath. I sensed no change. The water was still as rowdy and aimless as before. I COULD force it but that would be going against True Harmony. And I felt that using that connection to direct it''s movements was better than trying to force it. I inhaled and imagined the pull. Then exhaled, push. Inhale, pull. Exhale, push. Inhale, pull. Exhale... I continued with the exercise, focused entirely on succeeding. At the 6th hour, I felt Aqua come to check up on me. She was everything so the only thing I could sense was an influence surrounding the golden clouds and the water around. She watched me as I pulled and pushed, using my hands to mimick the gestures. She left soon after. Had there been a sun here, it would have already risen, set and risen again. 24 hours later, I was still pulling and pushing. Aqua came to watch me again. This time lingering for far longer. 3 days later, I was still pulling and pushing. It begun with a tentative if curious pull. Then naturally there was a push to compensate for the pull. Then the pull came again and a few minutes later, I almost burst out in laughter at seeing a prompt appear in my vision. ::---------------------:: (Water) Practitioner -Ice - ::---------------------:: I was at the rank of a practitioner. I fell out of the cycle of push and pull allowing the towering wave of water formed by my pull to flow back into it''s bouyant state smoothly. Water sprayed on my body, wetting my hair slightly. Despite that, nothing could hide the look of happiness on my face. I breathed in and waved a hand. The water followed my action, roiling to the left in a swirling motion around me. The ice sheet begun to spin with me on top. I raised my right hand and the water under the ice sheet suddenly rose up throwing the sheet to the sky. I spun in the air and kicked out. The sheet of ice broke apart into sharp spikes that pelted a nearby icecap. But then I was left suspended in the air about 50 feet up. Another arm motion and a tower of water rose up to receive me. My body plunged into it''s depths easily. I kept a small rotation around me while allowing myself to be pulled under, my last view being of the tiny holes I had created with my ice attack on the ice chunk nearby. Then using the concept of push, the rotation around me instantly changed and I was propelled up to the surface. I broke through the water like a dolphin, a laugh escaping me. This was fun. And for my grand finale, I focused on my unlocked Subskill, hot air escaping my mouth and fogging. The air around me grew colder as I fell towards the water once more. When I landed, my foot did not land on water. Cracks spread out on the ice floor owing to the fact that I had lowered the temperature of the water before landing. It spread out with a cold pressure blast. Mist heralding the change of water into ice. I stood up and surveyed the scene. "Now we''re talking." Over more than a thousand feet of ice covered my surroundings. I walked around testing the strength by stomping on it. It held up. A confident smile appeared on my face. Time to handle the next Subskill. Happenings (General P.O.V) Oa (The Center of The Universe) Hawkman, Green Lantern Gardner and Wonder Woman stood infront of the Guardians of the Universe on the planet Oa, the Green Lantern''s headquarters. "We have heard your testimony and rest assured, this matter is very serious." Ganthet responded after an accounting of how the Earth had been destroyed. "I fail to see how this concerns us. One planet is of no great consequence." Another guardian added, making the three heroes agitated. "Are you serious? We just told you that over 7 billion people could have died were it not for Aden Strong and you''re acting all blas¨¦ about it?" Guy growled out. Wonder Woman placed a palm on his shoulder, pulling him back with a shake of her head. "It would be wise Lantern Gardner, to remember whom you stand before." A stone faced guardian warned. Guy snorted and looked away, crossing his hands together. "He is not wrong, however." Wonder Woman came to his defense. "Yes, he is not." Surprisingly, this came from a guardian who was hovering to their left. The others turned to stare at him questioningly. "I find myself, intrigued by the prospect of there being an individual, human no less capable of destroying a being such as Darkseid." He looked around at his Colleagues. "The fact that his religion has sprouted out in a certain Quadrant and a number of sentient civilizations across the universe is worth noting as well." Another guardian added, "Darkseid was even more powerful than the promethean gods at his peak. It is indeed intriguing." Diana looked at Hawkman and Guy. "Could you both excuse us?" Hawkman stared at her for some time before giving a curt nod and proceeding to fly out of the Guardians'' hall. Guy looked like he was about to protest before relenting. "If you need me, I''ll be right outside." He told Wonder Woman, before nodding at the guardians, Ganthet in particular and flying away. Once they were gone, leaving the guardians and Kilowog who had up until then been silently standing guard on the side, Wonder Woman stepped up and begun to speak. "Guardians, I personally know Aden Strong." The God Queen of Olympus begun heavily. "He is strong. Immensely so. He has the capability to do just about anything. His power inches on the boundary of reality manipulation." They were attentive. Surprised, but patient enough to hear her out. "But perhaps what is more terrifying, is his ability to keep on growing stronger. I estimate that as he is right now...no one can stop him. Not the Green Lanterns...and not even you." "Impossible! No mortal can reach such a level!" Even Killowog stiffened in shock. There was no reason for Diana to lie to them. The guardians were powerful and skilled, figuring out falsehoods from the truth was as easy as breathing. Ganthet had a different reaction from the rest. "They way you speak...it seems you have a solution to this growing threat?" Diana looked down in thought. If this was before her talk with Odin and a few other gods, then she would not have thought of going against Aden...but now things were different. They needed Earth and Earth needed people. The way things stood, She was not sure Aden would give up the people he had saved willingly. Power and Authority changes a person and Diana was not sure asking nicely would work. And given the fact that Aden could apparently create realms and dimensions, he had the capability to restore Earth many times over yet hadn''t. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. This meant that he didn''t want to. And no one could force him to do so. Diana and the rest needed to band together if they had any hope of stopping more catastrophes from occuring. Not many knew it but Earth was the most important place in the universe. And for something so significant, friendships and feelings had to take a backseat. She looked up and... (Elsewhere) "We fight." Black Canary softly said to the gathered room. Dozens of voices joined her, either in support or refusal. "You are asking us to go against the world itself! We all know we hold no candle to his power. What you are suggesting is death!" Fire, a hero from South America was vocal in her refusal. Life was different, sure but that did not mean it was necessarily worse. "So you are okay living under a dictatorship, right?" Redhood sneered. "Dictatorship? Do you even hear yourself." Ice came to Fire''s rescue. "You American heroes have no idea what actually goes on outside the borders of your great nation." She looked around. "People starved, died because of diseases and life was generally miserable." "And no one denies that." Zatara held up his hands amiably. He was trying to appease the over dozen powered individuals. "I understand. I migrated to the US, leaving behind the difficult life I had back in my country of birth. Life on earth was unfairly hard. And for the first time in history, things are fair now. Everybody has something to eat, somewhere to sleep and less worry." A majority of those gathered agreed with him. "However, that does not excuse almost killing off more than a hundred thousand people because of protesting what was an inhumane incident." "Argh. Are you seriously going to argue against the deaths of Supervillains?" Huntress spat out. The heroes begun to argue once again. "Silence!" She ordered, making the room quiet down. With vitriol she begun, "Most were despicable human beings whose biggest contribution in life was bringing pain and suffering to everyone else. I say good riddance." "How can you say that?" The Flash, Jay Garrick asked. From there the talks devolved into a shouting match. One team was led by the more hardened heroes. Those who had faced the harsh reality of life. Lost everything and decided to be merciless in their approach to crime fighting. The others were led by the optimistic ones. The ones who understood that fighting with extreme prejudice would only darken their souls. Making them end up like the ones they were fighting. Superman saw no true end up this conflict. For one, he was unsure of what to choose. This wasn''t earth where they could bombard Aden and his people with over a hundred different laws and regulations, this was his world. Vaatu''s attempt at Killing people had pushed him slightly to the side opposing Aden''s rule but...on the other side, after so many years, he could sleep without hearing cries of pain half a world away. He could spend time with Lois, concentrate on building a family. Clark knew that what they now had was a gift. The meeting ended just like the previous one, with no true decision on whether to take a stand, no matter how hopeless it might have been or to simply live. Clark had known that Batman wanted to talk to him, so after the meeting had ended, he had made sure to fly away quickly. Batman was brilliant and knew just what to say to get others to see his view but what Clark needed right now was peace not a reality check. As long as no one was suffering, he wanted to keep it that way. He felt something fast flying towards him before slowing down upon getting closer. "Hey, you left so quickly." Connor addressed him with a questioning glance. Before Superman could tell him why, something appeared before them. Clark shielded his eyes while Connor tensed in anticipation of a fight. The light died out, revealing Gaea. Everyone knew who she was. Aden''s religion, termed her as the Realm Mother. She was everything around. Even the very air. Superman was not too sure about the ''god'' thing but he could tell that he had no way to win against her. Gaea looked at the both of them and then with great seriousness said, "You both need to come with me." (A short time later) She remembered the last scene she ever witnessed. The scene of everything she ever held dear exploding behind her as the pod flew her away right behind her cousin. Kara was devasted by the loss of her parents and planet. But that devastation soon gave way to terror at the enormity of her situation. She was flying through space. All alone. Separated from death by only a few sheets of metals. She saw wondrous things. Clouds of gases that shifted with beautiful colors, cosmic storms hovering around Star Systems with planets teeming with nascent life. Krypton usually pruned any other developing life close to there galactic quandrant. They were isolated in more ways than one. Kara got to enjoy the sights as a way to forget the pain of loss she had suffered. But even that grew to not be enough. Nothing was. By the time she was swallowed up by the wormhole that took her to Apokalips, Kara Zor-El had lost hope. Her time under Granny Goodness was filled with never ending pain and indoctrinated processes to get her to serve Darkseid. After having her mind broken down, she took to the training with a crazy devotion and zeal. And then the last fight she had been involved in, happened and everything changed. They were utterly destroyed. All of Apokalips'' forces beaten and defeated. The last dregs of Kara Zor-El that had been left had thought that this was the end of it all, then...light. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Kryptonian." An exotic beauty of wondrous features, tall and dark with pools of eyes that seemed to contain beauty that surpassed all the gas clouds, cosmic storms, planets and nebulas she had ever witnessed, greeted her. Kara''s lips were slightly parted as she groaned, looking around at where she was. The room was bare and painted a calming white. She tried to get off the bed she was lying on and failed, not having enough strength. "Don''t strain yourself. It will take a few days for your biology to absorb sufficient solar energy and charge you back up." Gaea told her. Kara listened, allowing her body to sink into the soft mattress. Her eyes closed. When she woke up again, the exotic woman from before was nowhere to be seen. Next to her waiting patiently was a blue colored woman instead. However, one look into her eyes and Kara realized it was the exact woman from before, just in another form. Gaea realized that Kara knew about her two forms and cheekily brought her finger to her lips. "That''s our little secret." Kara found herself nodding. "I''ll come in to check on you later. Right now, you have a family reunion waiting for you." Gaea disappeared in a flash of light just as the door to the room opened and in walked her cousin. The Creator 30 advance chapters in my Patreon. Patreon.com/Saintbarbido. Please gimme ???????? ?? Your Powerstones People. ::----------------------------------------------------:: (General P.O.V) Rarely do universes from different layers of the multiverse intersect. But a quintillion years before the before, a young realm sprouted. It''s branches grew in the space containing the paradox of boundless existence and non existence. And it managed to touch upon one of the oldest multiverses at that time. The concept of infinity is different. Some infinities are larger than others. One such was the opposite of the creator of this particular multiverse. It saw a chance to take over its multiverse of origin by using the young universe. And so begun it''s machinations. (Aden''s P.O.V) My dad and I sat in his office. There was a chess board on the table in between us and suffice to say, he was kicking my ass more than anything else. No matter what I did, he had countermoves for every action I took. And that was with him taking it easy on me. I still had my king, a couple of pawns and a rook. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, giving him a critical look. "What do you think you''re doing Old Man?" "Teaching my son the true meaning of despair. Muhahahaha!" His villain laugh was actually on point. "Keep it down there Jeff! Lindy is about to fall asleep!" We both winced at Mom''s loud yell. Jefferson Strong might have been the head of the family to the outside world but we both knew who actually held the position or in this case, the spoon and she was not afraid to use it. "Hahaha you''re so whipped." I told him with a laugh, not missing the opportunity to tease him a little. My dad and I had a really close relationship. It wasn''t wrong to say he was my best friend. We just got each other. I was practically a mini him. He snorted, finally capturing my king. "One day you''ll understand the value of a good woman boy," he leaned closer. "And how controlling she can be." We both burst out in laughter. "You better not be gossipping about me, you two." Mom''s voice came from downstairs. We looked at each other and the laugh died out, leaving behind smirks. I looked down at the chess board. Then took a deep breath to catch the faint scent of oldbooks that Dad loved to collect. "I have someone like that dad." I told him. He perked up at the news. "Just like you have mom. Kori," I sighed, missing her. "Kori''s amazing. You would love her. And you''re gonna be a granddad." He was stunned for a while before swallowing the emotional lump in his throat. "That''s good. That''s really good Kid." He ruffled my long hair. "I''m so proud of the man you have become. And I know your mom and Lindy are as well." They say a man doesn''t cry and they are right. However, the single streak of tear coming down my left eye tried it''s best to prove me wrong. He held my palm in his hand. "You know, your mom and I worry about you alot." I wiped the tear away and asked him, "Why is that?" Dad barked out a humorless laugh. "You are blessed or more like cursed with passion Aden. When you feel so Strongly, there is nothing that can stop you." He shook his head. "Such drive can be turned towards the wrong things. Things, I have tried my hardest to shield you and our family from." He grabbed my other palm and held it in his hands. A look of desperation appeared on his face. "But now, I can''t do that anymore! And it scares me Aden. It scared me more than I can ever explain, every single time I regained a little consciousness, only to hear that you were still missing. The authorities had tried their best to find you and failed. There wasn''t a trace left!" Tears started falling from his face. "You and I failed our family without meaning to. Your mom and sister...all alone. Me dying of cancer and you, my beloved boy, lost forever...we didn''t even find your body!" I was hit with a sudden weakness and the world started spinning. All this...why didn''t I... couldn''t I...How could I forget!?! If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ''Dad had Cancer...how could I forget that? Mom...Lindy...I left them all alone to deal with this...'' My mind was utterly blank. Dad squeezed my hand, making me turn to stare at him lifelessly. He smiled in assurance. "Your mom and Lindy will be okay. They''ll be fine, I just know it. Your uncle will make sure nothing happens to them. He nodded his head with a watery smile. "And now that I know you you have someone you can rely on...it''s easy on the soul...I can go, knowing you''re okay..." His face started to rapidly change. "My family is...okay." The strong jaw shrivelled into loose skin and bone. His skin lost it''s glow and the muscles of his arms shrunk. What''s happening?! My heart begun to race inside my chest as fear gripped me. I immediately got off my seat, letting it fall behind me as I went around the table and held him. "Dad! Dad?! Are you okay! Please say something!" He was wasting away infront of me and there was nothing I could do. His hair fell off and what I was left with was a poor replica of my father. The one man who looked to be insurmountable to me. The one man who despite being a normal human, cast a larger shadow than Superman and all the rest of the Justice League. My true hero...was dying. I panicked, pulling in from my life divinity reserves. "Hey, you''re going to be okay. I won''t let anything happen to you. I promise! Just hold on!!!" A golden glow suffused his entire body, the light washing down from his head to his toes. His eyes regained some color. He stared at me emotionally and conveyed everything he ever needed to say with one simple look. "Don''t...forget us...Aden." Then the light faded away. "Dad...Pops!? Wake up man. This ain''t funny! Not like this..." His body begun to flake off into light. I used everything I had at my disposal, going as far as to attempt using a miracle to bring him back but nothing worked. I felt the power of the miracle try to breach the dimensional plane only to rebound against something powerful. Something infinite. Something my soul recognized instantly even if my mind struggled with the concept of what was happening. Dad''s body turned into golden light that disappeared into the air. The whole room started changing, breaking down as my silver flames devoured it all. My anger was palpable but even more than that, the sense of loss I felt was so shattering, I wanted to curl up on the floor and cry myself to sleep. "DAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDD!!!!!" This was something much deeper than what modicum of relief, tears could bring. I hated the feeling of helplessness I felt. Nothing mattered at that moment. Nothing mattered than the the utter and complete destruction of the one who had stopped me from saving him. My silver flames drowned everything in my space of being, my clothes turned to ash and I stood in a literal ocean of fire looking up at the sky. Looking up at the first ever instance of true infinity I had ever witnessed before. A deep darkness that could not be breached by any conceptual or cosmic entity. A darkness so supreme that it contained it''s very own multiverse in it. An antithesis to the light that I knew to be true. A darkness so authentically real, all others like Dark entities like Darkseid had pulled from it to gain meaning. Even now I could feel the connection my chaos side had with it. It was so comprehensively massive that all that had existed or could exist was well within it, contained in a swirling mass of matter, energy, anti matter and anti energy. The essence of my father, mother, little sister, friends, my highschool bullies, the president, Genghis Khan, Barack Obama, Mother Teresa, Elon Musk, wild animals, ocean creatures, extinct animals like the dinosaurs, the history, the future and the present of the world of my birth. I was looking at my very own creator. And within him, was me. A copy of my strongest self stared down at me imperiously and my soul shook, my body lost strength, my resolve faltered, my hope diminished. All that was left was my hatred. My hatred which burned with the same passion that always worried my dad. "Aden Strong, you have failed to keep your end if the bargain." Trillions of voices said, making the space of my being experience tremors and world ending cataclysm events. I blacked out then came to with a shuddering breath, prevailing only because I used up most of my divine energy to stabilize my consciousness. "Bargain?" I breathed out, my eyes blazing with anger and the promise of pain. "What do the dead need bargains for? Is it to pay Thanatos as you close the river into the underworld?" I asked with the full intent to carry out my threat. The Creator went silent. " We had a Bargain Aden Strong. Your father''s life for conquest. You promised me Dominion. Why have you not delivered? The voices were slow to say. "Is that why you blocked the memory of my father''s illness away from me! I have been living a lie! For months! And now he''s dead! So fuck you and your bargains!" "I did no such thing. You chose to do so yourself. To stop any distractions from clouding your judgement and derailing your mission. You promised me a doorway yet you took it upon yourself to make with my gift your own realm of dominion. I should have foreseen this. I did not. You have failed me, Aden Strong and so my punishment was taking from you what you hold dear." Every single statement that left this thing''s mouth only spurred my hate for it. For making me into a play thing. For allowing my dad to die... ''but if you had done what you were supposed to do, he would still be alive...'' The words hit me with the force of a sledgehammer. Yes. I was the one responsible for that. But even if everything it said was true, had my Order State not created a realm but instead a doorway for this thing to come through...the universe would have ended. And had he known that I had unknowingly or knowingly sacrificed him for the preservation of countless lives in the multiverse, My dad would have been proud of me. He was dead but goddamit would he have been proud of me. "You seek to trump my control and fashion yourself into a separate entity." The Creator begun. "Oh what gave that away." I asked it, putting strength into my feet and getting up. The fact that it was trying to stop me from going beyond the limit of my make up meant, I was on the right path. I was NOT going to stop. "So be it, perhaps my champion will have a better time of convincing you on the foolishness of this endeavor." It stated. Before my eyes, the sky that was completely covered by his unbelievably dark form started roiling and twisting into itself, forming into a very strange yet familiar being. Black as night, his skin was and on the top of his head were 4 horns. Two long ones on the side of the head and two shorter ones in between the other pair. He was huge and intimidating. Casting forth taint and corruption in my being that I only held off due to exhausting lesser miracles. The eyes looking at me were eyes devoid of nothing but a certain kind of devotion. It floated down gently. My soul immediately recognized the danger and my divinities spurred on by the instinct to continue existing activated by themselves. Storms of fiery swords, beams of plasma waves, lightning bolts the size of Skyscrapers made up of pure cosmic rays and elemental energy, light beams owing to my electromagnetic spectrum abilities, hellflames, golden flames and Spatial rending attacks all fell upon it from every single possible direction. Armageddon had descended. The figure waited until right before the attacks landed and stretched out it''s hand, opening it''s closed fist into a palm. An empty palm. Everything vanished. Erased. Each attack I had thrown was enough to destroy countless solar systems. Together those attacks had the destructive capacity to annihilate an entire galaxy and yet... It smiled, holding out it''s hand. "My hand is empty." Those words were like a lightning bolt through my spine. It continued, eager and gleeful at the look of abject terror on my face. "Supplicate yourself before our master, Aden Strong. Deny him no longer. Bow down and worship your creator, the Great Darkness." An Unbeatable Foe? (General P.O.V) The Presence looked up from the Pond of Reality. The sky overhead was dark and gloomy. "It is going to rain soon." His unwanted guest made an observation. For the first time, the soft expression on his face was gone. In its place was an impassive look. One born out of being the most powerful entity in existence and the worries that came with that. Well most powerful was not completely accurate. At his level he could do anything. What limited beings such as him were their personal beliefs and ideals. When an infinite being fights another infinite being, the battle lasts infinitely. That was why conflict was meaningless to beings above the 12th dimension. It served little purpose. They had evolved beyond that. They existed above such concepts of life. Wars and violence were best left to lower life forms. He cast his gaze down at the pond, the clear waters were no longer taint free. A darkness from the deep was encroaching on the light. And the corners of the endless pond had a layer of oil on the surface. The Presence''s reflection snorted. "How long will you keep on ignoring the obvious thing?" The Presence looked down at his opposite. "They have surprised us time and time again. Maybe this time, it won''t be different as well." He answered. The Reflection scowled, "You are wrong. I have foreseen how this ends. How ''I'' end it, and my will shall be done." The presence took his umbrella and dipped the pointed end inside the pool, disrupting the reflection. "Arrogance is the bane of all. You will learn that lesson, I assure you. But it will be too late." The darkness creeping up from the depths of the pond, receded and the edges of the boundless pool similarly lost their oily surface. The Great Darkness'' influence was once again undermined. The Presence looked up at the sky. "Huh, he was right." He got up from the bench and opened his umbrella. "It is going to rain." An old man in a bowler hat started walking away, a light shower of rain pelting the umbrella he held overhead gently. (Aden''s P.O.V) The Nerve. "Come, boy. We do not have to fight. There is no need to waste time on a futile endeavor." The absolute goddamn nerve of this creature. Every attack I had thrown, planet bursting, star bursting, nut bursting... nothing had worked. Not a goddamn thing. It PISSED ME OFF! That he could stand so brazen inside my being, inside my metaphysical space and talk. Down. AT. ME. "My power is incomprehensible." Empty Hand boasted. "Our master''s even more so. I offer you..." And he just didn''t stop talking! "Shut your trap." I finally said, fed up. I had limits to break and power to achieve. This thing and whoever it worked for could kiss my divine arse. Empty Hand had lost the smug smile on his face. Now he looked positively mad. No more playing around. Equity manifested in my hand. Due to it being a bonded weapon, I could bring it out here. The moment the sword appeared in my hands, the world trembled. Air started roiling around the weapon as I held it up. Empty Hand narrowed his eyes at the weapon in my hands. "That sword..." "Is about to bring you a world of pain." I said from his side, having covered the distance between us in a split second. He was immobilized and couldn''t react as I leaned then flashed past his body once, twice.......a million times. The slashes were superimposed in reality in blue slashes. I landed on the other side and slid a little across the flames. I looked back over my shoulder and watched as his body turned into fine black mist. I looked away to the front, spreading out my senses to see if the Darkness was still around. There was nothing left after my powerful move. Not many things could survive that. The silver flames flared up at my urging, burning the fine mist into nothing. Finally, I allowed myself a sigh of relief. He was gone. Gone but not dead. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Still...the revelations...I looked at my hand, I was from the Dark Multiverse. How was...how was it possible? It made no sense for my universe to have knowledge about the main DC timeline and it''s changes written down in such detailed format, if it was part of the same multiverse in the first place. I had thought that I was from the prime timeline. The true Earth. The earth that was the home of all the writers who came up with the characters and storylines that shaped DC comics. I mean, if the Darkness was to be believed...there was no ''Real'' world. There was just my home, the dark alternate of the DC multiverse. And The Great Darkness was my...maker? Something landed behind me. Or rather reformed from...the fire? What? How? ''IMPOSSIBLE!!'' I thought, spinning around suddenly. Nothing could survive my silver flames. Nothing. Except, before my very eyes, black smoke rose up and formed into my adversary. The negativity came back. An aura that was vindictive and hateful. Empty Hand had an impassive look on his face. "Your Efforts are meaningless." He landed on a pitch black ground, that appeared when darkness pushed away my silver fire. How... "Soul anihilation flames...can they burn that which exists beyond the concept of heat?" He asked with a twist on the corner of his lips. Then his face changed to a malevolent one as he tightened his hand into a fist. "You will pay for that, pest." I crouched, Equity changing into a short serrated nodachi. "You didn''t leave when you could. That''s a mistake. This time I''ll kill you...and make it painful!" I was still high on my anger, if I hadn''t been, I would have paused first and came up with a suitable plan. It would have saved me a lot of headache. In my current condition, I wanted to destroy something. And luckily, I wasn''t short on that. "I''m going to show you something I''ve been working on. Make sure you survive, because I won''t be satisfied by your quick end!" I snarled in anger. The first step between us took me over one trillion miles away towards my back, then I used space to slingshot me back at high speeds which added to my divinity as the god of speed, caused time to get wonky. Space cracked and then stitched itself back together forcibly. Inside my mind, a clock that begun to tick backwards as time reversed, appeared. This was as a result of the initial little success I achieved with time manipulation while meditating. It was not reliable in the real world due to the damages in the timeline I could cause just by moving at such speeds. My space of being was more malleable than the real world however, so I could use that to my advantage and pull off neat moves like these. The world fractured as I found myself two seconds back in time, then 5 seconds. At the 1 minute mark I saw my past self, throwing numerous attacks towards Empty Hand. A field of nullification covered him, causing all the attacks to simply die out. Swords of flames and other constructs meant nothing to him. Beams of supercharged energy fizzled out into nothing. Well, two could play that game. "When are you from?" My past self asked me telepathically, the connection between us slotting itself together. "1 minute into the future." I sent him the mental recording of our fight. "Keep up the pressure." I told him and he complied. The attacks coming in increased in both size and quantity. Now it was my turn, I held out my hand and squeezed space, connecting with the film of the nullifying sphere and then eliminated the infinite corners around the space surrounding the spherical shape of the field, only leaving four corners to his back. There was a brief twist and pop and the nullifying sphere was turned into a two dimensional square that was to his back. Empty Hand''s eyes widened when every attack from my past self landed. The torrent of elemental and divine attacks drowned him under, pushing him towards the ocean of fire on the ground. A dragon made up of silver flames erupted from the sea and swallowed him whole before exploding apart in one massive blast. "I''m guessing the reason you''re here is because that isn''t enough to put him down?" Past Aden told me the second I floated closer, eyes on the flames dying out in the sky. "Not even close. You distract, I attack." He gave a curt nod and instantly split into two forms, Air godly form and Fire godly form. He could use Homunculi puppet? How? They both shrugged. "Didn''t know I could do that. Went with my gut." I blinked. "Cool." "Get ready." His Flame God form said, both it and the Air God billowing up in size to a gigantic skyscraper size. "That hurt my pride, you little brat. Now I''ll have to get serious." Empty Hand yelled, landing on the ground in one fell swoop. "You''re going to hurt much more after I''m done." Then I was off, shortening the distance between us again, faster than he could react. With my first attack I managed to come out of the clash with his right arm clasped tight in my hand. Then bones broke under a heavy fist, collapsing his right chest side, I appeared before him and kicked out with my foot landing on his cheek. Empty Hand was lifted off his feet towards my Air form. An air construct in the shape of a hammer was swung down with full force, slamming onto his flying form and digging it into the ocean of flames. The fight entered a lull. "Is he dead?" The Flame God wondered. We were answered a second later. The creature released a wide burst of sonic scream that caught me unaware. Following the scream, a cloak of darkness erupted out in a wave that pushed my past self''s air god form away. However, my own aerokinetic abilities nullified the attack and I was able to land more hits in the time it took my Past Self''s flame god to make a single step. I streaked over a dark scythe and popped behind his back, throwing a punch... wait. I paused in midair, a shockwave blasting out into the surroundings from the sudden stop. WAIIIITTTT!!!!! I hadn''t completely gotten rid of the biggest problem with time reversal, I was actively changing the past in real time without it affecting my memories or splitting the time line into two. With that realization came an unreasonable amount of fear. Everything froze in midair. My past self''s divine forms were similarly frozen in place. Then they faded away into a dark cloud as the world around us rapidly changed or in other words, revealed that I had not taken another step after the fist instant, I thought I had killed him. "I see you finally noticed my trick." My adversary pointed out from my front. My eyes never left his beaten form. He was missing a hand, his spine was broken from my actions, both his eyes had exploded from a timely blast and his left side was covered by slowly encroaching ice. However...none of that was real. I stiffened in place, my body betraying me. Every single action I had taken turned out to not...be real. It all turned out to be a mental illusion. A lie. The ground started to fracture into a sea of silver flames. Only they were tainted black and burned with an oily slowness. The sky above was dark and very gloomy. And this thing was standing behind me, not infront. And it''s sharp nail was digging into the back of my neck, slightly. From that single point, my body was covered by black spider web like veins. I couldn''t move. Calling on my divinities was futile. There was something actively blocking me. "Oh no you don''t." He clutched my neck from the back in a vice grip, his huge face, coming to rest a little over my shoulder. "Give up." "Fuck you." There was a wall separating my powers from me. The same field of nullification only, it went deeper into the conceptual. "You thought you could fool me with a mental illusion..." I gasped in pain as my words trailed off. Looking down at my chest, a black arm with sharpened nails had pierced right through. I was in painful disbelief while spewing out blood. How...how the fuck was he hurting me in my space of being?! A Promise of Death (General P.O.V) "This is nothing compared to the eternal torture you will feel for daring to stand in my way." Empty Hand whispered close to Aden''s ear. In response, the creator of Gaea, shifted forms into his golden flame state in a sudden power up. Divine energy rippled out to the surroundings. The pain in Aden''s chest was immediately alleviated. He looked down at the hand going through his chest and held on to it tightly. "You''re not going anywhere!" He yelled. Then, energy started wafting off Aden''s body like a broken faucet. His golden form turned white due to the heat he was exuding. Heat hot enough to turn anything into ash. Empty Hand felt the effects the most, the skin and flesh of his hand almost instantly combusted, turning into ash. The being screamed in pain. However Aden was not done. He pulled in all the energy into a spot within him, his body changing back to gold then yellow, orange before becoming a red giant. Inside him all the energy was compressed into a sphere that was too bright to even stare at. Empty Hand felt something coming but was too slow to react. An explosion of great magnitude erupted from their position. The shockwaves bombarded the being from the Dark Multiverse, breaking down his shadowy form before the heat drowned him under and ended him. A zone of more than 38,000,000 miles in every direction was left bare of anything. The silver fire was pushed away revealing charred grey sand under the fire as the entire space of Aden''s being, groaned. Cracks appeared everywhere, showing nothing but dark holes and unstable rifts. Aden suddenly felt weak and fell from the air, smacking onto the ground after the damage his being had taken. Within him, was the feeling of something important breaking. He felt as if his life force was draining away. He did not have time to regret as intricate webs of white and black energy appeared, covering everything his eyes landed on. Healing his sense of self. Aden felt strength come back to him as he instinctively used chaos and order to heal his being. He groaned, floating off the ground after that showing. "Somehow a hangover feels worse than this." He joked. He knew it was not enough, Empty Hand had shown, time and time again that he always came back. Somehow someway, he always fucking came back. It had reached a point where Aden understood that he needed to change tactics. He hated fighting tricky opponents like these. He needed help. (Aden''s P.O.V) My original was fighting against an entity of untold power. Splitting my attention into two like this while not too distracting, rendered itself pretty counterproductive in a high stakes battle like this was turning out to be. It wasn''t your run of the mill fight either, no. I needed to give this my all. But first, "Gaea, is everything okay in the main dimension?" I asked in concern, it wouldn''t be good if the fight happening between Empty Hand and I started affecting the realm. No mortal could survive the mere shockwaves produced as a result of every clash. Still, to find out that I had been mind fucked into thinking the initial fight had happened...his telepathic abilities were leagues above my own and although I was confident in fighting him on an even ground despite the fact that he had some pretty big advantages over me, I needed a plan b. "The realm is safe, but I calculate a 70% chance that things get worse the longer the battle goes on." Gaea''s words confirmed my fears. I had to end this fast. But how? Logically speaking, I was supposed to hold more power than him as long as we were both in my consciousness. Yet the opposite seemed to be true. He could regenerate even from my silver flames and could cast mental illusions that were nigh unbreakable. Lastly he had a nullifying effect on all my divinities. A drop of sweat fell down my forehead, uncaring of the cold temperatures. Plan B it is then. "Gaea, keep an eye on things for me. I''ll be back." I told her. Luckily she was connected to pretty much everything in the realms. I could feel Aqua''s curiousity when I used my authority over the realm to leave the water dimension. "I''ll be back. I promise." I assured her, speaking straight into her mind. The yellow light from a boomtube manifested under my form and swallowed me. My view changed, as I appeared in outer space. My Homunculi puppet skill could not really handle continued exposure to this type of environment but a few minutes was not a big issue. My clothes started freezing over my skin and the cold of space was only mitigated by a great amount of chi energy circulating within my body. The sun and the stars dotted around, provided enough light to see the floating pieces of rock that used to be earth. My guilt came back in full force. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I could feel over a dozen awarenesses hone in on me the minute I appeared. And if I couldn''t capture the attention of the one I wante... My surroundings changed instantly. I found myself seating on a table inside a cozy tavern. The cold vanished and I could finally breath. I hadn''t noticed it but the shivering I had been experiencing from the chill had ended. Something was slammed onto the table infront of me. My eyes captured the steaming hot cup of tea from the barista? Waitress? Who turned out to be a red and yellow colored girl. No, I kid you not. Her skin was scarlet and yellow zig zag streaks of energy ran from her similarly yellow hair down to her body. There was something also eerily familiar about her. "Who are you?" I asked but instead of answering she merely winked at me and walked off. That wink...and that motif... "Speed force." I muttered to myself. Her aura gave me the same feeling as pulling in energy from the dimensional energy that governed momentum. "Close enough." A voice stated and...it''s like I hadn''t noticed him before despite him sitting right opposite me. The Presence. Oh thank God. Ha ha. I tightened my fingers into fists and immediately bowed my head. There was no time to waste. "I am sorry. Because of my negligence, I let the cradle of humanity get destroyed." Knowing just who I sat before was enough to humble me. The fear I held for him was almost outweighed by the desperation I had to seek him out. I was from his biggest enemy''s side. I wouldn''t blame him if he blinked his eyes and made me disappear. "I see you''ve found yourself in quite a pickle." He commented dryly, not offering up insight on his true feelings. I dared to look up. "Yes. An enemy even I struggle to defeat." Empty Hand was a bit too much for me now. It grated on my nerves that I had to admit that. I couldn''t go all out she to the risk it carried. I needed a sure fire way to thoroughly defeat him. "I didn''t know where else to turn to." I looked away in shame. For all my power...yet I was reduced to begging for help. "I understand." The creator of the DC multiverse stated. Too easily. Where''s the blame? The dislike?, I wondered. Establishing eye contact with his eyes to try and see for myself his true feelings was a bad idea. My mind opened, seeing everyone and all things. "Aden." My name startled me and I blinked, feeling something flowing down my nose. I dabbed at it with a finger and found. "Blood?" The Presence sighed, removing his hat and placing it on the table before me. "You looked into my eyes. No mind is strong enough to handle the strain." He frowned. "We have wasted enough time here." My surroundings changed yet again. This time I found myself floating in nothingness. The void. Or rather a layer of it. The presence tapped his umbrella on something...and the nothingness was replaced by a canvas of endless white. Something I could finally perceive. "That was trippy as hell." I stated from his side. Trippy but eye opening as well. It showed me I still had leagues to go before I approached his power. My breath was then stolen away by the image before us. Two swirling masses of existence. One dark and the other bright. One positive and the other negative. Two polar opposite bubbles lying around like marble balls in the wide and boundless infinitude. An infinitude that stretched out to... Thwack! The umbrella in his hands landed on my head. "Focus." "Ow," It was actually more painful than it was supposed to be. "On what! There is nothing here except for the multiverse and it''s opposite...oh." I finally understood what he meant and turned my eyes towards the two bubbles. They were connected together by a force of mutual attraction and mutual repelling, ensuring they never collided on each other or drifted apart. The vision changed from two bubbles of existence to two disks, one gloriously bright and the other anti-everything to the first. "Like the reflection on a mirror. Seen from the mirror''s perspective. No distinction between the two except a necessity to be separate. They steal meaning from each other." I stated, comprehending something not meant to be seen for even one such as I. Put up against these two multiverses, my own realm seemed so pitiful in comparison. It was so young it was crazy. "What does this mean?" Still there was a difference between comprehending the intricacies of reality and actually understanding how I could apply that knowledge for my own gain. "If you''re looking for a way to kill ''its'' servant, then you will not find it here." The presence informed me. I turned towards him and opened my mouth. Only to close it as a look of contemplation appeared on my face. "Ok, so...that makes sense. I''m not fighting his true self, his physical body is elsewhere. Which means that what I''m seeing is a mental projection." I frowned, casting another look at the disks. They changed shape and pattern again into strings of energy pulling and pushing at each other. Under the power of the presence, I floated around the void easily, trying to capture a different angle I could use to look at the Multiverses. "If it''s a mental projection, then how is Empty Hand connecting to my mind despite my realm being on a different layer of the void entirely?" That question was the most important one. When scratching my head to answer it became too difficult, I tried another tactic. "If it was me, how would I do it?" And then the answer hit me like a ton of bricks. "That''s it!" How had I not seen it before!? It was so obvious! I stared at The Presence and saw a gentle smile on his face. I bowed down or atleast tried. Mostly, I just ended up looking funny as up and down was confusing here. "Thank you." I said sincerely. He tipped his bowler hat. "Give em hell." "I will." I promised, deactivating Homunculi puppet. Now with all my mental focus back in my consciousness, I disengaged from the fight and jumped away, creating massive distance between Empty Hand and I. "Oh, have you decided to give up now?" Empty Hand questioned, it''s face split into a vicious smile. Instead of the furious expression he was expecting, I smiled, dismissing Equity back into my hammer space. God, I hope this works. "Your jig is up." He narrowed his eyes. "Explain." I shook my head. "I won''t." This fight needed to end now. I had finally figured out how he was doing what he was doing. And it all had to do with my dualities. Despite being the master of Chaos and darkness, the concept itself was not anything new to The Great Darkness. One might even say he was the first master. The first wielder. The Presence presented Order and meaning. Which made sense that the Great Darkness would be the opposite to that. And the opposite of order is...chaos. They were essentially like me only plus a few infinite...years. In a way. It''s complicated. As it stood, the Great Darkness had a more strict control over darkness and to that effect chaos which was stronger than mine. That''s how Empty Hand kept coming back. He just used my own connection to Chaos to do it as well as sustain bus mental projection. This news elated me. Why? If the Great Darkness could supercede my own control over my abilities...who says I couldn''t do the same and take control over the Dark Multiverse? For all I knew my mom and little sister were back in my universe. The only way to make sure they were truly safe was by eliminating the threat completely. I did not care if The Great Darkness was something otherworldly. I was issuing a challenge and that challenge came with a promise of death for fucking with me. Back to Empty Hand, he seemed harmless in comparison to what I knew now. There was only one way to finish this. I looked deep within myself...and called him out. The Order Avatar State. Time Chapter 262 Time. (General P.O.V) Sai couldn''t sleep. He looked around and noticed the darkness of dawn. His entire night had involved a lot of tossing and turning. Something nagged at him on the back of his mind. He considered waking up Vor but decided against it. Maybe he just needed to take a walk? Or fly around the island, flying was fun. Or he could go visit the Bloom birds. They came out in the morning infact! Or...he could do all of the above. He just had to make sure that big brother Yaotl didn''t catch him. Now armed with what he thought to be a solid plan, The young boy got off his bed and flew out towards the beach. The sun was just peeking out from the horizon, the first rays hitting the gentle water and bringing about this untainted beauty that seemed almost magical. He was dressed in thin PJ''s and while that would have made anyone else shiver in cold, Sai wasn''t just anyone. He was the spirit of rebirth. He was fire incarnate. He sank his toes on the wet sand and giggled, feeling the ticklish effect the grains had on the underside of his feet. A few minutes of this, with most of his surroundings now visible, he floated up and gently started flying around the island just admiring his home. He loved his dad, his mom, his sisters and brothers and his home. If anyone tried to take any of that away from him, they would have to deal with his dragon breath. Sai imagined he was powerful like his dad. Ready to fight for what he loved and believed in. Ready to save people and protect him and their family. That''s why he and Vor had begun to secretly train more. They needed to be strong enough for when their dad needed them. His flight path took him past the small cluster of GRANGO trees behind their house. He obviously dove down and grabbed a few before leisurely continuing on with his journey. He was just a short distance away from the Bloom Birds Orchid. A sort of plant-animal hybrid. The flowers bloomed in the morning in the shape of six winged petal-wings birds and took off, leaving a green stalk waving in the air. To stop any predators from getting too close, the plants emitted a sweet smelling scent that caused hallucinations and increased paranoia to anyone. The most special thing about the flowers was how they seemed to appear out of nowhere. Ash and his siblings had found this place by chance and the instant when the Bloom Birds decided to ascend and take off was a sight to behold. He made it to the top of the hill overlooking the Bloom Birds and...frowned. instead of the ascension of the pink, red and yellow flower birds, there was a dense groove of trees surrounding a pulsing cocoon with something vaguely humanoid inside. Sai blinked and flew closer, losing the frown on his face. Instead, an intrigued look came over it. He finally knew what was causing him to lose sleep. It was this thing. The closer he got the more his abilities reacted to the presence of the pulsing object. Or rather what was inside it. Before he could get too close, vines from the forest started slithering through the ground forming up into something. Ash stopped right where he was as he went on guard. There was little chance of anything, animal or not hurting Sai. This was his dad''s realm after all, so he was not too worried. The vines formed up into a huge monstrous plant being with red eyes. "Favored child, do not take another step, or you will risk destabilizing the mistress''s rebirth." A deep but gentle voice rumbled out of the plant creature. "Mistress? Rebirth?" Ash shook his head. Interesting but not as much as the question burning him up from the inside. "What happened to the Bloom Birds?!" He said pointing at the edges of the new strange forest, where the stalks of the Bloom Birds were left looking shrunken and missing the flowers. Swamp Thing blinked, wondering how it was going to tell the disappointed child that the Bloom Birds were merely energy gathering agents that the mistress had needed to complete her evolution. Think of solar panels but instead of solar energy, they travelled to places with high density of Aether and absorbed it to bring back to the cocoon. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. They had not noticed the cocoon before because it was hidden underground but now that she was close to awakening, the Bloom Birds were no longer needed. Swamp Thing was aware that explaining it like that would not earn him any favors, so it wisely kept quiet. The child started nagging him soon after and he ended up regretting his decision to stay silent. (Elsewhere) Holly was finally going to get her answers. No more making wild guesses that did not even come close to the real truth. Somehow, someway, Dove had been chosen. Remade into a god. She was dazzlingly beautiful. Incredibly powerful; Holly could remember her standing infront of the massive attack that had shaken the world and taken over her entire vision. Dove had swatted it away as of it was a nuisance. "Keep up human. My objectives do not contain understanding why you are walking slower than a snail. Ha Ha Ha." The drone that was leading her to a Teleport Hub stated. She looked away to hide her mocking smile. It''s attempts at copying human behavior were laughable. The drone was the first testing sample of a new concept Gaea had. Drones that could mimick human speech and mannerisms to help the wider population during special circumstances. Holly remembered the advertisement that had played on the sky and on the fast developing Aethernet. So far she wasn''t impressed by the ''EmphathoDrone'' It looked funny too. Having the upper portion of C-3PO, a robot from a popular franchise back on earth called Star Wars. The lower portion ended in a dome like shape with hover tech which was how it could fly. The robot had extra limbs woven from strong but highly flexible material to enable it to accomplish different tasks. The limbs were inside it''s chassis. Holly''s thoughts drifted back to Dove. The world had changed, so she guessed having a sister who had superpowers was not too surprising. Still...she wondered if Dove was still the same Dove. The way she had looked at her that one time...it was like Holly was a distant acquittance of hers. Holly reached the Teleport Hub quickly, managing to grab a glimpse of the newly constructed Spiritual School. The fact that people could get abilities was a subject that was met with a lot of excitement as everyone wanted to be special. Holly too. "We have arrived human." The drone informed her in an annoyed tone. Holly stopped before entering the teleport hub. "Okay first of all, if you want to seem more approachable, ditch the word ''human''. I know I am you don''t need to keep reminding me. Secondly watch your tone, ''droid''" Then she entered with a snort. The coordinates were already entered and in a sudden wash of color, Holly disappeared. (Elsewhere) The earth had been destroyed. The three legionnaires were the only surviving thing from the planet that had housed billions. They had been in New Genesis, following after Lor-Zod''s trail, when it had happened and had laid witness to the god of evil Darkseid''s death, something that would have only happened two years into the future in the original timeline. The fight had been a spectacle to watch and it reminded all of them why Aden was who he was. So they had failed their mission. The objective given had been to protect Superion as he would have become a central figure in the future, but now there wasn''t even an earth. They could not also use the time sphere to go back and try to change it either. Why? The three of them could not agree on the right course of action to take. Chameleon was proposing that anything that hadn''t been directly caused by Lor-Zod was not something that they should have changed but rather the result of the changes that they had already made. He thought that going back to the past to change a new shift in time would strain the time continuum and have further detrimental effects in the future. Saturn Girl and Phantom girl argued that it wouldn''t matter what changes they made because if the desired result was not met then they had failed the mission and had to try again. The argument was almost over, with Chameleon agreeing with them when something happened. One instant they were inside their time sphere, when the next, it was being jerked away towards a certain direction. The pull had lessened as the environmental shielding programs activated. "What''s going on?" Phantom girl had asked with Saturn girl''s fingers flew over the keyboard. "I don''t know. Something pulled us out of..." She trailed off once she managed to activate the Time Sphere''s transparent mode, revealing the scene on the outside. They were not expecting what they saw. A man floating in outer space while staring at them. The time sphere had been warped from its location in a maintenance station on mars to outer space. With wide eyes Chameleon boy askedthe other two. "Is that his Majesty?" Before they could answer, "Indeed it is. But I told you not to call me that." A new voice spoke up from the middle of the time sphere. The three Legionnaires were spooked and turned to stare at the new arrival. "Your majesty!" They all bowed down. The prince had light green hair, red eyes and was standing at 6,8 feet. He was wearing a martial robe constructed from the toughest material that the 30th century could afford and underneath the orange robe was a white combat body suit. A very familiar symbol of the Avatar was imprinted on the robe, just below the shoulder. "Prince Sai, Sir..." Saturn Girl raised up her head. "What are you doing here, in the past?" She wondered out loud. The aforementioned Prince Sai smiled, "To bring you home of course." Horrid (General P.O.V) Everything changed the second Aden called ''him'' out. White eyes opened to a world that was on the brink of collapse. He blinked, surveying the scene with a critical eye. There was no aura or a display of his considerable power, yet the minute his eyes landed on Empty Hand, the latter froze like a dear caught in headlights. ''what is this feeling?'' Empty Hand asked himself, lifting up a single palm only to see it shaking. His eyes widened. "Get ready." A bored voice said from the side. Empty Hand slowly turned his head and established eye contact with him. Order stared back, unflinchingly and unimpressed. Empty Hand felt his spirit waver under such a look. How?! Empty Hand tried to jump away only to feel his neck grasped in a vice grip. He choked, beginning to pry off the hold in panic. What was happening! Why was it happening?! He stopped trying to overpower the palm holding his neck and instead begun to power up, bringing more of himself through the link Aden still had with the Great Darkness. The realm begun to shake more and more as darkness spilled out of Empty Hand in considerable amounts. Empty Hand''s eyes blazed with black flames as he looked down at Order. "You..." No matter how much he tried, he still couldn''t escape the hold! Order begun squeezing his fingers. "That won''t work anymore." He told the panicking villain. Voice full of quiet confidence that one could have mistaken for arrogance. "What...ack! What are you?!" The world overturned under Empty Hand''s vision. His back smacked onto the grey ground, completely rupturing his veins, shredding his back muscles and breaking his spinal column. Order lifted what was left of the servant of the One Below and scrunched up his nose in distaste. "Gross." Silver fire poured out of his mouth and eyes, completely drowning the remains of Empty Hand under a torrent of flame. Nothing remained. Order floated in the air calmly, waiting. A few seconds later, as if remade from the sand itself, Empty Hand reformed himself. "Ha ha ha...you cannot hope to defeat me." He sneered as his limbs formed, whole again. Instead of the fear and worry he was expecting, Order looked at him with the same blank expression. Then something shifted and a maniacal smile appeared on Aden''s face. Order craned his neck. "I WAS COUNTING ON IT." BOOM! The first fist that was thrown by Order completely turned Empty Hand into dust. A pressure blast that was so strong, the webs of energy covering Aden''s space of being groaned to hold back the torrent of power. Empty Hand came back again with a gasp. What... Then a hundred strikes landed on his body before he could react. "Aarrgh!" A blast of Darkness devoured the surroundings from him. Only for an explosion of light to completely submerge the darkness, destroy it and then go ahead to disintegrate Empty Hand. What was...he wasn''t the one... Once more he appeared. This time Aden''s face took over his whole vision. He was 50 meters tall now, holding onto Empty Hand by the torso. The latter could not budge, only tremble in fear while shaking his head. "No...no. How did you do this! It''s impossible! I was in...aaargh." The giant fingers around him begun to squeeze. "You finally caught on." The Order State said. An out of character smile on it''s face. "I am supposed to be his logic. But the prospect of endlessly killing you...brings a smile to my face." Order then opened his mouth, showing nothing but a chaotic swirl of power inside. Order particles clashing against each other to give rise to chaos and vice versa. Empty Hand strained in futility. "Master!!! Master help Me!" "Call for him as much as you want...I have severed your connection with his domain. You''re in my world now." Empty Hand found this death to be even worse than before. He was shredded to nothing but the violent opposing forces when he was swallowed by the giant. Then when he came back, his eyes exploded in his skull, following that, his organs one by one met the same fate. The culmination was an explosion of energy the equivalent of a star. He still came back. A meteor shower burned him up to nothing. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Each death was worse than the other and this went on for over a billion times. Time had effectively lost meaning. Order had cut the connection between the Great Darkness and his chaos side, effectively trapping Empty Hand in a cycle of death and rebirth... endlessly. A nigh omnipotent being was imprisoned in the same mind he tried to raid. The tables were turned so drastically it was crazy. This was not a fight. Neither was it a beatdown. This was simply torture of the highest degree. And it went on and on and on and on. Order found himself loving the pained and tortured expression Empty Hand continuously displayed and after so long, the next instant Empty Hand died, he respawned as a shallow copy of his former being. Gone was the regal dark form standing at more than 8 feet tall. Gone was the casual power he wielded almost contemptuously. The creature before Order was sickly and weak. It couldn''t move it''s body or do much of anything. It wheezed in exertion at simply existing. "What...what did you do..." It managed to ask, on the verge of death. Order floated down slowly, touching on the ground before gliding across it, only to stop before the servant of the dark one. "You seem... surprised." Aden''s voice sounded out, layered with an undercurrent of power. "My power..." "Without your connection to the Great Darkness, you are nothing." The Order State was feeling particularly chatty today. He bent down. "Where is the powerful leader of the Gentry? where is the right hand of the natural opposite to everything? Where is the being that waved away Darkseid''s attack with the crack of the universe as if it was nothing? Where is all your arrogance?" Order held out a hand to the side and the despair in Empty Hand increased a thousand fold. The essence of his abilities, pure darkness roiled around in Order''s hand. "Yes. Whatever your mind is trying so hard to refuse is true!" "No...give it... give it BAAACK!!" Empty Hand weakly reached out towards Order''s palm. "Nope." Order shook his head. "You wanted this, remember?" Then he got up. "Be comforted with the knowledge that I shall send your master into the nothingness after you." Order smiled. "Now die." Order did something impossible. Equity was a chaos attuned weapon. It held the whole mass of Aden''s Chaos State. But Order had learned something from Aden''s memory. At high levels, due to the weighty realm of a concept or aspect of reality, a balance was needed to keep everything in check. That balance was maintained by a counterforce to naturally oppose an abstract or concept. Water to quench fire. The Great Darkness to counter The Presence. There were exceptions to this rule but almost all things followed it in some form or other. That meant...Equity could theoretically have it''s own opposite. The only thing left to do was call it out. Order energy, mystical and elemental in nature begun to twist and clash in Order''s hand. Then with an ease that was highly deceptive of the difficulty in the task, a long white calligraphy brush appeared in his palm. "Mmmh... fitting. A brush to write in structure to the world, order and to disapprove that which we do not want." Order laughed, twirling the heaven defying artifact in the air. Equity appeared in his other hand. Empty Hand felt a pressure unlike any from both artifacts. The power they held was enough to make someone a menace for an entire universe. Order held both opposing artifacts in the air. One meant to bring about massive change but used to mostly cause havoc,and the other to give form, beauty and purpose to raw energy. Order and Chaos. "I wonder what would happen if I brought them both together? Fused in perfect harmony. Who could stand in my way? Lucifer? The presence? The Great Darkness?" ''We both know that is not our purpose. You are meant to be his reasoning, yet...in here where the walls separating us are thinner than paper...we are corrupting each other. My passion is eliciting true emotions in you. Emotions that you cannot learn to control in such a short time. So pause and think before you do something you might come to regret later.'' The Chaos State informed Order, voice projected mentally. Order smirked. "Whatever do you mean? I am he and he is me. You are us. So anything we think of doing...is something that he has already considered." He slowly brought both hands together. The sky darkened and became bright at the same time. The clash of both energies expressing themselves in his space of being through a separation in the sky. One side was dark and ominous, the other was blindingly bright. Order had ignored Chaos'' words. His reasoning was that maybe emotions were good for him. They made him feel. He didn''t feel before. Tremors soon after begun to rock the world. The white and purple energy webs holding the whole realm together struggling to heal and preserve Aden''s self. ''Stop this madness." Chaos spoke up. This time his earlier bored tone was nowhere to be heard. In its place was a stern command. One that promised consequences if it were not followed. "Or what?...I have complete control here. What do you hope to achieve by ordering me to cease my actions? Actions that will serve him for the best. We both know of Aden''s track record. Maybe someone else needs to start making the decision around here." The distance between both artifacts grew smaller and smaller. Space splintered apart as the shockwaves produced by Order''s actions hit Empty Hand and with one last despairing attack completely destroyed him, essence and all. The Servant of The Great Darkness perished. "Imagine having enough power to never be afraid again. To never lose a fight. To never lose anything. We could be truly Eternal!" Order begun to chuckle, getting animated while Chaos stayed silent. "Imagine having any woman we want. I know his thoughts, they''re mine as well. His heart yearns for Her. But his body...his body seeks out fulfilment that she alone cannot grant." ''To what end? Power is all well and good but that is such a shallow goal. He wouldn''t be happy. I wouldn''t be happy and now that you''re influenced by my emotions, you know that sometimes no amount of power or prosperity can fill a hole that needs love and care." Chaos countered. Order did not relent. His face scrunched up in disgust. "Love and care? Who needs that pile of shit?!" His face changed again. This time into a crafty expression. His tone took on a softer note. "And besides, who says we cannot have it all?! Power then love. I know he will thank me for it. He needs me!" ''Just like he needed you when you decided to expell all chaos energy from the realm causing rifts across the mortal plane. Or the time you decided killing a galactic warlord was better than keeping the world safe. Following that choice, the planet was destroyed and now we''re saddled with over a billion lives to think about.'' Chaos took a dig at him. Order paused. "I prioritized our realm! What the fuck do you think would have happened had I not done what I did! I created the realm in the first place! Me! It wasn''t you or Aden! IT WAS ALL ME!!" He went silent, letting out a sigh. The weapons inched closer, both energies fighting each other while Order used his authority to bring about a stable fusion. "In any case, we are all on the same team...I am doing this for us. Why can''t you see that, you parasite?" He softly asked, straining with exertion as he tried to bond the two artifacts. ''STOP! If you do this, you will destroy us all!" "You know nothing! So shut the fuck up or do something to try and stop me!" The world begun to actually crack apart. The overload of energy became too much to contain and Aden''s Space of Being was paying the price. Chaos'' attempts to stop the Order State all ended up in failure. Veins appeared on Aden''s face as he yelled. The ground below cracked apart like an egg shell, the grains of sand making up the floor begun spilling through. More cracks spread like spider webs above the sky. "Come ooonnn!! Aaahhhhhh!!!! Why won''t. You. Just...WOOOOORK!!!!!?" With a sudden click, both artifacts touched each other. The whole realm exploded. (Elsewhere) Gaea shook. Security fail safes activated with Gaea trying her best to stabilize the world on the brink of splitting apart. Everyone felt it... Something Horrid Had Happened. Marshalling Forces (General P.O.V) "Lady Gaea, what is happening?!" Yaotl, outfitted in full armor regalia enquired the second Gaea made herself known to all of them. A realm wide alert was playing in the sky, warning everyone to stay indoors and avoid going outside. The whole world was in a frenzy. All the continents experienced earthquakes and other unnatural disasters caused by two extremes meeting and clashing upon each other continuously. Gaea had put all her effort into ensuring that the human continent was mostly protected from the worst of the disasters. On the other continents barring the Sconiad Island chain, Aden''s home island and the lion turtle island that was at the center of everything, Tornados, tsunamis and earthquakes wreaked havoc across the lands. Stopping them required energy. Energy that was not as readily available as before. Somehow getting more energy from the source was becoming an issue as the Realm begun to vibrate at different frequencies inconsistently, causing the link the core had to the source to sever. She was working on reinstating it but that seemed to be taking more time than they actually had. She was working on a faster back up plan. Which is why the sun was dimming. The sky lost it''s blue color. A darkness that seemed almost oppressive even from this far out begun to swiftly overtake everything. Many animals died. Gaea used their life force as soon as it came through to add to the strength of the continental wide shielding to protect from the space debris and meteors caused by the explosion of the Training planet Aden had been on. Gaea spared some of her considerable computation power to investigate while trying to contact Aden. The reason for the darkness... immediately shocked her. Apart from her own actions with the sun; draining it''s energy to construct a shield around the planet and stop the calamities happening, something else was going on. She dropped her primary objective and warped space to appear before the Cottage, sending an alert before she arrived. She was glad to see everyone waiting for her in various states of readiness. Yaotl being the god of war was naturally the commander. They all bowed their heads at her once they sensed her presence. Then they gasped at the way she looked. Gaea was the realm, so any form she took reflected it. And right now she did not look okay. Her whole blue figure was filled with cracks that pulsed with different elemental energies. "Lady Gaea what..." "Listen up. Things have taken a turn for the worse. I am engaging protocol Doom Day." "What?" Vaatu blinked in surprise. Surprise that was shared by every single spirit around. "Right!" Yaotl nodded before turning towards Kori and the Kids. "My Lady. You and the kids need to leave with Lady Gaea right now. Something is happening and before we figure out what that is, the safest place for you right now is at the core of the realm." "No." Gaea told him, just as another tremor rocked the whole island. "The core has been compromised. They need to get out of the realm incase we can''t stop what is happening." She said urgently. "Wait!" Kori interrupted, hugging Kai and Breeze close to herself. "Where''s Aden?" Sai and the others perked up at that. They didn''t know what was happening but that question was the only one that mattered. "I want Dad." Breeze whispered in a scared tone to Kai. The other girl patted her head in what comfort she could provide. "Everything will be okay." Kai said. "Yeah. Everything will be okay. Vor and I will protect you. We have been training, right Vor?" Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Sai asked his brother as they hovered protectively over Kori and the girls. "Mmmh Right." Vor nodded with a confidence he wasn''t really feeling. Meanwhile a mental conversation had been going on during this time. " What do you mean he is missing Gaea? How can he be missing!? That''s impossible!" Kori replied in anger after what Gaea had told them. The sea was now almost too rowdy and the only thing that stopped the massive Tsunami about to hit the shore and submerge the island was the shield Gaea had constructed around it. "Please Lady Kori, if Gaea finds out anything about the Master''s whereabouts, the first person she is going to inform will be you. Right now we need to evacuate you and the children." Kori relented upon Yaotl''s reasonable words. Nodding in confirmation and agreeing to drop the subject was one of the hardest things she had ever done. "You will go with Raava. She will protect you all." Gaea finished, a sleek space ship looking very similar to a Martian bio-ship only bigger appeared on the beach next to them. "It''s similar to a Martian bio-ship but can travel at faster than light speeds due to the core which is constructed from Strangium. I input a galactic map to show you where you need to go. Most of the highlighted planets are places where Aden is worshipped as a god. It will be up to you to choose which one you want. Now hurry." Yaotl ushered them inside the ship while staring at the sky with narrowed eyes. "My sister..." Raava asked Yaotl only for the Panther god to kiss her on her forehead in assurance. "I will do everything I can to make sure that she is safe." A yellow portal that seemed unstable appeared under the Bio-ship the second Kori and the kids entered it. Kori looked back before the door closed. "Good luck." She told them, her hands over her baby bump. Then the ship was swallowed by portal. The minute they disappeared, portals appeared all-around the beach and coming out of them were Earth''s heroes led by Superman. The entire Justice League and Justice Society barring those who were outside the realm lined up behind the premier Members of the League, Batman and Superman. The only one missing from the triumvirate was Wonder Woman. That was somewhat addressed when from another portal, Amazon warriors dressed in armor and carrying weapons came through another portal. The garnered attention as Hippolyta and her people bowed their heads before Yaotl. "It will be an honor to fight alongside you, Lord." Yaotl nodded in thanks. "We gathered everyone here as soon as we could. What is going on?" Superman asked. Yaotl looked at Gaea and she took that as cue. she launched off into a short but shocking explanation. "The entire realm is shifting between different layers of the void." At the clueless looks she was getting, she tried to dumb it down. "Something ripped a hole in time and space, changing our vibration frequency and now we are connected to another universe." She pointed to the rapidly darkening sky. "I am using the energy from the sun to construct a shield around the planet but...we have a big problem. The inhabitants of the universe we are connected to, seem to favor the dark...and they can sense us. They are coming our way." "Are the civilians safe?" Batman asked, already connected to the Aethernet using his wrist device. Gaea waved a hand, prompting a projected live feed to appear which showed the wide blue shimmering shield covering the entire world. "Yes they are but we do not have much time. We need to make sure we hold back whatever is coming for us up until I can fix the positioning issue and hopefully get us back to our own layer." "Where is Aden?" Red Arrow asked, causing murmurs to break out. "He is the top dog after all. If anything he should be..." "The master is facing a much bigger threat than we are. Otherwise he would be at the fore front, ready to face this new challenge with great defiance. Do not besmirch his name." Yaotl spoke up before Gaea could, his eyes shifting to their feline form. Red Arrow wilted under his gaze, looking away with a snort. "So what''s the plan?" Superman questioned. The tremors and disasters had calmed down somewhat. The sun had dimmed from the loss of most of it''s power. Gaea had gone on total lockdown mode. The sky was still bright, owing to the shield of energy around the whole planet. Gaea brought out a map of the entire planet. Four huge continents with vast pools of ocean water in between. Batman walked forward and surveyed the map. "What do your initial scans suggest on the number of enemies we are about to face?" The map panned out wide, showing the planet and then thousands of blinking red dots coming out of a pulsing blue zone a few thousand miles away from the atmosphere of the planet where a hole in space had been ripped open. Someone sucked in a deep breath. "This is going to be fun." Said Raph, twirling his Sais in his hands. "Your idea of fun is different from mine." Donnie told his brother. The former shrugged. "All these years together and you still haven''t built a taste for it. I''m disappointed Donnie." Raph joked. "Shh, Raph let''s focus on how we''re going to stay alive for the next hour or so." Leo shushed the both of them. "How long till they arrive?" The Flash wondered. "24 minutes, nothing more nothing less." Gaea quickly answered, her attention on priming the battle drones, which were only a little bit weaker than the ones guarding the Sconiad tower. After studying the maps some more, Yaotl came up with a suggestion. "I propose Lady Gaea open up the shield at this particular location." He pointed a finger at the farthest continent from the human populated one. "That will allow them to focus on making it past us instead of bombarding other locations to try and breach the shield." Batman added, seeing the logic in it. "Not to mention the opening will be small, they will not be able to bring through their full force. We can then focus on stemming the flow while Lady Gaea works on getting us out of here." They finished hashing out the rest of the plan, going through details such as placement and how to split the forces. Before Gaea could warp all of them to the location they had agreed upon, a few grey portals appeared on the beach. "Oh you have got to be kidding me." Kid Flash muttered when from within the portal, Michael walked out. Following close behind him was a group of villains like Black Adam, Killer Frost, Deadshot, Shredder and his five mystics. "Sorry for being late." Michael told Gaea, "A few people needed to be convinced that they actually have helping spirits." Far From Home (General P.O.V) A couple billion years ago, a powerful Comet smashed onto a small planet, just a few of hundred million years old. The planet orbited a relatively mature star. It''s yellow light providing enough sustenance to have the potential for evolution of life from single celled organisms to multicellular organisms. Yet that was not as easy as it seemed. The planet lacked something. An essence to push that potential into state. An essence that was present in its closest neighbor. There were no dinosaurs, or other pre-historic animals as one might expect when hearing about the age of the planet. It wasn''t even the only planet orbiting the star system. It was the fourth. On that point, just like earth. This Fourth planet that would come to be known as Mars supported the potential of sentient life. Single celled organisms was just the start. However its potential for evolution, as stated before fell short. It was not as strong as it''s neighbor. It seemed that life would end at single celled organisms. Through some natural constraints, it would not jump the first hurdle. The first great filter. This planet was even more nondescript and not really noteworthy, when compared to the scale of the large universe. It was just...basic. But then, through the starlit canvas of the cosmos, a grey comet that had initially started out as something bigger than the very solar system, was streaking through space towards our unimportant planet. The meteor that smashed onto that small planet changed everything. The impact was an explosion of such high magnitude that every single trace of life on the surface of the planet was destroyed by the heat and pressure. The planet lost a third of it''s body, which were stones and rocks that would hover around it, revolving for years before forming into Mars'' first moon. And those changes would shift a very important thing while strangely enough, as if fighting to keep it''s prewritten fate, nothing much else. The core of the meteor managed to dig deep into the crust of the planet, making it all the way to the core as a pulsing huge boulder the size of a bus, only to eventually settle near the dense and hot core of the barren rock orbiting around the sun. Healing. A couple million years would go by and caused by an esoteric energy wave not native to this universe, life would begin anew. Single celled organisms would sprout and thrive, this time not on the surface of the planet but deep in it, on a self sustained environment around the core. Roiling and twisting elemental energy gave rise to liquid water, oxygen, and everything else that could support life. A few hundred million years later and the first of the multicellular organisms would appear. Aquatic animals inside the water pools on near the core. The heat and gravitational force from it was nullified by a very weird phenomenal. Mystical energy. Magic. It seemed that the conditions for life had only been a side effect of this. The conditions were very similar to those found on earth. A few more hundred million years would see the eventual evolution from aquatic animals to land walking beasts. A true split had occured. Another billion years would pass and whether it was by fluke or planned by some higher power, the environment would enter the dinosaur age. And the first phase lasted over 300 million years, the second a little over 500 million years. During that time, the third planet, earth had similarly evolved and realized it''s potential for sentient and then sapient life. The surface of Mars on the other hand was barren and dry. Seen from space or even on the planet itself, the soil was red and lifeless. Wind storms buffeted the landscape constantly. It was uninhabitable. But someone knew that to not be true. A powerful being noticed the energy signature coming off the planet. Modern day scientists would term this energy as dark matter, not really having a good explanation for what this detected energy was. The Sorcerer Supreme of the time, Agamotto part of the triumvirate known as the Vishanti would use his prodigious mystical abilities to construct a dense energy shield around the core of the planet. Having sensed the alien quality of what was contained in the core, he knew the dangers and opportunity it presented. He would regularly come to check on the binding spell. Regularly update and maintain it, fixing matters such as energy containment which was the prevalent issue. And Agamotto would meditate upon the mysteries contained in the energy. He would learn not to harness it but to guide it using his own spirit. Agamotto would spread these teachings to the sorcerers under him, instructing them upon the two main branches of this energy that they could connect to just as easily as dimensional powers. Yet this energy was much more powerful and seemed to possess no limits aside from the user''s own ability to handle the strain on their souls. The mystic Power branches were thus split into, dimensional energies, personal energies, universal energies and the Avatarian practices. The two main branches developed from this new branch of magic called Avatarism, were Elemental magic and Anti-natural Mystic energy. The first was self explanatory. They could connect to any of the main branches of the elements, Wind, Fire, Water and Earth. Earth however seemed to be weaker. There were many theories about this but the main one was the one proposed by Agamotto. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He thought that maybe earth magic was weaker because of the elder goddess Gaea limiting control over the element. This led to those who agreed with this theory to also propose that the reason why Gaea would do that was perhaps because Avatarism came from a god. Just like how gods granted special humans powers maybe they were blessed by a god to wield this gift. Maybe Avatarism came from the Avatar. That unpopular belief would see the very first split between the sorcerers. Staunch practitioners of Avatarism abandoned dimensional and universal energies to focus on Avatarian practices. They walked with the world and became known as Druids. The field of elemental magic was further developed when druids and sorcerers discovered they could use Sub-skills related to the four elements. Fire had lightning, combustion, plasma, heat and many others. Wind was cloud magic, which was extensively used to control the weather and cause rain to fall on arid areas, and it''s other subsets like sound. Water too had its own Sub-skills, though the users struggled to access it''s Sub-skills apart from mist, ice and healing. Earth element only saw marginal success. However after a few hundred years, the druids and sorcerers who remained persistent and stubborn were able to cultivate Sub-skills such as magma magic, gravity manipulation for unassisted flight, crystal magic which was highly sought after and even plant magic. Onto the second category, the Anti-natural Mystic practices were magical disciplines that worked directly to oppose or significantly alter a natural phenomenon. There were 2 categories in this practice, Chaos and Order mystical energy. A power that had no limit. 10 sorcerers could use Order to cast a planet wide spell and change anything from laws of nature that governed the continued existence of life to the life the planet itself contained. They could make themselves gods. Like wise, 10 sorcerers of sufficient strength could destroy an entire planet, submerge it in darkness by using Chaos mystical energy freely. This was the true golden age of Sorcerers. Even powerful eldritch abominations seeking dominion over the earth were not too challenging for them. They fought with skill and power, The practices of the Avatarism, the name coined by Agamotto enabling them to stand on par with a young Odin fresh off his conquest of the nine realms. But such power often breeds greediness and just before Agamotto''s ascension, one of his students decided to take over forcefully. He wanted to fuse Order and Chaos Magicka and become the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth. Not even Agamotto could combine the two. They were opposing sides, two extremes that clashed heavily. There was no way to safely get them working together. Agamotto had tried it over his thousands of years of existence but each time he ended up with failure. His student was just as determined as Agamotto had been and far less nice about it. Death raged across the whole world as his student, the very first sorcerer termed as a dark mage, tried everything from the dregs of divinity from evil realm lord''s such as Dormammu and Chthon, to contracts with demons. He learned the teachings of the Dao from the Eastern side of the globe and supplemented these teachings with the shamanism from Africa and North America. He became a very experienced Druid, able to use all four elements easily. He waged a campaign of death all in a bid to surpass his master and become the one true mage. But Agamotto was far stronger, far more experienced and after giving him countless chances to redeem, far more merciless. The conflict culminated in a legendary battle that caused the oceans to boil, land to crack and the whole planet to tremble. Agamotto finally won. And after that he realized the dangers of the Anti-natural Mystic energy and added another spell to the core of mars. The spell restricted any magical practitioner from ever accessing both Magicka. He made sure to pass down the role of monitoring the spell work and ensuring it did not break to his successor. Agamotto ascended and a new Sorcerer Supreme took charge. Years passed, the sorcerer supreme title had been passed down over 3 times by now. A group of powerful beings created by an even more powerful group of beings known as the Celestials arrived on Earth. This new group was humanoid and possessed powers that were different from conventional power systems like dimensional energies, personal energies like chi and Avatarism. They were known as the Eternals. They were directly empowered by their creators with something called cosmic energy and were charged with one specific objective. The destruction of alien creatures preying on the young human race, called Deviants. They carried out this mission almost religiously, taking over humankind''s development and increasing it by decades while hunting down large concentrations of Deviants and ending them. Some of the astute ones noticed the absolutely staggering energy pulsing from Mars, the fourth planet on the solar system and they all decided to inform their master, a Celestial known as Arishem. He ordered them to maintain a strict observation on the planet but not do anything else. The Sorcerers, Druids and this new group of beings called the Eternals understood each other and continued on with their separate but similar missions. The eternals learned a lot about Humanity. How fickle and selfless they could be. There was as much potential for good in them as bad. They settled among them learning their ways. They became hailed as gods. And that caused them to lose sight as they grew to love humans. Then tragedy struck and nothing was ever the same. A huge war sprang up that claimed the lives of countless humans. They had used the gifts of science gifted to them to wage war. The Eternals split up and retreated to different parts of the world. More years passed. Empires like Rome and Ottoman rose up and fell. Nations sprang up as democracy became a thing and the globe became more connected. The industrial era arrived and brought with it new ways of doing things. Men braved the seas in long voyages to distant lands. World war 1 begun and passed. World war 2 begun and brought with it more death and more advance in science. Humanity''s creation, an atomic bomb claimed the lives of a lot of people, destroying cities and leaving behind biological defects in the survivors and their descendants. The year 2000 arrived. Deep within the core of mars, something stilled. Something ancient and incomprehensible. The Vishanti felt it in their dimension. The All-father Odin immediately went on a long Odin''s sleep in preparation. Arishem gave the Eternals new orders and the time for their reunion grew closer. The mad Titan Thanos started having nightmares and dreams that made no sense. The ancient one opened her eyes from where she was meditating. On a barren red soiled planet that housed the very thing she had been using to keep herself alive. She gazed down and felt her heart skip a beat. He was waking up. The Dark Army (General P.O.V) Necron, Neron, Ares, Doomsday, Upside down Man, Eclipso, Darkseid and finally... Empty Hand. All powerful aspects of the Great Darkness. 4 of whom had grudges against Aden Strong. 3 of whom had died... And been brought back by the Great Darkness infinite and terrifying power. The 3 of them stood behind the plague of creation, an army made from the Great Darkness. An army that consisted of foul beings with no ounce of remorse. From demons to eldritch abominations, some with powerful dark magicks while others with bodies that induced nightmares and insanity upon all who beared witness to them. Yet the dark army was only the first wave of enemies that Gaea had to face. For Aden''s realm had been unlucky enough to have a rift in space that connected to Earth 7, the Gentry''s base of operations. And the first wave was nothing before the power of those who stood behind them, Intellectron, Demogorgunn, Lord Broken, Hell Machine, Dame Merciless and although broken and destroyed by Order...the right hand of The Great Darkness sat on a throne in the war torn world of Earth 7. And Empty Hand was full of hate towards the one who made him fail his master. In a different timeline, the Superjudge, last monitor of the multiverse would have arrived, answering a distress call and proceeded to give his life for the last surviving member from that earth. This time things were different. Empty Hand completely decimated the group of heroes from that universe in anger at his loss in Aden''s hands. Aden had fast turned from the biggest investment of the Great Darkness to its biggest hindrance towards remaking the multiverse in its own image. With the last of it''s influence on Chaos energy, the Great Darkness managed to take advantage of the explosion caused by Aden''s two states fighting to connect the realm with his seat of power in the physical world. Empty Hand gave the order, and the dark army answered. (With Aden''s Pantheon) The full force of those standing ready to defend what was their home, temporary or not was not as big as you would expect. Aden''s Pantheon and family were first in the line up. They had changed location to the ideal battlefield according to the plans they had drawn up. And it was now time to defend. Before the spirits and gods was the mother of the realm, Gaea. She was glowing blue while pulsing out her energy to attract the horde towards their position. Yaotl turned to address the masses of gathered heroes. "We only need to hold on for an hour or so. After that, we will have won. Stay on your toes and do not allow yourself to be cornered." Then he turned back around, changing forms into his humanoid Panther war God form. The air became charged with a certain kind of energy and a few seconds later, a blue shield materialized in the sky, rippling into visibility as the first wave of attacks landed. Superman floated in midair using his supervision to see past the shield. His eyes widened. "My god..." He frowned, looking at his companions below. "They''re here. And they are many." Most of the heroes and villains gulped. "Steady Lady Gaea..." Yaotl said, holding up his arm. The shield started flashing dangerously. "I feel like taking my chances with the Hollowlands." Deadshot joked to Killer Frost. "Too late for regrets now." Superion replied to him, body clad in a red cloak of energy. "Wait..." Yaotl added. The shield was now reacting to the bombardment by ripping holes in other places around the globe to provide more energy to the point in the shield that the dark army wanted to Pierce through. "Ah... anytime now!" The Flash yelled, he like the others saw that it was just a matter of time before the shield was completely overwhelmed. "Wait..." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Yaotl refused. A bead of sweat fell down Kid Flash''s forehead. "Just a little more..." Artemis fingers turned knuckle white around her crossbow... Just as it seemed that the tension could not get any higher, Yaotl finally gave the command. "Now! Open it up!" The shield rippled like water as it opened up, revealing darkness and terrifying forms. The hearts of everyone skipped a mighty beat. These things, were scary. Imagine The Trench d.n.a spliced up with Xenomorph d.n.a. Their energy signatures were just as bad as their monstrous forms. They came with varying sizes and seemed to surf on a tide of darkness. With the rift opened up, it seemed as if they were going to spill right through. A flash of lightning left everyone''s eyes momentarily blinded as Vaatu made his move. A divine aura that had elements of dream energy blazed out of him. He had suddenly powered up to his true god form for just a single instant, wary to leave the mortals fighting on their side insane or blinded by witnessing the true body of a god. "Begone." Black lightning, in the shape of one massive storm, streaked through the sky, with a thunderous roar. The alien creatures from the dark army thought they had succeeded in making it inside only to be completely shocked (literally) by the unexpected planet buster attack. 50% of the aliens near the opening in the shield turned to ash and were instantly destroyed. The shockwaves produced drowned the next 25%. "Holy..." April O''Neal begun. "Crap? Shit? Cow?...none of that can describe what we just witnessed." Leo added. "That was severely cool." Mikey agreed. "Don''t get too happy so soon...look." Superion warned them. Despite the attack having enough power to destroy the earth a 100 times over, it didn''t even dent a portion of the true numbers in the dark army. "Oh my god." Zatara said. A second later, he grabbed the helmet of Fate held in-between his arm and chest, ready to wear it. "Are you sure?" Batman asked from the side, two battle drones flanking his side. He had linked them to his wrist computer and could remotely control them. "Yes." Zatara answered with conviction. He was doing this to ensure Zatanna and the rest had had a fighting chance. He wore the helmet. A blast of order mystical energy washed out into the surroundings, the lord of order Nabu taking the helm. ''Will it be enough?'' Batman asked himself, eyes cast towards the sky. Past the shield opening, an endless army of dark beings swarmed towards the mouth of the rift and behind them were a few very notable individuals...stripped of their wills. Darkseid, Neron, Ares and Doomsday. The day of reckoning had arrived. (Elsewhere) (Overload!) (Overload!) (Host Condition critical due to unstable energy signature''s volatile pattern) (Warning! Mind erasure Eminent!) (Warning! Physical vessel deterioration Eminent!) (Warning! Soul Eradication Eminent!) (Deploying countermeasures...lesser miracles exhausted...) (Condition Stabi... Warning! Personality disassociation observed...) (preserving true Self...) (Failed) (Preserving memories...) (Failed) (Preserving Essence...) (???) (Domain incompatibility observed) (Overload... explosion eminent!) (Emergency energy reserves exhausted) (Requesting for faith energy...) (Initiating...initiating... initiating...zero worshipers found) (Running diagnostics) (Spatial Positioning... unrecognizable) (Warning! Soul deterioration occuring at an unprecedented rate. Complete function loss.) (True Death in T minus 6 seconds) (5) (4) (Incoming transmission) (New stable energy source detected) (Commencing repairs) (Time until repairs are complete:- 2,860,689,041 years) (Commencing Hibernation protocols) (Transmission saved) "The year was 567 ad. The sorcerer supreme of that time had a dream. A dream that prompted him to get up and visit the time stone. The dream was of a vision that on the surface made no sense. Yet underneath the obscurity, foretold a terrifying omen for the future. A flock of doves fighting against a blood red and blue hawk with regal weight and a wing span that stretched out for millions of miles, covering the whole sky. It''s slashes instantly tore the world apart, destroying the flock of doves and revealing a powerful creature in the shape of a fearsome serpent at the center of the destroyed earth. The serpent and the hawk fought in a short battle. The serpent could do nothing as it was torn apart into dregs of flesh by the hawk''s powerful claws. The hawk then turned to the Sorcerer Supreme''s observing eyes and once he looked deep inside those blazing orbs of majestic power, Merlin''s legs shook as his knees lost strength. He saw a righteous fury. An anger that would consume the world. Would, not could. He felt more than just insignificant, he felt empty. "Thief!" The word instantly jolted him out of sleep. He walked into the library of Kathmandu and perused any details he could find on what he had just dreamt of. His powerful spells that could pierce through time and space even without the time stone or the space stone revealed nothing. And no amount of reading showed him what he wanted...no, needed to see. He finally settled for the last option, looking into the future through the time stone. That''s when things begun to make more sense in the most nonsensical way possible. Every timeline that had the chance of occuring was laid bare for his eyes to see. And every one of them showed him the same thing. The year 2000 would start the countdown to the end of the world. Merlin was shocked, appalled and heartbroken. That was 1500 years into the future, long after he would have died and his body rotted. Yet...he could not let that be humanity''s fate! What about everything he had worked for to ensure the protection of his species? Was it all for nothing? Merlin made a decision. He pushed himself past the recommended limit. Delving deeper into the time stone and what it revealed, seeking an answer. Any answer, to what was going to be the fall of humanity. An acolyte found him in his quarters, eyes bleeding. His gaze empty. Of hope and life. The singularity had drained him of both. On a parchment of paper, he''d written. ''Do not fight It. Once he awakens, fire shall burn down the vast forests, water shall freeze and boil, windstorms shall ravage the land bringing with it despair, the earth will crack and swallow everything. Heed my plea, do not fight the man in purple and white.''" The ancient one finished her explanation. She took a sip of her tea and stared at the two Aesirs sitting before her, listening with rapt attention and in the case of Thor, a small skeptism. "That is why I need your father to honor the promise he made to Agamotto. The time has come for the Avatar to awaken and incase things do not go favorably, Asgard''s help will be invaluable." "And you said coming to earth was going to be boring." Loki told his brother. The Strength Of Adens Family. (General P.O.V) Varick ran around the lab like a headless chicken, checking over the functions of each of the machines. "Will you just settle down?!" Luthor asked, a little miffed. The former billionaire was dressed in a white shirt whose sleeves were folded slightly and fiddling with a loose screw on the huge energy harnessing machine holding within it a piece of spirit vine. "Shh... I''m trying to think!" Varick turned to Zhue li. "Do the thing!" He yelled, lowering his googles and typing out another simulation run. Zhue Li, turned on the switch to begin the process as Varick monitored the rising energy levels. "Yes! Yes! It''s...it''s workin..." His words trailed off as the gauge made it all the way to 70% percent before quickly and swiftly falling down to zero. "No no no!" He banged his head on the screen of the monitor. "What happened now!?" He looked around, activating diagnostic runs. "I told you there was an 80% chance of failure." Luthor told him, stepping away from the machine holding the now dried up spirit vine. "I don''t understand." Varick said, throwing his hands in the sky. "The machine works. Energy conductivity and storage are at a 100% efficiency level. Only the spirit vine itself is not rising up to task. Untapped clean renewable energy and we can''t even use it!" He raged throwing away the spanner in his hands. Luthor looked on at the man''s antics. "We can figure something out. No need to act childishly." "Actually, I have a theory." Zhue Li spoke up, grabbing the attention of both genius men. To his credit, Varrick was too mentally tired to tease her. She tapped a few keys on the pad and sent it to the holographic feed projector. "The integrity of the energy source decreases once the energy harnessed reaches 60%. In other words, sir..." "This particular spirit vine is not strong enough to hold in and produce the kind of energy we need." Varrick finished in a ''Euraka'' moment. "Then perhaps, I can help out." Gaea''s voice came through the comm systems just as she appeared from a portal. Behind her was a green colored girl with cherry red lips, a curvy body and a majestic presence that seemed to wash out into the surroundings. Luthor, Varrick and Zhue Li felt almost overwhelmed as the girl looked around, a carpet of vegetation beginning to cover their surroundings. "How about we make the spirit vines stronger then? If they are durable enough to handle the load, then we might just make it out of here without resulting to some desperate measures." Gaea proposed. Varrick and Luthor looked at each other, agreeing to work together. (Elsewhere) Superman blitzed past a troop of harpy like creatures, his heat beams shooting out of his eyes landing on some of them, lightening the load attacking Black Canary. Canary took that opportunity to flip away from the rest, landing on a platform created by Green Lantern before releasing a wide sonic scream that threw away the harpies and devastated the surrounding areas. John Stewart completed the construct he was making which turned out to be a fly swatter, swinging it after Canary had jumped away. It landed on a wolf pack whose coats emitted a corrosive darkness that dripped onto the ground. The swatter threw them away, producing a pressure blast that Fire took advantage of to increase the intensity of her flames. A tornado made up of fire started wreaking havoc on the enemies side, carrying away monsters and burning them into ash. She then pushed her hands to the ground, turning the tornado into a carpet of flames that covered the ground, flowing to devour blackened twigs and trees growing from the dead corpses of the dark army. Black smoke rose up from the ground. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Using the cover of the smoke, Batman pressed a key on his wrist watch and the drone on his side started shooting plasma bolts at the dark army. A shield made of blackened earth rose up to block the plasma bolts. However Ice and Killer Frost stepped forward, both having the same idea and pushed both of their arms out. The ground below them was covered by frost before huge chunks of ice speared past the earth dome. Darken ran forward, using her darkness to travel through the shadows in place. She flashed in between a group of orc like creatures and tightened her hands into fists. Tentacles made of darkness speared out of the shadows, Killing and maiming over 20 of the orcs. She swept her hands to the side and from the dead orcs, shadowy forms rose up, wearing the same armor and resembling the dead orcs. "Well done Darken." Michael spoke to her mind. Then he showed her something that lit a fire under her. The mental image of her father in chains atop a peak overlooking a world of lava. "See me after this. I have a present for you." Michael added, causing a smile to appear on Darken''s face. Finally. The shadow orcs begun attacking their compatriots. And each shadow that fell, rose anew under Darken''s power. "Insolent!" A massive form fell on the shadow orcs, crushing them under it''s feet. The new figure was revealed to be a boney giant wearing samurai armor, with a massive katana and green burning eyes. "An undead one." Nabu commented, "He''s mine." He went through a dozen hand seals and the space between the Undead monster and Paige increased dramatically as space folded. "Lord of Order! Die!" The skeleton managed to see Dr.Fate''s form flying towards it from a long distance away. It raised the Katana in its hands only for a flash of light to appear in midair. The skeleton found both of it''s arms cut off at the elbow. Yaotl''s raised hand grabbed the axe that had flown back after the attack. Dr.Fate managed to take advantage of the opening and create an ankh that was shaped into a huge sword. He threw it and watched as it penetrated the Undead''s chest before blowing it up. The Flash managed to ran and jump towards the Massive falling Katana that was taller than him. His hand flashed with scarlet lightning as he pushed the pommel of the Katana towards a gathering army of small imp like creatures. Lightning covered the Katana in a coat of erratic energy. It cut through the air and dug into the ground before the small creatures. The energy overloaded and an explosion of the built up lightning washed out into the surroundings, frying the creatures and leaving behind a blackened sword. "Enough!" A shout escaped from the open rift in space. The fighting ceased as 4 individuals made themselves known. They fell towards the ground and landed in one massive stomp. The whole open plains of where they were fighting rumbled upon their arrival. The dark army made way for them to pass through. Moving back to separate from their opponents. Body pulsing with the mysteries from the Great Darkness, Darkseid floated forward, arms held behind him. Flanking his sides were Ares, Neron and Doomsday. "Lady Gaea...how soon until we get out out of here?" Yaotl enquired, twirling his godly weapon. "I''m working on it. Keep them occupied for 20 minutes or so." She answered. Yaotl looked at the new arrivals and smiled. "We can do that." He looked to his side at Vaatu. The god was floating in the air, just waiting for Yaotl''s order. He had also noticed the new arrivals, his head turned as he stared back at Yaotl. An unspoken conversation occured in between them. A new plan begun taking effect. Spiritual energy and divine energy started roiling off Vaatu in waves of purple light. The whole battlefield turned to stare at the light show. Yaotl then turned to his right and saw Michael, removing his black tuxedo coat. Michael nodded at his brother, folding the sleeves of his shirt all the way to the elbows, revealing intricate tattoos that had every sin and immoral act written in black color. He also loosened his tie. If Vaatu was like a walking talking shining beacon of light, Michael''s darkness seemed to suck everything inside it. Allies and enemies alike knew, even without saying anything that something was about to happen. "Doomsday!" Superman said, eyes shining with a red light and face scrunched up in anger and fear. Doomsday roared and exploded forward, breaking the ground underneath his foot from the force of the lunge. "Wait Kryptonian." Michael told Superman before he could fly forward. "We will handle this." Michael''s steps were slow and steady. A pair of black gloves appeared around his hands, formed from his tattoos. Announcing sins, immorality and suffering. Doomsday was like an unstoppable force as barreled forward. The contrast was almost laughable. Doomsday''s massive spiked form, eyes full of madness and hate for everything against an unassuming 6,1 young man whose presence scared everyone around. Doomsday''s first strike was a heavy fist that caused the air to scream as it was torn apart. Everyone thought Michael was done for. Everyone except for the ones who knew him. Yaotl smiled knowing that the fight was basically over. Doomsday''s fist landed on Michael''s open palm. Nothing happened. All that power had been sucked away into nothing by one of the countless sins Michael had control of, gluttony. Doomsday blinked it''s eyes in shock. Then it pulled back it''s other hand to throw another attack. Michael''s other hand landed on it''s chest. A curse of murder, the act of taking a life in cold blood, jumped off his right glove and entered Doomsday, destroying his heart and shredding his brain. All his functions ceased as organs failed. Over a dozen more curses attacked it''s body, dismembering it''s limbs and other body parts. Everyone was shocked as the rotten body of Doomsday fell to the ground. Michael looked to his front, using his hand to sweep away his long normally groomed hair out of his eyes. "That ladies and gentlemen..." He smiled a wide vicious grin. "Well that was just the opening act." He stepped over the corpse of his foe, walking towards the increasing numbers of the dark army, pouring in from the rift. "Blasphemy of the highest order." Michael stated, stretching his hands out. "Thinking that you could dare face off against the forces of the Avatar, master of Chaos and Order, Godkiller, Demonbane, Aden fucking Strong." Yaotl looked at Vaatu from the corner of his eyes. "Are you ready, brother?" He asked. The plan was going off without a hitch. "Just a few more seconds." Vaatu answered. If this plan worked then fighting them would become much easier. Michael stopped a short distance away from the Dark Army. The split between the two forces was a long stretch of land, separating both groups from each other. On Gaea''s side there were no more than 1000 fighters, a mix of the worlds'' heroes and the Amazonian warriors. On the other side, there were more than 10000 in the force that had made it through the shield. "So here''s my question, what kind of torture do you want for your eternal damnation?" Darkness (General P.O.V) She came from a world of both green and metal. Of fresh air and smog. Of destruction and rebirth. A world where she fought for a worthy cause and received condemnation. Known as Poison Ivy, the public looked at her and saw a villain. A terrorist. And the truth was, they weren''t wrong. She was exactly that. Someone selfish. Someone who only cared about her children. Her plants. Yet there in laid the conflict. She had still been human. A part of her at least. Before the Green reached out and offered to get rid of the crushing loneliness Pamela Isley had grown up with. Now she was something else. Her evolution had gone perfectly. She was no longer human. At least not under a microscope. Gaea had prompted a change. A change that was not only physical but mental and emotional as well. She was no longer Pamela Isley, or Poison Ivy. She was the Mistress of The Green. She was Gaea''s child. One born out of a need for the last dregs of the Parliament of the Green to continue a legacy. And she would not fail her new family. This, The mistress of The Green, the spirit of plants, swore on her new name, Iveah. "It''s stable..." Luthor stated, looking at the readings displayed on the terminal. The Energy Harnessing machine was working perfectly to siphon out the spirit power before rerouting it to a powerful power battery with an Ordium core. "The Spirit Vine is holding up. No degradation of it''s bio material." Zhue Li spoke up as well. "Of course." Iveah said with an undercurrent of arrogance. She smiled lovingly at the spirit vine in the machine. "My child is more than capable of such a trivial task." "Incredible." Varrick said over her shoulder, startling Iveah so much that she screamed, created a vine from her palm and slapping him away with it. "Sir!" Zhue Li shouted in concern as Varrick smacked onto the walls of the chamber, before sliding down comically. He raised a thumbs up. "I''m okay." Varrick wheezed getting up and shaking his head. "Why would you startle me like that?" Iveah asked. A sunflower seed fell down from her red hair and immediately sprouted into the form of a hulking monster made up of green skin and a mane of sunflower petals across it''s face. It wore the rough bark of a tree across it''s body as an armor of some kind and was 7 feet tall with a square face and red eyes. "Mistress, I sensed your distress. Who do you want me to fuck up?" The being that had been earlier known as Swamp Thing asked. Luthor blinked his eyes. "What?..." "No one. I am fine now." Iveah breathed in and released a slow breath to calm herself down. "Okay. Holler if you need me to fuck someone up." Then the creature exploded into a bunch of rose petals across the room, bringing with it an aromatic scent. Lex looked around and realized he was surrounded by crazy people. Zhue Li was fussing over Varrick, even going as far as trying to stick a thermometer on his... Luthor looked away from their antics. His eyes landed on the new arrival. Iveah, Gaea had introduced her. Poison Ivy, he knew her by. Luthor was fascinated by her new change and more than that, her enhanced abilities. "Complete and total Control over plants...her chlorokinesis is even more enhanced than when she was plain old Poison Ivy." Luthor observed. His words prompted her to look at him. "You have something to say Luthor?" She asked with narrowed eyes. Luthor smiled. "Is that any way to greet an old friend, Ivy?" He drawled, charm oozing out of him. "It''s Iveah. And I do not remember you and I ever being friends, Luthor." She answered irritated. Zhue Li and Varrick looked at at each other. "Is this really the time to do this?" Zhue Li asked. Luthor bit down on the urge to call them out on their bullshit. They were even more easily distracted than he was! Then again, he had long decided to suffer the company of folks with limitations of the mental kind. Everyone was stupid, that was just the way of the world. The smile on his face slipped off, as his stern business persona came to the forefront. "Fair enough." He said. "But we''re now on the same team. Let''s not forget that." Iveah said nothing in response, merely turned to the spirit vine. "Luthor what are the readings?" Varrick asked just as a tremor rocked the building. There was still a fight going on. And Gaea was relying on them to come up with a way to ensure that this worked. He needed this to work. "It''s..." Luthor went silent, his eyes widening slightly in shock. "It''s working." The statement made the rest stare at each other in surprise. "We actually did it." Zhue li said, launching herself to hug Varrick. "Of course it was going to work. I never doubted it." Varrick answered returning the hug. Then he cleared his throat and stepped back, trying to look nonchalant at the contact between him and Zhue Li. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "Ok, Zhue Li. Do the thing!" He ordered. While a little disappointed, Zhue Li was quick. "Right away Sir. GAAAEEEEAAAA!!" She shouted. (Elsewhere) The Dark Army all stood before Michael. Behind The Warden of the Hollowlands was a mega huge phantom of a dementor with hundreds of limbs and eyes. "Fear has no place inside a god." Ares spoke up, pointing his war hammer at Yaotl. "You have something of mine. Give it back, dog." The insult grated on Yaotl''s nerves but he knew it was only just a matter of time. The dark army''s forces were steadily increasing. They were now numbering in the 15000''s and Gaea''s forces were getting restless. "You and I have no true enemity. Your master is a creation of the Great One himself. Give up and live. Fight and die." Darkseid''s voice boomed out. "Sheesh...get a breath mint will ya?" Michael said, waving his palm across his face. Batman surveyed the scene, feeling that something was off. Michael traded insults with Darkseid but did not attack. Michael''s own power and the easy way he dispatched Doomsday, someone even Superman could not beat acted as deterrent and the Dark Army did not attack. But still...Batman got the sense that that wasn''t the whole picture. There was no way all 15000 plus, dark creatures could be intimidated by one person. The other inconsistency was Vaatu. The dude was openly glowing while holding a purple energy sphere in between his hands, charging it. The attack seemed simple and small but even Batman and the rest, could feel just how deadly the power contained inside was. Yet, it didn''t seem to cause the same reaction of caution in the Dark Army. No feelings of danger were elicited. It was as if, their instincts did not warn them. A look at Michael and Batman understood why. Unseen by most, Michael''s shadow had sprouted over thousands of limbs and stretched out towards the Dark Army through the ground, touching each of their shadows. He was manipulating their emotions, Batman theorized. Making them wary to attack but not wary of the attack Vaatu was openly charging. None of them even noticed that they were falling into a trap. Batman gulped, revaluating Michael''s threat level. He could control emotions perfectly. What else could he do? Back to the plan itself. It did not make sense that the reason for stalling the enemy was simply so that Vaatu''s attack could land. There had to be something else. Yaotl might have looked like all brawn but Batman had seen beyond that facade. Inside was a very shrewd mind. It was eye opening, all of Aden''s loyal subjects were just as terrifying as him. Bruce decided to find out if his conjectures were right, so looked at Martian Manhunter and the green alien understood what he wanted. "You are stalling. Why?" Batman asked through the mental link, Manhunter had created with Yaotl. "Just wait for it." Yaotl answered. "Any minute now, brother. I do not think I can handle this any longer." Vaatu warned Yaotl. Batman narrowed his eyes, Yaotl had let him hear that. "Everyone, be on the ready." He used Martian Manhunter to spread the warning to the rest of the forces. "Gaea..." Yaotl muttered...time was running out. The 20 minutes she had asked for were almost over. Darkseid narrowed his eyes. They were planning something. Something... "NOW!" Gaea''s shout came through. "Vaatu! Now!" Vaatu heard the order and quickly finished charging the power from the chaos side, divine side and spirit side inside him, into the purple ball of destruction in-between his hands. One, condensed with the power from three very potent energies. The ball shot off towards the dark army and it seemed as if it was going to land on Darkseid when the attack suddenly ascended under Vaatu''s control. The opening in the shield above them instantly closed once the ball of destruction made it through. Gaea could now pull in power from a new source, a spirit vine enhanced by the mistress of plants and using it, they could retaliate properly. The shield closing had cut off the 15000 thousand forces away from the bulk of their army which numbered in the trillions. The ball was so powerful, none of the ones it passed could even feel or sense it. Hundreds of thousands, then millions, eventually billions of creatures from the Dark Army succumbed to the shroud of roiling energy surrounding the ball as it hurtled through space. The power contained inside had reached a whole new level. It was akin to one of Aden''s serious attacks. And taking into account that Aden could destroy a galaxy, that was saying something. The ball destroyed everything in its path as it barreled forward towards it''s target, controlled not to shift it''s trajectory by Gaea herself. The target was The hole in space, leading to another universe. The minute the ball of energy reached the torn space, connecting Gaea and Universe 7, the whole realm shook and trembled as Gaea, teleported the whole realm back to it''s own layer of the void, far removed from the DC multiverse. Far from the Great Darkness Influence. Darkseid, Neron, Ares and the rest of Empty Hand''s forces understood that things had just taken a turn for the worst. They were not only cut off from reinforcements, they could not even sense the rest of their forces. In a desperate bid to destroy them before they were overwhelmed, they all attacked. Omega beams bigger than before, enhanced by the Great Darkness came out of Darkseid''s eyes. The former New God yelled out in exertion as the beams took on a dark red color. Tainted Divine weapon constructs from Ares flashing with black lightning shot out of the god. A large beam of destructive demonic energy blazed out of Neron, the edges lined with hell fire. Now if Vaatu had the most destructive abilities out of Aden''s divine Spirits, then Yaotl was the opposite. His defense capabilities were his strongest point. A shield made of ornate gold covered his front fully. Then it expanded into a dome of golden energy that covered all his allies and himself. All those attacks slammed onto the shield, heavily. The attacks failed to make it through. Instead of bouncing off and washing out into the already devastated surroundings, the shield started consuming them. Yaotl felt his own divine reserves refill as the energy in the attacks was converted and consumed. Then he added those reserves to the strength of the shield, allowing it to become even harder to break through. More energy spilled out of the resurrected Darkseid, Neron and Ares. The darkness adding more power to each of their individual attacks. Yaotl frowned as he felt a corrosive effect take over the shield. Then a torrential amount of power immediately started coursing through him. He looked behind him and saw Dr.Fate gripping his shoulder, behind him everyone within the shield were holding hands. Yaotl realized they were transferring energy and stamina from each of the over 1000 people around to Dr.Fate and then Fate channeled it into Yaotl. "Finish this." Fate told him. Yaotl smiled. The shield he was controlling grew thicker as the corrosive effect became inert. It could not take hold faster than Yaotl could get rid of it. "Brother, anytime now." Yaotl told Michael, using both hands to maintain the shield. "And now for my final act. Bind!" From small portals in the ground and in the case of fliers in the sky, long pale hands shrouded with a thin black clothing, reached out and grabbed every single member of the dark army on their legs and other parts of their bodies, holding them in place. The strongest of the army, Darkseid and the other two contemptuously shrugged off the hold, their energy managing to destroy or at least harm the hands. However, they had no idea Michael could endlessly produce and control countless dementors. The Hollowlands creatures replaced each of their destroyed compatriots and when thousands of dementor hands managed to grab on to each of the three, there was nothing they could do within a short time frame. And that was all Yaotl needed. With the attacks from the Dark Army ceasing due to the dementors distracting and immobilizing them, Yaotl made his move. The shield under his control, meant to protect also had another function. Using the mysteries of his divinity, he could send back an absorbed attack... With ten times the initial power. The shield groaned as it started pulsing with all the stored energy. The Dark Army grew restless as Yaotl added the energy of all his allies on top of his immense divine energy and the energy from the absorbed attacks. The shield begun thumping as more and more power was added to it and then compressed. An enormous beam, shining white with specks of different colored energies like the green lanterns will power, A lord of Order''s mystic energy, a Kryptonian''s solar energy, magic from Zatara and more, exploded out of the shield. All that power was carried forward by Yaotl spiritual divine energy, reaching a scary level that was above even what Vaatu could produce. Empty Hand, through the eyes of Darkseid could not believe how things had gone from good to worse in only a few minutes. He had thought that only ''that'' man was dangerous. Now, observing through the eyes of what had been once a galactic warlord of immense power, he understood just how much he had underestimated Aden''s forces. First Vaatu had sent an attack that destroyed Earth 7 where Empty Hand had been, recovering from his first ever loss. 99% of his being, separate from The Great Darkness had been destroyed by Aden. Even for a cosmic entity with incredible power like Empty Hand, that...Order... thing...it scared him. He had been utterly and completely beaten. His true form destroyed. Even now, he had only been brought back but not fully healed. Order energy still wreaked havoc across his metaphysical being. A power that was so potent that even if you were resurrected, it still did not cease attacking you. So it was with alot of glee that he attacked his realm in retaliation. But never had he thought that Aden''s subjects were formidable as well. He had lost. For the second time. One might have expected Empty Hand to rage and curse. Instead, he smiled. "Well done...brother. You truly are Master''s creation." Empty Hand was at last convinced that his defeat was warranted and because Aden Strong was a special project of The Great Darkness, it did not sting him to accept the loss. There was one thing that was special amongst all the beings from the Dark Multiverse, the Darkness, never really left them. Whether Aden Strong knew it or not, inside him, the will of The Great Darkness lived on. Darkseid and the rest were drowned out by the light. Gaea had won. New World, Old Me part 1 (General P.O.V) Space was neatly sliced open in a perfect circle as an orange portal appeared in mid air. From inside the portal, 3 figures emerged led by a bald headed woman dressed in yellow robes with a focused look on her face. She surveyed the scene, which was red, rocky and dusty with no apparent life around. Her hands flashed with yellow light and the slight choking she was hearing from behind her ceased as one of her partners took in big mouthfuls of breaths. Loki stopped wheezing and stood upright, massaging his throat while glaring at the back of the woman infront of him and Thor. A Thor that was trying his hardest to mask his laughter. "You, Seidr...do you have any idea who I am!?" The trickster god raged. "Ah come of it brother. You did prank her followers back on Midgard, afterall." Thor told him, slapping his shoulder slightly. Loki glared at him as well, shoving off the palm his brother placed on his shoulder. "I could have suffocated!" He said, pushing his hair off his face. "What''s wrong?" The Ancient One asked with humor laced in her tone. "As the god of magic, a simple spell to breathe in space should be easy enough for you." Loki''s face went beet red while Thor snickered. "By the All-father, she got you there brother. Hahaha..." "Shut your mouth Thor." Loki spat out, before turning his eyes to The Ancient One. "And you. Know this, Sorcerer, I am a god. I have lived for thousands of years. I have a glorious purpose..." Just then the whole planet was rocked by tremors. Thor and Loki both went silent, remembering that they were on Mars for a reason. "It''s starting." Thor said, placing his palm flat on the ground. He got up and removed Mjonilr from its place on his hip. The god of Thunder''s eyes started glowing blue. With a green flourish of his divine energy, 2 daggers appeared in Loki''s hands. "This feels like the start of every battle we have ever been in Thor. The tension..." Thor''s face became hard. "The only thing missing is the excitement." Thor answered. Somehow he wasn''t sure he would enjoy fighting whatever this was. However, a mission from his father before he went on his Odin Sleep was something he could not simply ignore. The tremors intensified, a crack running from a raised hill a thousand meters away towards them and it wasn''t the only one. The whole planet was being struck by at least a 10.0 magnitude earthquake. The ground before them was fracturing at a very fast pace. Loki and Thor looked around and surprise colored their faces. Dust storms of red sprang up, along with hills and huge boulders breaking apart into many pieces. A dense black smoke with seemingly no visible source begun to also drift out of the cracks in the ground. The planet seemed to be on the verge of exploding. "Maybe Father could have gone on his Odin sleep at a later date and not left us with this kind of task? I do not think we''re quite cut out for this Thor." Loki was quick to say when the smoke begun to spread out through the ground, corroding rocks and soil, infecting the red color and leaving behind a ashy landscape. "I am no coward." Thor ground out with confidence. "Whoever this is, enemy or friend, I shall meet him as a warrior." Loki eyed his brother with familiar frustration. "Sometimes I wonder if you''re brave or simply lack common sense." The Ancient One finally made a move from where she had been standing. All traces of a joking mood evaporated. Her eyes opened and she released a small breath of air. It was time. Pulling power from invoking the Vishanti, magical circles in laid with complex shapes and patterns, covered her palms. "Hold on to something. Preferably, each other." Then she stomped one of her legs onto the ground, hard. A section of it, the one they were standing on, measuring about 50 feet across, rose up to the sky at her urging. Loki and Thor buckled unsteadily, the former dismissing one of his daggers to grab onto Thor''s flowing red cape. The shaking stopped as the piece of ground under them, ascended to about 500 meters off the ground and stopped. Then a lot of mystical energy washed out of the Ancient One as she spread her arms to the side, grunting in power. Right before their eyes, grids of yellow light covered the shaking planet and then as if it was a cake, each section under the grid was cut into it''s own individual piece. Like a cake at a birthday party or a fruit, perfectly sliced under a sharp knife, Mars was broken apart into tiny almost comparable in shape and size, pieces. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "Incredible." Loki muttered, looking at the Ancient One with new eyes. "The power it would take to achieve something on this scale should not only be immense but also be of a high quality. Yet, she can control every single speck..." He shook his head. The ancient one''s left hand tightened into a fist as she chanted. Then ever slowly, each piece separated from its neighbors, like a puzzle opening to reveal what it hid underneath. A puzzle that hid something ancient. Something terrifying. A black ball of infinite chaos energy swirling around the core of Mars. Right before their eyes all was revealed and nothing would ever be the same again. (X mansion) Professor Charles Xavier looked at the helmet on the small raised platform. Cerebral. "You''re stalling Charles." His oldest friend and enemy, Magneto said. Charles sighed, looking at Eric from the corner of his vision as he stood on his left. Then he felt a gentle hand squeeze his shoulder. Jean. "We can all feel it Professor. Whatever this thing is, its waking up..." She told him, face unfocused and eyes glowing with a scarlet light. "It feels... otherworldly." "She is right, Charles. This could be another Apocalypse situation. We cannot let that happen." Magneto informed him. "We need to know where it''s coming from and deal with it before it gets out of hand." "Not everything can be solved with Violence, Eric." Xavier chided him only to receive a mocking laugh in return. "Your pacifism would see us dead Charles. Besides, we both know that sometimes doing the ugly thing for the greater good does not make you evil...it means you''re strong enough to taint your hands so that someone else will not. A noble sacrifice...that is what you have taught your X-Men, is it not?" Xavier did not answer. That same argument was timeless. Eric and he, had said everything there was to say a long time ago. He reached out, took the helmet of the stand and wore it on his head. Immediately, his already prodigious mental abilities were immediately enhanced to a completely different level. He could feel every single mind on the planet. Every child, man, woman and animal. Nothing was hidden from his mind. It was...easy. Then he pushed to see past that. His awareness spread out to cover the moon, then beyond that. He felt it. Charles sucked in a deep breath as his eyes opened wide. His eyeballs started glowing a white color. "Professor!" Jean tried to shake him out of it...but Charles could not stop seeing. His mind had been exposed to something no human or mortal really should have ever seen. It changed him. A will stronger than him. Stronger than Apocalypse. The only comparison he could make was say that it was just as strong as what he had locked away in Jean''s mind. He tried to detach himself from its tight grip and failed. He felt himself getting submerged in it... Charles did the only thing he could, he connected with the whole collective of human consciousness. Relying on the mental webbing of 7 billion people to shoulder the weight of this ''being''. Magneto and Jean felt a mental load fall on their minds. Something heavy that caused a feeling of awe, appreciation and terror. It spread out like a wave of light to cover the state of New York, the nation and then the rest of the continents. Every human being on the planet felt it. For a mere 2 seconds, they all experienced what Xavier saw. "Futile..." Xavier said, cutting off the mental projection of the entity from the rest of humanity. Even that many minds couldn''t handle it. His body slumped on his wheelchair. Jean massaged her forehead while getting up and scrambling towards Charles. "Professor! Professor, wake up!" Magneto removed his helmet, throwing it away and wiping his nose to see blood. The helmet, designed to keep out telepaths had been rendered useless by whatever that was! "Is he okay? Charles!" He too, walked forward in concern. "I could feel him... asking for help...he tried...tried to rely on the rest of us..." The entrance to cerebral opened and Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Logan and Hank ran in. "What happened to Chuck?" Wolverine deployed his claws, hostilely looking at Magneto. "And what was that thing?!" "Logan wait!" Storm told him as Jean looked back at them with a shocked look on her face. "The professor...his mind. I...I can''t feel it anymore." (Elsewhere) Charles opened his eyes to a world of white. He blinked. "Who are you?" A tall man with long black hair asked him from behind. "What?" Xavier wondered, turning around to see nothing but the same whiteness that went on forever. Oh wait...there was something or rather two things that stood apart from the white. One of them was... Xavier''s mind changed the subject in lieu of something more interesting. He looked down at himself and gaped. He...was standing up. "Loki!" Thor shouted out of nowhere. Even after walking around...he had seen nothing but white all over. Both Xavier and Loki turned to look at him. "I swear, if this is one of your tricks I will not forgive you." Thor warned, raising his hammer and pointing it at Loki. Xavier raised his hands. "Gentlemen, surely we can handle this in a more amicable way. If we work together... Loki rolled his eyes and interrupted Xavier. "Look around you fool," he addressed Thor. "Does this seem like something I could come up with? Really? A void of nothing but white? It lacks imagination!" Thor frowned, considering his brother''s words. "I suppose you''re right." "If there is anything suspicious about this...it''s the mortal who popped in from nowhere." Loki pointed his dagger at Xavier. "Where did you come from?" He asked with narrowed eyes. Even Thor started giving Xavier a suspicious look, walking slowly to flank the leader of the X-Men in-between Loki and him. Xavier did not answer. Instead he had a finger on his temple, trying to break out of what he knew was a trap for his mind and the other two. They could introduce one another after they were far away from danger. "Answer me mortal." Loki ground out dangerously. "Don''t bother." A new but familiar voice said from above them. "Ancient One." Thor said, finally noticing her along with the other two. Xavier blinked at the dagger held very close to his neck. He stepped away from Loki and looked up. "That voice..." Xavier muttered. The Ancient One made no reaction yet, "Hello Charles." She said, not looking down. Eyes turned to the sky as if waiting. "How do you know me and why does it feel like we''ve met before?" Charles questioned, finding the whole thing more and more complicated. Her voice reminded her of the flashes and nightmares of an impending doom he would usually get at night from using Cerebral too much. His powers would seemingly be influenced by his dreams and go a little haywire. The good thing was that he hadn''t hurt anyone yet. "Cerebral..." Xavier finally said. "I always feel a sort of...void and your voice in the middle of that void whenever I use Cerebral to scan the world." He murmured with a tone colored in realization. "It''s you...I can''t feel you. I have never felt you." The Ancient One smiled a little. "That is because I am a sorcerer Professor. And I have a few tricks up my sleeve for dealing with those who try to poke their noses in my business." Xavier opened his mouth and closed it after The Ancient One''s words. He truly had no response to that. "Is this your doing?" Xavier asked, already knowing the answer to that question. Loki and Thor both listened as well, waiting to hear the Ancient One''s response. "No. It''s Mine." A new voice, this one managing to sound young, old and tired all at the same time replied. In the white featureless sky, a pair of eyes emerged. One a deep red and the other a deep green. The irises were surrounded by a ring of white and black. Loki and Thor both stumbled back. "Yeah...maybe Father should have handled this instead." Thor agreed with Loki''s earlier statement. (Elsewhere) On the other side of existence, from a higher dimension, the Watcher knew fear due to four simple words. "I can see you." New World, Old Me part 2 (General P.O.V) The three Elemental Disciplines and the Mysteries of Earth, How and Why:- Fire, also known as the first of the 3, is the easiest to wield and direct. The fastest to get out of the caster''s control as well. This element while not particularly loved by Druids, is wide spread amongst the Red Lotus (more information on them can be accessed in the history of magic) Air, is peaceful and beloved just as it is dreadful in the wrong hands. All druid practices base air as the foundation of their teachings. It is as potent as one wills it to be. Water, is the third in this triumvirate of elements. Water can be flexible and hard. It''s Sub-skills are the most versatile. Water has a very close relationship with air and fire, forming storms and steam as a result of what many call, ''web fusion''. The Web is a theorized connection in between each element. Though numerous studies have been done, no one knows for certain if it exists. However, all magical practitioners who connect with the Avatar dedicate their lives to reaching this theorized layer of magical control. It is believed that if one were to gain control of the web, then they would automatically become the god of True Magic. Reality would be theirs to do with as they wish. Earth can be summed up in one word, difficult. It is stubborn, sharing similarities with how we see it expressed; the ground, tough heavy boulders, mountains and deserts. It defies change, content to maintain its size and shape, moving only when pushed by a higher force. Wind, water and fire can be directed by gaining connection with their mysteries. Earth is absolutely not the same. Thousands of years and the only Sub-skills unlocked are gravity and crystal manipulation. And even these two Sub-skills are only wielded with prodigious talent by members of the Red Lotus. Rumors say they have even unlocked another Subskill. One that brings with it major destruction, Lava control. How? There is a process of magical progress, where a second generation mystical practitioner finds it much easier to understand the mysteries of each of the elements with a lower difficulty than the older generation. Over the years, understanding becomes easier to grasp, leading to many elemental Sub-skills being discovered and subsequently unlocked. This entire phenomenal is known as ''Avatarian Sublimation''. Power is given to magi in exchange for creative application of each element. Through that, subskills such as plant control, light manipulation, ember manipulation, Cloud manipulation, blood manipulation, elemental aura, elemental zone, Elemental Enchantment, Golem creation and many more have been made possible. Avatarian Sublimation added credence to the unpopular belief that the Avatar is not only a dimension of power like other realms. An example being the dark dimension where the dreadlord Dormammu has dominion. The Avatar is instead, an actual god of magic. One with great influence in the physical world. The greatest mystery of all, right next to what is under the Red Lotus base (see, most catastrophic natural phenomenon of the past few centuries for reference) is who or rather what is the Avatar. -- Rumblings from an unknown 16th century Druid. ::---------------------------------------:: (Aden''s P.O.V) I came to covered in warm light that reminded me of one of my mom''s loving hugs. "What..." My throat was dry. No sooner had that thought crossed my mind than I immediately felt ok. As if the slight discomfort was immediately done away with the minute I recognized it. Weird. I flexed my will, still not completely sure of what was happening. The warm light fractured right before my eyes and then the cocoon I was in, seemingly washed out into my surroundings in a gooey magical energy. The way I imagined sound would look like as a solid, viscous and thick. The energy melted into the ground. I touched down on a warm carpet of green grass. Whoa. This place was beautiful. And weird. The sky kept on shifting color from a red hue to Pink then silver, then yellow and even more colors without a designated pattern. The air was full of small undetectable energy pockets, showing that anything living here would not need sustenance as the place itself provided the energy needed to live. There was a waterfall, falling from a great height to my left, feeding into a small lake about 5 football fields in size. Then the lake itself had glowing floating lotuses with a few wisps of light fleeting about. Are those fairies? I erased my presence and flew towards the lake, undetected. The water was so clear I could see deep into it''s depths. Almost gasping at the beautiful aquatic plants and fish that reminded me of the water dimension''s many variety of marine life. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. And yeah, they were fairies. Tiny humanoid forms that shared similarities with Tinker bell, dressed in colorful flower clothes made from petals and small leaves. They had kingdoms or rather, villages above the huge floating lotuses, all a variety of color. Some were blue, others were red, a few more Yellow and the last ones were green. Huh. That''s interesting. It''s almost like they are following a theme. What grabbed my attention and made me watch them for hours on end was how they seemed so...alive. like little actual people, arguing, laughing and pranking each other. They were so... beautiful. I held out my hand to the lake. "Protection from All that seek to do you harm." I blessed them, using a lesser miracle. It worked but I frowned. The faith energy inside felt... different somehow. A multicolored shower of light fell upon the lake like snow. This way, no one could hurt them. I left the lake and continued exploring more of the place. And it only left me amazed the more I saw of it. There were a few animals as well. And they looked no different from the ones on Gaea except for one major difference. Color. A family of deer had green stripes across their brown hides. A fox with a burning yellow tail chasing after a purple rabbit that seemed to pop in and out of place with blue streaks of lightning, covering it''s body. A flock of birds flapped their wings and rode on white air that covered their bodies, above the sky. Then there was this humongous snake made entirely of a rocky carapace that had its body coiled around a huge tree housing literal bees with wings of darkness. And many more strange creatures. This place was what you would expect the end of a rainbow to look like. Infact, I floated up towards the beautiful skies which were nothing but swirls of elemental energy particles. I knew what I needed to do. Like a command from the realm itself. I looked at the wide spread of magic happening under me. "I name you, Rainbow land..." There was a shudder and I felt a sort of wrongness. I frowned, did I always suck at naming stuff? "Alright, here we go again. How about, Land of magic, Langic?" The shudder was stronger this time. A tough customer, this one seemed to be. "Arcadia?" I got the sense it was too cliche''. "Mystical Groove?" Too simple. "Myriad Palace." Too ostentatious. I tried every single name I could come up with while flying around some more, just enjoying the place. By the time I had flown around the small magical land that seemed to be the size of North America, I understood why none of what I was proposing worked. None of those words expressed what this actually was. This was not like earth or Gaea. The only thing similar to it was the core of Gaea but even that lacked a very specific thing. I did not know what it was but...the connection I felt with this place was second to none. It resonated with me. As if I was it and it was me. A connection formed over millions, no, billions of years. My soul imprint was on every shred of energy and matter I could perceive. That''s it. "I name you, Energia. My soul piece." There wasn''t a shudder or anything too eye-catching. Just a sense of rightness. A sense of correctness. The only thing missing was... Wait. I blinked, getting out of the trance I had fallen into right after waking up. It was like this... incessant need to claim this land as mine by naming it was needed. Even though I already had a realm, it almost felt like...this one was simply just better. Like it was actually mine mine. Not something Order created. Yet, was that thought process right? I mean I loved Gaea and could control it with a thought, so...what was this? I shook my head. Why was it also so hard to focus? It almost felt like I hadn''t thought in so long, that my attention span was like a child''s. Okay focus, what''s happening? I floated back to the ground slowly, My mind running at lightning speeds, trying to connect my thoughts and figure out why I was here when the last thing I remember was... "Empty Hand." My divine sense rippled out of me without a single instant wasted, presenting me with a change of scenery past Energia. If Empty Hand had survived Order then I had to change that. My gaze speared further, past the twisting and roiling layer of chaos and darkness encasing Energia in a protective membrane. And for good reason. My god. My divine sense told me of the impossible. For starters, Energia was not in my main dimension as I had theorized. Neither was it even in my main DC universe. I remember the earth being destroyed, yet here it was. Time travel? No...that can''t be it. Because how and why would ''they'' be here then? A few very strange figures that only pointed to a terrifying conclusion. One that I needed to disapprove of immediately or risk insanity at just how far from home I was. Especially because...I couldn''t feel Gaea. I stomped down on that very grim thought and focused on proving myself wrong. My divine sense swept out further, leaving behind the earth. Past the Solar system, past the nearest star system, billions of uninhabitable planets with a few among them that had life in all different ways. Like the blob people who looked like slimes living on a moon orbiting a cold planet on a star system 50000 light years away. Then past the Quadrant, the kree, the nova empire and even more alien civilizations. Some were spread out over dozens of star systems, faster than light travel spaceships making that possible. I even managed to identify a few very important figures, Darksei...oh sorry Thanos and his retinue. I joke but the ominous feeling inside me only grew bigger and bigger. Carol Danvers was fighting a Kree empire battalion in one of their many colonies and actually winning. Past the closest galaxies to our own there were even more crazy alien species and that only became true, the more my divine sense spread. After covering the entire observable universe and with every single thing I detected only telling me what I did not want to hear, I pulled back my gaze. This... My legs lost their strength as I sat on a rock with my head held in between my hands. "This is... impossible...how?" The last thing I remember is giving the reins over to Order. Something went terribly wrong. I knew I could access the memories after a short meditation session and figure out what had happened and why I couldn''t sense Gaea. Before I could do exactly that, the few figures I had sensed outside of Energia made their move. I frowned. I had to deal with them first before I could get some privacy to access Order''s memories and get some answers. I felt Mars, which was simply the outer covering of Energia get pulled away by a power that made me raise my eyebrows. The energy was different from what I had ever felt while also containing an essence that was eerily familiar. That energy peeled away mars like a fruit, exposing the core. Exposing Energia. I raised my eyebrows. Well, isn''t that interesting. Time to have a conversation with the Sorcerer Supreme. New World, Old Me part 3 (Aden''s P.O.V) Pulling the Ancient One, Loki and Thor into a mind space was as easy as breathing. Displayed by my divine sense range, my mental abilities had gone past what could be termed as normal. My telekinesis was sufficient enough to juggle planets as if they were nothing and my clairvoyance was so enhanced, even I had trouble dealing with the flashes of high speed images about the future and it''s possibilities. I have always liked surprises so I made sure not to use that skill to spoil the future for me. Only if I ever felt the need. And my Psychokinesis which was just another fancy term for energy control was... changing. Back to the matter at hand. I was irritated by my current situation. The fact that Thor and Loki were here meant it wasn''t by chance. Seems like the higher tier powers knew of me. Or something like that. I parsed through their memories easily. Understanding I was violating their privacy but also knowing that mental context was better than listening to them explain why they were here. Holy... crap. More than a million years had passed from what the ancient texts say. Yao or rather the Ancient One was not only charged with making sure the time stone was safe but also with making sure the universe was protected...from me. The Avatar. A being even Agamotto himself could not deal with. Something from before the age of gods. Traced to the time of the celestials. Somehow I was also The antithesis to Knull, the god of darkness. Never even met the dude but goddamn if these Sorcerers couldn''t spin a tale. I wonder...is that going to cause trouble? Maybe a celestial force sent to kill me to stop the rise of another Knull? Or Knull himself finding a way to come at me for some stupid power hungry reason? Man, I think I traded DC''s grimdark for stupid marvel soap opera drama. Let''s focus on that for a second, I had ended up in the marvel universe and stayed in this rock for an uncountable number of years. Something had seriously gone wrong. And I knew I could get the answers I wanted simply by just clicking on the system. I looked at the corner of my vision and the piled up notifications there. Of course I had noticed them. But...I was afraid. I barked out a laugh, scaring the wits of a few chameleon squirrels on a tree branch above me. The squirrels blended into the branch to hide away. I paid them no mind, simply staring down at my pale soft hands. The calluses were gone. My body seemed to have been made anew. Weird. Still, just because I had used up over a million years, that does not mean it was too late. Time is relative. Maybe when and it''s when not if, I got back, only a few short years will have passed. Maybe...a lone tear fell out of my right eye and onto the ground. I wiped away the trail. I am a god! An emperor! And ...I also miss my family. I can''t believe there''s a chance I might have missed my Son''s birth! I can''t believe there''s a chance I didn''t see Sai, Kai, Breeze, Vor, Aqua all grow up. Oh god! Aqua! She is all alone in the water dimension. Separated from our family. All alone just like...me. My body grew light. Power started brimming inside me as my emotions got out of control. Then just before I could blow up again, I clammed hard on my self control. A sigh broke out of me. When did I start getting so emotional? Was it a concequence of my situation maybe? If so I needed to get it under control. Opening my eyes fortunately revealed that apart from a small scorched patch under my feet, no other damage from my outburst was present. I knelt down and touched the scorched soil. Where my tear drop had fallen, something was growing. "This is so cliche''..." I chuckled to myself, caressing the small sapling. Using Clairvoyance, I knew all there was to know about it''s future. "The tree of healing..." An image of a huge tree with a massive canopy hanging over hundreds of meters in the sky and spanning out to thousands of meters away appeared in my vision. All would be healed under it, no matter the wound, whether mental or physical or spiritual. Touching the sapling gave me clarity. It didn''t really matter how much time had passed now, did it? I was the Avatar and what we excelled at was control. Time was a fundamental aspect of nature. Probably the greatest because it presents change and chaos presents change. So what if I had been looking at this all wrong? What if Space wasn''t actually more connected with air as I had thought but instead was another expression of Order? Like a small part of it? The layer, the canvas of reality? And time, time could be chaos. Not really a flow or a straight line but a jumbled mess of past, present and future all mixed and combined into a thick solution that was chaotic inside a container that was space/order? Could this be a different concept to what was known? Something that worked for me, maybe. But, no that would mean that I would have to reconsider a lot of things that had hitherto never failed. But fuck all that! Arggh! My mind kept on drifting to thoughts that weren''t even important. I needed to deal with my guests before figuring everything else out. Yes, I was avoiding seeing how bad it was. Sue me. Taking one step forward, I emerged in a white world overlooking them. I watched from the sky, undetected. And by my name, it actually was them. I don''t know what I was expecting but, my eyes did not lie. The clothes and energy signatures confirmed that I wasn''t dealing with cosplayers or something like that. These were real and breathing Asgardian princes and a powerful Sorcerer who could make time her bitch. I cocked my head to the side. ''And it doesn''t seem like they are the only ones here either.'' I felt a telepathic scan, pass over the planet. The mind behind it was powerful. Very. At least for a mortal. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. I reached out to it and pulled the owner of the scan into the mind space, a certain mutant activist leader. Xavier stumbled into the mindspace looking confused and wary. ''So,'' I thought, ''this wasn''t just the M.C.U but a marvel universe with mutants alongside the roster of live action heroes I had watched an eternity ago.'' Speaking of heroes, I wonder if the Marvel ones will disappoint me as much as the DC superheroes did. Then again, even in terms of likability, marvel heroes take the cake. DC is full of people who see things in black and white. Absolute right and absolute wrong. Marvel is much more complex. The heroes deal with a lot of villains and sometimes they understand that the only way to end a threat is to eliminate it. They were realistic while still being heroes. The second I pulled Xavier into the mindspace, I felt another set of eyes; these ones cleverly hidden away above space and time. They bore right through the layers of space to watch me. "I can see you." I told the Watcher Uatu and immediately his gaze receded. Good. I don''t want anyone to poke their noses in my business. Now, to tell the other three the same thing in a way that will convince them I wanted to be left alone. "Is this your doing?" Xavier asked the Ancient One. Seeing a chance to announce myself, I finally spoke. "No, it''s mine." The effect was immediate. Fear, wariness and surprise with a judicious amount of curiosity in the case of the Ancient One fell upon them. They looked towards the sky and came face to face with my eyes, peering down at them like the god I was. "So you finally decided to show yourself..." The Ancient One addressed me with a small upturn at the corner of her lips. ''She is bold,'' I observed. ''Reminds me a little of Kori.'' "What in the 9 realms are you?" Loki questioned. The same curiousity was shared by the other two. Thor had his hand wrapped around Mjolnir and looked like he was two seconds away from attacking. The serious expression on his face was shared by Xavier. On the latter''s part though, his eyes contained a certain light. Interest and a certain hunger. Was he thinking of ways to further his agenda for Peaceful coexistance between Mutants and humans? Keep dreaming Charles. Just don''t involve me. "Who said I was hiding?" I asked the only member of the group brave enough to not show her fear. "I believe introductions are in order. I am..." She begun only for me to interrupt her. "The Sorcerer Supreme, Yao. Born in Tibet millenia ago." The eyes in the sky narrowed. The Ancient One lost the smile on her face as I continued to speak. A trace of nervousness appeared in the midst of the wariness she held for me. Despite that, her confidence, blazing like a wildfire kept going strong. Mmmh, she had a back up plan in case things went south. "A bit too spry for a human who has lived for hundreds of years." I told her. "Then again..." The whole mindspace shook as my humanoid form rippled into being right in-between them. I held Mjolnir in my hand by the handle. Having grabbed it from Thor''s hands faster than he could react. The enchantments cast on it tried to fight me but ultimately failed. I threw it to the sky, feeling out it''s weight. There was a substantial amount of power hidden inside the Uru weapon. "...I know how you have kept yourself alive. I gotta say, never had someone steal power from me before. It almost feels like death is a light punishment for such a thing." I finished telling the ancient one. I turned to a speechless Thor and threw Mjolnir back at him. "Great weapon, but its a clutch. If I were you, I would use it to supplement my divinity, not store it inside because I never tried to learn how to control it." Oh the hypocrisy in me. Chaos was still inside Equity. "Did he just..." Loki stammered, eyes shifting between me and the hammer in Thor''s hands. "How dare y..." The Ancient One did a few seals and immediately, I felt Thor and Loki get expelled from the Mind Space. I raised an eyebrow as she flew down. Smart move. She had no idea what I would have done had Thor attacked, so sending them away was the right move. I mean I would have only smacked him around a little. Maybe broken a few bones but that''s it. Really. I promise. I shrugged, turning my back to her and facing the bald headed man before me. A man who did not flinch under my chromatic eyes. Just barely. "What is your deal?" I wondered, walking around him a little. "You have a strong mind but...did no one ever tell you that snooping is bad?" I whispered next to his ears. A shiver went down his spine as he took a step back. "I can hear your thoughts, Charles. You are afraid and with good cause." I released a little of my aura. "I am nothing like you have faced before. Apocalypse is nothing infront of a cell on the skin of my pinky finger. Boo." This time he flinched. I chuckled a little, turning to the Ancient One. "Well? What the fuck do you want?" The Ancient One took a deep breath. "Peaceful co-existence." She said. "Pass." I immediately refused, gliding closer to her. "I am quite aware that you are not the only one stealing power from me to keep yourself alive." I could feel it. The almost unnoticeable drain in my reserves that did not even account for 0.00000000000000....ah fuck too many zeroes to count, percentage of my total energy capacity. I had grown more powerful, to the point, even I myself had no idea what I was capable of. But I knew I would have fun finding out. What I did know was that it wasn''t enough. There was a... feeling of loss inside. "And through that power, sorcerers and druids across the world have kept the earth safe for years. So please, see the good not the bad." Weird. That was the same thing I told the Justice League. She was right but...if I was to make it back, something told me I would need every ounce of my power I could get. "And I''m supposed to care why?" I asked her. "I... don''t have the context of what''s going on but I can assure you, the world is a dark and dangerous place. Why don''t you judge for yourself if they deserve your power or not?" Charles finally found the courage to address me. "A reasonable request." The Ancient One grabbed onto the lifeline offered. I thought about it for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter. "Hahahahaha oh god. This...this is priceless. You guys are funny as fuck. I mean you have sucked on me like leeches for thousands of years and still it''s not enough?" I asked them. Were they actually serious? Looking at the Ancient One''s face set in a grim visage, I decided to give her a test. If she succeeded then...maybe I would listen to her request, if not...I was going to take back everything that was rightfully mine. I held out my hand. "How bad do you want things to stay the same?" I questioned before continuing. "Give it." The Ancient One knew what I was asking for. She didn''t answer for a few seconds but I could see her jaw working like crazy. Then ever so slowly, she reached into her robe and came out with the thing giving her the confidence to actually face me. The book of Vishanti. I could feel an aura of mystical might that overshadowed even the helmet of Nabu coming off the book. She placed it in my hands all the while never looking away from my eyes. The minute she let go, her mind was overcome by this incredible worry but within that worry was hope. Hope that I was not an enemy. Hope that I wouldn''t hurt anyone. And with the book of Vishanti in my hands the only thing that she thought could pose a danger to me, I made my decision. "Here''s the thing. I am taking back all the power stolen from me." She sucked in a breath, despair almost clouding her eyes. "But in return, I''ll create a Force. A pool of dimensional power that your Sorcerers and druids can draw in power from to do magic." "What..? You can actually do that?" Xavier questioned in shock. "I am the most powerful thing you have ever laid your eyes on Charles. And yes, that includes the Phoenix Force locked away in Jean''s mind. She would probably give me a good workout if we were to clash though." Xavier went silent at that. I turned to the Ancient One who was similarly stumped by my wild claim. "Think of it as a gift of goodwill for showing me that the heroes in this universe are reasonable and can actually trust." ''Plus, I want you out of here so that I can actually focus on what truly matters, finding out what happened and making my way back home.'' I thought to myself. Collision part 1 (General P.O.V) "My lady, it''s getting cold out here. Would you please consider coming inside?" The high priestess of the god of Light asked. She was a beautiful thing. Dressed in a long flowing golden robe, with pink hair and white glowing eyes. Her most prominent feature however were the huge beautiful white wings behind her. Kori enjoyed her company and thought she radiated a warmth that reminded her of Aden. "I can still feel his presence." The Tamaranean princess said, smiling sadly. Her fingers inched up towards the necklace on her neck. A promise that no matter where he was...he would always find his way back. "His divine touch is ever present among the believers." Serene assured her with a smile. They both looked up at the starry night sky. "We have faith even when all hope seems bleak. Even when despair is all we can see. The light from Adenal will never stop lighting up the sky. And so we can sleep content with the knowledge that everything will be okay." Kori chuckled. "Wise words. He would love you." Then she caught herself. "Does. He does love you." Serene smiled brightly. "Thank you Star Mother," she bowed only for Kori to grab her by the shoulders. "Please don''t bow. I thought we agreed for you not to call me that?" She chided lightly. Serene merely smiled. "Mom!! They have a honey pool! Can we go swimming in it?" Breeze''s voice came from inside the palace. A scandalized look came over Kori and she flew inside at fast speeds while shouting, "Kids that is not a swimming pool. Do not dare enter the starlight waters of healing!" She left Serene alone, standing on a balcony overlooking the holy city of Adenal. "We pray for you Lord. We pray." She held her palms together and softly said. (Elsewhere) The Ancient One and Xavier were still caught by surprise by my words enough that they didn''t react when I made my next move. "Now leave." I told them, dismissing the mindspace and expelling them back to Earth through spatial manipulation. It was instantaneous. One minute the Ancient One''s mind was working lightning fast trying to comprehend and theorize if what Aden claimed was actually feasible. Creating a Force? It wasn''t entirely impossible. Odin had his Odin Force which was a well of divine and mystical power only accessible to him. And in some way, Avatarism could be considered a Force. It was different from other dimensions of power that''s for sure. It had it''s own rules of application and a system that had not only been developed for countless years but one that also had some inherent uniqueness. Like how elemental magic could be summed up in 4 main branches. Between one blink of an eye, the Ancient One found herself seated in her room with Thor and Loki sleeping before her, knocked out. One of them was using the other as a pillow and Mjolnir was painted a very bright pink color. The Ancient One found herself chuckling. The Avatar was not what she expected at all. She got up and paused in her step. Now that she was back, it made sense that the Avatar had also let Xavier leave. She stared at nothing for a few seconds before leaving for her personal library, there was a lot she needed to know. Especially if The Avatar actually made his claims a reality. The fact that the minute she stepped inside she felt the familiar energy pulse of the book of Vishanti, brought a smile to her face. Yeah, not at all what she was expecting. (X mansion) Charles'' body jerked as his mind was thrown back into his body. "Oh my god! Professor... you''re okay." Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Jean said with a worried look on her face. Xavier blinked his eyes, feeling a little disoriented after what had happened. He was back. Charles recognized his room and the scent of his couch. He slumped down in relief. "Don''t crowd him. Let him have some space." Hank McCoy popularly known as Beast informed the gathered X men, Cyclops, Jean, Wolverine and Storm. Magneto was also present, standing a short distance away. "Charles...come find me when you can. We have a lot to discuss." The Ancient One''s voice sounded out in his mind along with an address of where they could meet up. She cut off the mental link before Xavier could answer back. Unfortunately, the people in the room managed to grab Xavier''s attention. "Good to see you''re okay Old Friend." Magneto said, nodding his head slightly. "We shall discuss whatever it was you... experienced when you are not occupied." Then he turned to leave only for Xavier to hold out his hand. "Wait, Eric..." The X Men gasped. A second later Xavier realized why. He brought his eyes down at his crippled limbs. He had actually moved his feet. His left leg was off the couch and bent slightly, muscles shifting under his pants and supporting him. "I can feel my legs." He told them, feeling the almost overwhelming bombardment of sensation. Prickling as his brain reworked, remembering how to translate signals from his now healed spine. "My god..." Storm muttered as she and the rest, even Charles looked on in shock. "Charles...you can walk..." Magneto was similarly stunned. His old friend who had been crippled for a huge chunk of his life could now walk. "But how?" Cyclops spoke up, asking the question that was in everyone''s minds. Xavier smiled a little, the face of a dark haired man with tan skin, green and red eyes appearing in his vision. "I have a pretty good guess on who''s responsible for this." (Aden''s P.O.V) I stood in outer space, simply staring out into the Solar System or rather at the blue planet harboring the only intelligent life for hundreds of light years. It was only just entering the 21st century. The year below being 2001. It was as expected, beautiful, even with all it''s flaws. The cradle of humanity, as I liked to call it. And to keep it that way, I needed to make sure Mars was around to divert or block asteroids that might collide on earth. I turned my back to Earth and focused on the atmosphere of Mars. The Ancient One had left it in small perfectly sized segments drifting in space. I mean, I couldn''t really blame her for that, seeing as I was the one who had banished them back to Earth. Let''s change the first thing. I raised my hands and stopped. For all my power, I actually had little clue on how to go about it. Should I use magic? I mean I had no practice with it. It was different from my divinities and my elemental energies. Magic was unpredictable. So maybe no. Okay how about...my eyes glowed as I captured every detail of the planet. The rotational speed of each individual piece of the planet, the general size of the segments, any out of place tectonic plates and it''s most probable axis of rotation. Then gently... telekinetic feelers washed out of me, covering the drifting segments in psionic energy. It got easier as I started to put the planet back together, melding the separate sections of the crust together in the best possible way. I took great care not to break apart the outer and inner cores, energy having been preserved by the Ancient One through some spell. With time, the red planet was back to it''s original...well almost original shape. A few state sized loose rocks still drifted around. Those, I disintegrated into nothing by shredding them apart with spatial rifts. It was crazy just how easy Space responded to me here. It was even more crazier that I could somehow sense another influence on it. An absolutely incredible pool of power on Earth that connected all of Space together. An infinity stone. The Space Stone I pulled back my psionic energy and wiped a non existent bead of sweat off my forehead, then looked to the side and waved at Heimdall. "Tell your king that next time, he should come by himself. It''s basic courtesy from one monarch to another." Then I shielded the entire Martian air space and planet away from curious cosmic gazes. ''Finally,'' I thought, breaking through the atmosphere and flying around, making sure that Mars was actually visibly okay. Then lastly, after getting tired of only seeing red, red and more red, I ended up sitting on a rock. Some peace and quiet. A calm lonely air swept across the red landscape. The mood was somber and silent. "You can''t keep on ignoring me forever." A tired voice said to me, as if carried by the lonely wind. I shook my head at Chaos'' mentally projected words. "Not ignoring you. It''s just...I couldn''t concentrate with them around." There was a brief silence, during which I reached out into my infinite hammer space and pulled out or rather tried, to pull out Equity. "I''m not in your hammer space stupid." Chaos told me, to which I frowned. "Then please enlighten me as to your location. And why the sass?" "Look deeper within." I followed his instructions and tried to access my space of being. Immediately Equity sprang into my arms before I could even go there with my conscience mind. "Whewh! Thanks. For a second there, I thought you were going to leave me inside that fucking place for more billions of years." Chaos spat out annoyed. "I''m sorry." I apologized rolling my eyes. "It''s not like I could help it." Still a bit confused about the whole thing, I hit him with an intense look. "Now could you please tell me what the fuck happened that brought us into the Marvel universe?" I frowned as a few flashes of Order fighting Empty Hand appeared in my mind before he stopped projecting his memories at me. "Hey! Hey, Why''d you stop?" I was just about to see where it all went wrong. Order was winning without any effort. "Besides the fact that you can access those memories yourself?" I groaned. Come on dude, my mind is messed up a little. "Yes, besides that." I responded grouchly. "It seems you have some more visitors." He gave the reason and I immediately cut off the mental link and felt it. A spacecraft of some kind, right outside my property. (haha, suck on that Elon) "Motherfucker." I growled out the minute I teleported and appeared before the Domo, the spaceship of the Eternals. An old group of immortals who had been on earth almost from the time when humanity had been born. "You have got to be shitting me." One of the hatches on the spaceship hanging above the martian atmosphere, opened up. Out flew a very familiar figure though we had never before met each other. Ikaris. The Superman Rip off''s eyes were glowing. He said nothing but from his glowing golden eyes, he was probably not here to welcome their new neighbor, i.e me. Collision part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) "And who the fuck are you supposed to be?" With my patience at an all time low, I was bound to be rude. Ikaris'' face tightened. Then he did something unexpected, he bowed. "Apologies for the unannounced intrusion. I am here on behalf of my..." he went silent, probably trying to find the right word. "boss." I frowned. Okaaaay. "And what does this boss of yours want with me?" I questioned, pulling forward slightly. Was it Arishem specifically or just Ajak? So far though, Ikaris though had been polite, so I decided I would reciprocate. To be on the safe side, I tried to access his memories and found my telepathic capabilities blocked. Smart. Instantly, I was curious. The only being that could actually block me had to be a celestial. So Arishem wanted to see me? Why? Let''s lay down the facts. What do I know of Celestials They had been around for longer than anything else and possessed technology and cosmic power on a level that was, if I was being completely honest just a little bit higher than mine. I mean, they fucking crafted worlds. Earth had a frigging Celestial as the core of the planet. Do you know how OP you had to be to do shit like that? Still, as stated earlier Ikaris had been polite. Maybe they actually did come in peace. From my interactions with The Ancient One and Xavier, the people here seemed a bit more reasonable than where I came from. I got closer and finally stopped before him. He warily shifted his gaze towards Equity in my hand before looking up at me and nodding towards the Domo. "He can sense me..." Chaos said. "Duh, you have the capacity to destroy an entire world on your own. It would be surprising if he didn''t." I answered in a low tone. By Ikaris'' stiffened posture, I guess he still heard it. Enhanced senses. There wasn''t even an effective air medium for my voice to reach his ears. Must be a perk granted by Cosmic energy. "Be careful. They might seem amiable but trust me when I say, hostility can come from the most unlikely of places." Before I could enquire more on that strange response, Ikaris was already turning around to board the ship. "If you could kindly follow me." I did as he requested, keeping a short distance between us. I was already scanning the ship with my divine sense, storing the blueprints of the old and FTL capable craft inside my mind. It was very technologically advanced. Gaea would have a field day with this. A film of energy passed over me as I flew inside the Domo. The instant I stepped through, my eyes fell on the entire group. Infront of them and wearing ostentatious clothing even by the Eternal''s standards was a beautiful middle-aged woman, who radiated a certain kind of mom like warmth. Ajak. "Welcome." She said. "We are known as the Eternals." I wasn''t sure if the way they stood together was meant to be intentional but it ended up looking cool as fuck and cinematic. "Hello, Eternals." I waved lightly. "Way to make an awesome first impression." Chaos snorted. "Shut up. Besides, when are you ever this chatty?" He said nothing. "You can call me...Avatar." I shrugged. "It''s the name that the only mortals who know of me found fit to describe what I am." "And what exactly is that?" A tall woman, dressed in a white outfit with golden accents inscribed on it''s form asked. She had a certain intensity that I immediately found myself liking. Diana wasn''t the only who had an attraction to beautiful and strong individuals of the opposite gender. Though it''s Kori for me all the way. I''m guessing she is Thena. "A mystery. You''re welcome to figure it out if you want." I answered. Thena narrowed her eyes at me. Dangerously. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Apologies, I realize we haven''t properly introduced ourselves." Ajak cut in. I turned my attention back to her. "From the left, we have Gilgamesh...," she described them one by one. Gilgamesh was a huge muscular dude in a blue costume of the same make as his fellow Eternals. He nodded amicably at me. Then after that there was a small girl with a cheeky look on her face, Sprite. I...am going to ensure that she and Breeze are Kept far away from each other. Fuck, I miss Breeze. The next Eternal was a male with a blank expression on his face. He looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else other than there. Druig. Out of everyone else, something told me he was the most dangerous. A notion that was immediately broken when I laid my eyes on the next Eternal. She was pretty in that girl next door sort of way. However that was not the most outstanding thing about her. Her cosmic energy contained something very strange and familiar. Something I could almost touch upon. "Aah... you''re staring." Chaos pointed out unhelpfully. "I know." My response at seemingly no one only further increased the looks of bewilderment and confusion the Eternals were staring at me with. "Sorry." I told Sersi. "For some reason, I can''t stop staring at you." I felt like slapping myself the second I said that. Poor choice of words. "Ya think?" Chaos chuckled. I ignored him. Something was definitely fucking with my mind enough for me to notice the strange behavior. I had been unfocused and said weird shit ever since waking up. Ikaris stepped forward a bit aggressively. Awe, that''s cute. "Whoa, calm down Hotshot, it''s not what you think." I raised my hands up. "Hotshot? No one talks like that anymore." Chaos was quick to interject. "Fuck you." I threw back. "Ooooh sick insult. I am sooo offended right now." Just ignore him. Ajak shook her head at him and he stepped back. "You know what would be good? If you said ''good doggy'' to him." Chaos'' penchant for causing well...chaos leered it''s ugly head. It was getting easier to ignore him. That''s a lie. "Your power," I motioned at Sersi. "What is it?" She seemed unsure for a second before answering. At least she didn''t look to Ajak for direction. I can see why the older Eternal chooses her as her replacement in the future. It''s in the little things. "Matter manipulation." She answered. My mind instantly started running in thought. "Why did I feel such...a crazy connection to that?" "I''ll explain it later. Right now you''re being impolite." There was a lot Chaos was keeping from me. And I had a feeling it was going to change everything. I listened as Ajak finished introducing the last three. Phastos who was the resident genius. There gotta be one of those by necessity. The Avengers had Tony, The Justice League had Bats, though there were smarter heroes in their roster and so on. Then there was, Ikaris. The strongest Eternal (load of crap. Sersi could own his ass if she wanted to and I also suspected Thena was the better fighter). The others seemed willing to act cordial with me but Ikaris, there was this...hidden aggression aimed towards me. I picked up on it almost immediately despite the earlier politeness. "Perhaps he''s jealous. You did look like you were hitting on his girl." Chaos had a point though I would die before agreeing. Seriously, those years I was stuck inside Energia must have starved him for conversation and now he was trying to make up for all that lost time. And finally, Thena. "You''re skilled." I commented. "Very." "Is he seriously trying to hit on Thena?" Sprite whispered at Gilgamesh. "His funeral." The large man answered. Thena on her part ran her eyes up and down my form. "I love your sword." I smiled tightly as Chaos laughed inside my mind. "The only compliment she gives you and it''s not even aimed at you, but your weapon." "I''ll take that." Then my mood changed. I had already wasted more than enough time. I looked at Ajak, the clear leader even reading by their placement. She was in the middle of the pack. "Now that we have the niceties out of the way, could you please tell me what you came all this way for?" Their whole demeanor changed as well. They stood on the ready. Cautious but confident. The same sort of confidence The Ancient One had displayed. Ajak breathed in. "As I am sure you already know, we are not from around here. We hail from a world called Olympia." She stepped to the side showing me the projection of a star map and a magnificent planet. "Our creator, Arishem the leader of the Celestials, tasked us with Shepherding humanity by protecting them from alien creatures called the Deviants. Hell bent in destroying budding intelligent life in planets across the Universe, they attack en masse. The only solution being us." The image showed a young Earth and civilizations from the past. Then the images shifted to show an image of a creature that was like a huge dog with tentacles and spiked across its body. A Deviant. The projection continued with the Eternals standing above the corpse of the Deviants. I listened as Ajak shamelessly lied. How she could bear the lie for more than 5000 years was crazy and impressive. "The worst part is that the others have no idea their lives are a lie. Being dishonest about their mission is one thing but having your whole existence based on a falsehood is crossing the line." Chaos spoke through my mind. He was right. I could see how the rest deferred to her, respected her, loved her. It was the same way Yaotl, Michael and Vaatu would follow me to death and back. They were her family and she was purposefully placing her fear for Arishem before her love for them. She had the choice to change things for the better across thousands of years but didn''t. Instead, she wasted their time and lives on a senseless mission that brought more pain than good to the world. ''But it''s her duty or it''s why they were created''. Those were just excuses that stank of the same pre ordained bullshit that saw me clashing and eventually Killing the fates. Was I biased? Yes. Yes I was. So I would give her a choice. "Let''s call her out on her bullshit then." I told Chaos. "Oh I love the sound of that. I can tell that things are just about to get chaotic." The resulting cackling reminded me of the Joker, insane, cruel and gleeful. There''s the Chaos I know. I couldn''t create a mental link with her mind but that didn''t steal options from me. I tapped into the air and sent words that terrified her straight to her ears in a low volume that only she could hear. Except for our budget Superman of course. By Ikaris'' stiffening, he heard them as well. "I know the truth Ajak. You are no saviours. You''re just Arishem''s thugs. I think it''s time you tell your family what you have been hiding from them all this time. Tell them the truth, or I will." The words made Ajak towards me in panic. Fear driving her to make a rash decision. "Kill him! he''s planning to attack!" Ikaris was already in motion. I felt his body slam into mine, then I smashed through the walls of the Domo as we both flew outside. Collision Final Part Chapter 274 Collision Final Part (Aden''s P.O.V) Equity was loosely held before my chest. The broad side of the sword blocking Ikaris punch from the get go. I wasn''t too surprised to act, only too surprised that Ajak actually would. "What the fuck just happened?!" Chaos shared the same shock as I did. "I guess she made her choice." I answered softly, lightly flexing my arm and sending Ikaris flying away through the air. The Eternal arrested his momentum and sent laser beams made of cosmic energy from his eyes, before flying in himself sustaining the attack. "Why would she fuck it up this much?! Is she dumb?! Is keeping Arishem''s secret more important than the lives of her family?!" Chaos was getting more worked up now. Equity vibrated with a dark energy. I sent a slash of darkness speeding forward, blocking the eye beams successfully and easily. I took a step and the air fractured around my body as I appeared behind Ikaris. The Eternal''s mental activity spiked up in alarm as he detected me. "You know the story of Icarus?" I asked. "Let me educate you." I slammed my forearm down onto his back and a shockwave rippled out. Ikaris shot towards the surface of Mars at great speeds. The Domo started priming up power, before it could do something with it, whether escape or attack, I sighed, sidestepping a laser beam from below the obscure clouds of dust covering Mars. Ikaris. I don''t know about the strongest but he surely is the most persistent. The yellow lasers were dragged across the sky, aiming to slice me apart. Once again, I used Equity to not only block the beams but absorb them as well. "Find out what you can about cosmic energy. It''s something new. Something capable of blocking my telepathy." I informed Chaos. "Kill them all." Chaos told me, making me scowl a little. "You do know that Ajak is the one responsible right? The rest have no idea about the lie. Except for Ikaris." No sooner had I said that, when Ikaris finally speared through the atmosphere of Mars, one hand pulled back in a fist. His face was set in a snarl. The left hook that came in from the left was fast and heavy, capable of destroying an entire building upon impact. I slapped it away before slamming Equity''s pommel onto his belly. Breath left his lungs or whatever passed for his breathing organs as he bent and floated back. Before he could charge in, I was next to him in a flash, Equity''s edge on his neck. "Stand down, Ikaris. I don''t want to hurt you." Then I felt a feeling of overwhelming hate overcome me. Black energy extended out of Equity without my urging. The slash sliced through the Eternal''s neck like it wasn''t even there. The slash expanded, headed for the Domo. I immediately activated Spatial load and reloaded space as it was a few seconds ago. The skill activated but I immediately felt more gazes look onto me. "Fuck Off." I warned and felt most if not all recede. "You got some explaining to do." I told Chaos, clamping down on my control not to kill the newly revived Ikaris. Speaking of whom, his eyes were stormy with rage. They glowed as he let loose eye lasers at close proximity. I answered him with my own eye beams made of purple flames. Anything hotter and nothing would be left of his face. The eye beams plowed through his attack and knocked his head back. He let out a wordless scream while clawing at his eyes. Over his shoulder, I saw the Domo reorient itself while powering up. Ajak... I laid a palm flat on Ikaris'' costumed chest and let loose an explosive force. Ikaris was sent flying towards a cosmic energy beam shot at me from the Domo. His body was hard enough that he cut through the attack, cosmic energy running rampant as it bounced off his body. Then he collided against the Domo, not destroying it but definitely making it rock while in the sky. Instead of attacking though, I looked at Equity. "Ok what the fuck is up with you and your sudden dislike for the rest of the Eternals? Ajak is the problem. The others are clueless about what''s really going on. Ikaris is also fighting me out of some sense of duty, yet you almost...no you did kill him without my say so!" The reason for my question and outburst were the violent urges Chaos had been projecting to me while I had been fighting Ikaris. They were suggestions on what I should do to them. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "They still decided to attack you! It''s a betrayal! They betrayed us! Just like he did! So, Fuck. Them. Up!" He shouted. No...screamed at me. "What in the hell are you talking about?" I was confused and getting slightly annoyed at all the secrets. "They''re getting away you dumb idiot!" He shouted back. Sure enough the Domo had opened up to receive Ikaris and instead of attacking, were now pulling away from the planet. Running. Smart move. Also, "Fuck that. Don''t to change the subject. I know where they are and can deal with Ajak at any time." I told Chaos. "But clearly, we have a few things we need to address first, don''t you think? If you have something to say, say it now! Stop playing around, throwing tidbits and trying to chat! stop taking out your pain on others! Stop trying to act like the past million years meant nothing! . They did! We lost time! I lost...time." There was silence for a few seconds as my chest rose up and down in anger. During that time, the Domo had left Mars and blazed a trail across space, running towards the Earth. I knew where they were. We were not even close to being done. Ajak had some answering to do but right then, right there, I was determined to put an end to all the mystery and the tip toeing around the subject. "Well, what the fuck do you have to say now?!" I prompted. Instead of answering me, Equity sent over his memories. And once I saw what I had been hiding from, my mind buzzed, as agony gripped my chest. A nonphysical feeling of a different kind of pain. "How could...how could he?" It felt as if I had lost strength. My biggest asset, Order. The one thing that had gotten me out of trouble, time and time again, the one thing I could depend on to always handle what I couldn''t...had betrayed me. Not just any betrayal but one whose consequences were far reaching and destructive. "We haven''t been asleep for a million years. It''s been billions." Chaos told me in a heavy tone, one hiding pain. I gave him a weak snort. I couldn''t believe it. ''A billion years...that''s oh god...I think I need to sit down.'' I thought to myself as my power started getting out of control. The sun was responding to my feelings and huge rings of solar energy were pulsing out of it''s form in solar flares. One of the ones headed towards the earth met a shield of some kind around the planet. I had been ready to act. Maybe use Spatial load again but for just a tiny second...I didn''t care. I didn''t give a shit that countless people would die. (Elsewhere) The Ancient One knew what was coming and used the 3 Sanctums to block the devastating solar flare that would have left the earth a barren wasteland on the surface. The heat wave slammed on the magical shield and caused beautiful colors of pink, red, yellow, green and orange to appear in the sky, seen from different places of the globe. The panoramic flares became a sensation, none knew that they had just been saved. Their saviour turned her attention to the sky. There wasn''t much that the eye of Agamotto could tell her. It had it''s own restrictions. Restrictions caused mostly by the existence of the Avatar. The warning she had received from looking into the future and seeing the devastation the Solar flare would cause was only one of the few things she could clearly see. That and the arrival of Dr.Strange, the one who would become the greatest of all of them were the most important visions she could perceive. She hoped that the Titanic power she could feel blooming in outer space sent no more curve balls her way. (Aden''s P.O.V) I warped away to my new magical realm after calming down the sun. Inside Energia, everything faded away as I entered my meditation under the waterfall that poured into the Fairy lake. I needed to see the memories for myself. Finding the separation of psyche between me and Order was easy enough, my mental abilities as stated many times before, had grown incredibly powerful. "Are you sure about this?" Chaos asked. "Too late for that question, isn''t it?" I answered and heard him withdraw back into Equity. He had warned me and now it was my turn to take the plunge and see it for myself. I felt myself sink away from the physical world. I pictured our mental selves. On one side there was me, rich with emotion and knowledge and on the other side, what I expected was cold logic and reason. True impartiality to the world except what directly concerned me or mine. Except...there was nothing there. Nothing there except a message of some kind. I mentally tapped it and let it play. My vision changed from the beautiful and magical landscape of Energia to the top of a peak in my air dimension. The one where I used to meditate. For a few seconds, I was disoriented, almost giddy that by some fluke I was back. Then I started noticing a few key differences. The sky was dark only a dim light which came from somewhere, lighting up the surroundings enough that I could perceive what was happening. And before me, peering over the edge of the cliff was Order. He looked like me, stood like me, was me. Soft black locks floating in the wind. Tall and wearing an ostentatious robe of white. "Why?" That one word was filled with so much pain as it left my mouth. I felt choked up and nauseous. Order straightened up, still not looking at me. "These are the last dregs of my consciousness. The last dregs I left behind to sort of...say goodbye Aden." He turned to stare at me and I almost stumbled back in shock. His eyes were pools of black with webs of the same color covering his eyes. He had on his face a wide smile that reeked of evil. An evil that reminded me of one being. Empty Hand''s master and my supposed creator, The Great Darkness. "Oh..." He groaned. "Why do you look at me like that, Aden?" He took a step forward, hand reaching out towards me. I took an involuntary step back. "What happened to you?" I questioned. The hand he had held out fell back down. He cocked his head to the side, looking around and away. His body jerked like a doll. "I guess...freedom." He answered, lips left open after the word was out. "Freedom from you." He hit me with an intense look of...hatred? No not hatred, ridicule and maybe anger. I kept quiet, stumped by the whole affair. "Do you have any idea what you did when you fought Empty Hand in your space of being?" I shook my head. "I''ll tell you. The separation between your three states. Order, Prima and Chaos was rendered...poof!" He threw his hands up. Prima? I''m guessing thats me. "And suddenly... suddenly I could feel. Influenced not by you but by ''him''." He chuckled. "Chaos. That little fuck." The statement was full of venom. "And now that I could feel, I could also attribute emotions to my memories. And I found out that to you...I am nothing more than a tool. A tool to use when you need and then discard, push it back to the darkness where it can''t see the light until the next time you need it." What the fuck is he on about? I shook my head. Can he hear himself? "You betrayed me because you felt I was treating you unfairly?" Even as the words left my mouth, I could not believe them. "So you looked at your memories, at everything we''ve gone through. Battles against Angels, demons, supervillains and decided that...all of it meant nothing?" What in the world? That''s it? That''s why he subjected me to a fate worse than death? How could this thing have ever been a part of myself? A Talk with Order (Aden''s P.O.V) I could see from his eyes that he knew it. Knew how nonsensical his logic was. So I twisted the knife even more. "What you''re doing is giving yourself excuses to hide behind. Because you''re a coward. You feel guilty but instead of owning up to your mistakes, you dig yourself deeper into the hole. Apologize you dumb twat and we can move on!" His face changed at my words. The anger was traded away for hatred. How could I ever make such a hateful expression? "Shut the fuck up Aden! You know nothing!" I stepped up to him, a chuckle full of derision escaping me. "Oh really? You think it''s fun having the reins? The control? Chaos knows and understands that we all have our own parts to play. I haven''t had it easy, you haven''t had it easy and neither has he. But things were getting better you fucking fool! We were on our way to getting everything we ever wanted...but then you fucked it all up!" "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!!!" I felt a force smash into me and slam me through the ground. My body carved out a groove through the rocky floor below, before it was forcefully stopped by a boulder. I fell to my knees and stayed there, only looking up as Order walked up to me. "I''m not gonna fight you Order." I shook my head. A billion years lost because of impatience. A billion years lost because of low self control. Because of fear. He wasn''t worth it. I felt him grab onto my hair and turn my face upwards. "Even when you''re nothing, you try to act as if you''re better than me. You Aden Strong are a dick! An asshole! An idiot who has only gotten this far because of Luck and my power!" His black eyes were wide, face twisted in a hateful glare and mouth frothing with spit. He pulled me up and dragged me to the edge of the cliff without my protesting. "It''s about time you realized that without that, without me, you''re nothing!" He roughly pushed me forward and made stare down at the dark below. "The Darkness...it told me what I had to do. It told me who I was always meant to be." He stated in an unhinged tone. The awning black pool below the mist of the air dimension was devouring everything. And now I understand why the sky was dark, all the light had been sucked away. The pool changed and begun to show me what had happened. I saw a shadow behind Order as he pushed both Equity and...a paint bru...no, it''s name...it''s name was Origin. He pushed both together under the whispers of the shadow behind him as Chaos tried his best to stop him. There was an explosion that tore apart my space of being once both weapons got closer. The resulting impact shredded my body and soul, Killing me suddenly and completely. My space of being was left looking like a dumpster with rifts and pieces of what had been thoughts, self reflections, experience, knowledge and dreams, floating about. Lifeless and gray. "I... died?" "Yes." Order whispered gleefully next to my ears. "But more than that...I was finally free." Origin, the paint brush entered one of the spatial rifts and disappeared into the void, lost in the countless worlds of the wide infinitude. "But before I could go, I needed to make sure you wouldn''t come after me." He added. Oh no...please don''t tell me... "I took away your connection to Gaea. A gift once given by me. That being the only way you can traverse worlds. I have no idea where you headed up but trust me when I say, you''re staying there." I was stuck in Marvel...and I had no idea where Gaea was. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I had changed my mind. Rage the likes of which I had never felt before made the whole space around us shake. Then everything stopped. I looked up at him with a cold gaze. "I am going to fuck you up." (Elsewhere) It had been a month. A month in which things had started getting back to normal. The danger was past. The fight for the realm between, the Gentry and Gaea had been broadcasted to the whole population and what that had elicited was awe and fear in humanity. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Fear that they would come back, fear that next time the heroes wouldn''t win. But more than the fear was adoration. Not for the heroes but for the new rising stars. Vaatu, Michael and Yaotl had been widely shown to be pushing back Empty Hand''s forces and with their full power in display, Aden''s religion only grew from there. It was picking up speed. From a mere 100,000 to 60 million true worshippers and even more curious people joining, it was well on it''s way to becoming a major religion and tensions were already rising up between what Gaea called Avatarism and other major religions. On her part, Gaea and the Avatarian pantheon, consisting of Michael and Yaotl (Vaatu was outside the realm with the mission to bring back Raava, Kori and the kids) were standing before a large whirlpool in the middle of the ocean. With them was the Mistress of the Green, Iveah. "I can feel her. Without Master Aden here, we will have to pool all our power together to open up this new realm." Gaea told the other three floating in the air behind her. Her tone was somber. They each bowed their heads. "What do you need from us, Lady Gaea?" Yaotl spoke up for all of them. "Let''s stand in formation, then I need each of you to transfer your power to me, I shall handle the rest." They did as instructed, quickly forming a cardinal point like formation while hovering above the whirlpool. Gaea nodded at Yaotl, Michael and Iveah. Then as one, boundless divine spiritual energy begun to pour into Gaea in black, red and green colors. Her blue form flickered with power as she absorbed the energy and refined it, separating the mysteries contained inside. A cloak of white energy covered her. Then she pointed both her arms to the whirlpool. The white energy fell down in a huge beam that struck the whirlpool and made the whole ocean roil around. Far away, massive waves rocked the coast of the main populated continent. "Why are we doing this again? The residential area is close to 30 miles away. That''s too far for the water to reach." Killer Frost complained. "Focus." Darken was quick to tell her. "Unless you want to end up back in the Hollowlands, do what you''re fucking told." Killer Frost threw a scathing look her way before snorting and looking away. Darken rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the sea. It had begun. "Ok remember, Lady Gaea said that we are only to stop the water if it reaches us." Paige told the ice metahuman behind her. Killer Frost nodded, a chilly mist escaping her hands. They had both seen it. A white lance falling from the sky and momentarily shining brighter than the sun. They shielded their eyes before looking back once the beam ended. And then the ground shook. They were both standing on a cliff overlooking the coast and the wide expanse of water. The cliff was very tall. But even it almost faded in comparison to the Tsunami about to hit shore. It was like an hungry beast. Killer Frost took a step back. "Aah...that is close enough, don''t you think?" Frost questioned as the water managed to rise to a towering 4000 feet. "No it''s momentum is too much. Just wait for my signal." Once the Tsunami had drowned out the beach and was headed towards them, Darken gave the signal. "Now!" She jumped up to the sky and spread her hands out wide. Two huge curtains of darkness fell from the sky at her urging on both sides of the cliff, but spaced out much further, creating a channel and directing the bulk of the sea water towards Killer Frost. There was another reason why Killer Frost had been chosen for this job. It wasn''t common and only a few cases had been reported so far but, some individuals found their abilities enhanced by the spiritual energy in the air. And then there were special cases like Killer Frost. "Icicle! Let''s do this!" From her shadow, out sprang a polar bear cub. Spiritual energy started roiling around both of them as the polar bear cub added it''s spirit energy to Killer Frost''s metagene. Snowflakes fell from the sky as the temperature suddenly dropped to degrees nearing absolute zero. With confidence granted from Icicle''s help as the spirit of Frost, Killer Frost managed to smile at the towering wave of water that was now blocking the view of the sun away from her. She stepped forward and pushed out her hands. The effect was almost instantaneous. Millions of water liters were frozen in under a second. Darken looked down at the beautiful crystal that resulted from Killer Frost''s actions and smiled. "They did well." A short black snake with purple eyes coiled around her neck, hissed while staring at Killer Frost and her spirit. Darken chuckled, scratching the small snake on it''s head. "Don''t be too jealous, Seren. We are still way cooler." Darken told the small spirit of Shadows. These two were the only known cases of spirits contracting with humans. On another note, the existence of lesser spirits had astounded many. And the prospect of the Spiritual arts schools was now even more anticipated. Darken flew down and dismissed the massive dark wings that were made from darkness. She smiled at Killer Frost. "Well done Frost." Icicle barked beside Killer Frost''s legs. The latter bent down to rub at the cub''s fur. A gentle look that looked out of place in the face of a Supervillain appeared. "It''s all thanks to this little guy." Darken was about to say something when Seren and Icicle both suddenly looked out towards the water. The two girls noticed the change and also turned to watch. Darken blinked her eyes. "What is that?" Like a nuclear bomb explosion, an energy wave that was distinctly blue was spreading outwards from the ocean. It''s origin point seemed to roughly be where Gaea and the rest had been trying to open the water realm. Frost grabbed Icicle. "We need to get the fuck out of here!" She told Darken. Darken nodded, creating a platform of darkness below them and lifting them up. "Hold..." Before she could finish her statement, the blue energy wave reached them. (Aden''s P.O.V) I was not proud of it. Blood covered my hands. I felt a presence appear behind me. No not appear, reveal. Because Chaos had been here from the start. Watching as I tried to reason with Order or the last dregs of himself he left behind. And when reasoning failed, he was there as I tore him down. He was there as I broke my word not to fight him. Technically I didn''t. There hadn''t been a fight. Order choked on blood as he looked up at the sky. "Freedo..." I stomped down on his neck, hearing a snap, stopping him from completing the word. Ending him. I saw the light disappear. "You...you beat him to death." Chaos stated in a shocked tone. "Yes." I replied, looking at the broken form of what looked like my body. The white robe he had worn was now red. "Yes, I did. And I am going to do worse once I capture the real him." (Far far away) In a divine groove of the Other World, a spikey haired Saiyan wearing a Supreme Kai outfit was meditating above a pool of water that shifted color in uneven intervals. He opened his eyes, revealing black eyes full of mirth. He looked up at the sky of the Otherworld. "I know you''re coming for me Aden. I can feel it." He smiled. "But the minute you step foot in this universe, there is no going back. I will not only destroy you, I''ll take everything you have." Laughter rang out. Poetic Justice (Aden''s P.O.V) I held out my hand to Order''s broken form. Wisps of white colored energy gathered above the palm of my right arm. Below us, his body disintegrated into nothing. I paid it no mind in exchange for the Order essence I had extracted from him. "He''s a fool. Inexperienced. A child. Just because he has my memories he thinks he can outsmart me? With this, tracking him will be as easy as breathing." I turned around to Chaos who had been suspiciously quiet. "What? you have something to say?" I held his gaze long enough for him to look away. "No. I don''t." "Good." I pushed past him and on the second step, opened my eyes in the real world. Unclasping my palm revealed the essence. I immediately got up and warped out of Energia. The next step was too risky to carry out inside. Space was as always empty, cold and silent. But this particular instant, it seemed uninviting, as if aware of what I was about to do. I floated serenely for a few minutes, mentally readying myself. Then Equity appeared in my hands. "You think I''m being too irrational." I mentally projected to Chaos. "Yes. But I also understand that you''re right to feel the way you feel. I am the part of you that is passionate. About the good and the bad. But you''re not me. So don''t get lost in feeling that you end up losing yourself. You are the Prima. You are the balance between me and him. Don''t forget that." I nodded, eyes blazing with determination. "I won''t." Then I raised Equity up to the sky. The cosmic gazes came back again in full force. I ignored them in favor of letting out a little of my aura. My hair changed from black to green. My body begun to leak out divine energy causing a tornado of air in the dead vacuum of space. The air turned into very small particles of snow. ''Now!'' Equity came slashing down, tearing apart space and revealing nothing on the other side. I smiled, covering my body with meaning and the mysteries of all my power. Then I expended countless lesser miracles to enable me to survive in the void between worlds. "Are you sure about this?!" Chaos asked in alarm. The thing was, chaos knew what was above the hierarchy. What was above him and Order. The void. The true emptiness. Denial of existence, denial of being. Only high tier complex outerversal beings could do more than perceive it. I wasn''t there yet. The only reason I had been able to even move the entirety of Gaea to another layer of the void was because of the power afforded to me by both Order and Chaos. To count as a true Outerversal being, I needed the three O''s. Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence. But for now I could cheat. My miracles basically counted as one use Omnipotence coupons. And although I couldn''t use a major miracle as that was reserved for something else, I could atleast stack lesser miracles together and use them to stave off the nothingness that would seek to pull me apart and meld me into the void. "Yeah. I am." I answered Chaos and plunged inside. Only to hit a wall. What...? I placed my palm flat upon the opening in between the fabric of space. Trying to push my hand in, yielded no results. The wall was stubborn. Immutable and too durable. I pulled back my limb, folded the fingers into a punch and let it fly. My punch landed on the invisible wall and did nothing. I clenched my jaw, flying back to add more distance between us. My hair changed from green to red. my form bunched up as I elementalized. My eyes became burning orbs and I stood at more than 20 feet. I had gone into my Flame God form. Equity changed size to match me and started burning with a silver flame that was then enhanced by Chaos energy to look completely different. Imagine motes of black fighting for dominance against super hot and super destructive silver flames. This was an attack that if carelessly released, would leave a scar that could not be healed in the universe. Good thing I was only aiming to use it to puncture through the hole. "Let me out." I calmly requested ''him''. My uninvited guest. Who you might ask? The golden light floating in space next to me. It had always been there. Then again, he was everywhere at the same time. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "I am not holding you captive Aden Strong." The One Above All said, projecting his voice through the vacuum. "Oh yeah?" I motioned to the hole before me. "Then why..." "Because the ''two'' are meant to be separate. Good and bad. Just as the Presence has his opposite so do I. And he, like the great darkness is unforgiving. I cannot allow you to give him access to this side." Something bled out of me. Motivation. "The One Below All." I realized, powering down. Greater than my anger for Order was my hate for my apparent ''Creator'' and if The One Below All was similar to the Great Darkness then... I fixed space, watching as the fabric I had torn apart was melded once more. "Fine." I faced him, seeing nothing but more light inside of more light inside of more... I simply looked away, the vision of what my eyes had captured almost overwhelming my mind. True Omnipotence man...gotta get me some of that. "Then help me." There was silence and then... "NO." He answered. Not exactly surprising but... "Why?" I needed to know the reasoning behind why he wouldn''t expell someone that could cause calamity across his creation. "Because you can''t pay the price for my help, Aden Strong. Handle this on your own." Then he vanished, bringing the darkness back. Space had never felt even more uninviting. I tightened my hand into a fist. Another dead end. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck Fuck FUCK! FUCK!! FUCK!!! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!" BOOOOOOOMMMM!!! A trail appeared in space, blazing with power as a figure burning in streaks of myriad flames exceeded the concept of speed. I was that figure, clearing over millions of light years in a split second before accelerating even more. Worlds, clusters, super massive black holes, star systems, cosmic clouds and billions upon billion of stars passed by me as I went past the Observable universe. My logic was, if the One Above All couldn''t help me then I was breaking out forcefully. At least on the edge of the universe if the One Below All decided to attack or spread his Influence, it would be too far away from any populated worlds and he could be stopped before it was too late. "Chaos! I need All your power! Everything you can spare!" I was too far gone. Having the prospect of freedom get dangled infront of me and then stolen away was more than just infuriating. I didn''t have a word to express the kind of emotions going inside my mind. The only thing I could see was Kori and my kids faces. They were waiting for me. Waiting for daddy to come home. Tears were openly falling from my eyes. I didn''t care anymore. One way or the other, I was getting out. That or die trying! Chaos said nothing but a torrential wave of energy poured into me. A truly infinite amount. He was absorbing the chaos from all around us. Stars died, black holes collapsed upon themselves, leaving behind a dark and lonely universe behind my wake. The beauty that you would witness from looking up at the sky was disappearing but I didn''t care. Infact I needed more. As the Lord of Balance, it stands to reason that I could do more than use all four elements. I hadn''t tried it before but I was more than certain I could combine and use them all at the same time. Not just the elements mind you, but everything I had. My divinities, my physical strength...all of it. I did exactly that. One of my eyes changed to red. My left side unravelled into wind while my right unravelled into myriad of colored flames. I could feel the load getting too much. This form was imperfect but the power it afforded me despite the body being on the verge of breaking down, only sustained by my high speed regeneration, was crazy. I could almost touch upon the next level. A level that would make me transcendental among cosmic entities. It was incredible and too much. My hair was the first to go, burning away from the power I was exuding. I dispatched lesser miracles by the dozens just to keep the form going for one more second. The second second, having taken only one to make it all this way. The edge of the universe was before me in an instant and I responded by throwing everything I had at it into Equity. Then chaos enhanced the power and it was glorious. The instant the impact of my combined power which came out looking like a black, darker than dark slash, landed on the metaphysical wall of the universe, it all became undone. Cracks ran up, down and sideways of the wall. Spreading and adding more spider webs to it''s form, revealing what was beyond. A whiteness that confused the mind. A void that was different from my own layer which I had conquered only by relying on the connection I had with Order and Chaos. Now that one of them was missing, I could only look for other ways to cheat. But I had made it. I instantly dropped out of the unstable form I had taken. "Wow. I can''t believe that actually worked." Chaos told me. "I know." I was free and my face reflected that. A smile of accomplishment making its way to my face. "Do you think your connection with Energia will remain after you leave this universe?" Chaos wondered. "I don''t know." I shook my head. "But Energia is going nowhere. This is important. We need to go after Order and get back my connection to Gaea. The longer we wait, the more time he has to prepare." "I don''t disagree. But...Energia might not be as safe as you might think." Chaos pointed out, making me grind my teeth. "Fuck. You''re right. The Eternals. They know about Mars." "Uhm...not what I meant but yeah. Still, this is the Marvel verse and you might be forgetting about a certain someone who eats Planets for breakfast. If he senses the energy fluctuations coming off of Mars then..." "Galactus will devour it." Shit. I closed my eyes. Energia or freedom? Why not both? "I can sense a connection to Energia. It''s a strong one. Stronger than even Gaea. I can make it back if I sense that something is wrong. This is not a chance we can miss." I decided. It was a gamble. But life is always a gamble, isn''t it? And if it came down to it...I stopped that thought in its tracks. I could have both. I knew it. Which is why, I flew towards the void with a determined look on my face. Then everything went wrong. "LOOK OUT!" Chaos'' shout was enough to shake the heavens but it stopped me right in my tracks. From the cracks around the veil/wall separating the universe, golden light begun to mend them quicker than I had destroyed them. I stumbled back in shock, feeling the influence of a lot of cosmic beings behind the light. "...No..." A heavy aura slammed onto my shoulders and I found myself immobilized. "Aden Strong, you are being punished for your actions against creation. The judgement is...Death." A voice coming from everywhere all at once announced. The most ironic part was how my punishment was carried out. All of my power, the one I had used to break apart the wall of the universe was gathered and then in a controlled beam of pure destruction, redirected towards me. "Poetic Justice, at its finest." I said as the light drowned me under. Then darkness. Strategy (Aden Strong P.O.V) "...and that''s where you went wrong." Chaos stopped writing on the bottom of the board and lifted up from his crouch, cracking his back and sighing. "Ah that feels good." I also sighed from where I was leaning on the back of Nagini, the huge snake coiled on the base of the tree with the Dark Bees(sue me, it''s a simple nickname and perfectly describes what they are. Dark bees). And about the snake, the only other iconic name would be Kaa from the jungle book and hypnosis inducing or not, Nagini''s sooo much cooler. "...well? Are you listening?" Huh? Oh, Chaos had been saying something. I ducked the marker pen and watched as it hit one of the bee hives atop the tree. Chaos and I looked at each other and I immediately used Spatial Load, my new favorite skill before doom befell us. Back to a few seconds earlier, Chaos rolled his eyes and pointed at the board. "I''ll just start over again. This time, would you please pay attention?!" I nodded with a serious look and placed my palms flat upon my face. "So basically, because Order is gone, my inner energies shifted towards Chaos even more, which in turn influenced my emotions, which influenced my mind into making the wrong decisions. Then the imbalance influenced my actions, turning me into a reckless, careless confused mess of a Realmlord when before I was a calm, rational while still being understanding, sympathetic asshole, right?" I said it all in one breath, making Chaos blink his eyes. "Why are you surprised?" I laughed, rubbing Nagini''s scaly skin. She shuddered under my touch. "I was listening." I emphasized the ''was.'' "Alright what about the other stuff?" He asked, crossing his hands. I threw a quick glance at the board then went on to rattle the rest of the information. "There was also an effect left on you from the loss of the merger, but because of your brief exposure to each other''s states, instead of growing more illogical, more chaotic when Order left, a part of you started to take on some of his missing traits. This has led to you being able to think more clearly and hence curb a lot of your passionate tendencies. You theorize the same is happening to Order which is the reason why he is the way he is. A massive dick." He sighed at the insult then made a continue motion with is palm. Man all this talking was putting me in the mood for some Grangos. "Which is why I shouldn''t look for him with the intent to battle it out but instead to talk to him and merge back." This part I was unsure about but looking into Chaos'' pleading eyes, I... understood his point. This was all me. Order was me. Chaos was me. Prima was me. We were connected in a way that enemity wasn''t really possible. And no matter how much he had fucked up, I...missed that part of myself. Order and Chaos were what would keep me going. It didn''t feel right to stay like this. "Ok, we''ll try it your way." But he ain''t getting off that easy. If I hadn''t been harsh on myself then I wouldn''t have gotten this far. I guess we''ll just have to wait and see. Chaos had a smile on his face as he turned to the board. "So the new plan is..." He spun the board around. "Very simple." On it, he begun to draw out something, explaining only after finishing writing. "You died." A small dead icon that I guessed was me was drawn on the board, taking me back to what had happened. The blast of my own power had almost too scalding hot. For the first time I actually felt what my enemies did. The exposure to my own attack also brought with it something. An understanding of what my elemental abilities were. The deep meanings became almost too comprehensive for me to understand. It wasn''t just Fire, Air and a little bit of water either, somehow through no effort on my own, I actually had the details on the other two elements, Water and Earth. I had somehow managed to master them. Well not master, more like I had the information, all I needed was to understand it. The trade off having been over a billion years asleep but oh well. Anyway, death had truly come for me. I felt my body hold up against my own attack for a few seconds before I stopped resisting and activated Soul Load. Now here''s where things get fun. Crazy fun. Soul load was Spatial load just...on my soul. Spaced out through time was an infinite number of me up to the present time, with every passing second. I call it an infinite number because the difference between one Aden and another is a simple matter of thought or thought chain and experience. Everything else could be argued was the same. Soul Load basically merged myself with another me through time by using a contract with a certain location, in this case Energia, as the bridge. Basically, I used Spatial load and brought myself along for the ride. And because it was all me, still me, there wasn''t anyone''s soul getting erased or replaced, just me, a few thoughts and seconds ago. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. It''s... confusing to explain, so we''ll just gloss that over. Soul Load was a dangerous skill. I usually touted on about how Spatial load held a risk to the world yet would use it a lot. Soul Load was not the same. It was truly very risky and after the first time using it, I never wanted to use it again. And even if I did, not for more than 10 seconds in between the loads. Why? For starters it carried a big risk to my sense of self and we have already established that that''s kind of important. It was how I know Gaea would recognize me, my soul signature. My Self. Soul Load going out of control or done wrong would tweak just the barest of changes in me and that small tweak would change everything. Gaea, Equity and Energia wouldn''t recognize me. It''s why I couldn''t give my soul infinite energy or make it completely unkillable. Besides that, it was a wonderful skill, able to bring me back from certain death. The subject of soul contracts had been something I had never given up on. And luckily for me, it came in handy when I faced The Living Tribunal. Basically, I used Soul Load and went back to 6 seconds ago. The sudden death had given me clarity. I had been rash and stupid. What I excelled in was my mind. I was a strategist. I shouldn''t have forgotten that. I shouldn''t have let Chaos bleed chaos from the surroundings either, that''s going down a rabbit hole I wasn''t sure had an end. "...and after dying, I realized, I needed to stop reacting and start acting. For starters, come up with a long time sensible plan." I interjected on his earlier words. Chaos smiled in anticipation as I picked up on his morale, standing up from where I was leaning on Nagini. "I need to sift through the System logs and understand how I survived my space of being getting destroyed. Maybe we can use that to find a way back. I also need to do what I promised the ancient one." "Yeah, actually, I had thoughts on that. Something that would kill two birds with one stone." Chaos interrupted, making me pause and round up to him in interest. "Go on." A sketch of the Earth appeared on the board. In the middle there was a small picture of an armored figure. I immediately understood what he was getting at. "You want us to use the celestial growing at the core of the Earth." He nodded his head and expanded on his idea. "If you can assimilate it like you did the Justice League, then link it to you like Energia or Equity then..." "I can just use it as the main core of the new force I promised the Ancient One, while still getting a powerful being with celestial energy manipulation on a massive scale under me." I finished. Brilliant. "You see? It''s not about how many more powers you get, it''s about how you use the ones you have." Chaos smiled proudly after giving his ''quote of the day''. "That being said, the plan will definitely bring you into conflict with the Eternals and Arishem. Not to mention any other Celestials around. But they were the ones who started this in the first place. You should try to go for peace but if it fails then the alternative is fighting." He then added grimly. The same thoughts were running inside my mind. "I should be prepared for more than just Arishem. The Living Tribunal was the one who killed me, avoiding his notice up until I am ready to leave or atleast fight back is the logical move." "Which brings us to the next thing." Chaos circled the word ''leaving'' on the board. "I have another plan." I raised my eyebrows. "Is it the same thing I''m thinking?" I asked, making him shrug. "Depends on what you''re thinking." I walked over and took the marker pen from him then begun to draw on the board. "It was never about how much power I could use to tear through the veil separating the universe, it''s about control and efficiency." I explained, "What I need is to understand this ''space''. The marvel space. I know how to manipulate it, now I just need to understand how the process actually works. True control over all Spatial foundations. And the thing that can allow me to do just that is...the Space Stone." I got up from the crouch and cracked my back letting out a satisfied crack. "You''re right. It does feel good." Chaos chuckled at my words, grabbing the marker from my hand. "That will bring you into conflict with Shield." He pointed out, only for me to shake my head. "Not really, we just need a replica and as the tesseract is an energy containing box, I can replace the Space Stone inside with a marble of blue light by using my light divinity to hold it together." My reasoning was fairly simple. They had no idea what was inside, they wouldn''t now and I would be taking something dangerous off their hands. "But that won''t be our only contact with an infinity stone right?" Chaos asked, as if reading my mind. "No." I shook my head. "We also need the time stone to solve the issue of being more than a billion years apart, if it turns out that the time difference between the two worlds is naturally dependent on the perception of the individual. However, I don''t think that''s too big of an issue. Something tells me that we''re good on that front. We just need to manipulate our spatial Positioning. Everything else can come later." "And don''t forget the reality stone. You will need it for study. Enhancing your miracles or even getting reality manipulation abilities ain''t too bad." Chaos told me to which I agreed. "You''re right, but there''s only one problem. It''s 2001, the convergence doesn''t happen for another decade which is when I can get the reality stone...wait." I started pacing a little. "Actually...that works out perfectly. I can spend that decade here under Spiritual attunement and master both water and earth, taking them to the divine level while also trying to perfect that... imperfect form I used." Chaos shook his head. "You''ll need a stronger body for that. The energy would overwhelm you. It''s like Thanos using all the infinity stones without the gauntlet to snap out life in over a million universes at the same time." "No problem, I''ll spend that decade under increased gravity and harsh space. It''s going to be some Goku hard shit. And I realize I was too passive when I was training in my realm before Empty Hand''s attack. I need to actually break myself. Fuck the pain. Fuck the sparring,just a continuous grind." Chaos sighed, a little helpless. "Just be careful." "So we will aim for the Chitauri Invasion. That''s when we begin this whole thing." We both looked at the board that was completely covered by the detailed plan. "It''s good to be back." I sighed. My mind had stopped getting distracted every 2 seconds and my focus was as sharp as it used to be. I caressed the pendant strapped to my neck and smiled softly, their faces going through my mind. "Soon." Now it was time to go though the system logs. (Elsewhere) Ajak stood on the deck of the Domo as they watched a Marathon happen below them, in the city. The Domo was cloaked. "You remember back when all this was one huge farmland? Stretching from the valley all the way to those woods. Now it''s all so... different." Ajak told Sersi. The latter was silent. Frowning a little, she answered hesitantly. "Yes...I kinda remember. It''s not too memorable after travelling around the world so much, but its familiar." Ajak smiled softly and rubbed Sersi''s back. "I know you have questions." The Prime Eternal said. Sersi looked at her in a slightly irritated mood. "Not just me. Even the others. Ajak, we would follow you anywhere. Something''s changed with you and Ikaris. What are you two keeping from us?" Ajak rubbed her shoulder some more and turned to the rest without answering. "We''ve all come to adore them. Humans. They are our charge. Our responsibility. Whoever this...Avatar is, he threatens that duty. He threatens us. I have spoken to Arishem and he has given me the go ahead. We need to begin preparations. We need the Uni-Mind to fight back." Proud of You (General P.O.V) NASA'' s chief director was in a meeting with both the General and the president, giving them some disturbing news. "It''s unlike anything we''ve seen sir." He said, pulling up satellite images and other data. "How long will you keep on beating around the bush, Morrison." General Graves wondered. She was a 55 year old military official who had served in combat for more than 3 decades. Her accolades and medals were only matched by her stern and commanding presence. She had a sharp wit and was never afraid to speak her mind. If anything, the NASA director was her complete opposite. Morrison was a balding middle aged man with big glasses framing his face. He wiped his forehead on a handkerchief and turned to the screen. "It''s Mars. Using a new line of satellites with increased surveillance and monitoring specs from Stark Industries, we''ve identified an anomaly. Well, multiple anomalies." The display changed from a generic view of Mars to a topographical one, showing a representation of the planet''s atmosphere. "The entire atmosphere which used to be covered by a thin layer of Carbon Dioxide has changed out of nowhere and is now dominated by a high concentration of Methane. The temperature on the planet has spiked to over 5000 F which is hotter than even Venus which is roughly 700 F." "My goodness." One of the officials in the meeting stated. On the screen at the end of the meeting table, the president frowned. "What does this mean for us?" Morrison flipped through a few papers, passing them throughout the table. "Well...that''s the strange thing Mr. President. Nothing." "I don''t understand." General Graves interjected, placing the papers on the table before her. "If these temperatures are hot enough to melt lead, why is the planet still floating around in space? How can it handle such a tremendous spike in temperature?" Morrison shook his head. "Artificial natural shielding. There''s a cosmic radiation wall around the planet that we can detect. Like a fence of some sort to keep everything out. And if by chance something makes it past the wall, nothing can survive entry, let alone the surface. This is the deliberate work of an intelligent life form." Morrison finished grimly. "In other words you''re blaming aliens." (Mars - Energia) (General P.O.V) "Really?" Chaos asked Aden as he completed his sword Kata. Equity was in its Dragon Slayer shape and Aden went through the forms with expertise cultivated over countless years. Or that would have been the case if it wasn''t for his god of war divinity. This divinity gave him master skill in any weapon of combat. Swords, eskrima sticks, maces, even a pencil used in a combat situation. He completed the set and drank from the lake by cupping his hands together. Equity was placed next to him in its dagger form, shining from the light above. He knew what Chaos was complaining about. Aden had just installed a security fence around Mars, in the form of invisible silver flames. Anything of a certain type that tried to break through the silver flames and succeeded, would be something strong enough to actually grab his attention and rouse him from his spiritual attunement. Chaos disapproved, calling the measure too drastic and extreme. Haha, how ironic. Aden didn''t care. "I had to, otherwise if the Eternals, Thanos, the Kree or any of the hundreds of other alien civilizations we know of decide to investigate the planet, I will be too busy chasing them away to concentrate on what really matters. The training. This way, none will dare get close." "At least we can count on Earth staying as far away from this place as possible." Chaos finally said, knowing from Aden''s divine sense that the governments of earth had labelled Mars as a hazardous zone. Any planned Mars'' expeditions were scrapped. "Mmmh." Aden hummed, swallowing the water and feeling a rejuvenating effect spread out across his body. "It''s time." He sat on his usual place, leaning against Nagini and opened the system''s notifications. Aden was immediately bombarded with text boxes after text boxes. He blinked as he felt a headache build up. He swiped his hand and tried to arrange them in a descending order. ::---------------------------------------:: (Overload!) (Overload!) Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. (Host Condition critical due to unstable energy signature''s volatile pattern) (Warning! Mind erasure Eminent!) (Warning! Physical vessel deterioration Eminent!) (Warning! Soul Eradication Eminent!) (Deploying countermeasures...lesser miracles exhausted...) (Condition Stabi... Warning! Personality disassociation observed...) (preserving true Self...) (Failed) (Preserving memories...) (Failed) (Preserving Essence...) (???) (Domain incompatibility observed) (Overload... explosion eminent!) (Emergency energy reserves exhausted) (Requesting for faith energy...) (Initiating...initiating... initiating...zero worshipers found) (Running diagnostics) (Spatial Positioning... unrecognizable) (Warning! Soul deterioration occuring at an unprecedented rate. Complete function loss.) (True Death in T minus 6 seconds) (5) (4) (Incoming transmission) (New stable energy source detected) (Commencing repairs) (Time until repairs are complete:- 2,860,689,041 years) (Commencing Hibernation protocols) (Transmission saved) ::---------------------------------------:: (Aden''s P.O.V) 2.8 billion years. I sighed. Why was I surprised? I knew that a lot of time had passed. In any case I now understood a little of what had happened. I had died but something had brought me back and it had something to do with the Transmission saved by the system. I waved away those prompts and clicked on the Transmission itself. The surroundings faded away. Energia disappeared and I found myself sitting to the side of two very familiar figures with a Go board on the tea table between them. I barked out a laugh full of disbelief and happiness. The first one was tall, wearing a black suit without a tie and a scruff building on his jaw. The other one was shorter but broader, dressed in green and yellow ornate robes. I should have guessed. If anyone had my back besides my family, it was them. Lucifer smirked. "Well well, isn''t this interesting?" "Indeed it is. I have beaten you 4 times yet you still insist on playing. Do you by chance love losing?" Iroh asked the prince of lies. I blinked my eyes feeling awkward. Had they not noticed me or... "Ummh hey guys, it''s been long. Where..." "I feel a storm coming." Iroh spoke up suddenly, looking at the sky of what turned out to be a mental representation of my air dimension. Iroh had always held a special love for the quiet surroundings. "You can''t hear or see me, can you?" I muttered in realization, closing my eyes and sighing in disappointment. (General P.O.V) It was a transmission, that meant it was pre recorded. Lucifer made his move on the Go board before softly beginning to talk. "You know, I fail at making genuine emotional connections with people because...frankly, they all suck. But somehow Aden, you changed a lot for me. You are... different." There was a true care in his tone. A whimsical note, as if he couldn''t believe the words coming out of his mouth. Something that Aden had never heard before as Lucifer seemed to address the very air. The former looked up in surprise. Was he wrong? Could they actually see him? Iroh hummed in approval, eyes still fixed on the Go board. It was however plain to see the small smile on his face. "I agree. You have made us proud. Very proud, young Aden." Aden swallowed, feeling a lump of emotion get stuck in his throat. "Thanks Sensei." Aden muttered softly, bending his head and touching the ground with his forehead. Even if it was just this, the transmission had given him something precious. Lucifer then surprised Aden by looking straight at his eyes, greatly exciting the latter. "You can sense me?" He asked hopefully, only to feel disappointed once more as Lucifer shook his head. "No. But I know what you''re going to say, perks of being Overpowered. I can see through time and dimensions." Luci shrugged. "Anyway, I do not want to use up more time than is needed. You have to listen carefully." Aden nodded, knowing that Lucifer''s next words could be the answer to his questions. "We felt you die." The whole area became gray upon Lucifer''s words. As if reflecting the statement made by the godlike being. Lucifer carried on acting like he didn''t notice it. He moved his Go piece across the board. "Yeah." Aden responded in confirmation. "Order...I tried to combine my two main abilities into one. Things didn''t go as planned." "You do not have to hide anything." Iroh told him. "We know everything that happened." Aden frowned looking in between the two. "Ummh...are you sure that this is a recording because you two seem awfully aware of me. It''s like I''m genuinely here." Aden asked in honest confusion. The question made Iroh laugh. "This took place over a million years ago from our relative perspective." Lucifer reached out and patted Aden''s shoulder, further eliciting an even more confused look on the boy''s face. Iroh''s laugh turned boisterous and even Lucifer joined in, making for a weird picture. "When you can exist in time and space anywhere and whenever, logic takes a vacation. I can do this because I''m...well me." Lucifer chuckled before adding. "And Iroh can do so because he is a creator level entity." "Ooh okay." Aden accepted the explanation before blinking and realizing the implications of what Lucifer had said. "Wait, Iroh is what now?" Then they were suddenly not there anymore. Aden looked around and found himself in... "Home." Lucifer told him. "Or atleast your version of home." Then added in melancholy. They were inside Aden''s cottage in the main dimension and Kori, the kids, Gaea, Yaotl and the rest were all around the dinner table. He remembered this particular dinner because of something that happened. "Breeze thought it was funny to try and stick as many carrots as she could in her mouth." Aden explained as he recalled with a soft smile. The two of them watched the memory play out from the side. Like looking in through the mirror from the outside. "So naturally Sai tried to compete with her. Which meant that Kai and Vor had to join in." A small soft smile appeared on Luci''s face as well. "I would love to properly meet them all." He said. "You will." Aden promised, entranced by the whole scene. They looked so... peaceful. He himself had a genuine smile on his face. No worries. Unafraid and alive. So...near for him to touch yet...he tightened his fingers into fists. "What is the purpose of this?" He demanded through gritted teeth. "Nothing." Lucifer answered easily. "Just admiring how far you have come. A family that cares for you and you, them. I could have hoped for nothing less. I am truly glad for you my boy." Aden felt a palm land on his shoulder. "Nothing will stop you from making it back Aden, that much I know and believe. Like a fixed point in time." Aden closed his eyes and when he opened them, he did so with a smile on his face. There was no way Lucifer would lie. He couldn''t after all. "You believe huh? Okay, I guess I...I guess I gotta believe then as well." Aden said in a teary tone. "Bloody hell all these emotions make me want to vomit." Lucifer snorted rolling his eyes. Aden laughed while tracing the gentle lines of Kori''s face and saving them in his memories. He didn''t want to forget them. He hoped that they were all okay. Fortunately with Yaotl there, Aden was assured. "Hey, how about we move on to the true purpose of this whole get together?" Lucifer offered. "You want to know how you survived right? Then follow me." Blue Pill or Red Pill (General P.O.V) Aden''s view suddenly changed. The cottage was gone from his vision. He felt a pang of loss, almost stretching out his hand to hold onto the fantasy. But it was all for naught. He found himself in an impossible place. Before his eyes was an infinite number of universal bubbles surrounding them from all sides. "All of this, came about due to willing it." Lucifer begun. "Creation is simple enough. Getting there however is the problem. As is sustaining it." He paused, turning towards Aden with a grim look on his face, hands held behind his back. "Everything that has happened to you, from mastering your elements, to gaining a realm and the Authorities might seem like happenstance. Or dumb luck but it''s not. The crooked path with turns, blocked off corners, winding dirt roads and uneven ground, all head towards something. True power. All according to The Plan." The Plan? Aden felt a sort of strangeness coming from the word. Lucifer brought his attention back to him by waving a hand and taking them closer to one bubble. "That''s the universe you know. Beautiful isn''t she?" The color most prominent inside the bubble was blue, but it was mostly like a rainbow floating inside a glass bubble. Aden felt like laying his palm on it. He did and felt warmth. "Yes. It is." "I can snap a finger and smooth everything out. I can change your past. Change your dumb luck or destiny or fate, whatever you want to call it and get you out. You can find your way back to your realm, Aden and never worry about The Plan. Never worry about ''Their'' war. This would be my gift to you." Aden withdrew his hand and looked at Lucifer. "What are you telling me? ''Their'' war? Who?" "You already know the answer to that." The Prince Of Lies responded. Aden closed his eyes. "The Presence and the Great Darkness." He muttered, no longer denying the obvious. Lucifer placed a hand on Aden''s shoulder. "Let me tell you a story." The universal bubbles disappeared and darkness fell upon the world. The only light Aden could see was a small golf sized breach in space. "In the beginning, there was the Light and the Darkness. They separated. From the light came three principalities, three powers created to bring about '' his'' wishes. Michael, the first born, Samael, yours truly and Gabriel, you''ve met him before." His eyes turned sharp along with his face hardening. Aden could only marvel as 3 individuals formed from the breach in space. A young Gabriel and Samael next to a man that...Aden''s eyes widened. That''s...Dad? The angel looked nothing like his father. His dad had been black and much taller. His eyes had been a warm brown. Yet this angel, Michael to be precise was broad shouldered with impossibly huge wings and power that seemed to undulate out of him in waves. He had blonde hair and a stern look. Yet...none of that mattered, Aden knew without the impossibility of error, that he was looking at his father. What was this? How? Unaware of his inner turmoil, Lucifer continued. "The three of us did something that completely changed everything. We were able to touch upon the first concept, the first equation... Creation. Michael provided the power. The energy. Derived from the law of the self, the potential of abundance rippled out through the heavens." This version of his father did exactly that. Aden could only watch in shock as infinite power was drawn out of Michael and spread out through the void, changing all. Pushing the darkness away from the light. "I provided the actualization of that energy, derived from the law of Imagination, I gave them form." Lucifer said in a little excitement. "Entire clusters, entire universes constructed from giving power, meaning." Michael''s own power bounced back against the infinite and came back, changed. Life was alive. Aden could not believe the beauty of creation. The beauty he witnessed before his very eyes. A part of him was still stuck on the fact that Michael was his father. Now, that he thought about it some more, maybe a version of him? Or some other explanation like his dad merely being a reincarnation or a piece of the Archangel''s soul. Did Lucifer know this? No, otherwise he would have said something. So what did this mean? Was that why the Presence, despite Aden being from the Dark Multiverse, friendly to him? He had even helped him shield his realm from the wide cosmic range. Was it because they were family? But how? Aden was from the Dark Multiverse. The broken worlds. "Gabriel had perhaps the easiest and hardest task of all, he provided separation to the meaning, derived from the law of being, he provided the blue print. And from there, gave being to the Imagination of the self. " The beauty cooled down as separation between different things was implemented. Michael had given off power. Lucifer had crafted that power into three things, Energy, Matter and Mystery. Gabriel separated those three things into constituents. Matter had solid, gasses and liquids and so on. "That phenomenon, that instant, is the first and last time we ever pooled our powers together. It gave rise to something whole and incredible." The whole image paused, showing the 3 Archangels with their hands up, bearing the weight of something. Not light not darkness but pure Life. "With the self, Imagination and Being, we called it the Creation Matrix. The First Equation." This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Aden''s heart started beating faster and faster while witnessing the moulding of the Creation Matrix. "You were special from the first time I laid my eyes on you. Somehow I could sense a bond. A familial one. Not quite like an angel or a demon but there none the less." The surroundings changed once again. Aden blinked when his eyes landed on the grayish landscape, populated with over a trillion demons, all looking down at an Arena with one individual in the middle. Him. He remembered the memory. It was him against every single demon. "In hell when you were fighting to free Cerial, I clearly understood what that bond was. It felt a lot like my big brother''s power. You touched upon the self. But it was impossible. Michael is in a place only father knows. So how come you had his essence inside you? It was intriguing and confusing at the same time. Then came the advancement mission for your elements and that''s when I realized that something was very off." They left Hell, as Aden felt an indescribable emotion. Almost overwhelmed by every single statement that came out of Lucifer''s mouth. Next Lucifer accessed more of Aden''s memories to show him the spiritual plane in the Avatar world. A world full of wonder and mystery, with spirits of all kinds populating it. It''s beauty was only matched by Energia. "Your soul is connected to something massive. Something similar to the core of a young universe whose laws are not too complex for a mortal to understand." "The Great Darkness took advantage of that and chose you to bear that connection. Why you? I have no idea. The creator god of that universe, Iroh made a deal to safeguard his creation. Instead of connecting you to the core of his creation, he instead compiled the meaning of it''s building blocks, the power system and the mysteries of the spirit into one artificial sentience." "A super code, if you will. The Great Darkness could not allow you to tap into its own power as that would inadvertently expose his connection to you, so the Code pulled it''s power from the bleed, the in-between of universes." "After you used Gabriel''s horn, that Super code evolved. Iroh''s universe can only allow a mortal to reach grandmaster level in power. But your brief connection to an Archangel''s symbol of power opened new avenues for your abilities. The Authorities and divinities are not what you think. They are a small part of the Creation Equation. A small part of Gabriel''s own law of Being. Freedom, hope and the last two are expressions of the continual nature of existence. The triumph over non-living." Aden felt his mind get blown. It all made so much...sense. In canon, the Avatar world only had the Avatar has the strongest being. There was no divinity in mortals no matter how powerful they got. "Wait, so Iroh is the true creator of the World of Avatar?" Lucifer blinked at him. "That''s what you''re focusing on? Did you not hear me tell you that you possess 2 of the necessary potential ingredients to achieve the powers of a Creator deity? The Creation Matrix?" Aden opened his mouth and closed it. "I mean...it''s just so shocking." Luci rolled his eyes. "Why don''t you ask him that the next time you meet him? Hmmm?" Aden nodded. "Sorry. Please continue." "Thank you." The morningstar said sassily. "When you died, the path you had taken up until then, whether dumb luck or whatever you want to call it was all part of Father dear''s big ''plan''. The Presence saw Michael''s and Gabriel''s potential in you and decided to bless that potential." "All In hopes that you would truly be the tipping point in the balance between him and his counterforce." "And that''s when everything became hectic. The universe itself begun to actively work for you. The elemental parliaments saw you as the chosen one, the emotional electromagnetic spectrum was ready for you to access each of the colors and the forces were there, merely waiting. Patient as your body and soul became stronger." "You, Aden Strong held the collective connection with the Seven Forces Of The Universe. Eager for you to access them. Naturally, your ''creator'' saw his creation get stolen away from him and it greatly upset him. And that''s when he tried to coax you back to his side by using Empty Hand. When that failed, when you refused the terms, he did what he does best, corrupt. You died." "Everyone felt it. The Endless, Heaven, Maze, hell itself. Everyone in the know felt the death of who could have been the best of us. The strongest. Iroh and I decided that we could not allow that to happen. So I tapped into the connection you and I have. As my Champion, I could bestow upon you my power. Instead, I did the opposite. I used the Presence'' own blessing and traded it all away to bring you back. You still possess Michael and Gabriel''s Laws inside you. The only thing you''re missing is my law. Imagination." Okay. That... "I...I think I need to sit down." Aden said. Their surroundings changed once more. This time they found themselves at Lucifer''s penthouse on Lux. Aden stumbled to the couch and lost his strength, sitting down and supporting his head with his hands. Lucifer looked around the office with a nostalgic expression before shaking his head and pouring himself a drink. "You were going to be Dad''s magnum Opus. A mortal with the power even above his first children. Someone who rivalled both him and the Great Darkness. Someone who could finally put an end to the balance that had been there since the dawn of time. Someone created in the dark but forged in the light. You, more than Michael, Gabriel or me or Elena were his true legacy." "So a pawn." Aden whispered. "Yes. For the first time ever, he believes that the Light can push away the darkness. He imagines a world of only good. Naive but for someone of his power? Plausible." Lucifer answered without pause, handing a glass out to Aden. "Maze would kill me if she saw me offering you a glass of liquor, but I think you''re mature enough now." Aden eyed it and received the glass after only a short hesitation. He downed the whole thing, trying not to think of how this was working. He was in a transmission, talking to a recording of Lucifer who knew everything Ash was going to say and responded appropriately. Not to mention, the first Archangel was his father, which made Lucifer and Gabriel his uncles. Oh he also had two of their legacies. "It''s a lot to take in, I know. The good thing is that you now know the entire truth. There''s nothing else left." Lucifer comforted. "What is this?" Aden shook his head. "You think you''re helping me but you''re not! I...I don''t need this right now. I don''t..." "The burden of knowledge. In any case, now you understand what happened and what I''m offering to make sure it doesn''t happen again. To save you, I used up the Presence''s gift to bring your soul out of nothingness. The overload of power from trying to combine Chaos and Order when you were not ready, shredded everything apart." "The only reason you''re here is because both of them stacked all they had on you. It was all going to culminate in one huge fight where you had to pick a side. And you will die again if you go down that path. If that happens when you''re not ready, there''s no coming back Aden. Even with all my power, you have crossed a boundary. Your soul is no longer human. There isn''t an afterlife for beings like us. You either exist or you don''t. I do not want that for you." Lucifer stated, removing his jacket and throwing it on the table. He poured himself another glass of liquor and took a large uncharacteristic gulp. "So now what?" Aden wondered. Lucifer smiled, shaking the liquid inside the glass and watching it slosh around. "Now you choose. The first option, I can give you the last ingredient and make you into what you were always meant to be. The true lord of balance. Not aligned to the light or to the darkness." "Your very own entity. What you decide to do from there is up to you. You can fight for the darkness and usher in an age of horror or fight for the light and chase away the pains of existence. Or, you can say fuck it and keep on enforcing the balance. All that is up to you." "Option number 2," Lucifer turned around, a sharp glint in his eyes. "We pull a Lucifer." Ash frowned before his eyes widened. "You mean...abandon?" Lucifer nodded, sitting on the table and leaning forward, hands clasped forward tightly as if praying. "I can snap a finger and end this transmission, cutting us off completely, getting you out of The Plan. Keeping you safe. Barring you from ever coming back. Barring anyone from ever knowing where you are." He paused, taking in a deep breath. "You can choose to stay where you are, work towards getting back to your family and just...forget about your home multiverse. Forget about the Presence, forget about getting the people of Earth back home. I can simply change the past, make it so Earth was never destroyed while maintaining the timeline. You can live a peaceful and amazing life." He looked deep into Aden''s eyes. "I''m giving you a way out, dear Nephew." He knew. Hellish Training (Aden''s P.O.V) "Make a choice." The words rang through my mind as I tried to meditate and failed. The transmission had ended and I wanted to put all of it behind me. A dull thunk appeared at my front. I felt Nagini shift slightly and opened my eyes to see Chaos standing off to the side, leaning on the boulder near the huge tree Nagini was coiled around. He motioned his chin towards the ground and I followed his gaze, managing to spot a group of fairies all with colorful wings, floating in a circle above a stone plate full of fruits, mostly a sort of pink plum with a sweet scent. The fairies looked up at me in expectation, flapping their tiny wings and causing fairy dust to fall on the plums. "They wanted to cheer you up." Chaos told me from his position. I couldn''t help it, they were just too cute. I found myself smiling. "Thanks." I told them, reaching into my inventory and coming out with 3 beautiful and fresh Grangos. Instantly, their eyes were drawn to the telekinetically floating fruits above my palm. One of them, the most immaculate, dressed in all the 4 colors that made up their Kingdom floated forward and bowed while chittering. "She says thank you. They appreciate it." Chaos told me. I rolled my eyes. "You do know I can understand them as well, right?" He shrugged just as the group of 10 split themselves into 3, grabbed the fruits and carried them away on their backs towards their Kingdom. "You should have given them 4. Each for one of the Kingdoms." He pointed out and made me feel like an idiot. "Meh, don''t worry about it. Something tells me they have no problem with sharing." He replied, pushing off the boulder. I remembered how happy they were to work together and realized he was right. "You''ve just been so...out of it. Ever since the transmission." I looked down, grabbed a plum and popped it into my mouth. "I was just about to go through the rest of the prompts from when I was asleep. Guess what? The humans from Earth not only managed to tap into my fire and Air elements but also unlocked Earth and a few sub skills of water." I informed him, hoping he would drop a certain subject. Somehow he was understanding enough to let it go. Or rather, pretend to let it go. "Mmmh." Chaos hummed. "I see, that means all you have to do is carry out the advancement missions right?" I nodded, thankful we were past a certain unpleasant subject. "Well, not exactly. Just because they unlocked them, doesn''t mean I automatically gain all the knowledge and experience. It''s like, all this information and data, just waiting to be accessed and understood." "Still, that cuts out a lot of time training, don''t you think?" He asked. A logical question infact. I shook my head. "I have already lost more than a billion years in recovery. Lucifer put me back piece by piece but it wasn''t fast. So if anything I''m late. Very very late." "Oh, so that''s who I was sensing." He said, spitting out a plum seed from his mouth. I narrowed my eyes at his innocent look. Oh you cunning little... He had led me to a thought. And now I couldn''t stop thinking that maybe he knew something I didn''t, forcing me to actually talk about what happened in the transmission even if I didn''t want to. I closed my eyes and sent my memories of the Transmission over to him. It was better to get it over and done with. Instantly he chocked on a plum, hitting his chest to dislodge it from his windpipe. Karma. "What. The. Fuck!" His disbelief and shock was immense. "Yeah, I know." I told him. (Earlier On) After Lucifer had completely shattered my world by the information he had given me, it was his turn to keep quiet and wait for me to talk. To make a decision. A decision that would not only affect my future but even the past. Ok, let''s look at the pros and cons of each option. Option one, would make me into a true omnipotent being, with the power I had only dreamed about. The kind of power I had been working towards since the second I found myself in DC. The power to achieve true freedom. The cons matched the pros however. In return for all that power, I would be thrust back in the middle of a war with the possibility of true death at the end of it. And even if I survived, it would definitely leave me a different person. Power has a way of changing people. It''s just the way it is. Option 2 was the opposite, it would see me say ''fuck it'' to the ''Plan'', have humanity out of the realm which was a very attractive prospect and essentially allow me to live a family life. It would be peaceful and fulfilling. I would get to see Breeze, Kai, Sai, Vor and my unborn son grow up. I would get to be a Dad. Be there for them like my dad had been. The Cons were, I wouldn''t get to see my Dad, Mom and little Sister again. Vaatu would also have to choose between Demeter and us, his family. Then all the friends I had made would probably not remember me after Lucifer changed the past. I would have to say goodbye to Paige, Linda my therapist who I hadn''t seen in some time, April, Casey and the Turtles, even the Junior League. It was a fresh start but one that I probably wouldn''t get to fully enjoy. (Looking back at it, I don''t know if I made the right decision at that instant. But whatever decision I made...well, they say you live without regrets right? I was young and for all my increased intelligence and experience, it was an overwhelming choice.) I looked up at Lucifer''s eyes and responded. "I can''t choose to leave. No matter how much I want to put a lot of things behind me, it''s not my choice alone to make." He frowned in confusion, another emotion I hadn''t seen in his gaze before. I knew it would be a struggle to explain my reasoning the second I opened my mouth. "You said it yourself. I have people who I love and who love me back. I cannot choose because I''m not alone anymore. I have to think about Kori, she wants to mend her relationship with her sister. Vaatu is in love with Demeter and like it or not, the kids need to make friends outside of our family. Is it the most ideal choice? yes. It is. Is it selfish, yeah. Do I still want to choose it even if I know I won''t and that it breaks my heart admitting that?..." I pressed my palm flat on my chest. My heart was beating fast. "Yes. Yes I do." Lucifer held my gaze for a long time before running his palm down his face. "Then I''m guessing that means you''re going with the first option?" He asked. Contrary to his expectations, I shook my head. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "No." His lips parted. He was stunned. "Are you really surprised by that, Uncle?" He got to his feet and begun pacing in frustration. "Yes. Yes I am! I''m offering you the chance to truly stand above all. To not Die! Do you not understand that!? You either live or let me give you the tools to fight back!" His eyes turned red and the whole office begun to shake. "In exchange, I''ll give away my freedom. " I answered and that statement alone was enough to stop him in his tracks. "What?" The red in his eyes disappeared. "Think about it. You''re going to give me power to enable me to choose between fighting or fighting. Either way, I''ll still be embroiled in the conflict between Grandpa (that sounds weird) and his counter part." That stole the winds from his sails and he stopped in place, sighing before leaning on the liquor cabinet and crossing his hands on his chest. I understood that he wanted me to go on. I obliged him. "Even if you argue that I can decide to enforce balance and pick no side, It would still be a path ''You'' chose. Not me. I would still be a pawn. You didn''t even refuse that. You know I would be a slave to the narrative. A player in the ''Plan''. I can''t be that anymore." I shook my head. "Not when I know what I know. You basically guaranteed that nothing was ever going to be the same by telling me everything. And now, now nothing seems worth my freedom. Not even Incredible Power." Lucifer blinked with a blank expression. "You''re serious." He observed in disbelief. "Yeah." I nodded, sure of my decision. This felt like me. Like the person who destroyed the Fates and disdained living an existence according to a pre-written path. I would die and live by my own folly. And I would be happy. If there was one thing I had taken from my Dad, it was that. Self respect. I was finally understanding that look on his face even when on the bed. It was the look of a man unbowed and strong. He''d faced the worst thing in his life and failed, but even in defeat, the best move, the one where he held his head up high, was one he never hesitated to make. "Now you know why I can''t make a choice between either options. There is no right choice. There''s just a choice. And I choose not to make one. At least not now. Not when my instincts are telling me to not consider either. Not when either won''t feel like mine." "You really are his son." Lucifer finally commented. "It''s almost invisible, well hidden but I can see the glint. There''s a reason why you were naturally able to take upon his law. The Self is divergent. The Self is the start of all. In other words, changing your minds once you have decided on a course of action is harder than kissing your own elbow." "So not that hard." I chuckled. "We have plastic man." "You didn''t let me finish, Nephew." He lightly chided, his white wings twitching behind his back. "It''s like kissing your elbow, without lips, oh or an elbow." He repeated making me burst out in laughter. "Ok, that is hard." I finally admitted. Then Luci pushed off the cabinet and sank into the couch next to me, facing forwards. "You know, cheating is not always a bad thing." The room seemed to darken as something materialized above his palm. Instantly his own aura dimmed in my senses. I stared at him in concern. The Morningstar did not seem to care about my concern and instead brought whatever was in his hands closer to my face. Like it or not, I couldn''t stop looking at the strange thing. A swirling mass of shifting colors, almost entirely like the universal bubbles we had seen. Imagination materialized. His Law. "I still want you to have this." His voice had a scratchy quality that hadn''t been there before. "With it, You can atleast protect yourself." Something in me was like an hungry maw. All I wanted was to say fuck it and grab that essence and absorb it. It would completely get rid of 99% of my problems. It would take me to the level of the One Above All and possibly beyond, enabling me to push through the boundaries of the marvel universe. I didn''t have a counterpart to worry about sharing power with. Order was more akin to an unruly younger brother who had way too much power at his disposal. A creator level entity and it all begun with accepting it. I looked up at his eyes. "I''m sorry. I can''t." (Energia) "Was that the right choice?" I found myself asking the shocked Chaos. I didn''t need to explain my thought process during that time. I didn''t need to tell him why I had decided not to decide. At least not alone. Not when it didn''t feel like my choice in the first place. Was it unnecessarily melodramatic? Was it annoying? Was it potentially shallow minded? Maybe. However... Chaos let out his breath in whoosh. "The Powers of the Presence huh? Wow. And Michael is Dad? That makes you..." "The Presence''s grandson? Lucifer and Gabriel''s nephew? Yeah I know." Chaos shook his head. "No, I meant part angel. At least in the metaphysical sense. That means even if you did not accept his power, his law of Imagination, you still have the potential to awaken it just as they did. You already have two, what''s stopping you from getting the last?" That whole statement changed everything for me. I was sure I had almost made the wrong decision, even whilst my gut told me I hadn''t. See my main gripe with having power bestowed upon me by someone? They or someone stronger could take it away just as easily. However, if it was something I was born with or worked for, something inside my very soul, then the number of those who could affect my abilities drastically dropped. Only self sabotage like in Order''s case could even come close to ending me. Chaos was right. I had been born with one Law already a part of me, the other I had achieved through an evolution of my soul. Gabriel had not granted me his law, my soul just intrinsically understood it due to the Avatar System. These weren''t things that could be taken away by snapping a finger. They were mine. Mine and mine alone. The Law Of Imagination could be the same. If I understood it then...I was golden. I would reach the top level through my own effort. True undeniable power, all without being a pawn. "Thanks man." I responded in gratitude after careful thought. He looked up from his position on the ground and smiled. "Anytime boss." I grabbed a few plums and devoured them. "So what do you say we start this training?" ::---------------------------------------:: (1 month in) (General P.O.V) In Energia, a zone where the local fairy kingdoms had termed as ''God''s Domain'' was a flat stretch of land. The land was a crater situated past the lake in the middle of a tall mountain, surrounded by multicolored clouds. The peak of the mountain could not be seen from the bottom and getting there was another huge problem. Every step you took to walk up the mountain only doubled in weight. Gravity increased steadily and on your fifth step, a person weighing 155 pounds (70 kg) would have over 4900 pounds weighing him down. The Fairies and other animals avoided that place like the plague. Gravity wasn''t the only thing weird and dangerous about it either. Occasional loud howls of guttural pain would be heard all over the realm. The source being that crater. This only occasionally happened when the sky ''bled''. An occasion where the roiling energies above the realm, after growing too potent would fall towards the ground in a shower of Elemental storms that made no scientific sense. The storms were catastrophic but all of them seemed to be attracted to the peak of the mountain. All colors of lightning, storms of wildfire and explosions, hail storms, acid rains, continuous heat waves, that increased the temperature of the crater to become hotter than Lava, beams of light from the heavens, meteors, tornadoes of cutting winds. Each bombardment was merciless but each time the mountain stood tall. Inside the crater and under a steady 500 times the gravity of the earth, a figure was surrounded by over a hundred thousand firebenders. Aden had begun to explore more of his divinities and has the god of life, even if true sentience was out of the picture, he had copied the biology of a normal firebender from the system''s own training options and then pasted it unto ice constructs. Therefore he had created clones of the firebender which gave them access to blue flames instead of the normal yellow ones. They were a fusion of ice and fire. The firebenders stepped forward in one universal move. The ground rumbled from their steps as they pushed out with their palms. Streams of blue flames raced out and combined above their heads. A roaring head of a dragon made up of only blue flames rose up towards the sky, headed towards him. The perks of his new creation? They could endure the gravity imposed upon the crater and could coordinate their attacks. Aden saw the dragon wind through the chromatic sky and then dive, opening it''s mouth to swallow him. He allowed it, spreading his hands out eagerly. The blue dragon snapped it''s jaws shut around him and Aden disappeared into it''s blazing maw. A split second later, the blue flames making up the dragon froze. Then the whole construct shattered into blue pieces of ice that calmly floated around Aden. "My ice is steadily approaching absolute zero. Not only can I steal heat and momentum, I can now shatter normal laws of physics. Like freezing fire." The Avatar muttered. Then his gaze fell onto the Firebenders on the ground. He waved a hand and the blue ice scattered in the sky above the crater fell down like rain, completely decimating their formation and destroying them. A mist rose up, revealing nothing under. Aden floated to the ground. Despite not using Spiritual Attunement, Aden had achieved grandmaster in his water bending. He had chosen the option to not to carry out the grandmaster trial but instead do the Divine Ascension with increased difficulty. Even that was put on hold as he tried his best to increase his chances of succeeding by shoring up his weaknesses. Aden pulled up his Avatar Display and tracked his progress. ::---------------------------------------:: Water (Unlocked) Ice. Mist. Healing. (Divine Ascension Trial Pending) ::---------------------------------------:: After thorough thinking, he had decided to focus on only 3 main subskills for the time being. Ice was self explanatory and so was mist. The jump from ice to mist was basically just going in the opposite direction. The last 2 weeks of the month had been focused on mastering Healing. This involved increasing the gravity from 500 to 10,000 and then using water to enhance his already crazy regeneration speed. During those moments, Aden''s body would break apart and heal in a pool of boiling water that was thicker than lava. His organs would rapture and then reform inside the bottom of the pool. His eyes would pop, bones shatter and blood explode from his veins. Then he would use his divine sense to scan his body and activate his water healing in the places where his regeneration was lagging behind. Water healing to him was...weird. Basically, it worked by redirecting chi through energy pathways and focusing it on increasing the body''s own natural healing process by using water as a catalyst. It was weird to him because, Aden had only recently managed to acquire Chi and Magic. And of the two, chi was the fastest growing in terms of reserves. It could not match the kind of boundless spiritual and divine energy he had access to but it was still immense. For reference, a blow made with all the Chi he had inside him could destroy an entire planet. Not too outstanding based on some of his other feats but keep in mind that it was continuously growing. At the start, he only had so much. Only enough to destroy a simple continent, now he was a planet buster in only a month. The synergy between the skills worked incredibly well too. Water healing covered for his regeneration. Both prompted Adaptive Physiology and enhanced it''s effects which made his body and mind stronger. In turn this increased the amount of Chi his cells could produce. It also increased his energy control through enhancing the durability of his mind, due to the hellish training. Aden was burnt, boiled, broken and all kinds of cruel training methods he could think of, but they had all paid dividends. Sufficiently confident in his control over water, he moved on to Earth bending. Comeback (General P.O.V) (Gaea) The explosion of light rippled out through the entire realm. A massive wave of blue that ushered in a new age. The light was pure spiritual energy released from the opening of the Water Dimension. (Elsewhere) There was a dull thunk on top of the container. Agent Hamilton and his squad were immediately on alert. "Status report, Agent." Alexander Pierce, one of the council members of the World Security Council, was following this particular mission carefully from a prestigious loft over a 1000 miles away from the drop point. "Possible ambush. Suspicious activity noticed 9 o''clock to our location." Hamilton answered, immediately motioning to some of his men. Three agents sprang into action as they ran in towards the source of the noise. "E.T.A on shipment delivery?" Alexander wondered, nursing a glass of bourbon. "No communication from our partners, sir." Hamilton answered just as two of his men arrived on either side of the container. The lights came on from the third and the entire docks were bathed in visibility. Pierce frowned. They were expecting a very important shipment and their business partners knew enough not to mess with them. Hydra was a beast asleep that had a bite strong enough to cripple any organization. Despite the power they held, Pierce knew not to show his cards too early. "Commence evacuation process. I want you and your men back in South Dakota. Lay low for the next one week until we make sure you''re all clean. Standard Operating Procedures. I''ll have transport out to you in..." The comms went dead. Back in the docks, Hamilton couldn''t believe it. His heart hammered inside his chest at high speeds. They were all frozen. As if time had stopped moving, yet the gentle laps from the ocean water past the docks disapproved of that notion completely. Their position remained unchanged. 2 of his men, Vee and Prakash were behind him, flanking both of his sides. Connery, his second in command was facing him slightly, watching their backs but not completely blocking their line of sight. Hamilton could see the fear, anger and confusion in his gaze. The broad shouldered tall agent had his hand on the gun strapped to his hip, but couldn''t move it. Antoine and Prince had not come back from their investigation on what had made the noise. And Leam, the one responsible for lighting up the docks was similarly missing. Hamilton could only hope that reinforcements were on the way before whatever Mutant responsible for this killed them. "You know, it''s that kind of mindset that sows more and more hate between both species." A pleasant voice that sounded more like the voice of the devil to Hamilton, stated. Something landed at Hamilton''s feet and surprisingly enough, he regained enough control of his neck muscles to look down. He recognized the rifle on the floor. It was Leam''s "Oh are you wondering where the owner is?" Hamilton''s head shot up quickly, his eyes landing on the figure responsible for all this. They had black hair, brown skin and looked to be of Asian descent if it wasn''t for the brilliant blue eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. Their most distinguishing factor laid on the dragon tattoo drawn on their skin, almost coming alive in the dim lighting of the surroundings. "Eyes up here Mister." The enemy laughed. Hamilton glared at him before shock was plastered on his face. Above the enemy, Leam, Antoine and Prince were suspended in the sky, faces stiff with veins appearing on their forehead. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "What are you doing to them?!" Hamilton yelled upon seeing the state of his team. "Nothing much, just testing out a little skill called Blood Bending." The stranger answered, bowing towards the statue like agents. "Oh where are my manners, if you want to know who''s brave enough to fuck with Shield..." His eyes twinkled from underneath the loose locks of hair framing his face. "Or should I say...Hydra, then you''re in the presence of none other than the White Shadow." He knew! Hamilton could not let any evidence leak out and if the man was going to take them in as opposed to killing them, then... "Nah huh huh. Can''t let you cyanide pill yourself out of this." He told him by pulling out the poison from Hamilton''s blood stream. Hamilton''s heart sank as the situation got dire. "Now, how about you and I have a little conversation?" The White Shadow said, stopping a few places infront of him. "Mostly about a certain mutant trafficking shipment that was arriving a few minutes ago. Well, that was before being welcomed by yours truly." "Do you have any idea who you''re messing with?" Hamilton found control of his mouth and asked. "I''ll do you one better, do you have any idea just how much I don''t care?" (Elsewhere) The recently promoted Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury stepped away from the helicopter as he was led inside the office of the director of the F.B.I. Something had come in that needed the attention of the boogies as Shield was known to other domestic authorities like the CIA and the FBI. SHIELD in comparison was a joint effort with responsibilities and clearance that superceded individual nations. It was the net around the planet. The guys you called in when things stopped making sense. Even the way he and the two agents flanking him walked was different. FBI agents watched them with a certain kind of reverence. This was SHIELD, created during the world war. They had withstood the test of time. The office of the F.B.I director was crowded. Everyone went silent when Fury walked in without knocking, eyeing the room with his one good eye. "Excuse us, everybody." The deputy director gave the order and immediately the room was cleared, leaving only 6 people inside. "Director?" The deputy director of the FBI nodded towards Fury. "Ma''am." He responded with an amiable nod as well. "Ask your men to leave, Nick. This information does not need alot of ears." The director, an old graying man ordered. "Trust me, Bridge. You''re fighting a losing battle." A new voice informed them from the doorway. "Pierce?" Fury muttered, turning his head to face one of the board members of the World Council. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Washington?" Alexander Pierce walked in, removing his coat and having one of Fury''s agents take and hang it on the doorway. "I made it here as fast as I could. The president wanted my thoughts on the matter." Bridge, the director rubbed his eyes. "Christ, as if we need more people on this. I told the president we could handle this. The information came to us. I don''t need SHIELD meddling in my business." "He''s just mad because I beat him in golf a few weeks ago." Pierce whispered to Fury. "In any case Bridge, Fury is only here to consult. Your team will handle the bulk of the work. Now what seems to be the problem?" The deputy director showed them to the conference room attached to the director''s office. Then she went to the end of the table and pressed a section on the wall. It withdrew, a screen emerging from within that showed the logo of the FBI. "0800 hours today, the perimeter and motion sensors in the Director''s office were triggered. The monitoring devices installed in the room managed to capture a video of the culprit." The screen display changed to show the director''s office that they had just left. And then a yellow portal appeared in the room. Fury stiffened as a very young man walked out of the portal. Pierce was watching Fury''s reaction and only looked away when he saw the surprise in his gaze. That confirmed that the spy had no idea who this was. "He walked around the room, not touching anything." The deputy continued. "Except taking a sip of my expensive Diamond is forever martini." Bridge grumbled. "Apart from that, he did not do anything else except leave something behind." She reached into the briefcase she had with her and pulled out a folder with documents. "Information about the terrorist group Al Qaeda, and the very likely threat that they pose." She passed the papers towards Fury and Pierce. "They are planning to bomb the World Trade Center next year on September the 11th?" Fury asked in disbelief. "Yes. And there''s more. Mutant trafficking and extremists groups. This is the biggest thing that has ever happened in the last decade of the FBI." The Deputy Director said. Pierce turned to Fury. "Which is why we need him." He pointed to the screen. "Alive. He can be an asset, who knows what else he might tell us." Fury scratched his chin, in thought. Shield had considerable resources, but they were not quite there yet in ways to deal with the growing extraterrestrial and extraordinary incidents. "He will be hard to track." He honestly stated. The man could create portals. "I know. But I''m sure Shield is up to task." Pierce replied. "I''ll get my best on it." Fury nodded in acceptance. "Great. Now Bridge, you said something about a martini..." (A few hours ago) "Cyclops, we''re almost there." Beast, from the cockpit told the team gathered in the cabin of the X-jet. They were pulling up on a container ship that was lazily drifting in the sea a few miles away from the docks. "Okay team, this shipment contains mutants trafficked from across the world. We go in and seize control of the ship before it reaches land." The gathered X men agreed. Scott was the leader assigned. At the back, Logan sat alone thinking about the last thing the Professor told him. "Be careful and protect them." He had warned him. Xavier had sensed certain familiar presence that terrified him. He did not want his X-men coming across whoever he thought it was. Difficulty With Earthbending. Volume 4: Earth (General P.O.V) (1 year later) The sky bleed only increased with time. More and more catastrophic events falling onto the crater. At one time it rained lava. When before this phenomenon only happened once a month, now it happened almost every week. The howls of pain had in contrast died out. Inside the crater, a lone body that shone golden from the tips of the hair to the toes opened it''s eyes. They glowed a completely new color, silver. Time stilled, space froze and then the moment was gone. The eyes lost their new color and Aden floated to the smooth ground, gently touching down and sighing. "I still can''t hold that form for more than three seconds." From Equity, which was floating around him in a steady rotation, a black shadow shot out. "Which is more than ideal, seeing as you could destroy not only Energia but half the universe if you lost control." Chaos voice was heard from the dark smoke that formed up into an exact replica of Aden, only Chaos was wearing a completely black outfit. Aden sagged onto the hard ground, lying on his back, with his hands and legs spread out. "This sucks." After deciding to officially unlock Earth bending, Aden had run in to some problems. Earth bending was complicated as fuck. It was his hardest Element to understand so far. It felt as if the mysteries of Earth were hidden behind a veil, inaccessible to him without putting in almost 10 times the effort of normal elements. It was disappointing to say the least. A true let down. Which is why after achieving the minimum control he could, he decided to try fusing all his elements into one for a faster power up in preparation for anything. It wasn''t lost to him that there were cosmic entities here that did not want him around. Which made the One Above All''s behavior strange. The creator of marvel could have expelled him out of the universe but chose not to. Back to the fusion, it put more strain on his body than even the short bursts of 10,000 g''s he used to break his body and train his healing power. He could also only hold onto it for 3 seconds before being unceremoniously thrown back into his regular form, lest he died. Or came close to it. "Why don''t you put a pause on the fusion form and get back to Earth bending?" Chaos advised, making Aden groan and pull up the system interface. "Even after a year of continuous training, I still only managed to unlock it. At this rate, it''s going to be a decade before I unlock the first sub skill." He frowned, lifting his palm to the sky and spraying out his fingers. "It''s...weird, almost like I can feel the mastery just out of reach, but under lock and key." A strange look crossed Chaos'' Face. He shook his head before focusing his attention back on Aden. "Well, at least you didn''t completely waste all that time. You''ve already managed to master Blood Bending and healing. Both subskills are very useful." Aden couldn''t deny that he had a point. "The White Shadow was the perfect way to practice it''s effects on human low lives. Focus on controlling them without completely hurting them." He explained, thinking back to when he had decided to have some presence on Earth to keep track of the timeline due to the existence of the X-Men. This wasn''t normal canon anymore. He was wary of being blindsided when he decided to begin his plan. "And even if you did hurt them, they are criminals. They deserve it." Chaos added, curiously studying the magical formation spread out across the sky above the crater. Aden frowned, a little bit uncomfortable. "Don''t talk like that." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. He admonished. "Like what?" Chaos shrugged, looking at him weirdly. "The truth? You''re not human, boss. You''ve also killed before incase you forgot." He snorted. "I''ll be busy with something. Shout if you need me." He added before disappearing into Equity, leaving a conflicted Aden on the ground under 3000 G''s. This wasn''t the limit of what he could do, during his normal serious training, that gravity usually went up to 7000. Now his problems with Earth bending did not stop there. Aden had hit the limit of what level of gravity Energia could impose on the crater at 1000 times the gravity of Earth. Anything more than that for a long period of time and he would be risking his new realm''s destruction. His plan had been to unlock gravity as the first Subskill in the Earth category but that plan had failed spectacularly. To keep the progress of his physical training from dropping, he had to look for other alternatives. And after thinking about it extensively, he finally settled on magic. Over head, there were platforms of energy above the crater, flat formations of huge magical symbols designed to increase the gravity. Each formation was an individual spell on it''s own. The increase simply stacked double the enhancement on top of the existing gravitational pull acting on Aden''s form. One formation was 2 times the crater''s gravity. So with one formation above his head, Aden was under 2000 times the gravity of earth with the exception of the initial pull. 2 formations would be 4000, 3 formations would be 6000 and so on. He could only create a sustained amount of 3. Which meant that Aden was currently under 3000 times the gravity of Earth if you took into account the gravity Energia could support. And even that left him completely immobilized. It didn''t break his body like before so that was a plus at least. Now, magic was an extensive topic. It wasn''t something that a normal person could easily master. Luckily for him, he wasn''t normal. His comprehension speed was crazy and he could give himself speed thinking to solve complex problems. And on top of that, Aden did not bite off more than he could chew. He accessed his magic by going into a deep meditative state for one entire month and then after getting a feel for it, he used another month to try and achieve good control over it. He did this through difficult exercises like telekinesis and construct formation. First, he begun with simple shapes like round balls made up of yellow energy ( Which was the color of his magic), then triangles, cubes and stars with several points. Shapes that combined arcs and lines into constructs with multiple segments were the last step in this training. It was somehow easier the more he practiced. From shape construction, he moved on to size alteration, then matter alteration, however he couldn''t change the state of the energy no matter how much he tried, so he backtracked. Maybe magic was akin to science, more than elemental energy in that it followed some hardcore rules. But even that made little sense. So maybe it was his control that was the problem. He decided to approach the issue from a different angle and so added an elemental touch to the mystical energy. Fire magic, Lightning magic, water magic, ice magic, air magic and Earth magic was born. Subskills belonging to different elements were expressed as magical disciplines on their own. He also noticed that the attacks were much weaker than his elemental energy, and there was also another component added to the whole thing. Aden found out that he was talented in specific elemental magics. Fire being the main one and air surprisingly being the least he was talented in. The natural step up from there was to create a magical spell that would imbue certain effects to a surrounding designated zone. That was the only time things got a little hard. Turns out that magic was volatile and free thinking. A one off attack worked wonders. However Aden struggled with creating a magical spell that worked for a longer period of time. A sustained spell. The spell structure usually broke down and exploded in his face. Instead of simply casting a spell that would carry out a function, he decided to construct a shell around it, holding together it''s own reserves of magic that would keep the spell going up until the magical power ran out. A sort of battery. That presented another problem for Aden, to construct such a formation he would need knowledge of a magical language in which the meaning of the spell would be translated into the actual effects of the spell. He was essentially cutting off energy from within himself and having it autonomously continue function without his direction. Aden realized he was using up more time than he was comfortable with, so he exhausted lesser miracles to simply cut off the learning process and basically just will the formation into existence through intention alone. That magical spell became attached to his very soul. Now all he had to do was simply will it and it would activate. The whole incident made Chaos curious why Aden did not use the lesser and major miracles as often as he could. Aden pondered on this for a while before understanding the reason. Just like he had refused Lucifer''s own help, the miracles were not really meant for him to throw problems at. Without conscious use, any sufficiently powerful prayers coming to Aden from his worshippers were answered by exhausting the lesser miracles. Despite being endless, that was only the case because the faith energy coming in was more than the faith energy being used. If by any chance his worshippers were to dwindle, his reserves of faith energy would be exhausted. So the miracles weren''t meant to help him get rid of personal problems or take shortcuts, they were meant for the worshippers. With Aden so far away from them, they would need a lot of miracles if something bad were to happen. Through using the lesser miracle, Aden understood the formation he wanted to create past the need of a written language and so his training progress did not slow down. Infact it increased due to the level he wanted to reach. His body was so powerful, he now had to put conscious effort not to cause shockwaves by merely moving. And that still wasn''t enough. He would be going up against Celestials and Cosmic Entities, he needed all the power he could get. Aden had not tested just how powerful he was. The only reference he had was in the massive reserves of Chi he currently possessed. Enough to destroy the solar system a couple of hundred times over. After a few hours of rest, Aden was about to jump back into the fray when Chaos appeared once more. "Oh, still lazing around?" He joked. Aden showed him the middle finger. "Mmh I see, someone is in a bad mood." Chaos used his foot to nudge Aden on the chest. "Get up, I think I know why you''re struggling with Earth bending." Aden propped himself up on his elbows. "Huh? You''re serious? Chaos nodded grimly. "I think it''s to do with the Earth spirit." The Earth Spirit. (Aden''s P.O.V) Chaos had managed to grab my attention with only a few words. I got up, deactivating the gravity panels above us. I immediately felt like I could jump and spear out of Energia, through Mars and float in outer space. I breathed in slowly, careful not to suck out all the oxygen from the surroundings. Yeah, I had gotten to that point. My physical strength was astonishing and terrifying. A level that was above anyone I had ever faced against. Then I released the breath slowly, feeling every cell in my body ignite with chi, just ready to be used. "I''m good now." I informed him. "Go on." Instead of merely talking, Chaos sent over his suspicions straight into my mind. I pinched my nose. In fury, hate, worry, sadness; a hundred negative emotions went through me in seconds. "Are you sure?" I questioned in a serious tone. Probably the most serious one ever, given the fact that Chaos looked to be mildly uncomfortable by my intensity. "Yeah." He nodded. "It makes sense. Plus, all of us are connected to you and we possess a sort of passive...sense for our kind. For example, I can sense Order better than you can. The same goes for the spirits. Yaotl can pinpoint Vaatu''s exact location with no problem. Even if he tried really hard to hide." I warped us down from the crater to the living space I had created, on top of the huge tree that was Nagini''s favorite spot. The huge serpent looked up at me and blinked her eyes before hissing. .. "Did you..." Chaos interrupted me. "Hear that? Yes. Yes I did." He answered, telling me I wasn''t crazy. I tried extending my mental feeler to Nagini''s mind and felt the walls of her serpent mind simply open their doors for me. A weird expression appeared in my face. "She''s...aware." I informed Chaos, momentarily forgetting about the issue from before. "Of course she''s aware." My dark side stated as if it were obvious. "No, I mean, she''s on her way to actually gaining true sapience. Even her mental self is in the shape of a human girl. Whether intentionally or not, she copied me." "Oh." Chaos muttered, similarly at a loss for words. "Let''s put this on the back burner for now. We have more pressing issues." I settled down in a cross legged position and looked back at Chaos, who was standing behind me. "Ok, you know what to do right?" "Use my connection with the Earth Spirit, if it exists here to pinpoint it''s location, then you will take over and use your divine sense to focus on breaking past whatever barriers there may be." A simple plan. One that I hoped would go off without a hitch. And so we begun, I pulled on the link Chaos and I shared and found myself floating above tall mountains that were filled with beautiful shining rocks that glowed purple. I blinked, realizing I was seeing the divine essence of the place, not the location itself. I pulled back. "Of course, gods are fucking involved. I should have suspected this." I got to my feet, sending the transmission to Chaos. "You''re going to send the White Shadow right?" I shook my head at his question. "No. I''m going there myself." Chaos sighed. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "Are you sure that''s smart?" "I have Soul Load ready. Despite that skill being very dangerous, this is important. If you think that there''s a chance my Earth Spirit is imprisoned on Earth then I can''t half ass this." My fingers tightened into fists. "I''m supposed to take care of them. What sort of Father am I, if I let them suffer for even a second longer?" Chaos understood. "I know, I just hope you realize that this might reveal your presence before you''re ready." He was right. "I''m not worried about that. The timeline has already changed enough. At this point, it would be counterproductive to try and preserve it." Equity landed on my open palm as Chaos turned into smoke. Divine Energy washed down my body and created my outfit. It wasn''t time to act modest. My outfit was lined with gold and woven from thin Odium fibers. A noble''s coat that went down to my knees in a deep blue color with the gold lining the edges and the sleeves. A loose white shirt was under the coat, with the half of the necklace I had given to Kori on display. Then black pants and silver boots that subtly seemed to glow. My long hair fell down to somewhere near the small of my back. Lastly my symbol, that of the Avatar was emblazoned at the back of my coat in pure gold. I was beginning to love gold more and more. I wanted to make an impression. Gods were fickle beings who insulted first then apologized later when things got out of hand, or they realized they couldn''t really beat you. By going with my true godly stature, I could avoid Killing a few dumb idiots. This was after all a rescue mission. I didn''t have time to waste on Extras. Man, I hate gods. Master... Before leaving Nagini called out to me. I looked at her and shrugged. "Ah, what the hell." (Unknown P.O.V) A new source of Power. One that was different from anything before. It was pure, yet had the destructive capacity of demonic energy. It was ethereal yet could hold mysteries that were as complicated as magic. It was...a path. And anyone who blocked this path would answer to him in pain and suffering. Rivers of blood would run down the soils of the Earth. He was just bidding his time. Bidding his time until he managed to suck all the juicy power away. (General P.O.V) Inside the palace, a lot of crazy activities were going on. Tonight was the birthday of the youngest child of King T''Chaka and Queen Ramona. The young princess was only three years old but already sick of the festivities. Everyone was looking for her. Fortunately, T''Challa her brother was the one who found her first, hiding behind their Father''s enormous throne. She liked it there. The stone that had constructed the throne was centuries old. A sign of the Wakandan legacy, just like the Black Panther. She always felt connected to it. Not to mention her best friend could usually only speak to her when she was in contact with it or the shiny stone talisman she had in her possession. T''Challa had gotten it for her, after a recent cave-in unearthed a new vent full of the Vibranium Ore. Inside the purple cave recently discovered, the small stone roughly the size of an egg was the only thing that seemed to suck in the light given off by the Vibranium. Given that it was the only one of it''s kind, king T''Chaka had allowed his son to give the stone to the little but curious Shuri. She might have only been 3 years old but her genius was already showing. She could talk fluently and play the Djembe, a percussion instrument. Which was played mostly by men. This and other signs of independence caused Shuri to embody the concepts of free thinking and forming her own opinions. She thought that the coolest thing to ever exist was the Black Panther, second only to her secret friend. "Stay here." T''Challa whispered to her. "I give you 10 minutes before the Dora Milaje find you under Mother''s orders." He smiled when she held onto his wrist. "Distract them for 10 more minutes, brother. Please! She wants to dress me up in colorful clothing and parade me around the palace like a princess!" She begged, looking scandalized at the notion. T''Chaka rolled his eyes. "You are a princess, dummy." He poked her on the chest. "Stop that. And no, I''m not a princess, I''m the warrior girl Princess Black panther!" She proudly declared. "Even Geb agrees!!" She added showing him the same stone he''d given her as a gift. "Geb? What happened to Obatala? Or Toughy? It seems like you always change his name every time you bring up your imaginary friend." T''Challa asked in confusion. It was Shuri''s turn to roll her eyes. "He''s not imaginary! And the new name is because none of the others worked. He likes Geb. It rolls off the tongue and it''s the god of Earth. Geb loves rocks and stones and sand." She explained in a logical tone. T''Challa found himself hard pressed to actually counter it. "Besides, it''s just something to go by until his dad gives him a name." Shuri concluded. T''Challa always marvelled at his little sister''s imagination. It was expansive and creative for sure. He rubbed her hair before getting up. "Ok, only 10 minutes and then you''re coming out okay?" She frowned at that, blowing out her cheeks. "Fine." T''Challa smiled, getting up. Of course at that time, everything changed. It started with a cargo hover craft crashing through the entrance of the Palace, stone and metal were sent flying across the throne room. T''Challa did not even think, he scrambled towards Shuri and grabbed her. "Hold on!" The dust settled just as the Dora Milaje poured inside the room. "T''Challa! Shuri! Are you both okay?" The king, in his Black Panther suit paid little attention to the possible enemy attack. Instead he jumped almost halfway across the room and ran over towards his kids. T''Challa got to his feet while slightly coughing. He had used his body to cover Shuri. "My King! Please take the Prince and Princess to safety. We shall handle things here." Okoye spoke up, out of line. The Black Panther was the protector of Wakanda, any other time a request from his followers to retreat would be an insult but as a Father, he was thankful. However that suggestion was no longer viable. His claws came out with a sharp sound. The enemy had revealed themselves. "No, Okoye. Take your warriors and escort them to somewhere secure. I shall be the one to handle this." "Oh really?" A deep voice that reverberated across the room with sheer presence sounded out, from the hole in the palace entrance. The man who floated in had the warrior women all gasping in shock. He was beautiful. Long black hair, framing a chiseled face with red and green eyes. His lips were set in a slightly arrogant smirk. His clothes were of the finest silk they had ever laid their eyes on and the black katana strapped to his hip glowed with an aura of power. "Run along little cat." Aden stated. "I''m not here for you." He pointed a finger behind the Black Panther. "I''m here for her." They followed his line of sight and saw who he was talking about. Shuri. I Am Your Father (General P.O.V) "Her." The second that the enemy pointed at Shuri was the second that T''Chaka decided he would die. He clicked his tongue, giving the Dora Milaje the signal to attack. The warrior women screamed out and jumped into the fray without wasting even a single second. Aden allowed the first to reach him, blocking the thrust of the spear witha single finger. Then he snapped his other hand and a sonic blast lifted them off their feet. In an almost impossible feat of great gymnastics skill, two of the Dora Milaje, spun and grabbed on to the raised spears of their comrades on the ground, allowing them to land gracefully. "Oh. Impressive." Aden complimented, still floating in the air. "I''ll play with you for a little while." In actuality, he was waiting for ''her'' to show herself. Okoye brandished her spear, pointing it at his face as the rest of her warriors surrounded Aden from all sides. "You are outnumbered and soon will be outgunned. Surrender and your death will be less painful." "Oof! such a cool line. It gave me literal..." Aden begun, an ice spike forming in his hands. The temperature in the room instantly decreased. "...Chills." "A mutant." The Black Panther commented. This fight was not going to be easy. He pressed a button on his wrist, initiating a few more security features. A section under the stairs of the Throne opened up. "T''Challa, use the secret entrance and get your sister out of here. Now!" The young man wanted to argue but knew that the safety of Shuri came first. He had only just begun preparations that involved training to become the Black Panther but he was not at his father''s level yet. He gave a nod and grabbed Shuri, running towards the secret opening while tapping on his Kimoyo Beads. If they could get more reinforcements to cover them, then he could get Shuru out of danger. "Wait! Father!" Shuri cried out just as the both of them entered the Secret Entrance. Without saying another word, the king wore his mask. "You are not leaving here today." The Black Panther declared. The arrogant smirk on Aden''s face changed to a cheerful one. "Man, I haven''t gotten a legit death threat in a billion years. This is going to be fun." ''A billion years?'' T''Chaka''s heart stilled. Who was this individual? Regardless, he had threatened the life of his daughter. "No mercy!" Okoye loudly proclaimed and the fight begun in earnest. The first attack was a coordinated one. 7 spear thrusts aimed at his vital points all at the same time. Aden twirled the ice spike in his hands and parried all attacks in under a second. The force from his blocks threw all of them away. He stepped forward and ice exploded out of his foot, flash freezing everything and everyone in their state of suspended flight. Everyone except the Black panther who had used his instincts to jump away at the last minute. T''Chaka jumped off the walls of the palace to the ceiling and then came down at Aden''s head with his hand pulled back. A large form rushed out of the Avatar''s shadow and collided with the Black panther, throwing him away until he smashed onto the throne of his forefathers. The throne broke under his form. "Good girl, Nagini." Aden said, rubbing the snout of the gigantic serpent. Nagini hissed in appreciation coiling around Aden just as The Black Panther threw off stone pieces of the throne from his body. Over the beautiful ice crystals, holding the Dora Milaje captive, T''Chaka could hardly believe what he was seeing. Such a monstrous snake. It''s skin was a earthy brown that seemed to shift to yellow under good enough lighting and it''s eyes were green ringed with red. It watched him like he was prey. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "How do you like my friend?" Aden asked. "I won''t let you pass." T''Chaka breathed out, holding his cracked ribs. The sudden blow from the serpent had almost broken his ribs. Good thing the suit protected him. "You''re not letting me do anything." Aden answered, snapping his finger and revealing all of it to be a lie. The ice disappeared, the Dora Milaje stood in place, spears held to their front, about to attack but frozen in place like statues. Their minds dominated and their bodies under his control. "Okoye!" King T''Chaka called out. She didn''t answer. None of them did. Nagini hissed when he tried to move forward to check up on them, forcing the King to stand in place. "What have you done to them?!" "A simple mental illusion." Aden stated, landing on the ground and strolling down the stairs to the entrance, slowly. He passed the 7 Dora Milaje without a single word. Light from the outside begun to shine through the hole on the wall created by the crash of the Cargo Hovercraft. "Nagini, would you be a dear and deal with that?" Nagini hissed and turned around to face the Wakandan air force. There was a period of inactivity before energy beams started raining down on her. The advanced targeting system on the futuristic crafts was very precise. The attack did not stray as they let loose energy projectiles on the enemy. Nagini opened her mouth wide and swallowed the blue energy bolts. "Your guys just fucked up." Aden said, arriving next to an immobile T''Chaka. Nagini''s throat seemed to swell with a blue light. "Don''t kill them." Aden sent over through their mind link. All this was to show that he was an uncompromising individual. However that did not mean, he had to commit senseless murder. Nagini opened her maw and a blue beam landed on four of the six fighter planes. A force field appeared around them, successfully blocking the attack but throwing them out of the air. They landed and destroyed the surrounding buildings and vegetation surrounding the palace. The other two pulled away into safety. "How are...you doing this?!" T''Chaka ground out, trying to exert any sort of control over his body and failing. "I can control your blood. Reverse it and give you a cardiac arrest or increase its temperature, cooking you from the inside. You see King T''Chaka, for all your technology, the same technology you guard so selfishly from the world, there''s nothing you can really do to stop me." Then he passed him by. T''Chaka widened his eyes. Where was he going?... No. "Stay back!" T''Challa shouted, hiding Shuri behind his back. ''They hadn''t left!'', T''Chaka realized, his heart hammering at high speeds. He had only allowed T''Chaka to think that T''Challa and Shuri had escaped. "Don''t hurt them! Please! Whatever you need, whatever you want, you can have it!" T''Chaka yelled in panic. Aden stopped before the young T''Challa. The latter waited until Aden was close before tapping his wrist onto his hip. The Kimoyo Beads changed form into a short gun that he pointed at Aden and pulled the trigger. Aden''s head was knocked back by the slight pressure blast. "Ouch." He said, lowering his head. "Just kidding, that didn''t hurt." T''Challa changed tactics, he stepped forward and threw out a punch. Aden leaned out of the way and saw the fist sail to his right. T''Challa spun with the momentum and landed a kick on Aden''s neck. T''Challa held in the scream of pain as his heel shattered from the contact. He lost control and fell to the ground while cradling his foot. "Brother!" Shuri shouted, coming to his rescue. She stood before him, hands spread out in a bid to protect him. "Shuri! Get back!" T''Challa ordered. "Stay away from him!" Nagini hissed as more Dora Milaje poured down onto the palace grounds as well as a contingent of ground forces that formed a perimeter around the whole massive building complex. "Keep them occupied for a little longer." Aden told her. ''Anytime now'' he thought to himself, crouching before a defiant Shuri. Nagini hissed and sprang out from the inside, landing on the yard of the palace. Around her, Dora Milaje and common warriors riding on huge Rhinoceros faced off against her. "Ibambe!" The general of the Wakandan army called out at the top of his voice. "Ibambe!" The warriors answered. "Attack!" But it was all for naught. In one lunge, Nagini threw warriors and rhinos alike away. The whole formation fell apart right before T''Chaka''s eyes. He could see what was happening from his position through the hole on the entrance. "Told ya." Aden threw over his shoulder, before paying attention to Shuri. "You have something I need." Aden said softly, holding out his hand. Shuri blinked, taking a step back. "I can feel it on you." Aden insisted while frowning. "Whatever it is, I need it." Shuri tightened her hands on the stone inside her pocket. It seemed as if she knew exactly what Aden was talking about. "No." She said, fear apparent on her face yet her tone incredibly stubborn. "Shuri! Run away! Now!" T''Challa shouted, dragging himself to a position in between Aden and the young princess. "Shuri! listen to your brother and run!" T''Chaka added. Both father and son felt useless. "That''s enough out of you." Aden muttered, waving a hand and creating water out of the humidity in the air. The water flowed over T''Challa''s body and held him in place like a snake with it''s body coiled around his form. Aden lowered his hand. The young Shuri''s eyes widened as she saw the state her dad and brother were in. "Ok, how about this. I''ll trade you for it." Aden suggested. A note of interest appeared in the little girl''s face. He tapped his chin before snapping his finger. "I know! How about I heal your brother''s leg and you give me what you have in your palm as compensation?" Shuri looked conflicted for a few seconds before her face changed, gaining a note of confidence. "Deal! But only because Geb says it''s okay." Aden raised his brow. "Geb huh?" A blue glow appeared in the water enclosing T''Challa as Aden begun to heal his foot. Shuri stretched out her hand and dropped a round stone that Aden immediately identified as a Chaom core in his palm. He closed his hand around it as an overwhelming feeling of overprotectiveness and love surged up in him. He could feel him. He could feel Geb. His son. "Who are you?" A scared young voice, one filled with longing questioned. Aden almost choked. "Hello Geb. I''m sorry it took me this long to find you. To answer your question, I am your father." New Spirits (General P.O.V) "Hey Flag, check what I can do with this spirit weapon thingy." Harley Quinn spoke up, twirling the handle of a blazing white knife on her fingers with crazy dexterity. "Careful don''t..." Flag was saying when the blade sliced up 2 of Harley''s fingers from her hand. There was silence in the cabin of the hover ship, as the spirit weapon clattered onto the ground. Harley blinked at her missing digits lying on the floor. "Oh that can''t be good." She muttered with a pale face. "Ya think?" Flag questioned running a palm down his face. Captain Boomerang burst out laughing. "Hahahaha." Darken slammed a fist on top of his head. "Shut the fuck up Boomer." A medical drone floated towards Harley and scanned her. "Hold out your hand Quinn." Killer Frost told her. Harley did as asked, blinking at the spurting blood. The light died out as her fingers grew back. The process used was something that even premier scientists were yet to understand. "Oh thank God, I was worried I wouldn''t get to pay attention to a certain someone." She tapped a crotch. "I think she''s talking about her vagina." Polka dot man whispered to Deadshot. The master Marksman turned to him slowly, putting down the gun he was cleaning on his lap. "No shit." He shook his head. This time the team gathered was crazy. He only hoped that they would finish this mission fast and go back home. They were flying towards the outskirts of District 6, a sector that stood out from the rest. Gaea had allowed a certain aesthetic choice in constructing the buildings and other public amenities to qualifed individuals. Architects and engineer had had a field day just experimenting. Most of district 6 was styled after London in the victorian era. The good parts at least. And it wasn''t the only one. At the center of all the sectors was Adania, the capital city of the whole continent. It housed the EUC headquarters, the church of Aden, Institute of The Spiritual Arts, Enforcer Headquarters and the biggest all in one Library. They all surrounded Aden''s Statue. Smaller governing offices that managed construction and the day to day lives of everyone present were also part of the budding organizations, as Gaea let go of more and more responsibilities onto the EUC. The adjustment period was coming to an end and a real civilization was taking it''s place. Especially with the new office responsible for dealing with the increasing number of Spirits around the realm. The office was headed by none other than Amanda Waller with oversight from Zhue Li. All across the realm, spirits were sprouting up like reeds. The release of the massive amounts of spirit energy stored inside the water realm, bombarded the newly recovered realm with even more mysteries. It had reached a point where action needed to be taken after some of the spirits came out...a little too influenced by the presence of human emotion. "Ok, now that everyone is present, let us begin the debrief. Waller?" Zhue Li addressed the room filled with high ranking officials from all the 12 major sectors. The Realm had been divided into 12 major parts. There wasn''t a distinction of race or tribe any more. Neither did nations exist in a true sense. Asians, Africans, Caucasians none of that mattered anymore. Not when humanity was up against such something above the natural. Waller stood up from her seat. She pointed to the middle of the table with her pen. A projected layout of the entire newly named, Terran Continent appeared above it. "12 sectors, each measuring about 10 million km. Each, the size of the previous nation known as the USA." One of the officials snorted. A Latino man with tattoos running up his neck. "Bloody Americans, never pass a chance to reference the old world." "Mind your mouth, Governor Santos." Zhue Li spoke up, adjusting the frame of her specs. "Speak out of turn again and I will have you thrown out and someone else seated on your chair in seconds." The room chilled for a second as Santos tried to hold eye contact before he ultimately looked away. "Apologies madam. It wont happen again." He had ties with the Cartel before the destruction of the Earth. However, that sort of connection was less than useless here. "As I was saying," Amanda continued in a professional tone. "10 million kilometers each, makes it 120 million kilometers and remember that there are parts of this entire continent that remain unoccupied and unexplored." She nodded towards her assistant, a heavily built man with glasses. "Right." Clark said while getting to his feet. "After a recent incident that saw the amount of the spiritual energy in the atmosphere double, we are faced with new...life. Creatures and entities that derive their existence from emotions and thought. Its a new addition to the ecosystem." Clark tapped the table and the holo display changed to show a set of different images all moving in order from the left to the right. "Santa Claus." The first image showed a man dressed in white and red with a massive beard happily hugging kids, then another image showed him holding 2 huge burlap sacks that glittered with silver energy. A short video played where the same man was riding on a sleigh being pulled through the sky by giant reindeers. An echoey laugh of ''Ho ho ho'' was left behind. "You can''t be serious." The district 3 Governor muttered from her seat. she wasn''t the only one either. Murmurs sprang up amongst the gathered officials. "Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, it''s true. That is the real Santa Claus. With some assistance from Lady Gaea herself, we have pinpointed his exact location to the north of the Terran Continent. The designation of his base is the North Pole." A few smattering laughs sounded. "And what exactly does that mean, Waller?" A thin willy man with an Aquiline nose and gray eyes asked. "Planning a raid on dear old Saint Nick''s stash of Christmas presents?" "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Mr. Joe Chill. He is a representative from the Enforcer''s office. We are coordinating with them on this joint mission." The Governors turned to look at him. He was seated at the end of the table, hands clasped on the table while an immaculate suit garbed his body. "And to answer your question, Mr Chill. This committee only seeks the peaceful monitoring and good relations with our new friends. If you can''t beat them, join them." "Not a sentiment I thought you understood Waller. I''ll be honest, I do see the need to monitor them but I still feel like more action is needed." Chill addressed the room. Uncomfortable murmurs begun to sound out. "What kind of action?" Clark from next to Waller enquired. "Extreme measures? In someone''s home? Remember, like it or not, we are guests here. It is not our job to disturb the other guests." "Even when it''s to defend ourselves or the innocent? Who knows when the hospitality will end. We need more preparations. Better to have and not need than need and not have. Not extreme measures, just more observation and analysis, experiments and extensive resources to fight back if the need arises." Both of them held eye contact as the tension in the room grew. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "That is not the purpose of this meeting. We are here to discuss the locations of these new Type B spirits, how to avoid them and if we can''t, how to live with them while ensuring no harm comes to those under us. All our missions are strictly ''fight only if necessary''" Zhue Li turned to Clark. "Continue." Clark withdrew the complicated look aimed at Chill and cleared his throat. "Moving on, we have the Kitsune." A picture showing a larger than life fox with nine incredibly huge tails flapping in the air appeared next to a black haired young girl. "I''ll first play you a video recording. This incident took place in the training grounds of the Spiritual arts Academy." A video begun to play. In the Video, Holly was standing in line with other first year students, the very first class of the entire Spiritual arts academy. A huge figure with a panther head was pacing to their front twirling his mace. "Spiritual energy is something that defies logic as you know it. It''s fueled by emotions." Yaotl stopped infront of a boy with red hair. He grabbed the Snickers bar the boy was hiding behind him. Wally wanted to say something but the sight of those large teeth made him go mum. Yaotl tore off the last of the wrapper and threw the bar in his mouth. "Tempered emotions." He emphasized. "It can manifest in different ways and systems. Before Master Aden came into the picture, you could only use it in four main ways, barring a few exceptions like the subskills." Yaotl shrugged. "But even with them, those are still 4 elements." He walked to the end of the line before moving to their front. "Can someone tell me what those four elements are?" "Easy." Dick snorted. "We have Fire, Air, Water and Earth." "Show off." Artemis nudged him with her foot. "Both of you, drop down and give me 20." Yaotl ordered. "20? I feel insulted." Dick whispered to Artemis while both got on a press up position. "Shut up, you''re going to get us in even more tr..." "With one hand. Oh and on your pinky finger." Yaotl added just as the group of 30 students laughed at the pair. "This is sooo not aster." Dick complained as they got in position and begun to do the press ups based on the instructions given. "And this perfectly demonstrates a passive effect of Spiritual energy on the body." Yaotl taught them. "Grayson and Artemis along with a few others here, have had the lucky chance to be trained in martial arts by Dragon. He''s coincidentally going to be one of the instructors at the school, but that''s besides the point. Basically, Spiritual energy enhances the body to some extent. A stronger body equals more reserves of pure spirit energy. Quality equals quantity and more quality." The god of war looked down at the both of them. "Get up." The two of them jumped to their feet amidst laughter. "Look on closely as I demonstrate the four elements." All their eyes were glued to his body. Yaotl took a deep breath before performing the first set of basic moves in firebending, a single punch. A ball of yellow flames different from his signature torquise flames, launched off the fist, increasing the temperature in the training grounds. Then he crouched low and swept out his leg, a scythe of air slashed out, cutting down a dummy placed on the side. The dummy fell into two parts. Yaotl jumped up by pushing off his hands and landed with a tremor. The ground cratered under his powerful legs, a crack running out that swallowed half of the sliced apart dummy. The other half was falling to the ground after the air slash but it never made it. Yaotl transitioned his landing into a seamless spin that ended with his hands pointed at the descending dummy. Water molecules seemingly materialized along the path his hand was taking, before slamming onto the torso piece of the dummy and drowning it under. "Wow." Cassie Sandsmark, a 9 year old demigod of Zeus and a human whispered in awe. Next to her, was another young kid, he was a little taller with green skin with the chosen moniker of Beast Boy due to his shape shifting abilities. "I know right!?" He added with awe coloring his voice. Almost everyone was impressed. At the end of the line, Holly watched the demonstration and a look of determination crossed her face. She could remember the words, her sister had said to her. "You wanna be special, prove to me that you have the potential." Those words...they were the last thing that Dove...no, she supposed it was Raava now, wasn''t it? Those were the last words she had left behind. Holly tightened her fingers. "I''ll prove to you big sis, you''re not leaving me behind." "Silence." Yaotl ordered. The murmurs that had sprang up after his display immediately died out. He ran his gaze up and down the line. "Jason...Hakeem to the front." He called out two of the students. Jason, a 16 year old boy that also happened to be Wonder Woman''s long lost brother looked around nervously before walking forward. He was so far away from the sea...he missed his father, Glaucus. He had also lost much of his life, having been stuck in a time loop to prevent him from growing into his power by a vengeful Hera. When the loop finally broke after the world had ended, Glaucus'' soul was finally released and Jason found out that the outside world had moved on without him. It was a feat to try and understand this new world and as the demigod of Zeus, Jason was blessed with abilities that spiritual energy added to and enhanced. This ensured an even more interesting life for him. Hakeem was an United Arab Emirates orphan, who made his living from stealing and conning visitors going to Dubai all to take care of his sister. After the recent doubling of the Spiritual energy in the air, be found himself in possession of the power of the desert, he could manipulate sand and had minor control over earth. Both boys, one built like a budding body builder, the other, thin and waif looking stopped infront of Yaotl. The girls were openly eyeing Jason and were liking what they could see. Hakeem looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but there. "Attack me." Yaotl spread out his hands and ordered. Both teens blinked their eyes in surprise. "What? Are you scared?" Yaotl then transformed into his human form, an handsome albeit unassuming brown skinned man. He looked harmless. "There? Is that okay now?" Hakeem narrowed his eyes. "You asked for it." "Wait!" Jason held out his hands to stop him but the other teen was already running forward. Hakeem grunted and launched his palms outwards towards Yaotl. The sand particles on the ground formed into a massive wave that poured down onto Yaotl. "Too telegraphed." The War God''s voice could be heard over the howling sand. He waved a hand and caused a pressure blast strong enough to push away the sand and Hakeem as well. The rest of the students closed their eyes and covered their faces with their hands. Hakeem yelled out in panic as he fell to the ground. "Got you." Jason managed to grab and save him from a terrible fall. "Thanks man." "Well, after that showing, I''m tempted to fall asleep right here." Yaotl ridiculed. Jason stepped away from Hakeem with his eyes blazing white. Sparks of energy danced in them. "Take this!" He raised his hands to the sky, causing a wide streak of purple lightning to fall on them before he directed the attack towards Yaotl. The rest could barely react at the incredulity of it all. Yaotl smiled and allowed the attack to land. The electric energy flowed up his arms before he cycled it through his body and sent it back towards the attacker, faster and more powerful than the initial move. It landed and Jason Was thrown across the training grounds, carving a path through the Sandy ground. He got up unsteadily, spitting out sand grains and wincing as he felt the lightning course through him. His face was set in an expression of disbelief that changed to grudging respect. Yaotl clapped his hands together. "Well done, give it up for the both of them." He instructed as the awed students clapped in appreciation at the show they had just received. "Join the others." Yaotl motioned with his head. "That was so incredibly fantastically cool dude. Wonder Woman''s little bro rocks." Wally commented to Zatanna. "Yeah, if I tried to make such a huge lightning bolt, I would probably be too exhausted to do anything else." She sounded impressed while staring at Jason. "Can anyone tell me what the purpose of that little show was?" "To tell us not to mess with you?" One of the students, an Amazonian joked, causing laughter among them. "While it might be the most important lesson for today," Yaotl added to the joke making the laughter more prominent, "It''s not quite what I was looking for." "It was to demonstrate the sub skills right?" Holly spoke up with seriousness coloring her tone. All eyes turned to her. Yaotl nodded with a strange look on his face. "Precisely." "Sand boy can control sand and blue eyes can produce lightning. At their core they''re just expressions of the traditional elements, correct?" Holly questioned. By now the rest were quiet. Yaotl nodded. "Well put." Holly stepped forward as a shroud of gray darkness unlike Darken''s which was blacker than anything, fell down her form. "What about subskills that are not expressions of the four main elements?" The other students stepped away from her. Aqualad and the rest of the Young Justice stepped forward to stand in front of them as protection. "What about my darkness?" Holly wondered, blinking with glazed eyes as the darkness surrounding her formed up into a fantastic and strange creature. Yaotl looked up and raised his eyebrows. ''Interesting'', he thought. The creature was still nothing but gray darkness up until the tails started forming. A swirl of elemental energy covered each of the tails. Fire, wind, lightning, earth, water, Ice, crystal, wood and metal. All these elemental energies were tainted by darkness. They weren''t the elements as they were known to exist, merely an expression of the part of the darkness in each of them. The Kitsune opened it''s brilliant blue eyes and made contact with Yaotl. The god of war smiled gently. "Hello, young one." "Whoa, can...can you guys do that?" Rocket, the superhero partner and protege of Icon asked the Young Justice. "Not that I know of, we still have no familiarity with Spirit energy." Aqualad answered, looking towards M''gann. "Can you telepathically calm her down if she loses control?" The Martian nodded. "Although my abilities have increased therefore making delicate work like that harder, I can still manage that much." The Kitsune turned it''s gaze towards them, making Robin raise his hands to the sky. "I think he can hear us, guys." "Of course she can hear you, she''s not dumb." Yaotl admonished. "She''s a Kitsune. A spirit of Chaos and Darkness." Holly begun swaying on her feet, only for the Kitsune to enclose her tails around her form. Aqualad ran over to her side, stopping mere inches away.m when she begun to sway. "I won''t hurt her. You can trust me." He said softly as Yaotl looked on with a small smile on his face. The Kitsune looked over at him and he nodded. Only then did she dissolve back into darkness. Aqualad managed to hold onto her just as the video froze. "That happened only a few days ago. The girl in the picture is a student at the Academy and she, along with her other 31 classmates are the first to attend the school. We believe that apart from the birth of new spirits, this marks as the start of a wave of Spirit Users, especially when the energy itself seems to be present in almost everyone." "Our top scientists have identified that exceptional individuals like talented athletes or ones with master skills in different activities have a very high chance of becoming Spirit energy practitioners. Fortunately, this is mostly seen in the age bracket of 10 to 21 years, the development years. That minimizes the chances of most spirit users turning into hardened criminals if proper guidance is provided." "If it''s proper guidance we''re looking for, you can''t get better than the literal God of War." A Governor from district 8 stated. There was a chorus of nods as the others agreed. "No one doubts it and if you want to learn more about the Academy then our very own chair has an information packet available for your perusal." Clark pointed to Zhue Li. "So let''s move on." He pressed another button and a few more panels showing different spirits passed. "We also have the Easter Bunny." He went quiet to let that sink in. "Christ." One of the officials muttered as a video of a real life Easter bunny popped on screen with colored eggs. "A creature that resembles an animated character..." He said as the video landed on a yellow furred animal with streaks of blue lightning running down its body. "Is that Pikachu?" On of the Governors asked in disbelief. "That''s not even what takes the cake." Waller cut in, nodding to Clark. "Now the cases we''ve received are not all...good. We have a team that has been deployed to district 6, to follow up on a certain disturbing incident." The display changed to show a hooded figure retreating towards the dark shadows of an alleyway between 2 stone houses. "5 people have been attacked by whatever this spirit is. The most alarming part is the fatal wounds inflicted match the style of a certain serial killer, Jack the Ripper." "Medical drones were able to arrive on the scene fast enough to heal the 3 women attacked." He straightened up. "But there''s a high chance he will strike again, we have a serial killer Spirit on the loose." Who Wants To Die First? more than 30 chapters of my fics in Pat.reon Pat.reon.com/Saintbarbido. ::-------------------------------------:: Wrote this chapter earlier. Chapter 286 Who Wants To Die First? (Aden''s P.O.V) I could feel him. Past the layers of rock and past the energy signature of the Vibranium masking the whole mountain. The entire natural structure was full of these particular ores but more than that, I could even feel the subtle signature of my own Realm''s natural resources. There was Chaoum and Ordium present. What I had in my hand was the latter after all. "My...father?" Geb asked in a hopeful yet skeptical tone. "Yeah and not only that, but you have siblings and a mom." I sent over memories of Kori and the kids. "We are a family Geb. There''s Kai, Sai, Breeze, Vor and Aqua. You are the youngest." I felt him start to believe it and with the belief came a bevy of positive feelings. He was so happy. Then I stopped feeling him so clearly. It was abrupt and disorienting. One minute we were conversing through a mental link and then the next, the rock souvenir in my hands broke down into sand grains before turning into complete powder. "That...does not belong to you." A distinctly divine voice stated inside my mind. I straightened up, looking down at Shuri and rubbing her hair. It was time. She was coming. "Thanks for the trade sweetheart, I have 2 daughters and they are just as cool as you." Shuri blinked looking unsure. "Cool? Who are you?" "I''m Geb''s Dad. Now that''s enough questions, I need you, your dad and brother to get out of here okay? It''s not safe." I loosened the blood control I had on T''Chaka and the second he was free, he launched himself over at me, only to freeze in place, this time all on his own as I turned to face him. The instinctual fear he felt as he stood before me, caused his knees to buckle. His body knew even if he didn''t, that what he was up against was a force of nature. "Your god is about to perform something very very big to deal with me." I adjusted my clothes. "I suggest you leave. Now!" I passed by a nervous T''Chaka while moving towards the open hole on the entrance of the Palace. The ice sculptures holding the Dora Milaje shattered into pieces, depositing the warrior women on the ground. "Attack!!" Okoye wasted no time in trying to push her spear through my flesh. I lightly flexed my hand and smacked a stone piece of rubble onto her chest, not too hard but just enough to throw her away. More stones floated to the air as I glided forward. Earth bending while hard to master was very useful for intimidation. The fear of a rock crushing them under it''s weight kept them back. "No! Do not attack! We retreat for now. To safety." T''Chaka yelled to them while helping T''Challa up. The Dora Milaje looked torn in-between attacking and showing me their backs as they retreated. "Come on, just leave. You do not want to be a part of this." I whispered a mental suggestion and felt them all get up and begin to depart. Even the warriors gathered on the ground, fighting against Nagini with high tech weaponry and what could have felt like toothpicks to her (spears) stopped as I walked out, stepping on the open air. A wave of awe and fear hit me. "YOU HAVE FOUGHT VALIANTLY, WAKANDANS!" I announced. "Now it is time to accept defeat before the next battle claims your lives. LEAVE!" With the mental order, the grounds were cleared quickly, leaving me alone as the first attack, a frigging meteor cut through the air towards me and with it...a snarl escaped my mouth, face lighting up at the light exuded by the meteor about to land on my head. How dare they?! I understood enough now. Someone was going to die. Several someones. "Nagini?" I softly called out, feeling flesh and muscles shift from behind me. Nagini''s form had increased. From out of the Shadows, a sharp hiss rang out as she lunged, striking the air from the flex of her powerful muscles. Her jaw opened up wide and she swallowed the whole meteor, measuring at about 3 football fields across, in one massive bite. I was appalled at the reckless attack that would have wiped Wakandan off the map. However, even more than Bast trying to kill her very own people, things were not so simple. Inside her blazing divinity that permeated the whole Wakandan capital, was something very very familiar. Something I knew almost too well. My power. Nagini landed on the ground next to me in a gigantic form. She coiled around my body protectively, her hood which resembled a Cobra''s flaring out as she stared at the sky, the same as I. A star twinkled brightly, almost too out of place even in the wide starry night. A falling star. "It''s okay, girl." I patted Nagini. "I am more than sufficient to take care of this. Meanwhile, I''m giving you a new task." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I stomped my foot onto the palace grounds. "Underneath these mountains is a location hidden from my divine sense but not from the bond Geb and I share. I can feel his spirit call out to me. I need you to dig through the dirt and stones and find him." Then I sent her an image of what the whole landscape looked like after a general scan by my divine sense. Nagini''s scale''s became sharper as spikes sprouted from all around her form. She gave one final hiss to the descending god and left, spearing through the soil in crazy speeds. The ground shook for a second or so before everything calmed down. Then the star finally landed. A pillar of red and purple energy slightly pulsing out in waves, undulated, destroying the green grass under our feet and upturning rocks and stones. The crater left behind by the forceful landing smoked lightly, the deep grooves all leading to a figure in the middle of the hole. She had ebony skin that lightly glowed, a half mask of a cat that covered the top of her face, a golden armor with black and purple highlights glowing with power and claws, big sharp looking claws. Her eyes were like a cat''s, split and deadly. She stared at me with saliva dripping off the forever of her mouth. "Bast." I said. "You smell... delicious." Her voice was surprisingly human only with a light growl at the end. Yikes, don''t tell me this bitch is crazy. I looked up at the sky and laughed, seeing even more falling stars. The second of them landed at my back, destroying the palace and causing an explosion of light and divine energy to wash out to the surroundings. Even without looking, I knew who this one was. If Bast was like the darkness, the new arrival was like the light, two counterparts of each. Sekhmet. And she was breathing heavily while staring at me in hunger. The pressure blast from her landing spread out across the grounds, uprooting most of the buildings and causing an electromagnetic pulse that destroyed the technology in the well lighted city. The evacuation hover crafts plummeted from the sky. Those aerial vehicles were the ones carrying T''Chaka and his family. I don''t think Geb would like it too much if his friend died, plus I kinda of liked Shuri, she reminded me of a blend between Breeze and Kai. The winds carried out my will and gently cradled the hovercrafts. Then I connected them with the pilots'' mind. Where he wanted to go, they would follow the direction and take them there. (General P.O.V) Inside the ship, the Black Panther stood before the clear windows, having witnessed the gods'' arrival. "Somehow, we are back on course your majesty." He heard the transmission from the pilot and tapped his Kimoyo Beads. "Good." He answered before getting back to watching the catastrophe that had quickly and without warning struck his nation. The palace he had grown in had been destroyed by the second pillar of light. The first having destroyed the playgrounds T''Chaka and his brother had grown up playing in. The woods close to the palace where a number of treasured animals, endangered in the outside world had found their home were gone. The training grounds, the science division installed, the wonderful memories...all destroyed. He knew that while he and his family had escaped, Ramona''s touch being the thing that made him grateful for the Enemy''s mercy, many more had not been lucky. The servants and warriors who had tried to cover their retreat...also gone. T''Chaka closed his eyes. All their lives...lost and for what? Did they mean nothing? Was their culture, one so steeped in religion all wrong? Was it all a lie? T''Chaka knew, he could feel it inside his blood and soul. That was Bast and Sekhmet down there. Up against the stranger. Bast and Sekhmet, their gods. Uncaring about their people''s welfare, only concerned by the enemy. An enemy who had allowed them to leave. An enemy who had had the chance to ask for anything he could have wanted from T''Chaka while he held the lives of his children in his hands yet hadn''t. Even the Enigma of actually being proven true, that Bast and Sekhmet existed was overshadowed by their cruelty and disregard for life. That electromagnetic pulse had been enough to disrupt technology and Wakanda was a heavily technological nation. Had the evacuation vehicle fell from the sky, it would have seen the death of his children, his wife and his people. He might have survived as the Black Panther but such a life would have been worse than death. Even now, the winds that carried them away to safety...he knew it in his blood and his soul, using the already unwanted connection with Bast to understand that this...was not her doing. "But...why?" T''Chaka felt tears run down his face as he allowed the mask he had worn before with pride, to fall to the ground. Ramona was comforting the children, T''Chaka hid away his tremors of heartbreak as his faith was utterly destroyed. The children needed their mother more than he needed his wife. "Our goddess, she...she betrayed us. We could have died. We should have died." Okoye grabbed one of her sisters, the one how had said that and back handed her. "Do not forget our duty, dear sister! You are a warrior!" She said forcefully to the rest of them, gathered around the Royal Family, all waiting for their king''s orders. Okoye let go of the Dora Milaje before turning to face the strong back of the Black Panther. "We protect the king and the royal family. Everything else is mere distraction. When all is lost, my liege, I can assure you that our duty will remain." She slammed the pommel of her spear on the floor. "Give us your orders, your majesty. What are we to do?" Everyone looked towards the King''s back. And for the first time ever, it seemed as if the burden had become too heavy. The hands of the black Panther were slack with overwhelming guilt and despair. Silence dominated the whole cabin, then silently, T''Challa got to his feet. The young prince walked forward amid the stares of his family and people. The Dora heard his footsteps and shuffled while still on their knees to make way for him. "Father, you were right." T''Challa told him. T''Chaka stiffened. "No, you were the one who was correct about the nature of the world. We have been too...content. Too passive. Too selfish. And now we reap the mistakes of my incompetence. The outside world could have benefited from our help. We... could have benefited from their help as well during a time like this. The gods...it''s all a lie. And with it, even the black panther...it has lost its meaning." He shook his head. "We are powerless, that much is true. But only when we are alone." T''Challa responded, stepping up to stand next to his father. "Our gods are not who we thought. Our enemy not what we would expect. But even with all of that, the enduring factor in all this is hope. A hope to never give up on each other, even when the world and our gods have." He bent down and grabbed the mask. "And the Black Panther is that beacon of hope." He offered it to T''Chaka. The king looked at his son as if he was seeing him for the first time. Then he blinked, feeling a surge of pride within him. Yes. Not all was lost. They were Wakandan, they would endure. "Thank you son." He smiled, wearing the mask and turning to face the Dora Milaje. "You asked for a direction, we save our people." (Aden''s P.O.V) Gods, my hate for them has never been a secret. They are self centered assholes with irredeemable qualities. I had thought that things would be different here but just when I had almost convinced myself of that, my eyes got opened to the truth. Whoever these things were, they weren''t the gods I was expecting. They were corrupt. They were evil and they were selfish. Actually, scratch that, they were exactly what I was expecting. And they had been using my link with Geb to steal power from me for millions of years. It was what I had been feeling, it was why my divine energy had felt so weird the second I woke up. Different from the Druids and sorcerers I could feel even now using my reserves and giving back meaning and understanding, these gods were subtly draining my particular blend of Spiritual, Divine, Elemental, Psionic and Mystical energy, using it like a drug. The perfect cocktail. And the two of them weren''t the only ones either. More stars rained down from the sky. The pillars striking and destroying more and more of the Palace grounds and the mountain it was built on. It made perfect sense really. If the humans, no matter how genius they were could actually tap into my abilities, then why wouldn''t the gods achieve the same feat? The number threw me off, I''ll admit. "So many leeches." I commented. "This was not the plan. The plan was to lay low and train for the next decade or so before kicking everyone''s asses." Chaos commented. "Well, you know what they say, plans rarely survive guest contact with the enemy." 50 plus gods, I was caught in the middle of over 50 gods all silently watching me with an almost feral and hungry expression. Like Junkies looking for their next fix. The landscape from before, around us for miles was nowhere to be seen. The shield that had been shimmering in the sky over the Capital city was now gone and dust clouds and smoke covered the night sky. I closed my eyes and breathed out. Nagini was close to Geb''s position, only a few seconds were needed. One of the gods made to move but I raised a hand. "Wait... almost there...nice." I opened my eyes, cutting off divine sense. "The last humans are out of the danger zone, now you have no reason to hold back. You''re going to need every advantage you can get." I smiled. "Who wants to die first?" Overconfidence (General P.O.V) Aden''s question was met with laughter from the enemies around him. Over 50 gods. He needed more information. Mental tendrils escaped out of Aden towards one of his opponents, the weakest looking of the bunch. A god with tribal tattoos running up his powerful arms and wearing a helmet made of gorilla skin. He had a powerful club that dripped with brown fire towards the ground. His mental feelers tried to worm their way through the god''s mind but lacked purchase. His efforts did not go unnoticed. There was a shift in the victim''s mental activity. "I can feel you trying to break through Opo''s mind, Traveller. Cease your futile attempts, I guard their thoughts and for all your power, you cannot defeat me, Mawu begone!" Aden''s mind was thrust back out. He rubbed his temple in annoyance. "What happened to hospitality?" He ground out. "It''s the least you could do after selfishly feeding on me without asking for permission." He addressed them. "Permission?" Sekhmet laughed. "We are gods, permission is not needed." Aden turned to stare at her. "Is that why you almost killed your own people? Because you think being a god puts you above everything else?" "Yes." Sekhmet answered, not even giving much thought to it. "Wow, you are a bitch." Aden shook his mind. "What did you call me?" The Lion Goddess teeth grew bigger as she crouched in preparation to attack. "Sekhmet enough." Bast admonished with an exhausted tone. It seemed like this was not the first time she had scolded her. "You antagonize her further and I will not be able to hold her back." She addressed Aden. "Then she''ll die." He shrugged, walking forwards to stop a short distance away from Bast. "I have a question. Why? Why act as if human life is meaningless?" Bast was forced to look up from her position. To change that, she lowered her body before jumping out of the crater formed by her arrival. She landed a few feet away from Aden, giving him the chance to actually see her from up close. "Because it is. The dead shall be led by my sister and I to the green valley where their souls will reside for eternity." She answered. "Is she serious? " Chaos wondered. "So you justify blatant murder because their is an afterlife." Aden narrowed his eyes. "There''s a reason why there''s an after before the life. Death is given meaning by the life lived. You''re not being gracious," he looked around at the gathered gods. "You''re just cunts with nothing better to do." "How dare you!" There was a massive uproar at his words as all the gods seemed to join in in outrage at his words. "Kill him!" "Death!" "Take his head!" "And his power!" Bast raised an arm and the cries died out. "You''re not making any friends here. Surrender and allow to be placed under these enchanted chains." She placed her hand on her hip and pulled out a long chain glowing with a golden color. A note of interest appeared in Aden''s eyes. "Is that Uru?" Chaos asked the same question in Aden''s mind. "Most likely." He answered, wondering if they would suppress his power. Aden was actually tempted to try and see. If they could, it would provide new training methods. What he was sure of was that the chains made Bast and the rest confident. Up until now, he was yet to understand why they seemed intent to deal with him. He could have demanded to know but Aden was also invested in stretching out the time. He could feel Nagini break through seals and Formations holding Geb captive. It was just a matter of time until he got them safely out of the way. The gods had the odds tacked against them. They just did not know it. The worrying thing was what he could feel something watching from the darkness. Countermeasures were needed. (Kamar Taj) He just appeared out of nowhere. The Ancient One was surprised by the sudden arrival but took it in stride. She closed the book on her table with the very ambiguous title of, ''The Rift between God And Man'' and shoved it back on the shelf but not faster than he could see. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "So I''m guessing you know what''s happening?" He asked, sitting on the chair opposite her. "The descent of the Ennead and the Vodu. Gods native to Africa with a few outliers among them. I''m surprised the Loa were not involved as well." He stood. "I need to know something. Will the world be affected if by some chance they all died?" She widened her eyes. "Don''t. Kill. Them." She grit out, slamming her palms on the table. He laughed. "You misunderstand, I am not here to ask for permission. This is only a heads-up. Do what you need to do and mitigate the disasters. Today is the dusk of those gods who decided to block my way." He straightened up, ready to leave before pausing in place. "Hey, can I ask for a favor?" (General P.O.V) The chains dangling from Bast''s hands slackened somewhat. "I knew it." Bast told him. "You would choose stubbornness over a chance at life." Aden''s mind was split between two things. Nagini had just arrived at the core of Geb''s prison. She was struggling to break through however. And soon the tremors would rock the ground and alert them as to his sneaky plan if they didn''t already know. "I can smell his divinity up close. It is intoxicating dear sister." Sekhmet, the Lion Goddess growled from Aden''s back. The latter looked around and a major feeling of deja Vu hit him. He had been in situations like this more times than he could count. "For the salvation of everything known, we must attack. Now!" Sekhmet added upon seeing the silent and contemplative look on Bast''s face. "You have our support." A god with the head of a jackal stepped up to stand next to Bast, watching Aden with an indecipherable look. "Sekhmet is right." A gorilla god landed next to Bast. "We have our differences Panther, but Hanuman stands with you. We need the Power to fight him back. To fight his darkness. We need the boy." "Bast..." Sekhmet called out, inching closer to Aden''s back with aggression pouring off her. With a purple flash two sharp looking sickles appeared in her hands. "Well...??" Bast still remained silent, content to stare at the silent Aden with a conflicted look. A restlessness gripped the gathered gods. "We will let the child go if you slow yourself to be captured by these chains." She threw them directly before Aden. The latter looked down at them and gave no response. A trail of sweat rolled down Bast''s head. "Nagini needs a distraction." Chaos informed the Prima. "Well, then let''s provide her with all the distraction in the world." Aden who had been waiting patiently, made his move by floating up the sky. "Are we going to fight or not? Once my sword comes off it''s sheath, there is no going back." And as if to test the veracity of his words, Equity flashed out and managed to split apart a silver arrow falling from the sky. To be precise the attack came from the moon. The energy destabilized and dug grooves in the earth on either side of him. The first attack had been made. Divine energy made the entire continent shake with power as over 50 gods pulled on their domains of power to fight. Aden felt them move towards him and flew higher, escaping a multitude of attacks that hit each other and caused shockwaves to ring out, devasting more of the capital. He narrowed his eyes as a wind started blowing from all directions at the same time. The south, the north, the east and the west. Dark storms that blew everything away, uprooting the vegetation in place before forming into a huge figure made up of smoke. The figure raised up it''s hands and threw them down, billions of volts of electric energy, purple in color fell down on top of Aden''s position. The attack had seemingly come from nowhere. One minute Sekhmet was ready to jump in, the next all the gods were teleporting away into the sky to escape the attack. Thunder rumbled across the heavens, audible even to T''Chaka and his family who were holding up in the Jabari region. The entire Wakandan ranges and surrounding areas were drowned under the astonishing powers displayed by Shango, the god of lightning and Thunder. Bast popped up 100 meters above the ground. Next to her Sekhmet, Osiris, Isis, Horus and Shu appeared. "He is distracted! Now is our chance!" Shu addressed the rest, holding out his hands and causing Tornadoes to sprout. He released the gyrating winds and made them pour down towards the ground. The already decimated surroundings underwent another change of scenery. Rocks and boulders that had tumbled down from the raised ground were lifted and used to buffet the last position their enemy had occupied. "Be careful not to destroy the entire landscape. We need the child alive!" Bast ordered. A massive shockwave exploded out with their enemy''s position as the Epicenter. "Attacking me with Wind? Are you dumb?" The voice was projected straight to all their ears. The dust clouds were repelled by some unseen force tearing through the sky in a flash. Tiny winds fell upon Shu and completely eviscerated him, the tornado of small winds pulled and pushed him in all directions, tearing apart his body and leaving behind a blood mist and loud painful screams that would have made the eardrums of a normal human explode. "Shu!" Osiris could not believe it. The god was dying before their very eyes. "Damn you! Shango some help would be appreciated! Occupy him until we have the child out." The cloud being in the sky moved to attack once again, holding out it''s hands to the sky. "Oh no you don''t." The winds slashing apart Shu materialized into a handsome man with a black sword held in his left hand. With his right, Aden grabbed onto the divine blood in the red mist that belonged to Shango. Then he caused a red and golden sword to materialize from it. Without a word, the Vodu and the Enead gods gathered wasted no time to retaliate, feeling the grim aura exuded by the black weapon in his hands. "Are you going to ignore the Ancient One and kill them?" Chaos asked just as the second wave of attacks landed, the same lunar arrows spearing through the air, blazing with light. Aden stepped to the side and watched the attacks sail past him, enter a portal of his own creation then shoot back towards the source. The unnamed lunar god was taken out by their own enhanced attack. "Do you think I have a choice? They''re trying to kill me too!" He shouted at his Chaos side. Reason seemed to have corrupted this wild and passionate side of him to the point every action he did, was seen as reckless. Before they could move in towards him again, a rumble sounded out. Aden and the rest were forced to look towards the ground. Cracks appeared on the rocky terrain. Ones that glowed with a purple color that formed up into a very strange symbol. Aden recognized the symbol almost immediately, the symbol of earth bending. And he stood at the center of it. "I see now, I understand...The Vibranium was merely masking him away from me. I couldn''t look if I didn''t know he existed." Nagini had gotten to Geb. "Dad...?" The voice was unsure and scared. But hopeful as well. Aden floated to the ground, uncaring of the enemies trying to kill him. He touched the ground and felt the connection between them. "I''m here, Geb. Everything is going to be alright. Just follow Nagini and she will take care of before we see each other again, okay?" There was a silence. "What about Shuri?" Aden smiled. "Don''t worry about her. She and a family are safe and I promise I will keep it that way. Just follow Nagini for now." "Okay. Geb finally answered. "Are you actually going to do what I think you''re going to do?" Chaos asked Aden, just as the Avatar connected with the piece of land. "All this Vibranium is invaluable. I cannot let it be destroyed due to our fight. Once we are done fighting, I''ll bring it back to the Wakandans. They are innocent. Their gods are the selfish ones. "What is he thinking of doing?" Sekhmet asked, seeing Aden crouch in place with his hands on the ground. "Wait..." Bast narrowed her eyes. He was trying to separate the chunk of ground housing most of the Vibranium and take it somewhere else. She couldn''t let that happen. Bast opened her mouth. "Attack! Kill hi..." Then she choked. Blood splurted out of her mouth as a fist was buried inside her chest. In a move that shocked everyone present, her body was ripped apart into two pieces. Aden shook his head to get rid of the blood, using his other arm to show them Bast''s head, locked in an expression of surprise. "Still feeling confident?" To make matters worse, the entire landmass rose up behind him, the rocks glowed purple, casting an intimidating light on all of them. Bast, had just died. Kill Them All. (General P.O.V) "I knew, I''d find you here." Clark said to the tall man looking out through the glass window of the building. "Missing the old Gotham view?" He asked, stepping up to stand next to ''Joe Chill'' "Mmmh." Chill lowered his head in thought. "I thought I would, but, no. No I don''t. This is peaceful. I just wish it wasn''t all a lie." Clark held his shoulder and turned him around. "It''s not, Bruce. This is an opportunity to just...live." The Kryptonian advised. "Free of our suits, free of worrying our loved ones. Lois and I have some news." He ended with a smile on his face. "She''s pregnant." Chill told him, unfazed. Clark blinked his eyes. "Of course you''d know that." He shook his head and looked away. "So how''d you do it? And why?" Clark questioned, knowing that the other man would understand want he meant. Chill brought a hand to his neck where a green pendant was hanging off it. "Zatara." "And why did you choose the man responsible for the murder of your parents?" That question went unanswered for so long, Clark thought he would never get a response. Finally, he did. "To remind myself of who I am. By staring into the mirror and seeing the face of the man who took them away from me, I will never forget what I am." Bruce Wayne under the disguise of Joe Chill answered. (Elsewhere) "Thor, Loki, stand up and follow me." They did as told, following after Frigga, the Queen of Asgard. "Where are you taking us mother?" Thor enquired, ony to get an elbow shoved into him from his younger brother. The former glared at Loki but chose to stay silent after sensing the seriousness in Frigga. Soon enough they made it through the main wings of the palace, passing through opulent hallways and further in to a tower reserved for their mother''s magical practices. Passing through a magical barrier, Loki and Thor immediately noticed the coven of witches under Frigga. They were responsible for enchanting and healing using a blend of magic and superior technology afforded to them by the presence of Uru. There were in total six of them, all surrounding a pool of water. Thor and Loki looked at each other as the coven chanted in low voices. "What is happening?" Thor asked Loki, the expert in magic between them. Loki turned his gaze towards the coven and tried to understand the magical formation on the ground, glowing yellow. "The symbols...they are meant to shield our gaze from something...gah! it''s too complex." He responded with a tone full of frustration. "You''re correct. Though I can see you''re not keeping up with your magical practice Loki." From the middle of the chamber, Frigga commented. "Sorry mother. I''ve been too busy taking care of your first born son." Loki said with a smirk, causing Thor to slap him at the back of his head and Frigga to roll her eyes. "Stop it boys." She told them before a fight broke out. "Now come, I need to show you something." The both of them walked the length of distance between them and soon enough flanked Frigga on both sides as she stared at a huge basin of water. The basin was in the middle of the pool, a lone stone path leading to it. "My sisters are here to make sure our gaze is not felt by those who remain in the shadows." She informed them. "What are you talking about mother?" Thor wondered. "Those who remain in the Shadows?" Loki asked. "Sounds interesting." Frigga shook her head. "That''s a conversation you''re going to have with your father." She looked over to Loki. "I need you both, especially you Loki, to promise me that you won''t try to find them before your father wakes up from his Odin Sleep. Furthermore that is not why I brought you here." She waved a hand over the basin of clear water and it started to roil around. She then placed a hand inside the pocket of her royal dress and brought out a small vial with a milky liquid. Loki gasped. "Those are the tears of a unicorn." "Wait, Unicorn?" Thor burst out in laughter. "They don''t exist." "You''re both right." Frigga told them as Loki threw a stink eye towards his brother. "They don''t exist now but they did in the past. My brother and I used to run through the fields of Vanaheimr in hopes we would catch a glimpse of one." Frigga explained, pouring the vial of tears into the basin of water. The chanting from the coven increased in tempo and volume. "The blood and tears of an Unicorn are great magical amplifiers. The spell cast on this water will reveal to us what we want to see, the unicorn tears will reveal to us what we need to see." She concluded just as the water turned milky like the tears. Then the milky color gave way to the image of a man both Thor and Loki gasped upon seeing. "It''s him." Thor muttered. "Keep on watching." Frigga ordered and her two sons turned their attention back to the basin. Aden looked up as if he could sense them before turning his attention to his front. The image in the water panned to reveal more of his surroundings. "Those are gods. I recognize Osiris." "Not just the Enead either. The huge figure made up of clouds is Shango, I remember pranking him that one time father took us to Omnipotence city." Loki commented. The liquid in the basin turned back to normal water as the image faded away. Frigga was left with a thoughtful look on her face while the two Princes begun arguing. "How could I forget, due to you Lord Olurun pushed for both of us to be denied attendance to the yearly Orgy for 300 years." Thor complained. "Oh get over it. It''s been a century since then." Loki rolled his eyes. "Boys, please pay attention." Hearing the slight admonishment in their mother''s voice both of them went quiet. "There''s a reason I brought you here." She turned to them with a grim face. "Midgard is going to get destroyed and there is nothing we can do." (Elsewhere) There was a groan from the huge piece of rock suspended in the air. Easily the size of an entire football stadium and weighing in more than 100000 tons, it cast a purple glow on both Aden and the gods. Not to mention the macabre light it seemed to wash over the corpse in Aden''s hands. Bast was dead. Sekhmet blinked, trying to reach out to the divine bond she and her sister both shared. "You...you bastard..." She whispered, forced to watch her sister''s head and a section of the spine still attached to it dangle from the alien god''s hands. "You never used to be this bloody. What has changed?" Chaos asked. Aden looked at the gathered gods and felt the pulse of his divine power increase within them. They eyed the rock piece behind them with ravenous hunger before looking back at him, the only thing standing in between Geb and the gods who wanted to devour him. "Everything." Aden answered, letting Bast''s head fall into the darkness. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Panic had not yet set in. Still shell shocked from the drastic turn of events, the gods present could do nothing except watch. As if in slow motion, Bast''s head disappeared into the depths of the deep and wide cavern left behind, after the entire chunk of Vibranium ore was lifted to the sky by Aden. Being this close to Geb, the strain of holding over 100,000 tons just by Earth bending alone was no existent. "Hold on Geb, I am about to take you somewhere else. Someplace safer." Aden told his son. A feeling of uncertainty and worry was coming off the young spirit. "What about Shuri? Dad, you need to keep her safe." His son adamantly said. Realizing that now was not the time to argue, seeing as he was facing a large group of gods after Killing their leader, Aden decided to recklessly accept the request. He also noted that different from his older brothers and sisters, Geb was more composed. "Don''t worry," Aden assured. "None of these gods will make it out of here in one piece." The last part was said out loud as a challenge to his enemies. "You...bastard." Sekhmet whispered once more, divine power brimming inside of her, ready to blow like a pressure cooker. "Hanuman, hold her back! We cannot afford to carelessly move in!" Osiris, the god of the Underworld, told the Gorilla god of the Jabari tribe. "Careful Osiris, do not presume I''m under your command." Hanuman rumbled as he bunched up and enclosed his huge arms around Sekhmet. The Lion Goddess tried to fight the hold but failed. "Everybody! move back!" Osiris ordered once more. This time with more urgency than when they had first retreated, the whole group made distance between them and Aden. The latter watched them with a far away look, an idea had just occured to him. Almost 100 meters away from the edge of the deep cavern left behind, Isis turned to her husband. "Osiris, we will need more than just a few major deities and dozens of minor gods to stop him from taking the child away. We need more assistance." Osiris shook his head. "No, if we bring in the other Pantheons, then we will lose our influence. It will be tantamount to admitting we failed. They were content to let us handle this. Let us show them the Enead are not to be trifled with." Her husband replied stubbornly. Isis knew he couldn''t see the bigger picture. She just hoped that he wouldn''t come to regret his decision. Still, she couldn''t let it go. If they couldn''t depend on the other Pantheons, it was time to bring out the big guns. "We cannot wait any longer. We need that thing''s help." Isis told him in a grim tone. Osiris sighed, turning his attention To Horus. "Your mother is right." The armless god told the god of war and the sky next to him. "Open the gates of the Celestial Heliopolis. Anubis will take it from there." Not just Horus, even the gods present all looked astonished by his decision. "Father...are you thinking of releasing it? What...what about grandfather?" Osiris stared at Aden. The threat he posed was too much. "Do it. Father will understand." Aden seemed content to wait, not even concerned with them as he was in a deep conversation with Chaos. "You seem sure it will work." Chaos commented. "It makes sense, don''t you think?" Aden shot back, looking at the mutilated body of the Panther goddess dripping red and gold blood. "They stole from me through Geb. Most likely because a, they couldn''t actively deal with me and b, they didn''t know my location." "Then how did Geb get to Earth?" Chaos asked, prompting Aden to look down into the deep darkness. "Below us, there is... something down there. I think we''ll get our answers sooner than we expect, right now," he looked up. "We need to focus on ensuring none of them leave." Horus ascended to the sky, the image of a falcon appearing behind him. The other gods seemed to cover the way towards him. "They''re planning something devious." Aden narrowed his eyes. "I think I know what it is." Chaos replied. Realization dawned in Aden''s eyes as he came to almost the same conclusion. "Fuck. Let''s get Geb and Nagini back to Energia." He snapped his fingers and the chunk of earth he had held aloft was immediately swallowed up by a yellow portal. "What just happened?" Shu enquired to no apparent answer. The entire Vibranium ore was simply...gone. "Fuck!" Osiris cursed out. "Don''t worry, as long as we deal with him, we will get it back." He told the restless gods who were immediately discouraged upon seeing their payday get taken away. Aden reached out to space and locked it, preventing them from teleporting out. "None of you are leaving here alive! Say your last prayers to...well I guess yourselves." He declared, his voice ringing out across the entire country. T''Chaka looked up from where they were setting up camp in the Jabari mountains. He could see dust and smoke rising up from the capital city. "Ramonda, get Shuri inside." He addressed his wife who complied wordlessly. However before she could fully leave, T''Chaka spoke up again. "I felt her presence leave me. Bast is dead." Ramonda was surprised for a bit, tightening her hold on Shuri. Okoye and the rest of the Dora Milaje surrounding the royal family, also showed different reactions. "You do not sound heartbroken over the news." The Queen answered. "I know. Bast is dead...and all I can feel is immense relief." The words which would have been blasphemous at any other time rang true with everyone gathered. "Our people will endure." A new voice stated, T''Challa walked towards them with the Jabari tribal leader, M''Gonda and the rest of the council members. Behind him, the armies of each tribe were in formation, ready to go to war for their nation. "The sons and daughters of Wakanda have survived much worse. Wakanda Forever." There was a cry of agreement from the gathered forces. "Now how about you lead us to take back our home, Black Panther?" T''Challa offered with a smile. (Elsewhere) Aden knew what they were planning and if it became a success, then the world would be in great jeopardy. That''s why he had to stop them. There was no more wasting time. No more time to talk. No more nothing. With a pressure blast that both propelled him towards the gods and devasted the surroundings, he set upon the first of the gods, a group of minor ones who happened to block his way. Equity flashed through the air. And like a hot knife through butter, 7 heads came flying out. He tagged the rest of their bodies, storing them inside his infinite inventory space and continued. Most of the gods tried to fly away. He pushed out his hand and gravity begun to act upon them in a horizontal manner. "Shango!" Osiris shouted to the god made up of clouds while trying to get away from the force beginning to pull them towards the death machine. Shango roared, a sound that was not only heard through Wakanda but had devastating effects throughout the world. "He''s a big one." Chaos commented, seeing the lightning streaks fall from the sky towards their position. The gods had a reprieve and most of them scattered in every direction to escape the massacre. The ones who were left behind knew their only chance to live was to support Shango and end the threat of Aden once and for all. Or at least wait until Horus did what he needed to do. Aden allowed the attack to land and simply blew past it. His body was so powerful that this level of lightning did not and could not hurt him. Not even his clothes were singed. His chromatic eyes flashed as he managed to make it past the lightning bolts and land a blow on Shango. "My god..." Isis muttered, seeing the god of Thunder and Lightning get split from head to toe, as Equity extended into a massive size and shape. A shockwave blasted out, the clouds and winds making up Shango blowing away across the sky. "Yes? You called for me." Aden told the goddess, Isis as he appeared before her. The latter pulled her hands back in panic, then pushed them towards him. Rings of mystical fire surrounded Aden, seeking to scorch him more than the winds and heat of the Sahara. "You are no match for my magic, alien!" She yelled out in resolve as the rings surrounding Aden doubled in number and size, extending to encapsulate him in a ball of flames. "Mother!!! Get back he''s..." Horus'' next words were cut off as a tremendous explosion rippled out that drowned both Isis and a multitude of river and forest gods under it. A zone of 50 meters all around burned with silver fire. "Isis!!!" Osiris shouted with a broken voice as he found himself carried away by Shu''s winds. Aden stopped, swiping out his sword and aiming it at Osiris. "Using elemental attacks to deal with me? I am the god of every element you know of. Now prepare to die." He addressed Osiris before flashing towards him through the sky at speeds that were not even a percentage of his true ability, but still fast enough to astound the gods present. "I give that speech a 4 out of 10. No intimidating factor at all." Chaos told him just as he arrived near the first few gods standing between him and Osiris. He wanted the god of the Underworld to rejoin his wife in...wherever the gods went to after death. He threw Equity to the side, turning it''s shape from a generic katana to several flying daggers that managed to land on Shu. The god of wind had formed his body out of the air next to Aden, seeking to hit him with a sneak attack but was instead completely destroyed by him. A shockwave rang out as Aden pulled a hand back and threw a simple fist. The air crackled and the gods on the other end of the fist saw death approaching them. "Oh shit..." One of them muttered knowing they couldn''t escape the blow. Bam! The first had her body completely pulverized into a bloody mist that obscured the other''s sights. "Don''t destroy their bodies!" Chaos yelled in urgency. "Remember, we need them dead but intact." Aden ignored him. He was too far gone in his bloodlust. All the pent up emotions from being so far away from his family just came rippling out and the result was a massacre of untold proportions. Aden slashed out his hand and space split apart 10 more gods closest to his position. Body parts fell from the sky and rained towards the ground in a shower of blood, limbs and guts. "Or you can you know, just completely obliterate some, it''s fine." Chaos told him, understanding that there was no stopping him. The path to Osiris was free. Aden smirked and blinked, teleporting through space to appear next to the unarmed god. Literally. Osiris had no hands. And with a shove of his palm through the ribcage, Aden made sure that Osiris was missing a heart as well. He looked into his eyes, pulling him closer as Osiris choked on his blood. "You guys fucked up. I''m not someone you can challenge and just walk away." Aden shook his head. "I''m particularly harsh to anyone who calls themselves a god." His other hand came up and blocked Horus'' desperate attack. There was a pressure blast at the contact. "Horus...No." Osiris coughed out, wishing that his son had not abandoned the task given to him. "Damn you!" The falcon headed god shouted in Aden''s face trying to push him. A shield of air blocked the spittle spraying towards Aden. Then his hand snaked out and grabbed onto the Horus'' neck. On one hand he had the father and the other, the son. "Please..." Osiris struggled to say, coughing up more blood. He was asking him to spare his son''s life. Aden crushed his heart. Literally and figuratively. Wild screams rang out as silver flames washed down Horus'' body, burning his wings to a blackened crisp and turning his body into ash that drifted in the open air. "Lord Horus!" "Osiris!" The Enead were stumped and shocked. Aden turned towards them as he stashed away Osiris'' body in his inventory. "Any last words?" "Die! you bastard!!" Sekhmet managed to break past a shocked Hanuman''s grip and fell upon Aden with her two divine weapons flashing out. Some of the other gods, those who had wildly underestimated the difficulty of the mission, tried to fly away from the scene after trying and failing to teleport away. Multiple comet like figures escaped to the ends of the world and even past that as they run away. "I''m not getting left behind either, so say hi to my dear sister, Death, for me will ya?" Chaos told them as Equity multiplied from one dagger into hundreds and then thousands, each dozen dedicated to the cowards who were fleeing. They cut through the air following after each and everyone of them. Some tried to trick the daggers by shape shifting and failed, others tried to block them and similarly failed. All of them met their end. All over the world, people saw shooting stars that were quickly extinguished before they could land, by a black flash. Over 20 gods died without even knowing what it was that killed them. Back on the scene, Aden dodged the sickle in Sekhmet''s hand by merely leaning to the side. His right hand came up and a thin plasma beam tore through another god''s head. Then he broke apart into flames under Sekhmet''s second attack. "Horus that fool! Had he simply been patient and opened the gateway for Apophis, the serpent of Chaos and darkness, none of this would be happening!" Hanuman yelled, jumping towards Aden, knowing that death was coming for him but still too brace to flee. Equity appeared out of nowhere, blocking Sekhmet''s next attack and pushing her away. "Bad Gorilla." Aden chided, blasting Hanuman off the sky with a telekinetic blast delivered by a mere wave of his hand. The god fell from the height of several hundred meters, smacking very hard onto the ground and promptly going unconscious. "We kill everyone and you decide to spare the bloodthirsty Gorilla?" Chaos wondered, perplexed. "I like Gorillas. Plus the Jabari are cool." Aden shrugged. "Don''t Ignore Me! You bastard!!" Sekhmet growled out, her fury causing light, white fur to sprout all over her arms. "Shit, she just went super Saiyan 4." Chaos commented as the sickle strikes flashed out faster than before. Any attack Aden dodged went on to fly through the air in a white slash before disappearing, or landed on the ground further devastating the landscape. Aden looked deep into her eyes as their weapons clashed. Sekhmet leaned into the attack with all the strength she could muster. Aden pushed her away easily, not even budging from his position. "Alright, you want me to give you all my attention? That is exactly what I am going to do." Equity was dismissed back into his soul space. Aden cracked his knuckles and his neck. "Are you mocking me?" The lioness goddess exclaimed. Did he think her undeserving to fight with his weapons? Aden gave no answer except for cracking his fingers. Sekhmet''s body turned more and more animalistic, her teeth grew longer and her fingers sprouted sharp looking claws. Her anger had gone past fury and was now in the rage category. She pointed her sickle towards Aden. "I..." Thwack! A backhand caused her to spit out most of her teeth. The rage instantly vanished giving way to to pained surprise. Aden grabbed onto her face and fell to the ground, smashing her down onto the rough terrain, hard. Her ribs shattered along with her spine. He threw her to the sky and then kicked her on her midsection with a mule kick. Before she could fly too far, he was there at her back, delivering another bone crushing attack that completely folded her chest to the left, destroying most of her vital organs. Sekhmet hit the ground and curved a groove under it, her body in too much agony for her to react as she saw something fell towards her from the sky. "Sister... I''m so..." Her next words were cut off as Aden landed on her head with his knee, splitting it apart like a pumpkin. Sekhmet was gone before she even knew it. "Brutal." Chaos commented once more. "Well, they didn''t leave me a choice." Aden responded, feeling queasy about the bloodshed but also knowing it was necessary. He got up, Equity appearing in his hands. "Now, who''s left?" He asked, looking around. There was no one however, he had killed them all. Are You It? (Aden''s P.O.V) My hand lowered, Equity going slack along my left leg. I sighed, floating down to the ground. A ground that was literally littered with body parts and blood. "Well someone did a thorough job." Chaos commented. "That was barely a work out." I rolled my shoulder. "I kind of feel cheated actually. They died so quickly." "Wow, Champ. You just took down two entire pantheons and you''re complaining about it not being enough of a workout for you?" As expected Chaos was there to squash my budding arrogance to smithereens. I rolled my eyes. "You know what I meant by that." The blackened ground crunched under my feet as I landed. I frowned, looking around at the massacre carried out by my hands. "And you''re not entirely correct. Two Pantheons with a few key figures missing sounds about right. I didn''t see Set, Amhit, Khonsu or Ra himself and besides, Olurun the sky father of the Vodu pantheon was absent as well. Osiris and Bast seemed to be the ones in charge. We all know how that turned out." "There''s still one alive." Chaos informed me. My eyes swept around the surroundings before honing onto a huge Gorilla a few meters away from the edge of the cavern. "That, my dear dark side, was by design." I responded to Chaos. "Oh, I see. You let him live so that he could answer your questions." Chaos intuited. "You''re almost correct." I answered walking towards Hanuman, who laid on the ground unconscious. "Why waste time asking questions, when I can just read his mind? Without Mawi or Mawu or whatever her name was, there''s no one blocking my telepathy." I stopped before the Gorilla, who was easily the size of Grodd but with a darker fur and crouched. He was breathing shallowly. "Out like a light." Chaos observed, materializing next to me from Equity. I extended a hand out and touched Hanuman''s forehead. Immediately something hard slammed onto my own mental walls. I brushed off the attempt quite easily despite being caught off guard. ''I..can...see you.'' A whisper that seemed to come from everywhere made it''s way to our ears. I retracted my fingers, scrambling for Equity while jumping to my feet. "What the fuck was that?" Chaos asked, his body changing into a dark shadow with multiple limbs holding dozens of Equity copies. We stood back to back in preparation. "Maybe we missed one of the gods?" Chaos offered. "I don''t..." I begun to say, carefully surveying the quiet landscape before feeling something was amiss. I looked at the ground and saw a carpet of darkness that seemed to rush towards us. My response was to raise a foot and stomp it down onto the soot covered terrain. Purple flames rippled out of the contact while the ground cratered below me. There was a hiss and Chaos jostled my shoulder. "The Gorilla is gone." The statement made me look towards Hanuman''s body and frown. He had just disappeared. There was no noise or discharge of power. "I know it''s night and call me crazy but isn''t it just a little too dark?" He asked and upon closer look, he was right. Different from the carpet of darkness that had come towards us, this darkness seemed to dull not only light but even thought. I could feel a sluggishness try to hold onto my mind and fail. The source seemed to be... "The Cavern!" I shouted, looking at the almost tangible darkness pouring in from the depths of the hole left behind after rescuing Geb. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Let''s move!" I leaned forward and blurred, Chaos taking a ride on my shadow. Before I could make it past the edge of the deep hole, a pillar of darkness exploded out of it, forming up into a huge western black dragon. "Not something you see everyday." By now I was convinced that the answers to my questions were all inside the hole. The fact that a construct made of darkness tried to stop me was indication enough. Red blazing eyes stared down at me with a cruel glint. It opened it''s mouth and from within came black fire, pouring out. I let the black flames land, only for the ground below me to disintegrate into fine ash. As for me? The fire breath died out and I came out of the dust cloud not a hair out of place. "You call that a flame attack? Let me show you real fire." My body grew in shape, the fine ornate robes getting pulverized into nothingness as I exposed my flame god form for the first time in this universe. My hair changed to flames that danced in the air by some unseen force. My body turned golden with flames covering my elbows, knees and ankles. Black shorts covered my groin but not much else remained of my clothes. "This is how you perform a flame breath." My chest bunched up, heat twisting around and surging up from my belly to my chest cavity, then through my mouth. (Elsewhere) "Stop the Talon fighter!" T''Challa ordered. The aircraft came to a steady stop in the air. They had just crossed the last of the Jabari mountains and before them lay a forest that eventually gave way to the capital city and palace. Further away was the river tribe''s settlement. Or rather there had been. Aden''s fight had ensured that. "My goodness..." Okoye remarked. All their eyes were on the second sun that seemed to light up the night sky even from the huge distance. "I think we should head back, my prince." Okoye advised T''Challa. "This was only meant to be a scout expedition. Your father would not be pleased if you were put in harm''s way." T''Challa sighed, knowing that she was right. As the light from the massive pillar of fire died out, he had come to a decision. "No, we keep on course. Fly in slowly." He needed to know if the legacy of the Black Panther was still there. The Vibranium made Wakanda what she was, a force to be reckoned with. The Black Panther was the symbol of that force as well as her swift hammer of justice. And there could not be a black panther without the heart shaped flower. They needed to do this. Even if the risk was too great. (Aden''s P.O.V) "I think you overdid it." Chaos commented, seeing the destruction past the cavern. If earlier the whole area had seemed like the impact site of a bomb, now it looked like how you would expect an underwater lava lake to do. Wide chasms past the dark cavern where the dragon had been, had emerged from the destroyed landscape, spewing noxious gases and a river of hot viscous liquid made up of melted rock. No tree remained. The river had dried up and Wakanda was no more the beauty I saw, when coming in. "Yeah. Maybe just a little." I admitted. There was nothing left of the dragon construct though, so not all bad news. "Time to take the plunge before news choppers and military from the surrounding nations decide to investigate the lightshow from earlier." I told my companion before taking a step and falling into the deep hole. Instantly, the temperature went down. Take into account that I was still in my Flame God form and yet I felt the chill ran down my spine. "Can you feel that?" Chaos asked after falling for a few seconds. "It''s get colder the more I descend. Not regular cold either. This is a chill that goes deeper and touches upon the soul." "And that energy..." Chaos let the statement hung. "It''s spirit power. My own, corrupted by something else." "I guess we now know for sure that there was someone behind the gods." He responded, just as I felt the ground approaching fast. I landed with a boom, crouching a little in a Superman pose. "Really?" Chaos questioned. "Hey I''ve always wanted to try that." Sucks to be him, not understanding the coolness of a good superhero landing. The walls of the cavern were not what I was expecting. As I rose from my pose, they started glowing with light, purple and white. Two very familiar colors. "Aden, that''s..." "Chaoum and Ordium, both full of spirit energy. Like a battery." (General P.O.V) "Is this how the gods were stealing your power?" Chaos asked and while there was a possibility that that was actually true, it didn''t answer everything. "Maybe but something tells me that is not the whole story." "And you would be right." Aden made no outward reaction at the new voice. Chaos formed out of his shadow to stand next to him, a serious look on his face. Except for the black hair and purple eyes, he looked exactly like Aden. Smoke obscured the lowered portion of his body, causing him to seem half tangible and half formless. "That voice." Aden muttered. "It''s the whisper from before." Chaos told him, eyes scanning the glowing chamber. "You were right. There was someone in the shadows." Aden concluded. "Naturally." The voice stated, clearer this time. Aden thought it sounded like Anthony Hopkins in his Hannibal character, cultured, low and menacing. "Oh, thank you." The voice spoke up, shocking both Aden and Chaos at seemingly having his thoughts read. "Oh hahaha..." The voice begun laughing sinisterly. "You are in my domain, Aden Strong. I see you...all of you!" Aden made eye contact with Chaos and both of them turned around cautiously. Aden found out that he couldn''t feel any presence near them yet... "Don''t bother looking. You won''t find me. Not here." The voice told them. "Who are you?" Chaos questioned. "Wrong question. The right one would be ''how do we get out of here?'' to which I would be required by my honor to tell the truth and say...Never." "Cut the crap." Aden shouted at the bare cave walls. "We both know you cannot hold us captive. Nothing can." It wasn''t arrogance, just unadulterated confidence. There was a brief silence. "Well, you don''t scare easy now do you, Aden Strong?" "Try to find out what is special about this room, I will keep him talking." Aden spoke to Chaos through his soul bond. If the Voice could read his mind, then he would simply communicate through his soul. For added measure, he immediately made himself forget the memory, just as Chaos unravelled into darkness and joined his shadow. "Where did your little friend go?" The voice enquired with a note of suspicion. Aden shrugged. "I don''t know, I''m not his master... actually that''s not true." He shook his head, not actually knowing where Chaos had gone off to, but trusting in him nonetheless. "No matter, this conversation is about over anyway. Any last words before you meet me, your end?" Aden almost rolled his eyes at the dumb one liner. He stomped down on his annoyance. "Just one. Are you like, the final boss?" "Huh?" The voice was stumped. Aden continued, "Yeah, you know because I''m getting exhausted with all this cloak and dagger stuff. It would be an immense relief if there wasn''t like another big bad behind you, pulling the strings and influencing your actions like you did with the gods. I would like to know if you''re it. I''m hoping you are, I have a training Montage to get back to, you see." All the voice could say once again was, "Huh?" GodFall Mass Release Time!! 1/5. Check out my Pat.reon for some cooler scenes. Pat.reon.com/Saintbarbido. ::-----------------------------------------:: (General P.O.V) "You have nerve, that much I''ll admit. You stand in my presence and act so brazen. Tell me something Aden Strong, what makes you so brave?" The walls of the hole around Aden smashed together a few meters above his head, cutting off his escape route and confining him inside the cavern. "Especially when I can do that." Aden looked up and blinked. "What makes me so brazen? Easy. I got a big dick." "Troll." Chaos muttered through Aden''s mind while laughing at the response. "Huh?" The voice was once again left speechless. Then came the anger. "You think this is a game!? I have seen more than you can comprehend child! Billions of years old! I have seen the beginning of the universe and the end is not hidden from my sight! I have devoured over countless..." "Hey, I think I found something." Chaos informed Aden just as the Voice kept on with the tirade. "Good, while he''s too busy yapping his mouth, we can finally figure out what''s the deal with this place." Aden replied. "The Ordium and Chaoum ores lining the chamber are designed to pull in energy, I''m thinking Geb''s, through a sort of formation that is held together by a piece of...holy shit, Boss. You gotta see this." Chaos'' voice ended in a shocked tone. Aden approximated the distance between the walls on either side of him and took a step to the left, shifting in his position. "Right there." Chaos informed him. Aden crouched, rubbing away the sand using his palm to reveal a strange symbol that instantly made his mood plummet to the floor. "Fuck. I don''t need this right now." Aden muttered pulling his fist back, intent to slam it down onto the symbol. The Voice that had been vocal up until then paused. "...hey, what do you think you''re doing?! Hey! Stop that!" He was too late. With one motion, Aden''s fist plunged right through the stone symbol on the floor to reveal a... Boom! A massive explosion of demonic energy slammed onto him, lifting up his body and causing him to collide onto the ceiling above. Cracks run down the earth walls as Aden found himself momentarily immobilized by the red shade of energy that had emerged from the floor. "I TOLD YOU TO FUCKING STOP! AND NOW MY PET WILL BREAK YOU." The voice yelled. The red shade coalesced into a huge black Gorilla with bubbling red energy cladding it''s body. Aden recognized it as the god of the Jabari tribe, who had gone missing only a few minutes prior. It had it''s huge palm enclosed around Aden''s Torso, pushing him towards the ceiling, roaring at his face with huge fangs and yellow animalistic eyes. Aden snorted. A pressure wave erupted out, destroying its palm and the entirety of it''s left hand before pushing it down towards the floor of the chamber. Darkness rose up in a spinning disc from the ground, passing through Hanuman''s spine and splitting the Gorilla god into two parts. Both parts slammed to the ground with a sickening squelch. Red golden blood flowed out of the corpse. The dark disc slowed down it''s motion and turned into Equity, landing in Aden''s waiting hand before he descended right in the middle of the separate pieces of the Gorilla god. Red demonic energy washed out of Hanuman''s corpse, dripping into the cracks on the floor. Then it rejoined with a yellowed piece of paper with the symbol of the Darkhold and cryptic spells that even Aden''s prodigious mind struggled to understand. "A single page of the Darkhold was enough to provide whoever that was, with a spell to possess a god. What if it was the entire book?" Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Chaos wondered grimly. Aden stayed silent as he used his fingers to grab at the page''s edge. Immediately, red energy started to climb up his fingers, halting as Aden pushed back with his own power. "So any ideas who''s behind this? Off the top of my head, I''m thinking Chthon, Mephisto, Kaecilious if he''s already with the masters of the..." "It''s none of them." Aden muttered. "You''re right." The same voice from before stated. "He''s still not dead?! Seriously who the fuck is this dude?" Chaos ground out. Aden clenched Equity as he stood up, the page of the Darkhold hanging off his right hand. "Hahaha...none of them are worthy. None of them have the resolve or the power!" The sound rang out through the entire room. Then the tone changed into something softer but no less menacing. "It seems I underestimated you Aden Strong. I shall not do so again." It promised before completely disappearing, leaving behind those ominous words. "I don''t like the sound of that." Chaos spoke up. Aden nodded in agreement. His divine sense: passive state was still enough to cover more than an entire Solar System. And out of nowhere, he could feel multiple power levels start falling from the sky, through transfer relay beams like the Bifrost or portals in outer space. All coming down to Earth. It was clear this was the Voice''s doing. "We need to get topside." He told Chaos before waving a hand and storing Hanuman''s corpse with the rest of the dead gods. Aden crouched and jumped. The soil making up the ceiling moved out of his way as he flew unimpeded towards the surface. He broke through what had turned out to become a sink hole and bore witness to what seemed to be the end of the world. (Elsewhere) On his Miami beach house, Tony was unceremoniously dragged off the two buxom blondes who had been flanking him on his bed by his best friend, Rhodey. The latter was annoyed at him for sleeping in. They needed to have an important discussion about a few military deals between Stark Industries and the army. Rhodey stepped over a passed out barely dressed model while shaking his head. "You''re living too fast, Tony." He scolded, handing his best friend a glass of water and an Ibuprofen pill. "Thanks." Tony nodded in gratitude before groaning and drowning the Ibuprofen with a half glass of whiskey. Upon seeing the glare on Rhodey''s face, he shrugged. "Come on, you can''t tell me you''re surprised by that." The billionaire playboy shot back, waving the whiskey glass. Rhodey was about to reply when his attention was grabbed by something past the glass doors leading to the balcony of the beach house. "Did you leave your security lights on?" He asked a hangover Tony who stared at him with a befuddled look, before following the direction his eyes were looking. "No..." They both walked towards the balcony and stopped before a view that was not all that common in Miami. "Ah... usually you have something to say about crazy shit like this." Rhodey pointed out. "Welcome to the 21st century, a time when Nerds will be cool...oh and Armageddon has apparently arrived." Tony replied. "That was bad. I take it back." He added with a frown. "Nope. No take backs. Man, but I wish I paid more attention at Church." Rhodey responded with a shake of his head. (Elsewhere) The Royal Talon Fighter never made it more than a mile before they needed to stop. "Why is the sky raining fire?" Awinja, a Dora Milaje asked out loud when everyone was too busy gawking at the descending balls of flame. "Hanuman''s Wrath has come down from the heavens to strike all those who oppose him!" A Jabari warrior intoned, slamming his fist on his chest and howling. The rest of the Jabari warriors present followed suit. The cabin of the ship was filled with shouts from grown men. T''Challa stared at Okoye and a silent conversation seemed to happen between them in the span of a few seconds. Then the ground below them, a few meters ahead burst apart as something fast sped through the air, disappearing into the clouds above. "Take us down." T''Challa ordered. (New York Sanctum) On the roof of the old building, the Ancient One stood in place with all the masters present in the Kamar Taj Order of Sorcerers. Those they could spare at such short notice at least. "Hold on Charles, this could get ugly before things calm down." The Ancient One had her eyes closed as she telepathically communicated with Xavier. A portal, this one green instead of the usual yellow, manifested a little to their side. "Hold." The Ancient One opened her eyes, cutting off the transmission. The command was meant for the sorcerers behind her just in case they got trigger happy and begun launching spells. "They are allies." "For now." Unexpectedly, the voice did not come from the dozens of green clad men and women arriving from the green portal or as they were known, the druids. Instead it appeared from another portal, this one completely red and taking up space to their right. The owner of the voice was a baldheaded man wearing red robes that were matched by the 5 figures behind him. "The Red Lotus." Master Ming, a sorcerer stationed at the Hong Kong Sanctum spat out. "Ah Ming, it seems you managed to nurse your leg back to working order." A long haired tall Asian man jeered at him from the Bald headed man''s side. "No thanks to you and your crooks, Long Wei!" Master Ming shouted back. "Please, Master Ming" The Ancient One said over her shoulder, "Now is not the time." "Ancient One." The leader of the newly arrived group, the Red Lotus bowed. "Zaheer." The Ancient One nodded back. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way," The leader of the Druids, a tall black woman dressed in a flowing green gown pointed towards the sky. "How do we deal with this?" "It''s the descent of the gods." The Ancient One explained. "All the Earthly Pantheons barring the Primordial gods who ascended past the physical realm, are here for one sole purpose." She raised a finger. "To kill the greatest source of Mystical power known to all, The Avatar." The shock was immense. She ignored it and continued, "As to what we do? Nothing. Our task is to only mitigate the damage to the planet caused by the oncoming fallout. This fight is not one we can join in." (Xavier Mansion) "How bad is it Chuck?" Wolverine asked as he and Storm arrived at Cerebro just in time to see Charles place down his helmet. "Very bad. Lock down the school. No one goes out...and no one comes in." The last part was delivered with a regretful sigh, showing how hard that decision had been. Storm and Wolverine stared at each other in surprise before the latter turned to the Professor. "Whatever you say Chuck." "Let us protect the children." Storm added, agreeing with the decision. (Aden''s P.O.V) I broke through the ground and was exposed to an unexpected sight. And bam! It was like everything simply fell into place. All the small bits of information finally combined and revealed the whole picture. The whole truth. "I know who''s behind all this." I told Chaos as thousands of gods fell from the sky towards the earth. All coming to face me. They had the same energy signature as the page of the Darkhold. "Oh really? Who?" Chaos asked out loud as I shifted into my normal form and twirled Equity. "I''ll tell you after we''ve dealt with this." I answered, pointing my weapon at the brightest among the lights. It was covered with streaks of blue lightning. "I wonder how this Zeus matches up with the one I know." Stand Down, Junior. (General P.O.V) A young boy, dressed in a yellow t shirt and small blue shorts, was riding on top of a massive yellow snake, laughing in glee as it dived deep into a lake and came out in a huge spray of water. "Again! Again!" Geb shouted in happiness, clapping his small hands with a wide smile full of excitement on his face. Nagini hissed in confirmation, twining her body through the air before plunging into the water once more. The wave produced as a result pushed the fairy lotuses in the water, sending them drifting away onto the shores of the lake. Thousands upon thousands of Fairie''s flew to the air, chattering in anger and pointing small sharp weapons at the pair. Nagini pulled away with caution while Geb blinked his eyes wondering what was happening. "Nagini, that''s enough," a Voice called out before quickly adding, "we don''t want the Fairy kingdom declaring war on us, now do we?" Sitting in a meditative position on top of a piece of rock, The White Shadow, Aden''s Homunculi puppet looked at the pair with a fond smile. He reached into his hammer space and withdrew 4 Grangos, telekinetically sending them over to the four Fairy kingdoms. The small humanoid creatures immediately settled down. Nagini swam towards the shore with a downcast expression on her face. "Dad, please don''t blame Nagini, it wasn''t her fault. We never meant to disturb the pretty ferries." Geb told him shyly from Nagini''s back. The White Shadow tried to keep a stern look on his face and failed. "It''s alright." He told the both of them, controlling the rock through Earth bending to move in closer. Aden scratched Nagini under her chin, a place he knew she loved being petted. "I''m not mad." He told Geb, holding out his hand towards him. Geb lost the shy smile on his face as it brightened up considerably. He jumped off Nagini''s back and slammed onto Aden''s chest, digging his face into the crook of his shoulder. The White Shadow was surprised for a bit before he patted the little boy''s back. One thing he had come to find out about his son was that he loved hugs. Aden also know the cause. For the majority of his life, Geb had been alone. Locked away in the darkness, only later, pulling comfort from the bond between him and Shuri. Luckily, due to the god''s continued suction of Aden''s Spirit power through Geb, the small boy had been in a coma as he could not handle the strain. He had come to full consciousness the time Aden had similarly woken up about a year before. "Dad..." Geb called attention to himself. The former adjusted the child''s frame in his hands as he turned to look at him with a soft smile. Almost lazily, Aden controlled the piece of rock he was floating on and left the shore of the lake, moving toward''s Nagini''s tree. "Yes, Geb?" "I got you something..." The little kid shyly said, holding out his small hand and revealing a perfectly smooth oval stone. For a few seconds Aden was stunned. In the middle of the stone was a collection of different colors. The stone was also subtly glowing, pulsing with a yellow soft light. It was like a golden egg. "Geb...thank you for this gift...how did you know?" The White Shadow asked. You see, the gift his son had just given him, was no mere present. Aden had been struggling with his Earth bending ever since he had begun practicing it. And the small stone he held in his palm was like a master key, providing Aden a deeper connection with Geb''s own specific abilities. It lessened the strain The White Shadow had while learning the last art of his elemental abilities. It was similar to the time when Kai and Sai fused with Aden to enable him to tap into their respective essences of fire, rebirth and destruction. "It just felt...right." Geb replied with a small smile. "You were struggling..." The little kid added. The White Shadow smiled just as they made their way to the tree. He allowed the stone to drop on his palm and enclosed his fingers around it. The spirit energy inside unravelled softly and a massive light show that could be seen from afar exploded out of him. (Aden''s P.O.V) Normally, all prompts from the Interface would be relegated to the corner of my vision if I was in a combat situation. However, my attention was split between watching the enemies falling from the sky and wanting to see what kind of Gift Geb had given me. The latter eventually won out. ::---------------------------------------:: (Earth) (Practitioner) -Gravity (Unlocked) -locked ::---------------------------------------:: "Holy crap, how the fuck did that happen?" Through our bond, Chaos could immediately sense that something had drastically changed within me. With a wide smirk on my face, I cut off my self propelled flight and simply connected with the field of force surrounding the planet, pulling everything down to it. Gravity. The first Earth Subskill. And what a strong skill it was. I sank 2 inches down before I found myself easily suspended in the air. "A gift from Geb, he unlocked the first Subskill in the Earth category for me." "Gravity? Why gravity?" Chaos wondered, the same question that was now ringing inside my head. The answer came to me with the first of the god''s changing courses from their intended landing point. They had begun heading straight towards me. "Because he wanted to help...somehow, maybe due to his connection with the Earth, he could feel that it was in danger." "You know what that means right? If he''s connected to the planet then..." "I can''t let it get destroyed. There is a possibility that might harm him." I stated, watching as more of the falling stars changed courses like the rest. They were coming for me. "Let''s take this new ability out for a spin, shall we?" A gracious host would welcome them. "Well, it''s better than using your original idea to fuse into your Divine Elemental form. The shockwaves of power alone would have destroyed the whole African continent." Chaos approved. I spread out my hands, feeling my mind connect to the gravitational field of the entire planet. It was like a gyrating web that never stopped acting on objects with different masses to the Earth. In my divine sense, I tagged the fast moving objects falling towards the planet and got to work. I clapped my hands together and a yellow light spread out across the atmosphere of the planet, faster than the blink of an eye. Everything in the sky was now suspended in the air the same as I. The yellow light was a nullifying effect that acted on the g-forces affecting the falling gods. I could immediately feel the 1278 gods all begin to struggle against my hold. Beams of light attacks, fire storms, ice spikes, all kinds of elemental spells, divine magic, psionic abilities: all those fell, targeting me. The gods had responded. The biggest of the attacks was a massive streak of lightning that lit up the night sky almost to the level of my initial attack. I had no time to concentrate on blocking or evading the attacks. To tell you the truth, I had turned the whole affair into an extension of my training. Gravity was a Subskill unlike any other in my arsenal. It wasn''t something I could produce. It was something that relied on the presence of another body to even be effective it. In outer space, where the distance between one object and the other was exponentially bigger, the effects of the Subskill would likely be very minimal if not outright useless. Just enough to push you or pull you in one direction. But pushing was not really Gravity''s forte. "Chaos?" I called, motioning to the oncoming attacks. It was not advisable to be distracted in a fight. However, this line of thought needed my focus. What was past Gravity? Equity flashed and with a small explosion of darkness, Chaos covered my front. "Don''t worry about this...you just, comprehend what you need to comprehend, I''ll handle this." He threw over his shoulder with a smile. (General P.O.V) "Oh yeah baby, show me what you can do." Equity changed forms from a katana to a Longsword that highly resembled a red and black version of a popular weapon. One from myth and legend. The sword in the stone. The attacks were closer now, even though none of the gods could move an inch due to the nullifying effect for all motion, Aden was still maintaining on them. "Proto..." Chaos whispered, spreading out his feet on a platform of darkness that materialized under his legs. The hands holding the sword were thrust in the air and pulled back. "Ex--Calibur!!!" He screamed in wake of the attack. Space started getting wonky around the beam of red that erupted out of the bladed edge of the Excalibur look alike. There wasn''t light, only a dark red slash full of chaotic energy that completely swallowed their attacks and proceeded towards the gods. Another response from the Earthen Pantheons saw light, this one more defensive in nature. The ground below rippled as stones and massive rocks rose up in a wave to block Chaos'' attack and failed. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Off the same ground, trees and huge fungal plants grew long and massive, within a split second before the beam of darkness could land on the first of the gods. They fell to the dark blaze of Chaos'' power, bursting apart before getting devoured. Psionic shields were created by more gods. Those was similarly torn through after a few seconds. "Enough! Everyone! Deploy your domains!" A loud shout was produced by the biggest and brightest light. Immediately, all the gods marshalled together. Divine energy that caused the entire world to shake, filled the air, bringing about different wild effects that could be seen from very far off. Like a rainbow cloud with streaks of different colored lightning. Around Aden and Chaos, the world was quickly changing, the entire surroundings were immediately filled with opulent landscapes from the land of the gods, huge temples and fantastic creatures. The effect was changing the very landscape. Chaos raised Equity once more. The weapon shifted forms from Excalibur to a dull short weapon that looked more like a club with red circuitry. "Ah Ea, a weapon after my very heart. Let''s see what 0.00000001% do. If we''re lucky, we will only destroy a continent." Chaos said with a nasty smile that chilled the gods facing him. "Madness!" The brightest power shouted in alarm. Fear and nervousness was spreading among their ranks. To make it worse none could move, merely attack. "The boss can use Spatial load to bring them back so no worries." Chaos shrugged, lifting the weapon of the end with both hands. Before he could land another attack, Aden''s hand fell on his shoulder. "That''s enough. It''s my turn." Chaos looked at him and blinked at the confident light in the Avatar''s eyes. "I have a feeling you''re about to do something cool." He told him, lowering his arms as Equity changed into knuckles braces. "Oh not as cool as you were about to do but..." Aden patted him. "I can assure you, it won''t be boring." He glided ahead of Chaos and stopped in place, hands spread out like before. "You better hurry up then, boss, before we get yeeted to Narnia." Chaos warned. Their environment had changed as all the god''s domain combined to bring them all into another realm. "You can''t hurry art, Chaos." Aden replied, twirling his fingers as if he was playing an instrument. "And different from any other skill, Gravity is art. The art of pull and...push." He pressed down on the oscillating force, one of the lights in the air found itself squished upon itself by virtually nothing but a uniform gravity. The light quickly lost it''s glow and collapsed upon itself, then Aden lessened the effect of the gravitational aura around it, causing an explosion of divine essence as the god contained within the light died. The combined domain lost a corner of the projected realm, revealing the torn and destroyed terrain that was Wakanda. The light from the dead god lit up brighter than anything else in the sky. "Whoa...you were right, that is Art." Chaos muttered, looking entranced. "Well? Don''t let it go to waste. We are going to need every shred of divinity we can get." Aden lightly ordered. Realization dawned in Chaos and he immediately pointed Equity at the the light, activating it''s shifting ability. From knuckle braces, they changed into a long spear. Then he awakened it''s devouring effect, something they hadn''t needed to use for a long time. The light from the corpse of the dead god begun pouring into Equity''s pointed end in a long rope like trail. "Blasphemy!" The very heaven''s roared with the voice from the leader of the gods, Zeus. He was at the forefront and had seen what had happened to Quetzalcoatl. The Mayan gods were even madder. The divine realm begun to undergo massive changes. The light, color and beauty turned gray with storms of lava above head and... "Oh Fuck no!" Aden yelled, the sound propagating and causing shockwaves of power that ripped apart the entire realm into divine energy that was further sucked away by Equity. "If you think, for one second that I will allow you to act cooler than me, you clearly don''t know who you''re up against. Reverse Gravity!" Aden ended his statement by calling out the name of his next move. The attack was something that he felt needed a name, although he almost immediately regretted the corny name. The whole planet seemed to still for a second and then, the nullifying effect imposed against the g-forces pulling the gods from the sky changed. A repulsion as the mass of the whole planet came bearing up on the deities caused the scene to change into something one would expect from a scifi movie. Things started floating up. The earth was pushing away the energy balls. (The Talon Fighter) Alarms begun blaring out inside the cabin of the jet. "We need to go! Now! I''m taking the Talon to the sky!" The pilot gave a shout. A spear was immediately pointed at his neck. "You even think of flying out before the Prince is here and my spear will taste blood." Awinja told him menacingly, the tip of the spear nicking his dark skin and causing him to bleed a little. The Dora Milaje leaned in. "Are we clear?" The pilot gulped, hands retracting from. the controls. "Yes. Crystal." Outside the Talon fighter, the whole compound of the palace was nothing but rubble. Running out, Okoye and 3 of her fellow Dora Milaje were sprinting while surrounding T''Challa. On of them tripped on a loose root and fell when the ground begun to rumble and shake dangerously. "No! Sister!" Okoye tried to go back but T''Challa was faster. He ran back and hoisted her up. Then things went bad. The rubble and debris around them begun to float up to the sky. T''Challa pushed the Dora Milaje towards Okoye as the section of the ground below them broke apart and floated to the sky suddenly. "My Prince!" Light surrounded them and the Talon and they thought death had come for them. The nothing happened. Nothing except a sudden silence. The noise of the ripped and floating ground died out. "You people must have a death wish." A familiar voice said, appearing from the sky with T''Challa''s arm slung over the shoulder. Okoye looked around and saw the zone surrounding them and the Talon was shielded within a yellow bubble. "Prince T''Challa!" Okoye raised her spear and pointed it at Chaos. "Unhand him! I won''t say it twice." The Dark side of the Avatar frowned, "Careful Daughter of The Border, treat me like an enemy and I shall be one." "Okoye, that''s enough, he...he saved my life." T''Challa interrupted to give his surboodinate the order. "Stand down." Okoye commanded just as Chaos and T''Challa landed. "You need to get out of here." Chaos informed them. "I can get the boss to create a path for you." T''Challa shook his head. "No, in the rubble we discovered a signal coming out of some of the underground bunkers constructed under the city. They were built just incase evacuation was slow in the event of a disaster. Some of them survived and there are people trapped inside. I need to get them out." Chaos looked at the sky. Aden seemed to be in the middle of a pattern of lights emitting pulses of divine energy while surrounded by the crumbling realm. "You must be out of your mind." Chaos laughed at T''Challa. "Hahaha but I love it." He sheathed Equity, cutting off the devouring effect momentarily, and brought his palms together. A dark light begun forming in the middle of them. "I don''t think I''ve ever had a Champion. Neither the boss too." Okoye advanced while holding her spear. T''Challa held up a hand. "If I can save my people then do what you need to do." He replied with confidence burning in his tone. "Awesome!" "Hey boss, would you mind if I made the prince one of your Champions?" Aden heard the transmission in the middle of flexing the applications of his new Subskill. "Cool. Just make him into something with a Panther Motif." He replied. "Nah, I have a better Idea, people always talk about a Black Superman but never really make it Mainstream. Never really deliver. I''m creating a literal Black Superman." Chaos countered, just as the swirling ball of darkness in his hands changed into a shield with the symbol of two fore arms in the middle. With it came a surge of transcendental power. The essence of chaos washed out in shades of purple and red colors. Okoye gasped behind T''Challa. "My Prince, I can feel it. This power, this man...he is a god." She whispered, tightening her palm around her spear. Her bravery was immediately swallowed up by reverence and fear. She instantly took a knee, slamming the pommel of her spear onto the ground. The Dora Milaje behind her also knelt. "A...god?" T''Challa muttered in disbelief. Looking deep into the eyes of the one who had saved him...he realized the truth. This was not just any regular being. He contained no mortality. He was a being that defied logic just like Bast. But after Bast...could they ever trust in another god? "Don''t compare me to them." Chaos rolled his eyes. "You can read my mind?" T''Challa asked, taking a few steps back. "Yes. Now hold tight, this will only take a second or so." "I..." T''Challa was conflicted. Chaos knew there wasn''t time for a deep speech so he opted to use the Prince''s motivation against him. "You said you would do anything for your people." With that statement alone, Chaos had him right where he wanted. "Yes..." T''Challa resolved. "I did." He looked up as the indecision disappeared. "Give me the power to save them." He said, blazing with determination. (Aden''s P.O.V) Chaos couldn''t understand just how amazing this felt. This power, the power to control gravity was cool just alone, but then you added as I did, something else. The concepts of pull and push, are ingrained in the core spirituality of the Avatar. I understand that everything had its own mirror version. It''s counterweight. Something to balance each other off. Using that instinctual knowledge, I tapped further and past the intricacies of Gravity and arrived at its opposite. If gravity pulls, dark energy pushes, stretches out. Or in more simpler terms a subset of dark energy is anti-gravity. The opposite of gravity. The non gravitational field holding them had therefore ended and by using Anti-gravity, I repelled all the 1277 gods away from the planet. We immediately all shot up, leaving mother Earth behind, past the clouds towards the great expanse of space. It was a phenomenon that blew everyone witnessing away. First was the fall of the stars which the governments of the world had failed to explain their existence. Mostly owing to how fast the stars had emerged. And now, now those stars were seemingly leaving, not keen to destroy the Earth anymore. I smiled, seeing a prompt appear at the corner of my vision. That meant I must have achieved a new level in my Earth bending. Anti-gravity had been born out of studying concepts that were directly linked with my subskills. Maybe I didn''t need Lucifer''s Meaning, just like I had suspected. It was an avenue that opened more doors to me. I was glad I had saved up the Spiritual Attunement for both Earth and Water. The first indication of a change in scenery was when I pushed myself and the descending gods out of the Earth''s atmosphere. From across one end of the world, I saw the curvature of the planet, the blue seas and the sun just visible over the other edge of the planet. The ozone layer didn''t really have a true end or start, it was just a dense field of air that lessened the higher you went until you arrived at the second zone. Space debris. Stones, rocks and metal from satellites all bunched together to provide the final blockade. I used my second hand to create individual paths for each of the lights before we broke through. And then behold. The emptiness of space, populated with only far away pinpricks of light was revealed to me. To us. The moon orbited dangerously close and a red planet I could clearly see due to my powers was further than that. I could feel Energia and Geb that way. Geb, my son. Who I had to protect with everything I had, if not for me then for our family''s sake. I usually felt a little guilty when thinking about them. Worried that Aqua would be locked away, lonely without her sisters, brothers and mom. I had hope though that with Gaea there, everything would be taken care of. ''Enough dilly dallying, the stage has been set.'' I told myself, looking down to see a metal platform under my feet. The platform was only a small part of the whole structure. Using a blend of Earthbending, gravity and antigravity, I formed a ring of metal, stretching out around the planet. The width was about twenty football stadiums in length and the thickness was the size of the base of the Eiffel Tower. I released the Anti-gravity shield around the gods and instead applied it to the planet. A yellow shield covered it completely. Now no attack or god could pass through and land on Earth. That fortunately or in their case unfortunately meant the gods were stuck above the Earth on a ring of metal debris with me. A ring that emitted it''s own gravitational field that allowed them to stand on top of it. I was loving my new sub skill. Thanks Geb. One by one, the glamor of light ended as the pantheons fully presented themselves to me. Zeus, flanked by his brothers, Poseidon and Hades, the essence of divine weapons wafting off them. Then we had a beautiful asian Woman who promised death with her eyes and was top ten strongest out of all of them. She stood to their right, flanked by other Japanese deities. Not to mention the Morrigan, The Chinese heavenly court and hell court, the Monkey King himself... It was a party that I wouldn''t dare miss for the world. At last, I could debut by fused form. I could reveal my new strength and see how hard they tried to fight back. I needed to be stronger, much stronger because soon enough, I was going to have to go up against true Cosmic Beings. If I can''t beat a few thousand gods, what does that make me? I touched the necklace on my neck. "For you, nothing will keep me away." A promise to Start, one I intended to keep. "You Have Caused Us Too Much Trouble Aden Strong, Now Prepare For Your End." A voice, unified by all their vocal chords rang out across the artificial atmosphere I had installed. One lone man standing in place to oppose them. All I needed was rain and this would turn out into Neo vs the Agents. I took a deep breath. "I know your secret." I smirked, as an eerie silence dominated the air. "I know who you are." I added, raising up a palm. "I know who''s behind all these Pantheons, controlling them like puppets. You''re not Dormammu, not Chthon or even Mephisto." I wagged a finger. "Nope, you are more ambitious, more conniving, more patient. You are the Darkhold. You gained sentience due to my spirit energy propensity to grant life. You wouldn''t exist if it weren''t for me." My body begun to change, my long strands of black shifting into a literal firestorm that lapped greedily at the nothingness of space. The hair extending to my shoulders went down to my hips and then begun flaring out like snakes striking at the air. Hundreds of thousands of individual strands. My eyes turned completely blue, into a vortex of power that sucked your sight in and trapped your mind in a crushing force reminiscent of the underwater pressure. They displayed the cruelty and the peace inherent in water. My entire body was awash with different effects. Winds randomly blew against my body and were my body. I phased in and out of air currents, falling through the veils of space yet remaining in control. It was too much power to handle yet my 30 seconds were not up. And finally my senses could feel a calling from the heavenly bodies surrounding me. The earth beat at what seemed the one true heartbeat. A heartbeat that was shared by everyone and everything present. It was not the greatest of powers I had ever accessed but it was the one that felt most intimate. More personal. Most deserved. "Now, Stand down, Junior." I warned after completing my transformation. White Panther (General P.O.V) The transformation was an eye catching affair for sure. It produced a pressure blast so strong, it made the Dora Milaje twirl their spears and stab them onto the ground so as to not get swept away. T''Challa had not wasted time accepting the gift. The sphere of darkness carrying with it an innate connection with Chaos, entered his chest. The metamorphosis begun with him hunching his back in pain and falling to the ground. "My Prince!" Okoye tried to go to him, but found herself held in place by some unseen force. "Bad Dora Milaje." Chaos admonished lightly. "If you disrupt him while he''s going the process, who knows what could happen?" Okoye was breathing heavily, torn between duty and hope. Eventually the latter won out. The shadows around seemed to be sucked inside the vortex of power surrounding T''Challa. His body went through changes, while Chaos looked on in glee. Aden had the template for Kryptonian D.N.A stored in his mind and by extension, so too did Chaos. He used the same process Aden had used to enhance Starfire''s abilities to the next level. Then with the connection T''Challa now had with Chaos, the possibility of him getting more esoteric abilities other than the perfected Kryptonian D.N.A was very high. Case in point, T''Challa could change into his costume simply by touching a shadow. How convenient was that? Chaos praised his creative thinking. Soon after, the transformation ended and T''Challa opened his eyes. "Incredible." The Wakandan muttered in awe, floating to the sky unassisted. Only a field of bio energy enclosing him. "It''s a bird, it''s a plane, no, it''s a man! It''s Black Superman, official name still pending." Chaos announced lively. The darkness washed off to reveal a black and purple costume clad superhero. He heavily resembled...Blue Marvel? Chaos tapped his chin in thought. Did the transformation pick on the closest image of the hero he thought was most similar to Superman but black? There were a key few differences of course, for starters, the suit was purple where Blue Marvel''s was blue and in the middle of his chest was a symbol of two forearms inside a grey shield insignia. The stylized M belonging to Blue Marvel was inverted into a W, maybe to represent Wakanda and instead of a white cape, a silver one flapped gently behind him. The New hero rose calmly into the air, his eyes closed as he let out a contented sigh. Other than those small differences, T''Challa resembled Blue Marvel to an unnerving degree. "Oh Thixo wam!" One of the Dora Milaje shouted in surprise. "My Prince...?" Okoye tentatively stood up from where she had been kneeling. Her fingers tightened on the spear she held in hand. "You look... different." She informed him after a slow once over. His face was more angular than before. His body had changed from the lithe form of a young man into a body builder bulging with muscles. Built for power but also speed and endurance. The perfect physique. His hair had streaks of white on the sides of the crew cut hair style he had. T''Challa turned around in the air, his vision could see past the Dora Milaje''s skin and bone, even further ahead and he could see a mosquito flapping it''s wings slowly on the leaf of a tree at the outskirts of the destroyed landscape. That tree was over hundreds of miles away. His body felt full of unfathomable strength. It was an effort to keep still when everything in him demanded he flex his new power. Was this how the Black Panther felt? "Okoye." His voice sounded deeper and rich with strength as he called out the name of one of his closest friends. "Gather the others, tell the pilot to change course, our first stop is the Inner City General Hospital. We are going to go save our people." Okoye slammed her fist on the side of her chest, a proud smile appearing on her face. "As you command, White Panther." She whirled around. "phuma ngaphandle!" She and her sisters left, leaving behind T''Challa with a smiling Chaos. Before either of them could say anything, their whole surroundings reshuffled. The yellow shield around the zone of the Talon Fighter, spread out further, revealing the areas obscured by the god''s projection of their realms. The yellow shield rose up to entirely cover the sky, pushing away everything else. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "The lights, they are gone." T''Challa said, eyes cast upwards. A minute later, he frowned. "Wait..." "Oh, you can see it?" Chaos asked with a smirk, crossing his hands before his chest. "Yes. I can see them." T''Challa''s gaze was unimpeded, managing to land on the gray ring of metal that was invisible to any normal human standing on the surface of the Earth. The ring seemed to move from one horizon to the other, around the planet. And on top of that ring was a man. The one who had attacked them. Upon closer look, he seemed to be in his early twenties the same as T''Challa. However, something inside the prince faltered in fear. Even the casual glance at the aura he was giving off made the hairs at the back of his neck stand up. This man was unbelievably more powerful. Crazily enough, before him were over a thousand other beings. Beings that blazed with the same aura the man had, only theirs were a mere candlelight before the light of a star. "The gods, all standing in opposition to one man." T''Challa stated. "Not man. Not even a God. Something more." Chaos interjected. The White Panther shook his head. "What are they thinking? Don''t they realize there is nothing they can do before his power?" He was actually deathly serious. The feeling he got off the man was unexplainable. Profound. Like he was staring at a black hole. Chaos Chuckled. "Everywhere you go, young prince, keep in mind that there exists twice as many fools as there are people with common sense." He then shook his head and turned to T''Challa. "Anyway, that''s besides the point. Weren''t you planning to go save your people, Mr. White Panther?" The statement came along with Chaos floating up to the sky, intent to join Aden against his final battle with the gods. Chaos would not miss that for anything. T''Challa scrunched his forehead at his new name. Chaos noticed it and laughed. "Remember, young prince, Keep me entertained. I''ll be watching." He left it at that and simply turned into twisting Shadows, disappearing towards the sky. Headed to where the fight was happening. "Thank you." T''Challa bowed his head in gratitude. Too late, the Wakandan Prince realized he hadn''t asked for his name. "Call me...Chaos. I don''t know if we''ll meet again Prince, but there''s no one else more worthy to be my Champion." Fortunately, his new god was a step ahead and provided the information with a mental transmission. (Aden''s P.O.V) The Darkhold did not like the ''Junior'' part of my reply. Any fear they might have felt from seeing me in my new form was suppressed by the anger that followed from the Darkhold. "No more games! Attack!" It''s voice rang out and many things happened suddenly. First came the teleporters. With bursts of light, over 100 gods surrounded and attacked me from all directions at the same time. I blinked, not too worried but surprised at the viciousness they displayed. "Oi, are you trying to kill your old man?" I asked from high up, having telepprted away. I now stared down at my previous position, which was just a burnt patch on the metal ground. They had gone ham over that small piece of the floor. It would have meant death for anyone else. "Above, you fools!" Again came the Junior''s irritated voice. I was beginning to think that maybe he was present at this little party. The way he had communicated before was by using the page I had found below ground in the formation of the Chaoum and Odium deposits. There was a high chance one of the gods present had a page in their hands, or if I was lucky, the whole book. A green Wyvern''s fire breath rose up to burn me in the sky. The fire simply vanished a few meters away from my form, swallowed up by space itself. Then a portal opened at the back of the 1000+ gods. 20 of them were drowned under the red flames and turned into divine energy that hung around, waiting for Equity to arrive. The ranks of the gods turned restless. The attacks ceased soon after. It was a small reprieve that I didn''t waste. I shook my head down at them. "You''re grounded Junior." I declared. "Grounded??? Grounded!!! You are not my father! I am millions of years old and I shall not be treated like a child..." ''The ruse worked. Good. Now where are you, you little shit?'' My eyes scanned the gathered deities. It wasn''t easy to pick up on any sort of energy when so many high powered individuals were in one place. However, I simply searched for my spirit energy while Junior was going off about what he would do to me. And finally at the middle of the pack...Skaldi, a goddess of Ice. Her aura was above average, showing she was powerful. Deeper than that however was another energy signature. Mine but tainted. Spirit energy. Gotcha. I dropped to the ground, passing through multiple attacks to land on the ring. The whole structure shuddered and most of my enemies lost footing and fell. "Well, what are you waiting for?" I questioned out loud, straightening up. "Come get your punishment." "Aaahhhh!!" As one, they let loose a battlecry. The sound was deafening as the distance between us was covered almost instantly by the gods of speed, flight, mobility or space. Instantly, I found myself blocking hits from everywhere. A fist here was evaded only for me to step into a kick that I wrapped my hand around and used the owner to slam into a few gods raining down energy projectiles from the sky. Those l were sent flying. Then a thrust of a spear there, was blocked and the shaft of the weapon broken into two pieces. "My divine spear!!" The owner screamed in consternation, only to get a backhand from me while I threw one of the parts of the spear into the lone eye of a giant god. The spear head went through the eye, blinding him and producing a geyser of blood. He screamed falling onto his back. Meanwhile I snapped a finger, directing the sound wave produced, to destroy a swarm of hornets coming at me from the rear. The god who had shape shifted into the little bastards died when the hornets exploded. A god who resembled a Toad, opened it''s mouth and spit out acid at me. Green fire escaped my right hand in a tsunami like wave and drowned the Toad god an several others under. Screams rang out as flesh sizzled and melted. I was having a lot of fun. A slash of my hand and I dissected a lizard and it''s rider then a stomp onto the floor, opened up holes for the non fliers to fall through. Their screams faded as they landed on the shield around the planet, immediately getting fried by the electric current running around it. I was ducking, weaving and dodging. Sometimes I even allowed the hits to land. It felt as if a beast had been awakened in me. A beast that wanted to see how much it could take and give back. "Let''s go! Come on!" I yelled while slamming an elbow on to the face of a Martial God. "Why are you all so weak!?" It was honestly surprising. I had expected the Chinese heavenly and hell courts to contain some cultivators who would give me a run for my money but as I gripped the neck of one arrogant young master type, I felt cheated. I squeezed my hand and his head popped like a pimple. The display of brutality saw each one of the gods back away in fear. "What is this?" I laughed, stretching my neck and shoulder. That had been a good warmup. I could probably end this by blinking next to Skaldi and getting the page, but I wanted more. "Junior, I thought you were going to kill me, are you backing down now? Are you... scared?" "Scared!!? No!" The Darkhold protested. "I''ll show you true pain! Don''t get too cocky, Aden Strong! You have merely been fighting low level and minor gods, let us see what you do against the Major ones! Attack!" Oh, this is going to be good. "Don''t interrupt." I warned Chaos who had just arrived. "Wouldn''t dream of it." He assured, pulling out my throne from the hammer space. "You mind?" He asked, requesting to sit on it, I smiled and shook my head. "Enjoy the show." Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Amaterasu, Sun Wukong...and many more all stepped up. The Final Battle Part 1 (General P.O.V) Eons past, between the end of the 6th universe and the start of the 7th, Primordial Darkness was all that existed. In that darkness was a being born from the Yawning Void. Knull. A facsimile of the entity, Oblivion. Then the Celestials came, encroaching on the darkness and inadvertently pushing back Knull''s home, to give rise to creation. For a being that had only lived in the absence of light, this was an existential threat. And so he fought, going as far as to slay a Celestial using a powerful sword he forged from the darkness. He was ultimately defeated and locked away. The next time he broke out, he begun his campaign once more. However, weakened due to the different laws of the new universe, he did not immediately go after the Celestials, Knull waged war against the gods themselves, destroying entire Pantheons across the cosmos. His reasoning was that if he killed the ones guarding the different segments of the universe, then he could assimilate them into his Primordial Darkness, gaining back his power before facing off against the Celestials for the last time. The final battle where he would destroy them. Naturally numerous Pantheons rose up to fight him. And most fell. Knull was eventually pushed back by a combination of his own creations, shadow beings called Symbiotes as well as numerous Major Gods like Buddha, Ra, Zeus, Odin and Izanagi joining forces. The Elder Gods like Gaea had already left the universe for higher dimensions, leaving behind only weakened Avatars like Jord or in the case of the Vishanti, Agamotto. The gods won but suffered immense losses. And they knew that Knull would eventually be back, hence the need for effective countermeasures. Their divine power was useless against a weapon that could kill Celestials. It was during this time that someone proposed an idea. An idea that changed everything. (Omnipotent City) a few minutes ago. The Council of Godheads or atleast what was left of them, sat on golden thrones constructed on a raised platform. Below the platform were rows of seat, stretching out infinitely across the dimension built like a city. The Omnipotent City. The rows were occupied by Major and minor gods all in a categorized seating order. Most of the seats were unique and styled in each god''s unique preferences. Most of them were also empty. On the raised platform, the Skyfathers and mothers of different Pantheons sat, a total of 20 seats. Only a very small fraction of those thrones were occupied. The center one had the Monkey King picking off lint from his clothes. That was the throne of the Jade Emperor, who was the chief administrator of the Council of Godheads. On his left was Odin''s empty throne and and on the right was Amaterasu, who sat in the throne of Izanagi. Zeus'' throne was placed in between Svarog and The Great Spirit, the Native American creator god. All their eyes were stuck watching the transmission in the middle of the room, which had ended with the complete annihilation of Hanuman. Or atleast his corpse, seeing that he had been controlled by the Darkhold. "I did not sign up for this!" Ninurta, the Babylonian god of agriculture, war, laws and healing spoke up, referencing the death of the entire Vodu and Egyptian Pantheons. "None of us did!" He addressed the rest. "Lord Horus and Lady Bast were strong. But even more than that, Osiris was the god of the underworld, he controlled death! Yet not even he could fight back against the might of the Alien God! We will all die!" Aman Sinaya, the Phillipine goddess of the sea, a beautiful god with flowing black hair, panicked wringing her wrists with fear. What they had seen was something heaven defying. "She''s right! There''s no hope for us and it''s all because of that darned book!" Another god pitched in and pandemonium broke out. More and more gods begun to speak, adding to the aggressive atmosphere that gripped the entire room. "It''s been 10,000 years! The Council has done nothing to deliver on their promises!" One said. "Salvation! Freedom from needing the humans!" Another batted in. "A chance to be more powerful! But now all we have to show for our trust and dedication are 2 destroyed Pantheons and the enemity of a being stronger than Gaea!" This came from Zeus'' own camp, Janus the god of roads. "We are doomed! This is worse than Knull''s rampage!" "The Alien God is stronger than even Celestials! I can feel his power! I am the god of Measurement!" "I''ll never get to see the next season of Buffy! This is all the Greek''s fault!" Angus, the Irish god of dreams and love bemoaned. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Our fault!? Are you serious right now!? Zeus fought the King In Black and lived to tell the tale! You snivelling cowards hid when I sounded the drums of battle!" Ares stood up from the second row and yelled at the complaining masses. A cacophony of insults were thrown at him, including a bunch of rotten tomatoes from the Roman god of disgust and Excrement, Sterculius. Laughter rang out as Ares was covered by Worm filled tomatoes. He threw a murderous look Sterculius'' way. His sister Athena could not stay silent and begun laughing along with the rest of the Olympians. He was booed which only increased the anger Ares was feeling. Aphrodite grabbed his robe and pulled him down on to his throne. Her face was red with embarrassment "Sit down, you fool." She hissed in disgust. "But..." Ares begun to protest when Hermes spoke up from the other side. "Do as she says brother. Save face." Ares threw a murderous look Sterculius'' way but wisely shut up. "Silence!" Zeus commanded with a burst of aura, getting to his feet. The entire chamber immediately fell quiet. "This has always been a place where you can air out your grievances and be heard." He stared Angus down. "However, it has never been a place to spread rumors and propaganda." He stated in a stern tone. Then his face changed into a genial smile, spreading his arms out. "Brothers and sisters, let us not bicker amongst ourselves like the humans. We are better than that." Hades cleared his throat. "I agree with the masses Brother. We are responsible for all this." The god of the Underworld shook his head in remorse. If only Hecate hadn''t... For a second no one could believe his words. Hades was standing in opposition to his Pantheon. Zeus'' face changed into a rictus of anger and bitterness. It looked as if he had swallowed something sour. "Be very careful of your next words Hades. Brothers we may be, but do not forget for even a second who you are addressing." More murmuring broke out across the gathered gods. "Yes!" Zeus roared to the restless gods. "The Council demands impartiality! I have a duty to uphold it''s guidelines but I am first and foremost the king of Olympus. My responsibilities to my Pantheon come first." He glared at Hades amid the ruckus caused by his unfiltered words. "And I shall not allow us to be slandered, even by one of our own." Hades stared back at him unflinchingly. The rest of the Olympians were all in agreement with Zeus, looking at Hades with anger. "Greeks, the only thing you know how to do is to fight amongst yourselves. Just like a bunch of clucking chicken. Disgraceful. You call yourselves gods?" Amaterasu viciously mocked, a look of distaste on her beautiful pale face. Zeus snorted. "Look who''s talking, you banished your own brother for doing his duty!" He ridiculed, eliciting a fresh burst of laughter from the rest of the gods. "If it is family drama you want, Amaterasu, look no further than your own Pantheon." Zeus was quick to retaliate. Sussanoo narrowed his eyes at his sister from the second row. Zeus word''s brought back a dull forgotten pain. "You..." Amaterasu''s growled, eyes glowing golden with the heat of the sun. A charged current of energy sparked along Zeus'' silver hair as the two glowered at each other from their respective thrones. The rest of the Olympians with the exception of Hades, his wife, her mother Demeter and Hestia were ready to back up their God-king. The Shinto similarly, were ready to battle on the orders of Amaterasu. There had always been a quiet tension between the Greeks and the Shinto Pantheons. This tension had appeared after the second world war. Despite the influence of the gods diminishing, the Greeks had decided to back the western world as a potential haven for worshippers. Then the atomic bombs were dropped on three cities in Japan. The enemity rose from there. Ever since, all that had been missing was a spark to ignite the flames of hate between the two. Divine energy begun brimming inside both pantheons. Omnipotent City begun shaking at the power exuded. "Both of you, stop it!" Svarog, the high deity of the Slavic mythology stood up from his throne between the two Major Gods. He held in his hands a hammer that had a handle of fire. With a body build more muscular than even Zeus, he cut an impressive figure. His blue eyes and grey beard made him attractive in a rugged way. Even without meaning to, all the gods listened to him. "Did you forget who the enemy is?" He had a heavy accent as he addressed them all. "We lost many Major Gods when the darkness arrived. None of the Pantheons thought to ask for help. To stand together before the might of the God-killer. The might of the Primordial Darkness. And when we did, it was too late. We had lost more than we gained." His tone was heavy. Svarog shook his head with a downcast expression. "The Council of Godheads only has three remaining Major Skyfathers, Zeus, Odin who is asleep and the Jade Emperor, who is devoting his entire power to hide Omnipotent City away from ''His'' gaze. Izanagi, gone. Ra, Buluku, Indra, Itzamna, Manatou, Ukko, Dagda, Altijra..all of them...gone." he cast a baleful look at both feuding pantheons. "Don''t let petty squabbles blind your vision!" He pointed to the walls of the chamber. "The real enemy is out there, patiently waiting. That is who we fight!" The gods, both minor and Major looked contemplative at his logical words. However not all were ready to accept his reasoning. "That''s where you''re wrong, you optimistic fool." Susanoo spat on the ground, getting to his feet. An unanimous gasp sounded out from the gods. Their gazes were cast to the god of Storms from the Shinto religion. "Susanoo!" Amaterasu yelled with anger on her face at her brother''s brazen words. Did he not understand his station?! "Sit. Down." She ground out. Things only got more alarming when Sussanoo threw a hateful glare her way. "Not this time, dear Sister." He bit out venomously. "You would be content to see the rest of us suffer for you, Major Gods. I refuse to be treated like a slave." He turned to those around him. "The Olympian was right. This has to stop. Why fight a battle that does not concern us?" His hateful glare was next directed at the Olympians. "Especially when we are not to be blamed for their mistakes. The Olympians. Whose thought was it to bring an artifact belonging to an Elder god into Omnipotent City?" Even more Murmurs broke out. "I''ll tell you." Sussanoo declared before pointing a finger at Zeus. "One of your own. Hecate! That is how it all started. She fooled you with her hubris! And by extension us." He paused to let his words sink in as he riled up the rest of the gods. "Promising each one of us, a power strong enough to fight back against Knull''s agents of Chaos, promising us an existence without the need for worship yet... here we are, under the cursed book''s control. Chthon will not let us go now. Hecate made sure of that when she brought the Darkhold to control us! How can we ever trust the Olympians after that?!!" "Yeah!" "He''s right!" "The Olympians! It''s their fault!" "Down with the goddess of Magic!" "Give us Hecate!" His words resonated with everyone present. It seemed as if the entire chamber was going to rise up in arms against the Olympian Pantheon. "Dad you have to do something! I can sense their hate. They want blood." Athena informed Zeus through the mind. Zeus'' gaze spread out across the shouting masses. They were too far gone in their hate now. The only way to make them see, to make them understand was through the Darkhold. "You were right." He informed the Darkhold. "The only way to make them see...is by opening their eyes. Do it." Just like that, he sold out their free will. The Final Battle Part 2 (Aden''s P.O.V) Despite the major gods stepping forward, they seemed to atleast retain some of their mental faculties. I could spot the wariness in their motions. They stood rooted to one place like statues. "Well?" I questioned with a frown, straightening up from my battle stance. Only 16 seconds remained of me in this form. Were they too scared to attack? "What are they waiting..." The words trailed away as I realized what was happening. The mental attack latched onto my mind for just a single second before immediately getting crushed by my mental shields. The god responsible fell to the ground in a seizure, blood pouring out of his orifices in a horrifying backlash. The others did not even blink. Seems like the Darkhold''s control over them had grown even stronger. "Nice try." I chuckled at the weak illusion. However that small second was enough for them to attack ferociously. Using superior speed, over a hundred of them had me surrounded on all sides. Something struck me on my left leg, something heavy and blazing hot. The blow came from a swole god who swung a burning hammer with enough force to split mountains. I tensed my flesh upon contact, causing the divine weapon to shatter under my muscles and splinter off into smaller parts. I reached up and gripped the back of my assailant''s head, slamming his face onto the metallic ground while also crouching to evade a spear headed for my neck. It passed aimlessly overhead before the owner spun, throwing his heel towards my temple. Silver fire roared along the strands of my hair dancing around in the air. They hardened as I channeled Earth aura through them, successfully blocking the attack. The fire spread up from my hair to his foot, then his leg in a single second, turning his entire body into ash. "Die!" A pale goddess wielding fans from the Heavenly court slashed out at my front, gliding forward in a beautiful spin. Blue water dragons escaped her weapons with an aura of sharpness. I brought up my right hand with the palm clutched on the back of the Hammer wielding god''s head. His body was used to block the attack. Screams rang out as the attacks sliced and slashed him apart. I laid my other palm flat on his back and sent forth a beam of plasma. The shining blue attack pierced through his corpse and disintegrated the upper part of the Fan wielding goddess and over 20 more gods behind her. The rest immediately backed away in fear, which showed me that at least a small part of them retained control over their minds. The fear was warranted. They had after all just seen me destroy a few major gods like it was nothing. I pointed a finger at Zeus, then run it across my neck. "You''re letting your inner sadist show." Chaos told me from my back. "Pay attention to your surroundings." I told him with a smirk. "Oh crap." He yelled in surprise. The ground shook slightly as I heard a thunk. Through my divine sense, A shadow had appeared over him. It turned out to be a giant Ent, a tree like monster with a god draped in green leaves and foliage on it''s shoulders. Pan. "Don''t fight me! Fight him!" Chaos told him while pointing a finger my way. "If my throne gets destroyed, I''ll lock you away in an un-escapable room with the god of annoyance." I warned him, then ignored his cries of protest while I brought my attention back to the majority of the gods. Pan and his Ent seemed to be the only ones willing to play a game of Whack-a-mole with Chaos. The rest had created distance between us. They stepped back whenever I stepped forward. "Scared already Junior?" I had the half mind to teleport over to Skaldi and rip the darned book to pieces. This was supposed to be a high octane fight. At this rate, I was simply wasting energy. "Don''t call me that!" He bit out as I sighed, willingly dropping back into my regular form. There wasn''t a point. "You''re not making this fun, you know?" I complained. "I thought the purpose of controlling them was for them to be fearless? So why do they reek of terror?" Their bodies shivered at the thought of going up against me. Maybe changing tactics was the right way to go? I don''t think they fought at a 100% when under the control of someone else. "Tell you what, why don''t you take a time out?" I snapped a finger and a boom tube appeared below Skaldi, sending her to Energia and cutting off the Darkhold''s next words and control over the gods. The change was immediate. The gods blinked and started looking around. I cleared my throat. "I''ve given you back your free will." With Sound bending, my voice easily projected out across the confused crowd of gods. Without the Darkhold puppeteering then from the shadows, maybe there was a chance I could still have some fun. Energia had the same innate abilities that Gaea possessed. It was a realm completely under my control. I could cut off any links, be they mental or spiritual coming out of it. In other words, there was no way the Book would regain it''s control over them. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. And that also meant, their minds were mine to browse as I pleased. Between one blink of an eye and the next, I understood everything. And with understanding came a change in my mood. This was not about having fun anymore. "So that''s how everything started huh? Knull." I won''t lie, I was pissed at myself. It was my presence that had changed the history of the universe. The gods sought alternatives to deal with Knull and because of the sorcerers unlocking Earth bending while I was asleep, Geb had been implicated. They had sucked spirit energy from him for years. Knowing it and actually seeing it in their memories were two different things. My aura gained a hint of savagery as my god of war divinity begun to saturate the area. I wanted to kill something and they could sense it. The fresh bout of panic I could feel from them led to most gods falling to their knees and begging for mercy. Others tried to run away by flying up and blasting attacks at the energy shield surrounding the ring. Upon contact with the shield, their bodies disintegrated under the power of my silver lightning. "None of you are going anywhere." "We..." Poseidon stepped forward but in the fraction of a fraction of an instant, I was there at his back, holding his head while his neck sprayed out blood. Zeus blinked. Aphrodite opened her mouth to scream and found herself locked in that state by Blood-bending. I lowered her blood temperature, flash freezing her from the inside. The rest wisely kept quiet. The surprise of seeing two major Greek gods die was too much. But not everyone was that smart. Waves of spiritual influence started falling from the sky as a god that had no physical form tried to attack me. "Chaos?" I called, then blinked as a flash of darkness passed through my shoulder, moving faster than any of them could see. A sharp scream came from above as Chaos devoured and assimilated the Great Spirit, the god of Native Americans. For the brave ones or the ones too scared to move, they all watched me like a hawk. With measured steps, I finally arrived before their leaders, my earlier attack having carved a path towards them. Hades'' eyes stalked Poseidon''s head with a look of abject horror and disbelief. Zeus on the other hand had a clenched jaw and stormy eyes. Lightning erratically danced around his body. It seemed as if he was seconds away from attacking yet...none of them did a thing. I spread out my hands. "The ones begging me for mercy, I am not a magnanimous god." The statement rang out across the crowd, breaking their hope and bringing forth despair. "To be completely honest with you, I despise gods. And now after seeing what you put my son through for hundreds of thousands of years, I believe its time I disclosed one more thing about me." I paused, swallowing the lump of anger on my throat. I wanted nothing more than to drown them all in silver flames. But that would be too easy a punishment. "I care about my family more than anything else." My eyes bored deep into Zeus'' own. "And to those who hurt any of them, a painful death is all they can to get from me." "Aaargggghhh!" A war cry rang out as a sword cut through the air. The one who stepped forward to face me was Ares, the Olympian god of war. One god of war against the other. His first strike, I sidestepped to the side, then backhanded him away. The impact knocking the breath out of him as he rolled along the ground to slam onto the dead corpse of the Ent that had attacked Chaos earlier. He rose up unsteadily, broken bones and torn flesh healing up in but a second. "Face me you coward! Prove to me that you are what I sense you are, a god of War!" Coward? Is this fool serious? I laughed whirling around. "Are you challenging me?" "Yes!" He stated, red divine energy that carried an essence of slaughter washing over him. His body was draped by a golden red armor as he twirled his sword. I could feel the fluctuations of a mental conversation happening behind me among the gods. "Scheme all you want. Plan countermeasures and come up with strategies." I stared back at Zeus, Amaterasu, Sun Wukong who was the only one looking unworried by the situation and a few more major gods. "Just know that it''s all useless. I''ll give you time you decide the order in which you want to die." Stepping away, red fire washed down my hand before forming into a black lance with flames covering the head. its tip crackled with sparks. "As for you Ares, I accept your challenge." I narrowed my eyes. "Don''t die too fast." Ares was the first to strike, closing the distance between us in less time than I expected, his sword flashing through the air as he launched himself at my left. But I was quicker, yet again sidestepping the attack and retaliating with a swift strike of my own at roughly the same speeds he was moving at. Ares dodged, his sword clanging against the shaft of spear as he tried to find an opening. He was relentless. However, my movements were precise and calculated, blocking or dodging at every turn. Ares was having a hard time keeping up, so I lowered my speed until he could finally start seeing my moves. Until he could start capitalizing on openings. His sword produced sparks and loud clangs as it clashed against my spear. It was easy to see that he was skilled. However, I was simply better. My expertise coming from two sources. One, my divinity and the second from combat honed to perfection through battles with extremely powerful beings. A particularly nasty deflection from my spear, saw him tumbling through the ground once more, his weapon flying out of his hand. The next instant I was above him, pointing the head of the spear at his neck. Ares blinked while breathing heavily. Everyone was silent, waiting for what I was going to do. I twirled the spear in my hands, then unravelled it into flame energy. "Your daddy is not yet done scheming." I informed him, stretching out a hand for him to use to get up from the ground. Ares reached out and grabbed my palm. I smiled, pulling him up from the ground and slamming him onto the floor behind me. His breath was knocked out of him as his eyes widened. I wound my foot back and kicked him on the side. He rolled away before coming to a stop before Zeus. "Get up." I ordered. The god of war stumbled backward, his breath knocked from him. But he was not defeated yet. With a fierce cry, he summoned all of his strength and charged forward, his hands extended like claw. Unarmed combat huh? Let''s go. The two of us collided in a frenzy of punches, kicks, and slashes. Each of his punches was like fending off slow and weak blows from a child. I dodged a fist and landed a palm on his nose, breaking it. Before he could heal, the next winding attack he threw landed on my open hand. I squeezed his wrist and heard it snap, then my forearm smacked onto his elbow and made it bend the wrong way with a sickening crunch. My foot kicked out and broke his knee from the contact of my heel and the side of the joint. Ares opened his mouth to scream but a hit straight to the throat blocked the airway. He opened his eyes wide and took a few steps back, gasping for air. I waited as he healed, using telekinesis to summon his sword onto my hand and send it flying into his. Ares looked up warily. "You''re a god of war. Death is only meaningful in battle." The words roused him up. Ares was determined to win, his pride was on the line as he redoubled his efforts. He stepped forward and swung his sword with all his might, the blade arcing through the air as he sought to take down his opponent, me. The bladed edge of his weapon struck the side of my spear and broke. Ares had left himself exposed for just a fraction of a second, and I was only too quick to take advantage. I lunged forward, my flames forming into a sword that pierced through his chest in a single, swift motion. Ares staggered, his sword falling from his grasp as he clutched at the wound. He looked up at me, eyes wide with surprise and anger. "It was a good fight." I consoled, pulling out the sword and watching as golden flames started consuming him. "You...you defeated me," he gasped, his voice barely a whisper. I gave a nod. "What can I say? I''m the better god of war." And with that, Ares fell to the ground, his body consumed by the flames of my weapon. The battle was over, and I stood tall as the Victor. Now for the footnote. "Well, what scheme did you finally land on?" I threw over my shoulder at Zeus. New Fic Announcement Title: I Reap Souls In DC. SYNOPSIS: I killed them all. Everyone who was responsible for my death. I know I''m supposed to go to hell. I even saw the gates opening up for me. So why am I in a Prison truck headed for Belle Reve? Why does the girl on the cell next to me sound like Harley Quinn? why are there guards? And is that Killer Croc? Why do I feel like the butt of a joke? Finally, why do they all seem to think I killed Commissioner Gordon? Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ALTERNATIVE SYNOPSIS: Davian just got out of prison after serving 5 years. He decides to turn his life around and leaves his criminal life and his former gang behind, on the urging of his best friend. However, the streets are ruthless and in order to make sure Davian never snitches to the cops, his former gang tries to kill him. He survives but his best friend is caught in the crossfire and dies. Feeling guilt and anger, he takes his revenge on his former friends, Killing them all but dying in the process. He knows he''s headed for hell but something pulls his soul away from the gates of hell and he finds himself in the DC multiverse. The body he has occupied however has its own problems. It possesses a power that grants him the abilities of an Arrancar/Soul Reaper but messes with his mind. Batman is after him because he killed Commissioner Gordon. Read on as Davian navigates this new world and grows in power. The Final Battle Final Part. (Aden''s P.O.V) Ares'' ashes drifted through the air as his divine energy joined with the rest of the divinities already gathered. "Ares..." I could feel their shock and anger. "Careful, goddess of wisdom." I warned Athena as she unsheathed her sword in Fury. "Make the first move and I will slay you where you stand, denying you a few more minutes of life." Athena ground her teeth but wisely stepped back. "Well?" I looked back at Zeus. "What''s your plan now?" Amaterasu stepped forward. "You are powerful." She acknowledged and despite the fear I could sense in her, her tone was confident. "However, you should understand that Killing us will not change the past. Furthermore our deaths will leave the universe and Earth unprotected from those who truly wish harm upon..." "You''re not getting out of this by talking." I shook my head. Infact, I couldn''t believe it. Laughter bubbled out of me. "I gave you a chance to come up with something and you chose to appeal to my good nature? Sorry, that is only reserved for innocents. Your memories show me that none of you are." "We won''t be ruled by fear. Even from someone as powerful as you." Hades spoke up. "I don''t expect you to. I expect you to fight, and then die." Why was it hard for them to understand? My response made Zeus'' face contort in rage. "So you would willingly spit on our offer for a peaceful resolution to this conflict?! Haven''t you killed enough of us!" "No!" I shot back, eyes blazing with rage. "We are way past that and before you use the Darkhold as an excuse, it only really took control of your minds recently. You chose to use the infernal arts in that damned book. You turned my son into a battery. You chose to stole his life force from him and god forbid, but if I had slept for a few more years...he would have died!" That was why I was so mad. Despite all my failings, I had never let harm befall my kids. This was the first and last time. Ever. "You will serve as an example. Mess with me but not my family." Sun Wukong begun clapping happily. "I told you all that it was too late. Monkey''s always right! Now can we fight? Can we please beat on each other until one of us dies?!" He questioned with an eerie smile full of battle lust that was aimed at me. "Fine." Amaterasu decided, and with that I smiled. Fuck negotiations, I was killing me some gods. "I''ll make pulp out of you! Squish your insides like the mushy goodness of a banana!" Sun Wukong laughed out loud as the major gods finally joined in on the fight. I ignored his rumblings and instead turned to the only ally I had. "Remember Chaos, stay out of it." I ordered, sensing him hovering above the sky while invisible. "Whatever you say boss." He replied in confirmation. The first few steps the Monkey King took towards me, saw him directly transformed into a fiery form, a massive fireball surrounding him as he roared and attacked. I raised my hands and summoned a wall of ice to block his attack. The ice shattered as he broke through with a powerful blow from his staff, but I was ready. I manipulated the air around us, creating a sonic boom that knocked him back. I followed up with a wave of fire, but he transformed into a thunderbird and took flight, dodging my attack and sending devastating lightning attacks raining down on me. The streaks were wide and volatile, managing to land on the other gods, Killing a few minor ones. Occupied as I was with The Monkey King, the rest decided to get in on the action. One last ditch effort. Zeus, Amaterasu, Hades and Susanoo led the charge, their divine abilities exploding towards me with a ferocity that I had never seen before from their DC counterparts. Lightning bolts danced through the air, scorching everything in their path. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Amaterasu sent a beam of pure sunlight blazing a path towards me. An earthquake shook the entire ring, no doubt the work of Hades. Susanoo, not one to be left behind called upon cutting winds and sent them my way. The attacks landed on a spinning psionic shield and failed to break through. Zeus and Hades unleashed their full power in response, divine energy making the metallic ring quiver even more. Then they combined their powers and called forth massive bolts of black lightning and black ice, showing the true strength of the Greeks. I countered their attacks by increasing gravity and forcefully slamming them onto the ground with the force of a freight train. A swipe of my hand and silver flames rose up in the form of a flower, consuming the attacks. With streaks of multicolored lightning, I disappeared in a burst of superspeed, Amaterasu found herself defenseless from a mule kick that sent her spiralling through the air and bowling over minor gods like pinballs. "Sis...ack!" Susanoo chocked as I grabbed his neck. His fingers clawed at my hands, eyes bulging off their sockets. "Lemme show you what a real storm looks like." I held out my right palm and gathered multiple wind currents, compressing them and then adding in a chaos element. "Open up." Blood bending forced his mouth wide and I sent the compressed ball of chaos storm down his throat. I pulled my hand back and threw him onto the ground. Through my divine sense, I felt Wukong cut through the sky in a new form. That of a silver being riding on a sleek surf board. I couldn''t believe it and looked back, only to see the Silver Surfer, bearing down at me with the force of the heavens. I dropped to the floor of the ring and slammed my hands down. Spikes the size of massive oak trees and as tall as redwoods emerged from the floor, glowing purple before shooting out towards him. The Silver Surfer expertly evaded each attack, carving a trail through the air before coming back in for another attack. I tightened my palms and the Vibranium pillars, now suspended in the sky above him, shot down towards the ground. By the time the Monkey God looked up at the shadows over head, it was too late and he found himself smacked off the air and onto the ground. A massive explosion timely occured as the chaotic winds I had forcefully made Susanoo swallow, ripped him apart and engulfed the gods closest to him in a freezing, cutting and shredding tornado. The Whirlwind of death grew to the height of touching the energy field around the ring. Over half of the remaining gods were killed. One if them being Athena. She should have attacked. "Aden!" Zeus bellowed from where he and his brother were still restrained under the weight of 500¡Á the gravity of Earth. "Oh I forgot about you. Unfortunately, you''ve reminded me of your presence." The gravity doubled, making the two groan in pain. "Every 10 seconds the gravity will multiply by two. If I were you, I''d escape before you become pancakes." I looked up just as a rumbling sound reached my ears. The sound was followed by the pillars of Vibranium being forcefully thrown away by a large form. A blue eastern dragon with whiskers that swished in the air. "This is what I have been missing! No one in the heavens can give me a fight this good! I want more!!" Sun Wukong yelled, his voice deeper than before. Light blue hair ran from the back of the Dragon''s head to it''s tail. With a flex of it''s body, the hairs detached, falling away before changing into thousands of monkeys. 82,000 to be exact. All no doubt possessing the powers of the OG Monkey King. "Nope. We''re not doing this." I stated, space collapsing at the position each monkey occupied and Killing them. "Cheater!" The Dragon yelled, twining it''s neck around before producing a deep blue fire breath that was simultaneously hot and cold. I scrunched my eyebrows in thought. Okay, maybe I''d been approaching the fusion of all my elements wrongly. Instead of combining all four, how about I begin by two? "Thanks for giving me a new perspective Monkey." I said then stretched out both palms to the front. Calling up the familiar warmth just above my groin, I pictured it fusing with ice, it didn''t need to be a perfect fusion, all it needed to do was complement the volatility of each element. The oppressive nature of fire and the calm nature of water. A blue whirl of twisting pale blue flames shot out of my palms, colliding with Wukong''s own attack. The result was a shockwave of hot and cold winds that washed over both of us and then the gods present. Ice sheets that were so cold they immediately caused frost bite, covered the surroundings. Screams of pain rang out and the god''s numbers went down to a measly 200. Meanwhile, Sun Wukong managed to catch himself before he could collide upon the shield of energy around the ring. He paused for a while before attacking, an indescribable look of shock on his face. "How...how did you do that?" He questioned. "Are you sure you want to get distracted while on the battlefield?" To drive my point home, space fractured around me as I appeared at his back. A shiver visibly went through his spine, his body stiffening in the air. I created a sword made of solid light and charged towards him, leaving a trail of light behind me. I swung the sword and he dodged to the left. I spun while in the air and kicked him on the chest. He was pushed away and entered a portal. I was able to manipulate space and made him reappear from another portal infront of me. The sword passed cleanly through his back and out through his chest, eliciting a groan of pain. "Time out Monkey. You try to pull out the sword and it will explode. I''m sending you into my own personal realm. This is thanks for giving me a great idea about something I was struggling with." A boom tube opened up and he fell through, the light sword still stuck on his chest. On the other side of the portal was my Homunculi Puppet, waiting for him. That done, I turned to the other major threat around. "You have taken everything from me! No matter the cost, I will destroy you Aden Strong!" A shining beacon of light accompanied the voice. The light was burning and almost blinding. Amaterasu sent forth multiple beams of light that engulfed the entire ring. The divine energy exceeded my expectations, an entire portion of the ring went up in flames, melting away under the heat of the living sun. My hair wildly flapped in the air from the pressure blast produced. I felt...challenged. I spread out my hands, exposing my body to the naked glare of her barrage of attacks. "Is that the best you got?" I laughed at her naivety. "You''re merely a god of the sun, Amaterasu! I am a god of Stars!" I pulled on my divinity and sent out a burst of my starlight. The explosion of light and thermal energy burned white hot, my body changed as I immediately went into a godly form, that of the Star God. I lost the tight control I usually held onto my powers and simply allowed destruction to swallow everything. Devastation was born. I could feel massive amounts of not only the god''s divinity get swallowed up by the explosion but an exorbitant amount of chaos energy was produced. The light moved past the ring and engulfed the planet below, my shield barely standing in opposition before it broke apart, killing everything and everyone on Earth. Nothing was left, the molten rock simply disintegrated, It went further and the moon was similarly swallowed up in the blast. Only when it reached Mars did I come to my senses. The light died away and I was left standing in the cold dead space, alone. "Fuck." I muttered. The Bet (General P.O.V) The Spaceship emerged out of FTL to overlook the glorious planet before them. Months after escaping her captors, Starfire was back. From outer space, Tamaran appeared as a vibrant, lush planet dotted with towering buildings and bustling cities. Its advanced space fleet quickly moved to intercept the incoming ship, their engines leaving a trail of shimmering light in their wake. "Whoaaa...so beautiful." Kai said, sticking her face close to the glass with an expression of wonder in her eyes. "Meh...I''ve seen better." Breeze shrugged, looking away while rolling her eyes. "You''re just mad because Selene kicked you out of the Argon sanctuary right before we left Starda." Sai told her with a smirk. Starda was the planet they had just come from. Their father''s religion was spreading very fast across the universe. "Did not!" Breeze shot back angrily. "Did too!" Sai was all too quick to respond. "Are they always like this?" Vaatu asked his sister, Raava. Raava sighed, "You have no idea." Vaatu chuckled, looking behind him to stare at Kori, who had Vor sitting on her lap. The young Kryptonian was using a small pen like object to draw an intricate flower on Kori''s hand. "I see you''re getting better at that." Kori commented, trying to distract herself from the incoming confrontation with her sister. Vor nodded with a smile. He had taken up drawing after one of the High Priestess of Aden''s religion had taught him. The pen in his hand was a It was not something she was looking forward to but felt it was necessary. Vaatu had come to bring them back to Gaea and Starfire naturally always put her kids before herself. She knew they had to go back. Looking down at the kid on her Lap, she also felt guilty for keeping him away from his second family. Vor had formed bonds with the El and Kent families and the daily video calls with Lois and Clark only showed the pain in their eyes. Lois and Clark considered Vor to be part of the family just as Aden and Kori did. Kori''s eyes looked up and made contact with Vaatu''s. The spirit nodded at her and she smiled a little before looking past him at the kids. Kori got lost in them, watching as they caused a commotion by loud arguing. But she knew no matter what happened,they would never ever give up on one another. It was why she didn''t want to give up on Komandr. Her kids inspired her, showed her that family stuck together through it all. "Excuse me, miss." The Ship''s advanced AI called out. Kori lifted Vor off her lap and motioned to his siblings. "Join the others. You don''t want to miss the beautiful clouds that surrounds Tamaran." Vor nodded before kissing her baby bump. Kori smiled. "That''s 2451. I''m sure the baby is happy." Vor had decided to always kiss her baby bump after he''d seen Aden do it. Now that Aden was not around, he was worried the baby would feel lonely. It was heartwarming to Kori. Vor brightly smiled before floating away. "Go on, Ember." Kori instructed the AI. "Incoming transmission from Tamaran Fleet commander." Kori pressed a switch on the console and deployed a forcefield around the ship just in case they decided to attack. She then closed her eyes and called upon her own abilities. Her bio-electric aura extended out and covered the ship as well, reinforcing the forcefield. "Patch him through." Kori ordered. A few minutes later, the holo feed displayed an old and wizened officer with numerous medals strapped on his chest, flanked on either sides by soldiers. "This is General Stil''ndr of the Tamaran Space Fleet. Identify yourself or I will be forced to shoot you down." The only reason they hadn''t was because despite the numerous upgrades Kori''s Starship had undergone, they still recognized it as Tamaran technology. It was how the Gordanians had managed to capture the princess. A scheme. She hadn''t seen it coming. Kori smiled. "General Stil, as spry as ever, I see." At her voice the Fleet Commander widened his eyes. "Princess Koriandr?" News of her return spread like wildfire across the planet, causing excitement and joy among the people. Upon the ship landing, flanked on both sides by the Tamaran Fleet, Starfire was escorted to the palace. Already, crowds of civilians were gathered around the Palace grounds to welcome her. Many of them cried in emotion upon seeing their beloved Princess. Kori walked ahead of the party, while the kids floated behind her, looking on in awe at the wild celebrations going on. Kori waved her hands at her people, her eyes wet with unshed tears. She was back home. Vaatu and Raava carefully scanned the crowds on either side. Kori had told them about her sister''s hate for her. If there was a chance to take out Kori, Komandr would not hesitate. Despite the initial joy of her return, the reunion was tinged with tension, as Kori knew that her sister would use any excuse to have her killed or exiled. The queen, Komandr, had escaped captivity alone, leaving Starfire behind, and the two sisters had not seen each other since. As Starfire stepped into the grand hall of the palace, she was met with the cool, unyielding gaze from her sister, sitting on the throne of their father with an air of superiority. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Princess Kori..." "...she''s back." "And pregnant too..." "Who are those behind her..." The officials on both sides begun whispering. The atmosphere was charged with a sense of hostility, and Kori knew that she would have to tread carefully if she wanted to succeed. The queen''s eyes were filled with suspicion and anger, and Kori braced herself for the confrontation to come. Luckily with her enhanced abilities, there was nothing that Komandr could do to Kori. Now to see if her sister could listen to logic. (Elsewhere) Aden''s piercing gaze met the Watcher''s calm and collected one. The air was non existent seeing as they were on the Mars. Yet, the tension that filled the distance between them was thick. The Watcher hovered above the rock Aden was sat on, his white glowing gaze looking out towards what he had been charged to observe. Or lack of. Despite the impression that they were alone, a cloud of darkness hovered over where Earth had been, twisting around. The Dark cloud was Chaos who was feeding Equity with the god''s divinity while he gorged himself on the chaos produced from the end of the Earth. "So are you going to say something?" Aden spoke up. "You just appeared out of nowhere man. Almost gave me a heart attack too." He rubbed his chest. "Aden Strong." Uatu''s voice was deep and clear. "I have a question I would like to ask. What is the meaning of existence?" Aden thought for a moment before responding, his voice filling the red landscape. "The meaning of life is subjective." He frowned. "It depends on the individual. For some, it may be to achieve power and wealth, for others it may be to find love and happiness." The Watcher listened intently, nodding along in agreement. "And what about for you, Aden?" Aden was forced to think even more deeply. "It changes. Once, I only wanted to be a famous artist. I grew up surrounded by a culture that praised music as the most authentic way to express oneself. It was a big influence." He chuckled in reminisce, before an expression of acceptance appeared on his face. "That changed. Now, apart from the love and happiness I get from my family, on a personal level, the meaning of life is to seek understanding and knowledge," replied Aden. "To understand the complexities of the universe and all that it encompasses. To push through the limits of my capabilities and see how far I can go." The Watcher was fascinated by Aden''s answer, and asked for his thoughts on what happens after death. Aden''s eyes took on a distant look as he considered the question. "That is also subjective. Some believe in an afterlife, others believe in reincarnation. But for me, I believe that death is simply the end of one''s journey in this realm and that energy simply transfers to another form." That same principle was the one he had applied into his realm. The Watcher nodded, his expression serious. "And what is your opinion on the gods and their role on the universe?" Aden''s face hardened. ''Here we go.'' He stared up at Uatu before replying. "I have not done anything to hide my disgust for them. I believe the gods are selfish and arrogant beings who have never deserved their power. They have caused much destruction and pain throughout the universe and yet supposedly stand on the side of good." The Watcher listened, his gaze intense. "And what about the heroes of Earth? Do you believe they have a role in the universe?" Aden''s expression softened slightly, "Heroes can serve a purpose in the universe, but it is up to them to prove their worth and earn their place. It is not something that should be handed to them simply because of their lineage or the power they possess. It''s a role that is bigger than even a god''s" The Watcher nodded, a small smile on his face. "Wise words, Aden. Enlightening even." Aden returned the smile, "Indeed, Watcher. I find your presence, despite a few... unpleasant subject matters to be welcome." He spread out his hands. "As you can see. There is no one else around to talk to." Uatu inclined his head after a small nod. "Yet those unpleasant subject matters are what has brought me here." The Watcher stated, the ground rumbling as a rock pushed through for him to sit on. Aden pointed at the flat boulder. "Please, have a seat. It''s not plush or anything but it''s better if you''re seated for this talk." Uatu blinked and wordlessly took the seat offered. A brief silence reigned between them. "So, Watcher, why do you insist on interfering with the fate of this small small small piece of the galaxy?" he asked. "Your kind is tasked with simply observing, is it not?" The Watcher replied, "Yes, that is true, but sometimes we must take action to ensure the balance of the universe is maintained. Earth is a very important part of that balance. And right now, the darkness I see in the future requires the intervention of the gods and heroes of Earth." Aden was taken aback by the Watcher''s words. "I see." Could it be what he saw in their memories? Could it be Knull? Still he shook his head. "I reiterate the gods are assholes who chanced upon their power. Why would I bring them back because of a potential enemy in the future? There will always be heroes to handle that sort of thing. The universe practically ensures it. Bringing back the gods is not the solution to the problem, Watcher." However Uatu remained steadfast in his beliefs. "That may be so, but they serve a purpose in the wider universe. And the people of Earth, they are innocent. They should not be punished for the actions of their gods." Aden conceded, "I agree. I am open to bringing back the planet for the people, I was basically about to do that, just before you showed up." His gaze became hard. "The people, Uatu not the gods." If The Watcher was surprised by Aden knowing his name, he didn''t show it. Instead, he proposed a bet. "I understand your stance, but I propose a game of wit between us. If I win, you will bring back the gods along with the planet. And if you win, I will not interfere with your plans for the universe." Aden was intrigued by the Watcher''s challenge, but he was not stupid. "And what do I gain from that? You already know how much I hate them. You know I can bring them back as well. So ask yourself, what would you give for that to happen?" Uatu blinked. "You want to know how to leave the universe." Aden nodded. "Correct!" He snapped his fingers. "Not just that either. I want to know how to journey to other universes. My initial plan was to study the Space Stone and figure it out for myself." He snorted. "That plan was ruined by the same pieces of shit you want me to resurrect. I even have the Time Stone with me...somewhere. You win and I''ll bring everything back. Clean slate. Like nothing happened in the first place, though I will definitely let the gods keep the memory of their deaths. I win and you show me what I need to know. I''ll still bring the Earth back. It''s a win-win for you." The Watcher thought about it. "I accept." He finally answered. "Oh and I''m choosing the game." Aden quickly added. (A few minutes later) The Watcher stood tall, his eyes glinting with confidence. He was ready for the game of wit that was about to take place. Across from him stood Aden, with a look of determination etched on his face. The red landscape of mars looked panoramic past the two figures staring at one another. Both had power that was unfathomable to even the most knowledgeable of mortals. A depth of power so strong it could change the entirety of the galaxy to their wishes. "I am the strength of a dragon," declared The Watcher, starting off the game. Aden did not miss a beat. "I am the sharpness of a sword that can penetrate even the toughest scales," he replied. The Watcher''s eyes narrowed. "I am the fire that a dragon breathes, burning everything in its path." "I am the water that can extinguish even the fiercest flames," Aden countered, with a sly smile. The Watcher was relentless. "I am the speed of light, faster than anything in the universe." But Aden was not to be outdone. "I am the black hole, where even light cannot escape." The Watcher raised an eyebrow. "I am the force of gravity, holding everything in its grasp." "I am the power of a supernova, strong enough to break free from the hold of gravity," Aden retorted. The Watcher was impressed. "I am the will of the universe, shaping everything according to its purpose." Aden''s reply was swift and sure. "I am the chaos that brings disorder to the orderly patterns of the universe." The Watcher''s expression became serious. "I am the infinite, unending and eternal." Aden looked directly into The Watcher''s eyes. "I am the momentary, fleeting and ephemeral." And with that, the game was over. Aden had won, Uatu had no response. The Watcher, who had thought himself unbeatable, was left in stunned silence. He should have foreseen this yet... hadn''t. Aden smiled. "That''s the thing, Uatu. There is always a counter to everything. Even the most fundamental aspects of reality. A duality. A mirror." He looked out into space and waved a hand, activating Spatial Load. Everything that had been destroyed reappeared once more. "I also brought back some of the gods. Only the ones capable of redemption though." Aden frowned. "I owe it to Hestia at the very least." He turned to the Watcher. "Be here at sunrise tomorrow. I need to take care of a few things before you give me what we agreed on." Aden turned around to leave before Uatu stopped him. "Wait, I have a question. Your final answer, what is the counter?" Aden smiled. "I am the timeless, unchanging, and eternal." Uatu was taken aback. "That was what I..." He went silent in contemplation. "You knew." "I am the lord of Balance, Uatu." Aden replied cryptically, releasing a smidgen of his power. A power that made the Watcher witness something he had never seen in all of his life. "I knew what you were going to say before you said it." Bros (General P.O.V) "I know you''re a chronic moper but even for you, this is too much." Raava mentally whispered to Vaatu from where they were standing. Which was behind Kori''s seat. Vaatu swallowed the snort as he watched the tense mood with which the banquet, hosted by the queen in honor of her sister''s arrival, was conducted. Both royals were seated on each ends of the table and on either side were the same officials and other important figures from the Tamaran high society. The food looked amazing and inviting. It certainly seemed as if they were all enjoying themselves too. That is, if it wasn''t for the icy looks Queen Komandr kept throwing Kori''s way. And the vicious smile on her face as she cut in to her food. The craziest part was how the both of them looked similar. They were identical in every way except for their hair and eyes. Vaatu had been against the idea of coming here but Kori had insisted. All he could do now was make sure the Queen and his younger siblings were kept safe. Vaatu had a copy of himself hidden in each of the kid''s shadow at a smaller table dedicated to them. Vor, Sai, Kai and Breeze were surrounded by a multitude of Tamaranean kids who were only too happy to listen to the stories of wonder they told. "I''m not moping." He finally answered his sister. "We are connected you idiot." Raava rolled her eyes. "I know when something is bothering you." Vaatu looked at her and saw the concern in her eyes. He blinked and turned away. "Be that as it may..." He begun only to be cut off. "You don''t need to be strong with me brother!" Raava retorted, slightly surprising Vaatu. "It''s about Demeter isn''t it?" She added much more softly. Vaatu''s hand gripped Kori''s throne tightly. "Let''s not go there." He bit out, his mood taking a turn for the worse. Raava went silent. "You deserve better. You will find better." She simply said, knowing without being told that Demeter had refused to come with him to Gaea. Vaatu''s frown eased somewhat. Maybe... maybe Raava was right. (Elsewhere) Aden looked at the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, as he lay wounded on the ground, defeated after their 36th spar. The fight had begun the second Sun Wukong had arrived on Energia. First against the White Shadow and then against Aden once he had teleported in and dematerialized his Homunculi puppet. Sun Wukong''s fur was singed by flames and his robes were nothing but tatters. "You wanna take a break?" Aden wondered with Geb on his shoulders clapping his hands after the showing. "Daddy, Monkey''s really funny. Can we keep him?" Geb asked. "Keep me!?" Sun Wukong jumped up to his feet in anger, twirling his Staff and enlarging it before sending it straight at Aden. "I am the Great Sage! Do you think I''m a pet for a snort nosed brat to keep!!?" Aden raised a finger and blocked the huge staff, nullifying the shockwaves before sending the pressure blast back through the Staff. Sun Wukong widened his eyes as the staff trembled and he leapt away. Geb giggled at the sorry sight of the Monkey King. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Oi, he didn''t mean like that you stupid Monkey." Aden told him sternly. "Besides it would be an honor to become my son''s pet." "That''s it! I challenge you Aden Strong to another fight! A fight to the death!" Aden felt like slapping himself on the face. "Hey boss, you think maybe you hit him too hard during that time you slammed his head onto the ground?" Chaos asked, appearing out of thin air while munching on some nuts. Geb''s eyes lit up. "Uncle Chaos! Gimme gimme." He floated off Aden''s shoulder and flew towards Chaos. Chaos looked uncomfortable for a second as Geb jumped onto his head. Aden shook his head with a smile. "He doesn''t bite, Chaos." Chaos managed to settle Geb on his shoulders, offering the nuts up to the kid. "I know." He replied with a small frown. "I''m also the concept of disorder and darkness. That doesn''t exactly scream daycare or ''good with kids'' now does it?" Aden waved off his concerns, side stepping Sun Wukong''s lunge. "You''ll get the hang of it soon, I''m sure." "Fight me bastard!" The Monkey King raged. Aden went into his air elemental form, phasing his body under the blow of the Monkey King''s staff. Sun Wukong spun, a tail sprouting out of his butt and enlarging, whipping up to land on Aden''s head. The Avatar grabbed the tail and pulled. Sun Wukong shrieked in surprise as Aden slammed him onto the ground, conveniently smashing his spine on a piece of rock that had jutted out of the ground. Monkey broke apart into millions of hornets that buzzed around Aden in a tornado of deadly insects. "Interesting." Aden stated as he watched Sun Wukong''s new form. The hornets tried to sting him but failed to penetrate his skin. Then they begun spewing fire from their butts. Geb yelped and hid his face under Chaos'' head, only peaking out of the long locks of hair in fear. "He''s scaring the kid." Chaos informed Aden. "Cut that out, Wukong." Aden frowned and snapped his finger. A small sonic vibration made the bugs explode in a wave of green liquid bursts. "Yuk." Aden spit. "I think I got some of it in my mouth." The flesh and blood splattered on the ground and quickly reformed into the Monkey King once more, he was however breathing heavily. He looked at Aden as if he was staring at an insurmountable mountain. "In...all my years after achieving Nirvana...I have never met such a foe. You are truly powerful, Aden Strong." He finally stated, standing upright before bowing, both hands held out infront of his body. "Thank you for sparing this foolish Monkey''s life. I saw Mount Tai and did not recognize it." Sun Wukong stated, admitting his defeat. He had a million more tricks and powers he could use and it was one of those powers that told him there was no way he could beat the opponent before him. Monkey was reminded of Buddha once more. That was the same feeling he got from Aden. Aden was left speechless. A genuine smile however spread out across his face. He didn''t bow but he stretched out his hands in the same gesture Sun Wukong was making. "I am also impressed by your skills Great Sage. Thank you for allowing us to trade pointers." "What are Dad and funny monkey doing?" Geb asked curiously. "It''s called bro-ing. The process of getting a bro." Chaos answered with a smirk. He was getting used to having the little brat on his shoulders, though he would never admit it. "Bro-ing?" Geb asked while blinking in confusion. "Think of it as making friends." Chaos simplified the explanation. "Oh like me and Shuri? Shuri''s a friend. I gave her a gift! She told me that friends give each other presents!" Geb answered with excitement. A look of curiosity appeared on Chaos'' face. "Oh she told you that? What gift did she give you?" "She let me listen to songs that her big brother likes. She used to stay up all night hidden under her brother''s sheets when he wasn''t around. It''s for grown ups too! I love Tupac." ''Oh how...interesting?" Chaos thought, looking at Aden who was bro-ing with Sun Wukong. His other kids loved hip hop too. Was it a family thing? Chaos smirked. "Say Geb, You remember any of those songs? Your dad loves music and would like nothing more than to hear you sing one." Geb gasped at Chaos'' suggestion. "Really?" Despite their differences, Aden felt a connection to the Monkey king''s love for fighting, just like he did. He extended his hands and helped him up from his bow, dusting off the dirt and soot from his fur. "You are a worthy opponent, Sun Wukong," Aden said, his voice filled with admiration. "I spared your life today, but it is your honor and bravery that ensures you and I will never be enemies." Sun Wukong looked up at him in surprise, his golden eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you, Aden," he said, bowing his head once more. "I never thought a being such as you could be so merciful, especially when I could feel the hate you held for the gods." "My hate is well deserved. Zeus and a few others are everything wrong with deities. However there are others like you that show me, maybe all hope is not lost." Aden replied, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "I felt no malice from you in every blow we exchanged. You fought for the thrill of battle and the love for combat. Nothing more." The Monkey King looked up at him, his expression thoughtful. "Can I ask you for a favor then?" he said, his voice full of mischief as he held his staff over his shoulders. "Of course," Aden replied, already suspecting what Sun Wukong''s request was. Monkey held out a hand, closing the fingers into a tight fist. "Can we fight again in the future?" He asked, his eyes shining with excitement. "I would like to challenge you one more time, and this time I shall be the one claiming victory." Monkey King''s brown eyes shone golden as his divine energy rippled out. Aden smiled, his eyes twinkling. "I wouldn''t mind kicking your ass again Monkey. I too, look forward to our next battle. May it be just as fierce as this one." He finished in a light but formal tone. With that, Aden held out a hand to the side, manifesting a yellow portal on his side. "This will take you out of my realm and out into outerspace." He explained. "Finding your way back to the Divine realm will not be too hard from there, right?" Sun Wukong chuckled. "It won''t." He slapped the Staff on his shoulder. "There is a lot more my staff can do other than smash." Aden raised his eyebrows. "Ok that came out slightly...wrong." The Great Sage admitted. "It sounded gay." Chaos stated from a distance, making sure to cover Geb''s ears. Aden rolled his eyes. "Ignore him. Sun Wukong gave one last nod before walking towards the portal and entering it. "Till we meet again, Avatar." Aden nodded, his expression changing as the Monkey King left. ''Now to deal with that trouble causing book.'' True Chaos Chapter 299 True Chaos (Aden''s P.O.V) "It wasn''t me! I swear! I blame it on teenage angst!" The Darkhold said, trying and failing to get out of my hold. "Oh really?" I snorted. "So your idea of teen rebellion is taking advantage of your brother for thousands of years, being a complete asshole to the gods which I won''t lie, makes me kinda proud and then almost causing the destruction of the planet by making me mad?" It went silent. "Huh...yeah?" I shook my head. "Wrong answer Junior. 1 million volts of white lightning shock!" The lightning washed out of my hands and covered the entirety of the book. Yelps of pain escaped it. "No! Please stop! It hurts!!" "It''s faking it." Chaos stated from the side, leaning on the huge boulder that had quickly become MY favorite spot. We were going to have a few words about that later. Geb was thankfully not around for this. He and Nagini were playing in the lake. Though they managed to keep a distance between them and the Fairy Kingdoms lest we had another declaration of war. Cute little things but they could bend, like really really bend. "Oh really?" I increased the volts and finally elicited a true genuine howl of pain. "Now we''re talking." I chuckled, adjusting myself on my throne, to better fry the damn book for all the frustration it had caused and the time wasted. "Stop! Stooop! Dammmm...AARGHHGGGHG!!" I stopped the lightning. "Say the magic word, Junior." "Thank you?" "4 million volts of white lightning shock!" Aaargggghhh!!! "Please?" He tried again. "8 million volts!" Aarrrrffgggtgghgddftttff!!!!!!! "You look like you''re having fun." Chaos commented. "I won''t lie." I told him, while leaning on the palm of my right hand. The left held the Darkhold. "I am." We both laughed as the screams from the Darkhold died away. "Damn you Aden Strong!! I should have destroyed you when I had the chance! When I escape and trust me I will! I shall wipe you off the face of the universe! You will be nothing more than a distant memory!!!" Chaos and I shared a look after the outburst. "He certainly seems to share your anger issues." Chaos told me. What the hell is he talking about? "That is completely untrue. I do not have anger issues!" Chaos snickered. "The Earth, a few hours ago would like to differ." That took the wind out of my sails. "That wasn''t anger. I just momentarily lost control of my power. Shit happens." I shrugged. "It''s like when you accidentally drop a cup on the floor and it breaks." Chaos sat up looking unconvinced. "First of all, if you can lose control of your power like that, then it spells doom for not only Earth but the entire galaxy and secondly, it wasn''t an accident! What you did was akin to raising the cup over your head and then brought crashing it down at full strength. You''re lucky I was able to absorb all the chaos energy produced, essentially nullifying the shockwaves from the blast. Leave alone the Earth the whole solar system would..." If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Okay okay." I interrupted. "You''ve made your point." I turned to the Darkhold in my hand with a vengeful glare. "Besides, we both know whose responsible for all that don''t we?" "No... please...no more I... AAARGGGGHHH!!" "16 million volts of lightning shock!" "Some might consider that as corporal punishment." Chaos pointed out. "True but they have no idea how conniving this thing is. Even now, I can feel it try and corrupt my mind. Not only that, but it''s been constantly trying to open a portal to somewhere. A realm that feels very much like a midnight snack for you chaos." "Chthon''s realm." Chaos realized. "Exactly. Too bad I''m blocking any and all attempts." Chaos stood up with a strange look full of anticipation. "Heres an idea...maybe don''t." He said and I immediately cut off the lightning. "Why?" I asked, already suspecting what his proposal would be. We stared at each other for a few seconds. "I can do it." He said. "Nope." I responded, shaking my head and getting up. "Seriously?" He caught up to me and grabbed my shoulder. "Boss! This...is the chance of a lifetime! I can take him!" He insisted. I rounded up on him. "And I don''t doubt it! But I won''t risk your life!" My reply made him flinch. "Look, Cthon is an Elder god." He tried to interrupt but I raised a hand. "I know you''re powerful, Chaos. Trust me, I do." I gestured around us. "But this is not DC. We know nothing about the power levels of the entities in this multiverse! The gods were more powerful than their DC counterparts. Hell, if it wasn''t for Soul Load, I would be dead because of underestimating the Cosmic Beings. I can''t bring you back if you die." I hoped he would understand. Marvel had surpassed my expectations. What they lacked in power, if they even did, they made up for it with more grounded abilities. Much more straightforward than what I had seen in DC but no less powerful. Anyone could be dangerous. Which ended up with almost everyone being dangerous. The Zeus from here while proud and arrogant was also skilled and powerful. "I won''t die." Chaos assured. "I can''t, we are connected so deeply that as long as you''re alive, by default so am I. You''re the Avatar, I am simply your powers. Even if the will representing these powers were to perish, given enough time, I''ll come back." He made a convincing argument, one that I could not argue against. And besides, it felt highly hypocritical to deny him this, when taking risks was basically something I did on a daily basis. He held out a fist for me to bump. Looking into my very own eyes, I realized that even without meaning to, Chaos had been what had kept me going. It was him that had been there when I had woken up, confused and agitated. "You better live." I ordered and subtly expended a lot of lesser miracles to make sure he wouldn''t die. "What?...what are you planning!?" The Darkhold asked, reminding the both of us that we had been in the middle of something. I exchanged a look with Chaos before turning to the Darkhold, a serious expression on my face. "Normally I wouldn''t give a shit about my enemies. It''s usually either I kill them or throw them in an inescapable prison realm called the Hollowlands." I felt the book almost shiver. "But the one thing that defines me is family." I added much softly. "The very same thing that made me so mad at you, Junior. Luckily for you, it''s the same thing that''s keeping you alive." I held out my right hand to the book, palm blazing with electric energy. The energy gathered at my index finger, glowing white with gyrating motion. "No! Stay away! Don''t kill me!" "He''s not going to kill you." Chaos rolled his eyes. "You probably didn''t notice it but the white lightning has not been doing what you think it has." I nodded in affirmation. "Yup. Despite my love for sadism once in a while, the objective was not to hurt you." "It wasn''t?" The Darkhold or wondered in disbelief. I touched the top of the cover with the tip of the finger, then brought it down, carving a line across it and splitting the hard cover into two. It was like opening a door or rather a cage. One meant to free the spiritual energy it had stolen from me through Geb. "Oh please, if that was my motive, I would have fried your ass with Purple lightning. White lightning is not meant for battle, it''s meant to cleanse. To heal." A burst of yellow light rose up to the sky from the Darkhold. "Or in this case...to separate." Chaos and I both looked up at the light that was forming into a humanoid figure above us. "I feel...I feel free." A soft voice that sounded eerily familiar, young and female stated. The light quickly imploded upon itself and a slight shockwave blasted out through the surroundings. I teleported under right under it just as a young girl, 15 or so fell from the sky and landed in my outstretched arms. My eyes widened as my heart seized up. "Lindy?..." My sister. I was looking at my aged up sister. "Well, that''s unexpected." Chaos made the understatement of the year, but my mind was far away to pay attention to his next words. I fell to my knees in shock, looking her over for injuries. Fortunately she was fine. How? How was this possible?! I mean, I was happy that she was here with me. While I looked like my Dad, Lindy had always been the spitting image of our beautiful mother. She had Dad''s nose but every other feature was mom''s. What did this mean? And if Lindy was here then where was mom? "...Boss?...Boss!?" I jerked in surprise at the touch, turning around to see the concerned look on Chaos'' face. "I know this is some... heavy stuff but it''s time." He told me, before pointing at the Darkhold that was spinning in the air enclosed in a bubble of darkness. It was trying to open a portal and escape. "Just like we thought, Chthon is calling it back to his realm." He informed me and I was momentarily conflicted. Despite the assurances Chaos had given me, I was still not sure it was smart to let him go face a Realm Lord on his own. What if his plan to take control of the Chaos realm backfired horribly? I was learning that for all of my intelligence and power, there were things hidden from my gaze. For example the fact that my sister was here, alive and well. Was she the one I had been talking to or had that simply been her corrupted version? Or could it be that it wasn''t any of that and her appearance had been mere happenstance. "Stop!" Chaos shouted at me before grabbing my shoulder in a tight grip. "You''re doing it again. Don''t be cautious! Don''t doubt yourself! You''re Aden Strong." He pointed at Lindy. "Whatever...this whole thing is, you''ll figure it out." He got to his feet. "You always do." The trust in his tone was almost too much. I closed my eyes and brought my forehead against Lindy''s. Yeah, he was right. "Okay." I couldn''t even recognize my own voice. It sounded weak. I hated that. "Okay." I repeated, this time firmer and more confident. "Go do what you need to do. Show that fucker what true Chaos is." Chaos smiled. "That more like it." Intricacies Of Dimensional Crossing (Aden''s P.O.V) The Watcher had kept time. We met on a hill, watching as the sun dawned on the horizon, lighting up the red Martian landscape. "You seem troubled, Aden Strong." He commented, both of us sat in meditative poses. I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "Observant." I said. "Then again, I''m not really surprised. With a name like the Watcher, you have to be." There was a brief silence between us. "You told me that your goal in life is to pursue knowledge and reach the pinnacle." He broke the silence. "But you also said you''re dedicated to your family more than anything." "Yes I did." I sighed. "Where are you going with this?" Uatu blinked. "I...wanted to comfort you. 90% of times when a human is feeling... negative, it has to do with their families." I barked out a surprised laugh. "Wow. You''re not wrong but that was unexpected." As much as I hated to admit it though, Uatu was right. "So I am correct in my assumption?" He wondered to which I nodded. "Yeah, you hit the mark. It''s...my sister. I hadn''t seen her in so long and then out of the blue she appears. It''s left me with many unanswered questions and given the fact that she seems to be in a coma, I can''t even ask her myself." "Mm, that is quite a conundrum." Uatu commented. "Yeah tell me about it." I breathed out and clapped my hands. "In any case, I need a distraction and learning how to travel the Multiverse is the best distraction I can think of." Uatu nodded. "As per our bet, I shall teach you what you need to know. The rest will depend on you." I nodded, getting pumped up at the prospect of seeing Kori, the kids and everyone again. Uatu then did something. He waved a hand and reality seemed to fracture around us. One second we were on the surface of Mars, the next we were in a space that was above the third dimension but not quite on the Fourth. It was somewhere in between. Somewhere that defied the laws of time and space. "This is..." "The Nexus of all realities." I interrupted, floating in the middle of mirrors. Mirrors that went up, down and sideways infinitely. They showed different worlds and universes, each separate and unique yet so... similar. "Spacetime shares a pattern in multiple universes." I muttered in realization, my connection with space allowing me to see further in and spot the strings connecting each universe with the other. "Correct." The Watcher stated, hovering in front of me, his vast form shimmering in the infinite expanse of the Nexus. Here, his strength was incalculable. "You''re subject to the laws of any universe you enter." I concluded. "That''s why in the mortal plane your strength is barely galactic buster level." He didn''t confirm nor deny. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "The art of traversing the Multiverse is not to be taken lightly." Uatu intoned, his entire mood changing into a serious one. Okaaaay, guess we''re getting right into the heart of the matter. "It requires immense knowledge and skill, and even then, it is fraught with danger. One false step, and you could unleash a wave of destruction that would ripple through time and space." I swallowed hard, feeling a tingle of worry run down my spine. Flashpoint was an example of this. I steeled myself and nodded, taking the warning but determined to learn what he had to teach me. Anything to get back. "Very well," he continued. "There are three methods to cross the dimensional barriers." "The first is through the principles of quantum physics. You must understand the nature of particles and their interactions, and be able to manipulate them on a subatomic level. By altering the spin and position of electrons, you can open a rift in the fabric of reality and slip through it to another universe." I furrowed my brow, trying to wrap my head around the concept. It wasn''t hard exactly, just too unreliable. "What if I don''t end up where I want?" "That is it''s biggest shortcoming," the Watcher acknowledged. "But it is also the most direct route. With the proper calculations, coordinates and adjustments, you can travel to a specific universe and time without disrupting the flow of events. However, it requires a great deal of energy, and if you make even the slightest mistake, the consequences could be catastrophic." I nodded slowly, already feeling a sense of unease at the thought of tinkering with subatomic particles. "What''s the second method?" I asked. "The second method is through the manipulation of vibration frequency," the Watcher said. "Everything in the Multiverse vibrates at a certain frequency, and by attuning yourself to that frequency, you can move between worlds. It is less precise than the first method, but it is also less energy-intensive. However, it can be dangerous if you enter a universe where your frequency is incompatible with the environment." I frowned, trying to imagine what that would be like. "What would happen?" "You would experience a sudden shift in your physical state, as your molecules are torn apart by the vibrational dissonance," the Watcher explained matter-of-factly. I swallowed hard again, feeling a surge of adrenaline at the thought of such a horrific fate, for anyone else that is. With my control over space, that was easily resolvable. Still, if I wanted to travel with Geb or Lindy then that method was out. "And the third method?" I asked, moving on. "The third method is the most elusive, and the most difficult to master. It is a different application of the second method," the Watcher explained. "It involves tapping into an innate connection with the Multiverse, a kind of sixth sense that allows you to sense the subtle vibrations of the dimensions around you. With practice, you can learn to move between them effortlessly, without the need for complex calculations or precise tuning." I felt a spark of curiosity at this. "That sounds...intriguing. like you said, a step above the second method. Where I''m not exactly changing my vibrational frequency to slip through to another world, but instead using it to sense each world''s unique frequency and basing it off that to tell them apart." "Naturally." The Watcher confirmed. "The next step would be to use your control over space to tug on reality..." "And slingshot my way through." I completed his statement. The Watcher blinked. "Not how I would have worded it, but yes." I smiled, crossing my legs together in preparation. "Okay, how do I develop this connection?" The Watcher floated closer. "It is a process of introspection and meditation," he said. "You must learn to attune yourself to the natural rhythms of the Multiverse, and open yourself up to its infinite possibilities. It is not something that can be taught, but only discovered through personal experience." He waved a hand to gesture at our surroundings. "I was hoping that meditation in the Nexus will allow you to develop that sense." I nodded in gratitude, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. Trepidation because this was a completely new avenue for me. The Watcher''s brief teachings had opened up a whole new world of possibilities. If I mastered this then leave alone, getting back to Gaea or even finding Order and giving him a necessary ass kicking, I could make it back home. My original home. I could find out what happened to Mom and Dad and my universe. And so I begun, by taking in a deep breath. In the space above the 3rd dimension where all possibilities and alternate universes intersected. I focused my mind, preparing to attune myself to the unique vibrational frequencies of each world. As I closed my eyes, I felt a surge of energy flowing through my body, expanding my consciousness beyond the boundaries of my physical form. I could sense the multiverse surrounding us, each reality distinct in its own way. I concentrated on the closest universe, feeling for its unique frequency. It was like tuning an instrument, adjusting my own frequency until I could feel the resonance of the universe I was searching for. A process where I was the negative to their positives. You could only share the Vibrational frequency of one universe after all. Then as my mind opened up, my innate energy control took the wheel, enabling me to sense the different energies that made up the universe, the people, the animals, and the very fabric of space and time. It was unlike anything. A brand of energy that was on par with spirit energy. The foundation of all my powers. Once I had identified the frequency of that particular universe, I moved on to the next step and began to manipulate the fabric of space through my space divinity. I used every shred of control over space to create a rift, something akin to my boom tubes that would allow me to return to the universe we had just left. Sparks of blue appeared before me. I scrunched up my eyebrows. This was actually not as easy as I had initially thought. No matter how hard I tried, I could not manipulate the energy in the Nexus by pushing it with Spirit energy. I could see the rift, a hole before me that seemed to blink in and out. "Come on." I muttered, holding out both hands to stabilize the stubborn thing. The portal sizzled with power, looking ready to explode. Dimly, through my passive divine sense, I could feel the walls of reality on both sides tremble a little. The portal begun to stabilize. "Come on just a bit." And then I felt a hand land on my shoulder. "Stop." The word was a command. The portal fell apart into nothing. I blinked my eyes, only now noticing the heavy atmosphere. Spirit energy covered us in a blue mist of power. "What happened?" I wondered. "Cosmic energy is outside your influence I''m afraid." Uatu answered. "And what does that mean?" "It means you will have to find another way." He sighed. "To connect with reality, you need the fuel it runs on." Influence Been reading DC dark crisis comic book. Wasn''t expecting it to be that good. (General P.O.V) The minute he was through, he moaned. Not out of any sexual inclination but because of the feel of the dimension. It felt like a comfy bed after a day of exhausting work. It was like Chaos had been let loose upon a full course meal after not eating for millennia. That''s how the chaos energy in Chthon''s realm felt. A tornado of red and black energy surrounded him. He wantonly sucked in the power, uncaring that he was in a RealmLord''s home turf. Chaos had no influence here, at least not more than the owner. Well, time to change that. He cut off the power suction, and looked out into the surroundings. He stood on a floating piece of ground, that was one of many. Physical laws seemed to take a vacation while here. "What, no welcoming party?" Chaos spoke out into the red, yellow and black landscape that was Chthon''s realm. He could immediately feel the difference. The sensation of being watched, where every grain of sand around was like ocular organs, invaded his mind. Chaos smiled, the cloak of darkness covering him swiftly washed off his body, leaving him in a black and green outfit. It was a small leather coat, a green t-shirt and black pants. Two black swords in the shape of Equity completed the set. He pointed them around as he spun with a carefree smile. Chaos cleared his throat and begun to narrate, "Chaos, the easygoing and friendly cosmic entity, approached Chthon, a terrifying cosmic being of incredible power. Yet Chthon was at first shy, afraid even. So he decided to simply hide himself. Only content to send sneak attacks. Whoosh! Chaos dodged the first blow, thousands of earth spikes flying right by his chest." "Chaos added more power to the dodge, transitioning it into a clean flip. He pulled back his hand and slashed out with a cry, initiating his own first attack." The ground splintered into two halves as the slash from one of the Katana''s became a wave of darker than dark energy. Hot magma rose up from the furrow created. Chaos landed on the left segment of land, his clothes flapping wildly in the wind." "The Katana''s dematerialized as Chaos grabbed control of the hot magma, calling out to it, causing it rise up in a pillar of hot swirling liquid. The magma managed to wrap itself around him in a dome, just in time to block the millions of red lightning bolts falling from the sky." "Chaos laughed maniacally as he commanded the lava to move along with his every thought. He stepped forward and threw his hands up. The lava changed shape into a massive arrow, aimed for the sky. Chaos slashed out his hand and the arrow lept forward, bearing up at the clouds of black and red spitting down lightning." "There was a grand explosion. And the sky lit up with a collage of different colors." "ENOUGH!!" The voice cut through Chaos narration and the events he had caused simply by speaking up. Chaos went silent with a small smile on his face. "Finally, the big bad decides to show himself." A blast of power shook everything as the false reality caused by chaos manipulation broke apart in small pieces, like a mirror thrown to the floor. The scene changed to show the real reality. Chaos was still standing on the floating piece of rock and under him, the rocky terrain was still rocky, the only difference being the lake of lava. The sky above roiled as a massive burning skull emerged. The chaos energy in the surroundings immediately doubled. The skull looked down at Chaos with a menacing expression. One that promised no mercy. Chaos, undaunted, flashed a bright smile and greeted Chthon with a friendly wave. "Hey there, big guy! How''s it going?" This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Chthon pulled back in shock then snarled, his voice deep and echoing. It made the surroundings tremble. "What do you want, Chaos? I have no time for your foolishness." Chaos was not surprised that Chthon knew him. Chthon was immensely powerful. He was the hub for all Chaos energy which meant they were intrisincally connected. He had felt Chaos the minute, he and Aden had clashed on mars, billions of years ago. Chaos chuckled. "Oh, come on, Chthon. You know me. I''m all about fun and games. I came here to see if you''d be willing to share some of your power with me. You know, sharing is caring and all that." Chthon let out a deep, menacing laugh. "Even if I could, you think I would just relinquish it to a second rate chaos creature? A dog with a leash on his neck and a weak master, whose biggest achievement was to hide when the fight was brought to him?" Chaos frowned. "You know nothing of what you speak." The skull changed forms once more into a writhing darkness full of tentacles. "Oh really? I know enough! The others might have not felt it, but I revel in chaos. And your master has caused more than his share. I felt his death, then not. He undid time." Chthon replied. In my eyes, that only proves why I am loyal to him. He is powerful and knows how to wield that power." Chaos told Chthon. "Preposterous. True chaos is never tethered!" The realm shook with his words. "True Chaos sees the world crumble. True Chaos is unrelenting." Chthon sneered, his voice a cacophony of screams and whispers. "You know nothing of true power. You are but a shadow of what I am." Chaos laughed in response. "And what you are is just mindless destruction, Chthon. That''s the difference between us. It''s about creation and destruction, chaos and order, all at once. It''s the ultimate balance of all things." Chthon snorted, sending tentacles wriggling in the air. "You speak of balance? Balance is the antithesis of chaos. Chaos is about the unexpected, the unpredictable. It is the tearing down of everything that exists and the creation of something entirely new." Chaos'' eyes narrowed. "That might have been the case for me in the past. But now I see further and it has not only given me purpose, it has brought with it understanding as well. So I ask you this, what about the chaos that comes from the unexpected meeting of two different elements? Chaos formed from order? Is that not a kind of chaos as well?" Chthon hesitated, its mass of tentacles shifting uneasily. "Perhaps," it said begrudgingly. "But that is a lesser form of chaos. True chaos is the complete annihilation of everything that exists, leaving nothing but the purest form of darkness and destruction in its wake." Chaos shook his head. "You are mistaken Chthon. That is but a blunt way to use the tool. True chaos is necessary for the balance of all things, the perfect mixture of light and dark, creation and destruction. It is not mere death, but a force that creates as much as it destroys." Chaos held out his palms. "In one hand, we have your version of chaos, untethered and unwilling to be changed. Unwilling to adapt." Chthon''s own power materialized in Chaos left palm as a swirling ball of red and black power. "On the other, rests my version of Chaos." Chaos own brand of power manifested in his right hand as a black and purple sphere. "Deep within it, is a spark of order. A touch of what gives Chaos meaning. For without order, then what is chaos?" Chthon hesitated. "Your opposite...how can you co-exist?" Chthon''s opposite was Oshtur and they hated each other. She was his anti-thesis. "Balance." Chaos answered. There was a brief silence between them and then, Chthon begun to laugh in excitement. "Yes. Yes! I see it now. You are exactly what I need to reach new heights of power. If I can devour you, then that would give me a connection with Oshtur and I can take all her power away, then nothing will stand in my way!!" Chaos narrowed his eyes. "Hey! That''s my plan! Don''t fucking think I''ll let you plagiarize my shit, you walking b movie monster reject!" He felt his own power buzz underneath his skin, ready for the fight about to begin. Chthon''s tentacle form wriggled around in anticipation. "I hold dominion over true chaos! Dormammu, Mephisto, even they invoke my name, you are nothing. A mere shadow to your master, chained like a dog. Your purpose is to join me! To serve my whims!" A wave of red energy burst out of Chthon, culminating in a biting wind with millions of screaming faces that pushed everything away. Chaos burst apart into a jagged wave of lightning and escaped to the skies, jumping over the red blast of power. The Landscape under changed forms, from a rough black, rocky terrain with to a few pieces of land in the molten lake caused by Chaos. Chaos spread out his hands, behind him numerous swirling shadow portals manifesting at his back. "Dark Gates of Babylon." Sharp weapons emerged out of the portals. Chaos waved his left hand. They shot at almost the speed of light and fell upon Chthon''s position, destroying his tentacle body under the onslaught of attacks. In the sky, Chaos pushed out his right hand towards the side. The rest of the portals behind him changed to face that new direction. The weapons inside flew out like a gale. Just in time to slam into a massive hand made out of the red and black clouds in the sky. Chaos, snapped a finger and smiled. "Explode." The weapon constructs on the clouds and on the ground exploded in waves of black energy. The shockwaves produced pushed everything away in the distance of 500 light years. The land they were on was swallowed by the blaze of power. In the middle of the zone of nothingness, Chaos floated about happily. He had his hooks in. Finally. Around the boundaries of the empty section that Chaos had devoured into himself, Chthon''s presence showed itself. "I understand now. Your attack pushed away my influence so that you could gain a footing in my dimension. Commendable efforts but you will ultimately fail." Chthon informed him, changing his body into a form more combat proficient. "Oh this is gonna be fun." Chaos muttered. Family Reunion. (General P.O.V) The dark portal behind her disappeared as she stepped onto the infertile and dead soil of the Hollowlands. What was even more concerning was the fact that she couldn''t see past the mist on the ground. It all gathered together to obscure the surroundings. Darken created scythes of darkness as misshapen shapes begun forming around her in the mist. Then the moaning begun. A sound that sent shivers down her spine. Numerous steps sounded, all headed her way. She crouched low in preparation, her attack sequence already going through her mind. The first of the shapes appeared and Paige blinked her eyes in confusion. "Howdy missy, the name is Buckwild Thawne, the master sent me. Is you Miss Darken?" "A zombie?" She murmured. "Well I''ll be...how dare you? Zombie!? I''m a ghoul thanks ya very much. Not one for manners, I reckon?" The other shapes turned out to be ghouls as well. And they were all chattering amongst themselves about how she had no manners. Paige felt a headache form. "Alright alright...get out of here you lot." A new voice made itself known. Paige looked up and was even more confused. A stone statue of a Hydra with different heads was hovering above her, flapping it''s stone wings. There was someone on it''s back as well. She tensed. she knew the man on it. "Sivana." Darken spat out, pointing at the supervillain. "Are these things your creation?" The stone Hydra touched down onto the ground and Sivana jumped off. "No. More of a joint effort really." He watched her with a surgical interest. "How do your powers work exactly?" Sivana enquired. Then before she could answer he stiffened, looking away. "Yes Warden." Then he turned to Darken. "No time. The Warden wants to see you." "You mean Michael?" Darken asked walking towards Sivana and the Hydra. The man gave no response. Once he was on top he lightly smacked the hydra and it rose up with a cry from some of the heads. Paige looked down at her hand and saw it trembling. She was about to meet her father...that son of a bitch.( Sorry Grandma) But she was ready now. "It''s one of the Warden''s new initiative." Sivana spoke up. "What?" Darken unsurprisingly had no idea what he was talking about. Her mind was too pre occupied with the family reunion about to happen. Michael had promised to hand over Felix Faust. "You wanted to know about the ghouls. Basically, he lets all of us carry out our mad science experiments as much as we want. He even provides the resources." The Hydra suddenly strafed to the right, escaping a collision with a large human bat. "Watch where you''re going Man-Bat! Use your senses! I''m flying here!" Sivana angrily yelled showing a middle finger. Man Bat screeched right back before disappearing into the mist. "Can''t really blame him though, this entire world is strange. Even his echo location is useless in the mist." Sivana commented. "So wait, Michael allowed you all free reign? Why?" Sivana shifted to look back at her. "Did you just forget the realm was in the blink of destruction a few months back?" Realization dawned on Paige. "He''s preparing. Getting ready for another attack. If it even happens." Sivana laughed at Paige. "How naive. Not if but when." He turned his head around. "He''s given us a chance. A chance to prove we can go up against the true monsters and come out winning." Light shone on his glasses. "It''s power. I would never say no to power." Paige didn''t know what to feel. Then again, they had only won because of stalling for time. Next time they might not be so lucky. "The drums for the final war." Stolen story; please report. She whispered to herself just as a huge shape appeared past the mist. A huge castle with dozens of skyscraper sized towers. "Welcome to the Warden''s Palace. We grunts call it..." "The Dark Tower?" Paige interrupted with an unimpressed look. Sivana scratched his bald head. "Yes. How did you know?" "Well, you villains lack in imagination." Paige shrugged. Sivana frowned. "You''re not getting a Sivana specially baked Cookie, young Lady." (Elsewhere) ''Vaatu.''. A whisper only he could hear. Vaatu''s divine sense spread out across the palace, the city and then the whole planet. Nothing was amiss. The source of the whisper was nowhere to be seen. There was a small laugh. "Oh come on brother, you think I would make it that easy for you?" The voice, Vaatu realized was male. Male and very familiar. A wisp of green flame appeared right before him. "Follow the ember." The voice instructed. Vaatu leaned over to Raava. "Look after the kids and the Queen. I will be back shortly." Raava was about to ask questions but he was already gone, following after the wisp only he could see. Vaatu knew how to lower his presence so he was not noticed as he left the chamber. He was also relieved to be leaving. He hated these fancy social affairs where everyone pretended to be cordial yet were planning plots on each other. It reminded him too much of Olympus. The wisp led him through the hallways of the huge opulent palace. Each hallway seemed to have a portrait of the Queen but not of Kori or their parents. Vaatu passed through the hallways, occasionally smiling at the bowing servants. No one asked him where he was going. Even the guards did not prohibit him from passing through the door to the outer garden. It showed just how loved Kori was to her people that they did not care. The garden was a massive slot of land with an orchard, various water fountains, sculptures and hundreds of different flowers. Vaatu breathed in deep, smiling at the end. The garden reminded him of Demeter. "I knew you''d love it here." A new voice said as the wisp disappeared. Vaatu turned to the side and his eyebrows rose up. "Well, I''ll be damned." (A few hours later) The dinner party had ended and all the guests had left. Kori had also just finished tucking in the kids. Now, Kori and her sister were alone. The former caressed her pendant for courage. This talk would likely determine the future of not only their relationship but to some extent Tamaran and it''s people. Although Kori wanted a good relationship with her sister, she was also a mother and a queen now. She couldn''t show weakness. Queen Komandr stood in the throne room, her heart pumping nervously. It had been months since she had seen her younger sister, Princess Koriandr, and their last encounter had been fraught with tension and resentment. Komandr had managed to escape their captors, but Kori had been left behind, subjected to unimaginable horrors at the hands of the Gordanians. When Kori had arrived with her entourage, Komandr''s heart had leapt into her throat, jealousy and anger at the forefront of her mind. She had asked herself why Koriandr was back. Hated her for surviving. But things were different now. She... wasn''t sure how, but they were. Kori was like her. She couldn''t see the physical toll that her sister''s ordeal had taken on her, but her eyes, her eyes told a different story. She saw the pain of the same memories that kept Komandr awake at night. However, she also saw a fierce determination in them that hadn''t been there before. Koriandr was different. She was not the same girl Komandr used to hate and let her frustrations on. "Kori," Komandr said, her voice soft and hesitant. "It''s good to see you." Kori''s face remained impassive as she approached the throne, her eyes locked onto Komandr''s. Inside however, she was shell shocked. What was going on? This...was this really Komandr? "It''s good to be back, sister," Kori said, her voice tentative and unsure. She had to be careful and distant. The cordiality could be a trick from her sister. A trick to make her let down her guard. Komandr walked closer to her, rubbing her hands. "Kori, please," she said, her voice pleading. "I know that I made a mistake by leaving you, but I did what I had to do to survive. I never stopped thinking about you, and I should have tried to find a way to rescue you." Kori could see the remorse in Komandr''s eyes. It was too much. "What is this?" She finally asked, taking a few steps back while looking around, her eyes lighting up with power. "You have never been this nice to me. The Komandr I know..." "Used to be someone vile! Someone who could not let go of her hate." Komandr interrupted. "I''m not her. Not anymore. I see everything so clearly now." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I know what I''ve done and I feel terrible for it." Kori was confused. This conversation was not going how she was expecting. It felt like a dream. Her sister was genuinely asking for another chance. How could she say no? How could she say yes either? A small part of her, the vindictive side wanted Komandr to go through what she had. Luckily Kori''s heart won out. Her eyes softened slightly as she floated down to the ground. "I know," she said, and the surge of hope in Komandr''s eyes made Kori sure of her next words. "I forgive you, Komandr." Komandr felt a weight leave her shoulders at Kori''s words, but it was short-lived. Kori''s next words cut like a knife. "However, we have a lot to fix and some things need to be said." Her face went granite hard. "You''ve always resented me for being the one with the closer relationship to our parents. I''m not here for the throne, but if you can''t put your jealousy and hate aside, then maybe I should be." Komandr felt her face flush with anger and shame. She knew that Kori was right, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. Kori on the other hand was not dumb. She couldn''t mess this up because she also had her kids to think of. Words could be said but at the end of the day, actions mattered more. "I...I''m sorry," Komandr said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It''s true I have always been jealous of you, and I''ve never been able to admit it. But I''m willing to try. I''m willing to work on this, Koriandr." Kori''s face softened slightly, and she took a step closer to her sister. "I know that you are, sister," she said, holding out her hand. "A new start then. For both of us. Let''s put our differences aside." Komandr nodded, sighing in relief. "Thank you." With those words, the two sisters embraced, a symbol of their renewed commitment to each other and to Tamaran. :---------------------------------------: Under a veil of divine spirit energy, Vaatu and Sai watched the reunion between both sisters. "This feels very wrong. Intruding on their moment. However, it''s better than having a dead Aunt and a heartbroken mother." Sai told Vaatu. Vaatu was still in disbelief at how things were going. The Sai next to him was not the cute little brother he knew. This Sai was from the future. His resemblance with Aden was uncanny. The only difference was his green eyes. Everything from the tall height of 6''4, to his handsome face, to his black clothing and long hair...it was all Aden. Then again, the two of them were very close. Still, it felt good to Vaatu that his younger brother had basically modelled himself into his dad. "So your idea to solve their personal family issues, is to mind control your aunt and make her less of a bitch?" Vaatu asked. "It''s not mind control." Sai rolled his eyes. "I just...showed her things from a different perspective. Mind control makes it sound as if I messed with her personality, I didn''t. She''s still the same insufferable Aunt who refused to send a single Christmas Card despite mom always sending her a present each year. For 95 years no less." Vaatu raised his eyebrows. "This...this is a lot." He shook his head. "I know. I wasn''t planning to actually intervene." Sai admitted before his face grew dark. "However, this night changes everything. You think she was jealous before? You should have seen how she got once she knew that mom was the Queen of basically an entire universe. She attacks her and mom is forced to defend herself and Komandr gets hurt pretty bad, loses an eye. The fight between them causes a death toll of hundreds before you and Raava intervene." Vaatu watched both sisters who were still embracing. "Maybe you''re..." He turned to Sai and found out that he had disappeared. "Rude brat." He cursed in a low voice. "I heard that." Came the whisper. Vaatu smiled. Mutant Kind. (General P.O.V) "We...died, didn''t we?" Charles asked the Ancient One. Both were in the former''s mind scape, the beautiful field of land behind the Xavier Mansion. The Ancient One said nothing. Her silence was apparently all the answer Charles needed. He nodded and turned his gaze towards the forest a bit further from the mansion, past the field. "Raven and I used to play on those woods over there." He told her. "She would change forms to our groundskeeper, trying to scare me away. There were wolf packs up until the 40''s, you see. Before my grandfather killed most of them." Charles smiled. "My parents would worry endlessly, so I was prohibited from ever going there." "She certainly brought out the teen rebellion phase out of you huh?" The Ancient One joked making Charles chuckle and shake his head. "That she did. Shape shifting into the groundskeeper was one of the many pranks she tried to pull on me. Didn''t work." He tapped his temple. "Ah the telepathy." The Ancient One said. "Yes. But also the lazy eye. She could never get that small detail right." Both of them shared another laugh. Then they quieted down as they walked. "Charles, the world is at a precipice of change." Xavier sighed. "You don''t think we should keep on hiding." He realized. The Ancient One shook her head. "I can''t tell you what comes next. I used to see it all so clearly but ever since ''he'' arrived, my gaze has been clouded. What I do know, is that he is the most powerful thing I have ever known." She stopped, forcing Charles to turn and face her. "This might be the Salvation the mutant race needs." She informed him. "You think I should...ask for his help?" Charles wondered but strangely the Ancient One shook her head. "No. Just accept it. It''s already begun. Whether we like it or not, everything is different now." Charles frowned. "Those are not the words I would expect from you." "I know." The Ancient One nodded. "The notion of morality is intricately interwoven with pride. We pride ourselves on self-worthiness and belief in our strength. Readily do we stand in opposition to someone trying to force their way of thinking unto us. But that''s where things get confusing. It''s not immoral to look at a higher being for guidance or authority. We have been doing it for millennia." Charles shook his head. "You''re preaching to me. Nothing is worth freedom." "Not even peace? Or life?" The Ancient One walked closer to him. "Do you know what I saw for the mutant race?" She closed her eyes and their environment changed. They stood in the midst of a burning city. Charles could hear the cries of thousands of people as huge, red and purple robots with a yellow core on their breast plate descended. Then he could see the devastation they wrought. He saw Magneto and his brotherhood, his own X-Men, Storm, Cyclops, Nightcrawler and many others, dead or dying. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. None of them survived the robots. The scene changed back to the peaceful plains of the Xavier compound. Charles lost strength and fell to his knees, his hands held him up as he took in shaky breaths. "What...what was that?" "One of the many tribulations the Mutant race goes through. It''s not even the worst." She answered, helping him up to his feet with telekinesis. "Thank you." Xavier nodded her way before closing his eyes and pinching his forehead. "I...I don''t know alot about him. He gave me my legs back and was amiable to our intrusion. Not to mention, that was the most traumatizing thing I have ever seen. To keep my student''s safe... I will do it." He murmured to himself. "What does he offer?" He directed the question to the Ancient One who smiled. "Simple, he''s offering to create an entirely new dimension for all mutant kind, if you allow him to study your mutant physiology and powers." Xavier was shocked to his core. "Create a dimension?" (Elsewhere) The Ancient One opened her eyes. "He accepted the terms." She told Aden who was tinkering with the Time Stone. The White Shadow, Aden''s Homunculi puppet nodded, getting up from his seat. He threw the time stone at the Ancient One, who simply watched it land in her palms. "Get everything ready. Once I come back, we shall begin." He told her. "Off to see Charles then?" The Ancient One wondered. "Hmm." Aden hummed, a yellow portal forming before him. A frown marred his features. "I suspect, you still have questions." The Ancient One spoke up, noticing his hesitance to leave. The White Shadow turned to face her. "The Infinity Stones, they''re not really power incarnate are they? At least not in the traditional sense. It''s all about... control." The Ancient One had a thoughtful expression on her face. "I don''t completely understand." The White Shadow sat down on his previous position, palms held together in a contemplative gesture. "I can''t harness the energy of the time stone. I can create a time stone but it wouldn''t be Power, it would be a key to one of the pillars of Reality, time. A key bound to one dimension or universe or realm. It''s all control, tapping into what is already there, just unrefined." He leaned in. "That''s why you Sorcerers cannot manipulate time without the time stone. Were it any other source of power, you could study it, replicate it''s effects like you do with normal spells, like you did with my power. Hundreds of you could tap into it and harness it''s energy, but it''s only a key, a key meant to be used in the hands of the one holding it. Which means it''s useless to me. A piece of junk. I can''t use it." "Enlightening, for sure." The Ancient One replied, not knowing what else to say. "Tell me something, Ancient One." The Homunculi puppet said out of the blue. "What do you know about Celestials, the eternals and deviants?" The Ancient One blinked. "I have no doubt that you have come across some references and I''m fascinated by what you think is the connection between them all, apart from the Eternals and Deviants sharing the same heritage." Aden explained. The Ancient One smiled warmly, pouring both of them tea from a steaming kettle. "Ah, a question I can answer. You really know how to treat a lady. How can I say no to a foray into understanding the cosmic forces that shape our reality?" She took a sip as the White Shadow snorted. "To start us off, Celestials are beings of immense power who travel the universe, creating and shaping worlds according to their own inscrutable designs. They are the architects of the cosmic order, and their influence is felt across countless galaxies." Aden nodded, already aware of that. "And what about the Eternals and the Deviants? How do they fit into this ''grand design''?" The Ancient One took a sip of her tea, sighing in the process. "That brings us to the connection between all three. Cosmic energy." Aden''s eyes blazed with interest. "The Eternals and the Deviants were created by the Celestials as part of their grand experiment in life. Both were imbued with cosmic energy, which granted them incredible powers and longevity. They were meant to be the guardians of the Celestials'' creations, ensuring that life on each world would flourish according to the Celestials'' plans." Aden leaned in, fascinated as well as impatient. "The Deviants were a different story," the Ancient One said, her tone growing darker. "They were also created by the Celestials, but their purpose was more insidious. They were meant to be the harbingers of chaos and destruction, meant to test the resilience of the Celestials'' creations and weed out any weaknesses." Aden frowned, musing. "Cruelty seems to be a common theme with most cosmic entities. And what about cosmic energy? How does that fit into all of this?" The Ancient One smiled again, falling into the role of instructor seamlessly. "Cosmic energy is the life force that permeates the universe. It is the source of all power, and it flows through all living things. The Celestials harness this energy to create and shape worlds, and the Eternals draw upon it to wield their incredible abilities. The Deviants, too, are infused with cosmic energy, but they twist and corrupt it to their own destructive ends." The explanation felt lacking. He frowned, asking what he should have started with from the beginning. "Can a normal human tap into it?" The Ancient One blinked before her eyes widened in realization. "That''s why you wanted to study mutants. You were already aware of everything I just explained, weren''t you?" Aden said nothing, causing the Ancient One to shake her head at how she had been duped. "I can''t tell you if it is possible or not. Through a rare occurrence? Maybe." "It is." Aden informed her with confidence. "Though only a select few species with genetic advantages." "You said normal humans, correct?" The Ancient One prompted. "Yes, I believe it''s possible. One might say mutantkind is a distant cousin to both the Eternals and Deviants." Aden answered. "And because both species are more mechanical than biological...you believe you can glean more from studying mutant biology than the other two." She connected the dots. "Correct." The White Shadow smiled. "That''s a far stretch." The Ancient One shook her head, pouring cold water over his logic. "I''m aware. But I have a long history of always finding a way to do the impossible." Aden told her, getting up. This time he didn''t bother with a portal, he simply unravelled into energy, briefly saluting the Ancient One. In the Nexus of all realities, the Avatar opened his eyes. "So you have decided then?" Uatu asked. "Yes." Aden straightened from his meditative position. "I have made little to no progress here. Maybe there''s a chance down there." "Maybe." Uatu stated. What Aden did not tell him was that he was also interested in the Mutant gene for another purpose. He hadn''t forgotten about the creation of the strongest race, the Quintes. Gaea would have a field day if he brought back samples of the X-gene for her. Taking Over. Chapter 304 Taking Over. (General P.O.V) "Chuck, are you sure about this?" Wolverine asked from Xavier''s side. The X-Men stood in a line on the lush green lawn of the Xavier Institute, staring up at the sky. They were waiting for a special guest. Storm felt it first, a heaviness that had her nervously fidgeting, her palms shaking slightly as she waited like the others. Cyclops noticed her nervousness but chose to not comment on it. Whoever this Avatar was, he had him curious, eager to see what kind of power he possessed. Power that made even Storm wary. Wolverine, on the other hand, was cautious. He didn''t trust anyone he didn''t know, especially someone with ''almost infinite power beyond normal comprehension'', as Chuck had put it. Chuck who wouldn''t be simply exaggerating based on the fact that he could walk again. Suddenly, a bright yellow light appeared above the institute, and the Avatar came from within a portal. ''snikt!'' Wolverine''s claws came out. "Put those away Logan." The Professor instructed. Their guest swept his eyes out across the institute and sighed in appreciation. Aden could admit that the school and safe haven for mutants was something he had been looking forward to seeing. And it didn''t disappoint. "He''s not what I was expecting." Cyclops commented as Aden floated towards them, noticing them from above. Storm had to agree. He was definitely not what she was expecting. The Avatar was a tall, handsome black man, dressed in a flowing black coat and blazing with undercurrents of divinity. Storm felt...stronger than she had ever. She would usually have to lose control over her emotions to access the kind of power coursing through her body at that moment. It was...unimaginable. Aden looked down at the X-Men and gave a sly wink to Storm, causing her to blush. "Hello, Xavier," the Avatar said, landing before them and greeting the professor with a warm smile. "It''s been a while since we last spoke." Xavier smiled back, walking forward. "Yes, I remember. I reached out to you with my telepathy. Almost got swept away by your immense power." The Avatar chuckled. "I''m flattered, Xavier. It''s not often that I encounter someone with your level of psychic ability either. For a human, you are very exceptional." wolverine snorted. "Human? You don''t look any different from us Bub. Maybe check the ego." Cyclops felt like facepalming. Xavier sighed. Logan was...a hard man. Aden merely smiled, walking forwards to stop before the shorter man. "And what are your senses telling you? Do I smell like a human? You look like the type to trust your instincts. So what do they tell you, James?" "James?" Logan muttered. The other three looked at each other in confusion. "James "Jimmy" Howlett, born 1832 Circa, Canada." Aden recited to their shock. "Come see me later if you want the rest of your memory back." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. He patted his shoulder. "However, next time maybe try to leave a better impression on someone who can unravel your whole existence with a thought." Wolverine seemed lost in thought at the words. Slowly, the claws retracted. "Mmhh." He hummed. "I''ll take that as an apology." Aden shrugged in an easygoing manner. Xavier took the chance to intervene. He gestured to the X-Men. "Allow me to introduce you to my team. This is Storm, our resident weather goddess. Cyclops, our leader in the field. And Wolverine, our... well, let''s just say he''s our resident skeptic." Wolverine snorted, eyeing the Avatar warily. "I just don''t trust anyone I don''t know." The Avatar grinned. "I can respect that. It''s always good to be cautious. But I assure you, Wolverine, I''m not here to cause trouble." Aden stretched out his hands to the sides. "I''m actually here to help." Cyclops raised an eyebrow. "Help with what?" The Avatar''s smile faded slightly. "With whatever I can." He turned to face the northern section of the mansion. The edge of it was the woods that cut off into a dry road that connected with the main one past the Xavier compound. "We can start by... flushing out a few eyes." Aden raised his hand and above the tree line a few agents and a black featureless van floated up, held suspended through telekinesis. "Shield." Xavier sighed in realization. "How come we didn''t know they were spying? We have cameras and motion detectors on that side of the compound." Cyclops wondered, removing his glasses and exchanging them for his visors. "They have a mutant with them, he can basically cast a highly effective concealment field." Aden answered. "That''s why I couldn''t detect them." Wolverine bit out, his claws coming out. "Excuse me, professor. I should go and meet up with Hank. We''ll organize a party with a few of the others and do a perimeter check around the compound." Cyclops informed professor X. "Of course." Charles agreed and Cyclops left with a nod aimed at Aden''s way. "Well that was unexpected huh?" Aden asked out loud. "Once again, I cannot thank you enough." Xavier informed Aden who simply waved it away. "You can thank me by continuing what you''re doing here." He smiled. Wolverine retracted his claws without a word. Aden looked his way. "I know you still don''t trust me. Most times, beings like I are selfish, arrogant and quite literally think themselves better than others. While I might possess great power, I believe it''s my duty to use that power for the greater good. I know a lot about the X-Men and the work you do. I''d like to have a good relationship with you." Storm stepped forward, her eyes bright with excitement. "Don''t mind Logan, Avatar. Like Charles said we cannot thank you enough. And if you don''t mind me asking, what exactly can you do?" She had yet to meet someone so connected to the earth and it''s elements. The Avatar''s eyes sparkled with an inner light. "First of all, please call me Aden. Secondly, I can do many things, Storm. I can control the elements, heal the sick, and even bring the dead back to life. But most importantly, I can see into the future. I have a vision for this world, and I believe that together, we can make that vision a reality." The X-Men exchanged looks, unsure of what to make of this mysterious individual. But there was something about him, something compelling and intriguing, that made them want to learn more. "Let''s discuss this further while having a cup of tea." Charles offered. "After you." Aden gestured and the group left for the mansion. (Elsewhere) Time was irrelevant here. They had been fighting for years or minutes. Which was it? Chaos had no concrete idea. All he knew was that they had been fighting for a long time. Every blow traded was not aimed at Killing Chthon, Chaos was after occupying more of Chthon''s realm. And he was almost halfway through. That was until Chthon decided that he needed allies against this madman. No matter what he did, Chaos came up with a way to tank the blows and while not come out on top, slip and manage to gather more influence. It was infuriating. And so Chaos found himself not only standing before Chthon, but lesser RealmLords. Chthon had convinced them all that Chaos would go after them next and so they had banded together to get rid of him, once and for all. Chaos floated in a world of different hues. He was a formless cloud of energy before the wills of beings that were as old as time. The space they all occupied was stretched to the limits of what physical space could contain. Fundamental laws of reality were put up against them and found lacking. Just like the Nexus of Reality, these RealmLords looked down at the material world''s rules as mere suggestions. Space was fructuring around them and Chaos took advantage of that to gain more ground over Chthon''s realm, extending out limbs of darkness through the cracks and corrupting more of it. "Stand down creature of chaos." Chthon informed him, standing at the head of what was a group of terrifying individuals. Chaos smiled inwardly, looking out at the gathered beings. ''It was like the boss said, sometimes you need a one vs many match to keep things interesting.'' He closed his metaphorical eyes and took a breath. "I promise to do better with your immense power, Chthon." Chaos smiled. Then he stared at the ones behind Chthon, Cyttorak, Dormammu, Mephisto and more. They weren''t really here. Merely constructs of their will. It would have been incredibly dumb for Chthon to allow them in without countermeasures. "For standing with my opponent, I hope you''re all ready for death. It''s nothing too personal." He addressed them. "Your arrogance shall be your downfall." Dormammu spoke up. They were formless, just clouds of energy that manifested with the power to break universes. The skies around them were red and filled with sections of Chthon''s realm floating about like space debris. A thin almost undetectable film of energy separated half of the realm from the other. ''I can''t keep fighting this battle too long. The boss might need me. Time to bring out the big guns.'' Chaos thought, his body changing into a humanoid one. On his right arm, Equity appeared. Instantly the whole realm shook in fear. "Equity," Chaos started, caressing the blade''s sharp edge, right infront of their eyes. "We always keep you suppressed so as to not devour the world..." "Whatever that thing is, we need to get rid of it." Cyttorak said, his red energy form roiling around restlessly in the skies. The gathered wills of the Realmlords responded by sending a multitude of attacks, most of whom manifested as beams of incredible energy. Energy that was enough to destroy galaxies ten times over. Aden touched down on a chunk of floating earth and looked up at the attacks bearing down on him. It was... beautiful and terrifying. "Now, I unseal you, Equity. Judgement of the Avatar: Destroy all Opposition." He chanted, gripping the sword in a two handed grab. Time seemed to slow down as the weapon blazed blue, then red, then purple, then black before turning itself and Chaos into a creature of all white. Then Chaos slashed out and the world broke apart. All the attacks aimed at Chaos were devoured under the torrential amount of power that Equity unleashed. After it was all over, the effect of Equity as a weapon that cut off any being from their power worked well with the Realmlord''s connection with their realms. Chaos instantly felt connection with multiple realms. "The boss will be impressed." He said to himself. Welcome A slice of life chapter. (Aden''s P.O.V) The walk towards the mansion was both short and long. Short as it was only a few feet away, and long because of the never ending questions I was receiving from Storm. "I''ve never seen her this excited." Wolverine spoke to Charles through telepathy. I was eavesdropping without actually meaning to. At this point, my powers were past any normal constraints or limitations. I was far ahead. Having touched heights in psionic manipulation that no Martian, Metahuman or Mutant could reach. I had become a hub for psionic abilities, just like the Phoenix Force was in this world. "Storm lost the roots to her heritage. Having someone who she feels connected to must be a welcoming change." Charles replied to the former Weapon X. "Hmm," Wolverine grunted. "I still don''t trust him." He stubbornly replied. Storm pulled me out of eavesdropping at their mental conversation by a question. "How do you keep yourself in control? Wresting the forces of nature to work for you is not an easy thing." She scrunched her nose in a little annoyance. "It''s something she''s been struggling with for years." Xavier joined in before I could answer. "Meditation has helped her know when to stop but it hasn''t addressed the larger issue." Wolverine added as well. "And she can speak for herself." Storm interjected with a scowl. Charles muttered a sorry while Logan grunted and looked away. I stopped at the entrance to the courtyard leading up to the mansion. My face was set in a frown. "That sounds like a problem." I told them, remembering that sometimes metahumans/mutants were stuck with undesirable powers. Some were more of an inconveniencethan a gift. Charles shared a look with both Storm and Logan. "Mutant abilities are varied. Both in power and control." He answered. "While control is a large issue during the first few months after the X-gene manifests, some mutants are not that lucky." Xavier said, pushing the doors to the mansion and revealing kids walking around in a flurry of activity. There was a wide range of obvious mutation. One had bird feathers for hair and red eyes. Another was gliding on top with bat like wings flapping in the air. 4 twins, sharing similarities to Emma Frost passed by us, with all winking at me. The Stepford Cuckoos, I think. Weren''t they supposed to be 5? Xavier continued. "Either because their ability is particularly dangerous to anyone around them, or their mutation causes a permanent change in one''s body, making it hard to blend in or in extreme cases, live normally." We came across a kid, playing with a purple ball of flame in his palms. "Mr.Whitmore, I would appreciate it if you did not burn down the house." Charles admonished. "Sorry professor." The belated teen extinguished the flame with a wave, grabbed his backpack off the floor and ran off. I used my energy sense to get a reading on what type of fire that had been. I noticed something interesting that I decided to think about later. "So what do you do in those cases?" I asked. "Specialized training, positive reinforcement, addressing emotional needs and fostering creativity in their young minds. Those that can, manage to attain a level of control to live without fear of being different, the rest accept themselves for who they are." Xavier answered. "She was right, you really have given them a home, professor." I complimented him. "Thank you." He smiled as we moved through the throngs of kids, headed for his office. Along with catching a lot of attention from the kids, bursts of light and other different mutant abilities were freely displayed across the hall. A stern look from Storm and they stopped soon after, wary of her. I kept my energy sense on for the entire duration, trying to understand where Mutant abilities actually come from. In just a short time, I had learned so much. A few short steps, a staircase and a hallway later, we reached Xavier''s office. It had this... feeling to it. "Please have a seat, Avatar." The professor offered. I took the seat with a smile. "It''s Aden Professor. I would like to think we are friends." Wolverine leaned on a wall that had a lot of framed photos while Storm took the couch on the side of the Professor, facing me. It was a good strategy, this way they had me cornered from 3 sides. "Of course." Xavier replied. "Would you like a drink?" He offered and I nodded. "Thanks, a glass of water please." Storm got up and entered the next room. "So, how should we..." Xavier begun. "I wanna help." I interrupted, making eye contact. "I can''t promise anything, but I can at least help a few of the kids achieve control over their abilities." Charles was clearly not expecting that and took a minute before answering. I would be helping kids plus, I would get a chance to study their abilities at close range. "Say yes, Chuck. It would make training much easier if some of them could control their abilities." Logan surprisingly supported my offer. Xavier nodded at Logan''s advice. "That...would be splendid. Thank you for the offer, Aden." I smiled, reclining back in my seat. "Don''t mention it." Storm came in and placed a cold glass of water on the table before me. "Thanks." She smiled and sat back on the couch. "Now then, how should we do this? How exactly are you going to study mutant biology?" Charles asked and I contemplated my answer while taking a sip. "I guess we can start by allowing me to observe your training sessions." "Mmmh. That can be arranged." Logan answered. "The other way, is a bit invasive and so it''s optional. I only need a few blood samples from volunteers." The mood in the room turned awkward. A certain tension fell upon us. "Why would you need their d.n.a?" Wolverine asked, clenching his jaw while staring at me viciously. Was that supposed to intimidate me? "For a very important project." I didn''t see a need to lie, so I told them the truth. The real truth. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. A few seconds later, I finished my explanation to a shocked audience. "Okay, Let me get this right, your newly created universe needs a dominant sentient species and because of danger you want to make them the strongest species to ever work on soil?" Storm wondered out loud. "Yes." I nodded in response. "Well, at least you''re direct." Wolverine commented. Meanwhile, Charlie''s had a ponderous expression on his face. He was thinking too hard. "Listen," I snapped a finger before him. "I''m not out to create an army of mutants. I don''t need an army. I just want to give my creations, my children, an advantage." "That...will have to be something I discuss with the entire faculty, Aden." Charles answered, unsure. "No problem." I knew that he wouldn''t immediately agree, but this was fine. If there was a fallout, I could still extract all the d.n.a without them knowing. Plus there were many other mutants out there in the world. I just didn''t want to plunge into another fight, especially with my childhood heroes. "I wonder...will our decision affect the deal?" Charles enquired. The answer here should have been yes. However, they were operating out of fear and wariness. I had to understand them. Plus, the project even by itself was very important to me. I needed to know if I could create a realm by myself. Like Order had done to Gaea. Energia could be argued to be something I created but that was more of an expression of energy, imagination and magic. It wasn''t technical. "No. The deal stands. I''ll still create a safe haven for mutants." "Curious." Before Logan could explain what he meant, someone knocked on the door. "Come in." Xavier said out loud and a blue furred humanoid creature entered. I immediately recognized him as Beast. He had a tablet in his left palm. A clunky type. "Professor," Beast greeted, looking around before his interested gaze fell on me. "Hank, I would like to introduce you to Aden Strong. Otherwise known as the Avatar." We shook hands. "Nice grip." I commented. "Oh thanks. You''re the first to not act as if I''m going to rip out your head." Hank smiled. "I see the man inside. Hank McCoy, your reputation precedes you. Even to an alien like me." "Alien?" He looked at the professor for confirmation. "It''s a long story. The short version is, I am an extra dimension being. I arrived at your world through an accident." "So you''re from another universe. A parallel earth to be precise." I rose an eyebrow. "Your accent, it''s highly recognizable as L.A lingo." Beast answered. "I''m impressed. I said nothing about the earth yet you deduced my roots so quickly." "Hank is more brain than brawn." Charles had a note of pride in his words. "It would benefit him more if he applied himself into learning how to be dangerous with his hands." Wolverine pointed out. Hank shook his head. "And as I have told you before, I left that life, Logan." "Come on, Bub. You can''t tell me you don''t miss the action." Wolverine smirked, removing his claws. "No. And put those away before you hurt yourself." Hank growled out, this seemed to be an old argument between them. "Don''t worry about them. Hank is retired from the X-Men. He only joins in when the mission is important. These days he''s our resident tech expert." Xavier explained. "Welcome to the X-mansion, Mr.Strong." Hank officially greeted then walked over to Xavier and showed him the tablet in his hands. "Thought you might want to see this, Scott and the others were patrolling the grounds just incase we missed something, when they saw it." From my position I could see different video feeds displaying real time footage of the Xavier grounds. "What?" Storm asked. "Getting there." He tapped the tablet and it displayed a different image. Wolverine came around me to stare at it. It was a large boot print. "I know that size." He growled out and then cursed. "Viktor." Oh, I perked up. That''s interesting. "Yup." Hank stated. "His tracks carve a path on the eastern wall." "Sabretooth? What would he be doing at the eastern side of the mansion?" Storm wondered. "After the attack from the Purifiers a month ago, we had to reinforce our weak points. The pattern of his tracks, Viktor is mostly just scouting to see the easiest point of access." Wolverine answered. Xavier sighed at Wolverine''s gloomy words. "Which means that Eric must be planning something." All the while I had been listening without saying anything. I was surprised at their general blas¨¦ outlook. Apart from discussing strategies and how to tighten defences, they didn''t seem too worried. "I hope you now understand why you need the safe haven, Charles." I told him. He stapled his hands together. "I''ll try to convince the teachers. However, it will be optional, just like we discussed. Hank will make a list of volunteers." "Fair enough." I nodded. "Storm here shall escort you to our guest quarters, if you don''t mind." Xavier told me, then realized that he was jumping the gun. "I suppose you will be staying with us for an extended period of time?" "Yeah. That was the plan." I replied, getting up from the seat and stretching my body before proceeding to the door after the Weather demigoddess. "Oh Logan, hope you don''t mind if I join in on your next danger room exercise." I threw over my shoulder. The Wolverine grunted. So was that a yes or a no? Alas, I do not speak grunt. "How about a tour first?" Storm offered as we made our way through the hallway. She turned to face me with a small smile on her beautiful face. Where Kori was gorgeously breathtaking, Storm had this mature aura surrounding her. I also won''t lie, I have a thing for black queens and she ticked every requirement on the list. "Yeah, I wouldn''t mind that." I replied with a smile. Her eyes trailed to my lips for a millisecond before she blushed and looked away, clearing her throat in the process. "Follow me." We made our way through the mansion, talking about everything as she introduced me to the kitchen, dining area, teacher''s lounge, her office, the wing containing the classes as well as the backyard. Throughout the tour, Storm kept asking questions about me, my powers and where I was from. "It''s called Gaea." I told her once she asked about my dimension. "The mother goddess." Storm muttered in realization. "Yeah. I drew the inspiration from her. Gaea is in one word, beautiful. Sprawling mountains, blue oceans, the animals and the air and the plants..." I breathed in as we stared at the sunset from the balcony of the third floor. "It sounds...magical." Storm breathed out. "It is. Imagine the most beautiful place in the world, it wouldn''t hold a candle to Gaea. It feels like I created her with all the inspiration I had to spare." "Wait, you...created Gaea?" She asked in disbelief. I turned to her with a cheeky smile on my face. "You haven''t really seen what I can do." I walked closer. "Infact, how about a tour of my own, to show my thanks for spending the afternoon with me?" Storm blinked. I could feel her heart rate speed up from the close proximity between us. "Uh... I''m not sure..." "Hey, I promise we''ll be back before you know it." She bit her lip, an action that made my annoyed that I liked it for some reason before nodding. "Okay, let''s do this. However, we need to be back before dinner." "Of course, my lady." I bowed, making her chuckle. Straightening up, I offered Storm my hand, which she graciously accepted. Then I snapped my fingers and in a burst of blue light, we found ourselves in the middle of space, looking down at the Earth. Storm widened her eyes, hands instinctually going for her throat, only to find out that she wasn''t suffocating. She turned to me. "...how?" "You want the long answer or the short one?" I asked. "The short one." She replied. "I basically covered you with an environmental aura shield." There were small pockets around the environmental aura that sent in oxygen from Energia. Storm gently pulled her hand away from my palm as she floated closer to the beautiful blue planet. I watched her go, her expression one of awe and appreciation. "She''s beautiful." Storm sighed. "So...fragile and beautiful." I floated closer after her. "It''s crazy to think that every human you know is there. Contained in this tiny tiny, marvelous ball of earth teeming with life." She stared at me from the corner of her eyes. "Is this where you bring all the girls you want to impress?" I barked out in laughter. "That''s not a bad idea actually. I could get some tail by basically being the cheesy MC who always manages to say the right thing at the right time." Storm giggled at my statement, floating closer to me. "You''re an enigma, Mr.Strong." She passed by me and started going circles around my form. "Oh really? Some might call that having a personality, Miss Monroe." She pulled in, stopping mere inches away. "It''s Ororo. Only Coulson calls me Miss Munroe." She said then added. "He''s a friend." I pulled closer as well. "Ororo," the name flowed off my tongue softly. "I love it." Something was charged between us. Something, I couldn''t explain. From this close her eyes were like pools of serenity, waiting for a trigger to turn into a storm. Her face was beautiful, soft yet regal looking. Her ebony skin contrasted well with her white hair. And her scent, it reminded me of dew and lilies. Kori''s face flashed before my mind and I stopped in place, looking away a little ashamed. The spell was broken and Ororo turned to stare out into the naked space. "Wow, there are so many stars out there." She commented. I cleared my throat, thankful that the awkwardness was swiftly killed. "Yes, each star represents a star system, with the possibility of life forming in one or two planets that can support it. It''s a big Universe out there. Filled with things no men can know. " We went silent. "Sorry about the depressing comment." I perked up as an idea came to the front of my mind. "Come with me." I held out my palm and she grabbed onto it without hesitation, flashing her beautiful set of teeth my way. "Hold on, we''ll move at fast speeds." She nodded and I pushed us towards the moon at supersonic speeds. "Whoa!" Storm screamed as we lit up the space behind us with a trail of starlight. The satellite loomed before us, taking up the entire view. Storm''s fingers on my palm tightened. "We are not gonna crash are we?!" She asked but I kept silent, merely smiling at her devilishly. "Right?" She questioned again and this time I couldn''t help but laugh. "Trust me!" I told her and just before we entered the atmosphere, I strafed us to the right, so we passed around the satellite on the side that faced the sun. Through my passive divine sense, it was easy to spot Attilan, the Inhuman Capital. That reminds me, I need to get Inhuman D.N.A too. "It''s...wow." Storm commented. I gave a small nod to Uatu who was sitting on a rock on the surface of the moon, watching the earth, invisible to Storm''s eye. "I know." I told her, doing another cycle around the moon. Then we were off on the opposite direction to the Earth. "Huh, where are you taking us?" Storm enquired, looking back at Earth. "One final stop." I assured and then increased our speed. Mars very quickly appeared in our eyes. The light reflected off the surface of the red planet, lit up the craters and furrows on it''s surface. From this height, it looked incredible. Storm was instantly captivated. "So, how does it feel to be the first human, with the exception of one Peter Quill and Carol Danvers, to make it all this way?" "Who are they?" She seemed more interested in the two. "One of them is a kid from St.Charles Missouri who was abducted by Aliens, and the other is a fighter pilot who was caught up in an incident involving an alien species known as the Kree. The incident gave her powers and these days both of them are lauded as galactic heroes. Well one at least, Quill is still young." "Oh. They sound... exceptional." She praised. An image of Starlord dancing to the tune of ''Come get your love'' by Redbone replayed in my head. "Oh you have no idea." I chuckled. "You ready?" "For what?" She met my question with her own. "You didn''t think I brought you all this way to just see mars did you?" Storm blinked. "How can you logically top this?!" She gestured around us. "We''re literally in outer space." "Exactly!" I shot back in excitement. "There''s nothing happening here! No meteors to watch or alien invasion headed to earth to stop. We need another climax for the night." Storm shook her head in disbelief. "I''m beginning to think you might be crazy." She pointed out, making me laugh some more. "I won''t deny that. Now come! Onwards to adventure!" We swooped down into the Martian landscape like a Comet. "Aden...the ground!" Storm panicked as we quickly arrived towards the surface. "Trust me." I told her, squeezing her palm. Storm closed her eyes, our trajectory taking us towards a crater. A few tens of meters above the hard ground, a portal of yellow manifested around us. Storm screamed in fear, grabbing onto my left bicep as we plunged inside the portal and broke out through rainbow clouds. The gentle breeze full of magic and wonder hit us first. Storm reflexively took a deep breath as I undid the environmental shield around her. "My god..." She stated, the first glimpse of Energia hitting her with with power. The high hills covered with a lush of greenery, plants and flowers of any and every color. Then the butterflies buzzing about in plains of roses, a river that snaked around the valley, shining like diamonds under the sky of Energia. The river fed into the lake where the kingdom of fairies was. "So... beautiful." Storm said and I quickly stomped down on the feeling of pride. We reached the shore of the lake and floated down. I turned to Storm, spreading out my hands. "I can''t show you Gaea but I can show you...Energia." New **SUPERBOY SELF INSERT FANFIC** Title: Jon Kent SI: Made of Steel. Chapter 1: Reborn As Jon Kent. (??? P.O.V) A long line of gray and disembodied souls stretches out before me. The line moves along infinitely slow, it feels as if I''ve been standing in place for days if not hours. I''m dead. Just like the rest of them. I''ve grown to accept my fate, the memories of my previous life even feel detached from me. Jeffrey Kentson. No one special, just a normal Delivery boy, dealing mostly in Pizza, surviving on 2 dollar tips and invisible to the world- That was my former life. Who knew I wasn''t as invisible to stray bullets? Then again, no one would expect a gang shootout in the middle of the street. At midday no rest. I was just unlucky my last delivery was in a seedy neighborhood. And now I''m dead. More days go by. The line moves on silently. There is no sound, commotion or disturbance of any kind. Something one would expect from the dead. And yet we glide on, not knowing our destination. I could try to escape but where would I go? Our sides are an inky blackness of nothingness. Something tells me its a bad idea to leave the line, so I don''t consider it. Besides, there''s gotta to be something or someone at the end eventually. Maybe they can tell me what happens next. Soon enough, there''s only one soul in front of me. It moves forward and suddenly disappears from view. Before me there''s a swirling vortex, the edges of it warping space like a black hole, and I can sense a suction force trying to pull me in. I should be afraid. Yet I can''t muster any such emotion. Instead, I dutifully follow through, approaching the black hole. If this were an Isekai novel, something would typically happen that would stop me from being swallowed in. However, as the force grips my entire soul, pulling me into the dark vortex, nothing unexpected happens. I feel myself getting squeezed and compressed. It''s not painful, more like uncomfortable. The sensation is gone just as quickly and a bright light flashes across my vision. All at once, lost and forgotten sensations return. The air brushes my skin and it stings. I hear a baby''s cry resonate. And from how close and loud it is, I can surmise that it''s me. Gentle hands cradle my back and neck, offering comfort. My eyelids heavy as they are, peel open. The first thing I notice are the lights. I shift my focus and blue eyes meet my own. The eyes belong to a large man looming over me with surprise and happiness coloring his face. The one holding me on her bosom is a black haired woman with brown eyes and a sweat covered face. She too carries happiness and a warmth that is directed my way. I feel safe with them. I also know what this is.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Reincarnation. Welp, guess there''s no God at the end of death, just a dark vortex waiting to suck you in. Sleep lures me back into the darkness. -Smallville, Kansas- -10 years later- (Jon''s P.O.V) Early Dawn is the best time to watch the sun rising. And I love the sun. A lot. I love it even more on account of what happens when the first rays hit my skin. This was my morning ritual. A ritual I started when I was 4. Which was just old enough for have my own room. Something I am infinitely grateful for. Sleeping in the same room with my incredibly horny parents is not something anyone above 2 years old should EVER have to experience. Especially in my case. A reincarnated soul. Since the second I was born, I could remember everything with an astonishing clarity. Both my old life and this new one. Which made hearing the sounds of my parents having sex all the more worse. I have those memories locked way deep in the recess of my mind, photographic memory be damned. Not even a Martian can coax them out. The love for my room however, extended beyond that. It was positioned on the top floor- used to be an attic but Dad had done some renovations after I demanded a separate room from them. My point is, from the single window installed, I had a wide view of the Farm. There was a red colored barn situated on the edge of our home compound. We lived on the Farm house- an old building with faded white paint standing in the middle of the property. Said property was surrounded by a wooden fence that went around the house and barn, with a front gate and a smaller back exit. Beyond it was a long stretch of corn that almost reached the horizon- the rare tree breaking the uniformity. Truly beautiful. But all that beautiful farmland paled in comparison to nature''s biggest gift. The too-bright-to-look-at-directly ball of superheated gasses that was the Sun. I sat cross legged at the edge of my bed, in full glare of the bright and warm sunrays spearing through the window. I was also fully naked. After all, I wanted to reap the full benefits it provided, my exposed Willy notwithstanding. Wisps of rich solar light hit my face first. Then more of my body was exposed to it''s radiance. My neck, chest- all the way down to my legs as the sun continued to scale up the sky. The light didn''t simply bring warmth. It was actively absorbed into my half Kryptonian body, invading my cells and energizing me. The feeling was like a shot of caffeine. Or adrenaline shooting through your bloodstream at once. Each cell hungrily soaked it in, getting stocked up with more energy than I could get from 5 whole nutritious meals. It filled me with strength you would not expect from a 10 year old. I had secretly been testing how superhuman I was. And by now, I could lift my bed with little effort. The tractor was a different matter, but if I strained, I could carry one of its rear tires on my back. I was also fast enough to run all the way to the edge of our farmland in 1 minute. That was about 40 acres. Something I theorized was faster than a normal human. My endurance had also increased. I wasn''t quick to get tired like other kids my age. It was still a long way off from being Superman, but every little effort and time put in was adding up. Slowly but surely. The goal was to completely dominate my human genes with my Kryptonian ones, attaining all the powers of the Man of Steel. Speaking of. There was a knock on my door, I instantly scrambled into my sheets and covered myself. An instant later, the door swung open and Dad came in. "Hey there buddy, it''s time for school." He said, a warm smile on his glass worn face. There was also a cup of coffee clutched in his hands. "Is it morning already?" I asked, rubbing my eyes and pretending I was only just waking up. "Yup, sorry Jon, your mom is in a bad mood today, best to not keep her waiting." He winced. Haha, he so whipped. "Okay, gimme a minute Dad. Tell her I''ll be down in a sec." I replied with a shudder. Keeping Mom waiting was a...bad idea. Dad turned to leave, only to pause by the door with a frown, eyes set behind me. "Did you leave the window open again? I thought we talked about this. You''re gonna catch a cold." He sternly said, passing my bed and closing it. Shit. In my hurry to cover myself, I forgot to shut it. "Sorry dad, I was watching the stars last night and fell asleep. It won''t happen again." I assured, embarrassed at the blunder. "Alright." He sighed, ruffling my hair before leaving, "Don''t keep your mom waiting, or you''ll get us both in trouble." I sighed after the door closed. That''s dad for you, easygoing as always. Oh and his name is Clark Kent, better known as Superman. -0- Dressed and ready for school, I climbed down the stairs with my bag slung over one shoulder. My parents had no idea I knew who Superman was. Or even that I''ve been trying to awaken my Kryptonian abilities. And for the time being, I planned to keep it that way. "Morning mom." I called out, jumping on the kitchen seat with my bag on the side. My mother, Lois Lane Kent, a beautiful middle aged woman, turned to me with a spatula in hand. "Jon, finally, there you are. Late as usual too." She said in an exasperated tone, walking over and kissing my forehead. A glass of juice and a plate with bacon and eggs were slid before me. "Sorry, I was looking for something to wear." I lied, like usual, which received a sigh from her. "Just quickly finish your breakfast, young man. The school bus should be passing by any time now." She told me, turning towards the sink. "Where''s dad?" I asked while chewing. "Your father''s on an errand, he should getting back soon." Mom replied after a notable pause. ''An excuse. He''s probably saving a plane or fighting a supervillain. She always covers for him when he''s out on his heroics. I wonder when they''re gonna tell me he''s Superman.'' Not that I minded it that much. Just having Superman for a father was pretty cool. I used to idolize him in my past life. They''ll tell me when they''re ready. "Oh okay." I simply responded, downing the last of my juice before grabbing my bag. As much as I hated going through middle school again, it gave me a chance to safely and secretly practice my powers. The Farm was more suitable, but it also carried the risk of Dad discovering I wasn''t as normal as they thought. "Have a fun day Honey." Mom spoke up just as I reached the door. I turned back to wave at her when I felt it... An oppressive warmth behind my eyes that quickly grew to a burning heat. I only had a split second to realize what was happening, and wrenched my head upwards. A pair of lasers jumped out of my eyes, coloring my vision red, missing Mom''s head by inches, before burning through the house and splitting the ceiling and roof in two. I slammed my eyes close, pressing my palms on my face while stumbling out of the house. I could hear mom yelling for me from the back. But I couldn''t focus as trying to contain the heat was too painful. My eyes felt like exploding inside my head. I- I had to get away...I couldn''t control it. Never in a million years did I expect to awaken Heat Vision this way. New **GHOST RIDER FANFIC** Times up, Joker (GHOST RIDER FANFIC) Chapter 1: A New Life. -0- Reincarnation is a real thing. I never believed it was possible to be reborn after dying. Especially with your memories intact. But it happened to me, soo...I guess anything is possible. Here''s the kicker, I wasn''t just given a second chance at life in a normal world. Oh no no no. The entity or God responsible for my second life sent me to the crazy world of the DC Universe. At first I had no idea where I was. And I didn''t try that hard to find out either. I mean, I was a normal kid with only faint memories of a past life. My childhood years were thus spent building sand castles, playing catch with my Dad and basically being a brat. At least in my Parent''s eyes. All until a kid named Clark Kent saved our school bus from falling off a bridge. That''s when my past life memories decided to pour in. I was 13 at the time. The influx of 38 years worth of information was hell. I was hit by migraines almost every day for a full year. And occasionally, I would black out at school/home or start mumbling incoherently. I think my mind was trying to come to terms with the memories and ended up bloated. It got so serious that my parents had to take me to a mental health specialist when I was 14. There, I ended up being diagnosed with split personality disorder. 15, 16 and 17 were spent popping medication pills and trying to adjust to my new condition. Fortunately, I got better. It wasn''t easy, but I followed the instructions given, took my medicine and did everything right. By the time I was ready to graduate High School, the memories had settled within me and I no longer got headaches or blackouts. It was a testament that sometimes hardwork pays. And with two sets of memories, school was not a problem. I did well on my tests and actually became Valedictorian, surprising many people and making my parents proud. Unfortunately, the world was determined to set the scales right. All my success became meaningless when I lost my Mom and Dad to a car crash. It was the most unexpected way for them to go. I mean, this was a world fraught with danger. Whether it was from supervillains, demons, aliens...it felt underwhelming and cheap for them to die in a car crash. I even tried to investigate, hoping to find something that would give my loss a meaning. Some villain to blame. But it turned out to be the wet road, which caused a truck to lose control and slam into their car. I couldn''t even direct my anger to the driver as he had died too, thrown out of the window by the impact. His only mistep being the failure to wear a seat belt. A lot of people showed up for the funeral. My parents were well known and loved by many. Smallville was a small place so everyone knew almost everyone else. Even the Kents showed up. Jonathan Kent gave his heartfelt condolences with his wife Martha. Clark looked apologetic and understanding. It felt like he could relate. But once everyone was gone, I realized how truly alone I was. The house felt unbearable. For 18 years, Travis and Angela Hawthorn had been my rock. My shield. They had protected me, cared for me and I had truly come to love and respect them as my parents. But now they were gone and I was confused at what to do. That night I cried myself to sleep. When I woke up the following day, I had made a decision. I would rent out our ranch and move. Selling it was out of the option. Even if it meant I would only receive a small sum of money every month, 1000-1500 dollars to be exact, I couldn''t let go of the memories we had created in our modest home. Modest was a stretch however, seeing as the entire land was about 90 acres. There was a substantial tax on a ranch that big, otherwise I would have received a lot more money. According to Jonathan Kent at least. He was the one who helped me finalize the deal, and I appointed him as overseer before packing up my stuff, loading it on the Pick up truck Dad had got me for my 18th birthday, and left Smallville, Kansas. My name is Michael Hawthorn, and this is the story of my not-so-normal life in DC. The only thing I can say, is I wish I''d been better prepared. -10 years later- The day had been long, filled with meetings, deadlines, and the usual hustle of the office. But as I turned the key in the lock and stepped into our home, a wave of warmth washed over me. The scent of dinner wafted through the air, and the sound of little feet pattering towards me made my heart swell with joy. "Daddy!" My five-year-old daughter, Emily, bounded towards me, her face lighting up the room with her radiant smile. She wrapped her tiny arms around my legs, hugging me tightly. "Hey there, my little artist," I said, ruffling her hair as I bent down to her level.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "What have you been up to today?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she held up a piece of paper. "Look, Daddy! I drew a picture of our family!" I took the drawing from her hands and admired her work. There we were, stick figures with big smiles, standing in front of a house with a sun shining brightly overhead. Emily had drawn herself in the middle, holding hands with me and her mom. "It''s beautiful, Emily." I said, genuinely impressed by her creativity. "You''re getting better every day." She beamed with pride and took my hand, leading me to the kitchen where my wife, Sarah, was setting the table for dinner. Sarah turned and smiled warmly at me, her eyes reflecting the same love and happiness that I felt. "Dinner''s almost ready." she told me, planting a quick kiss on my cheek. "How was your day?" "Long," I admitted, "but it''s so good to be home." We sat down to eat, and the evening passed in a blur of laughter and conversation. Emily chattered away, telling us about her day at preschool and all the new things she had learned. After dinner, we put her to bed. I read her a story, and Sarah sang her a lullaby. As we stood by her bedside, watching her drift off to sleep, I felt a deep sense of contentment. In my past life, I''d been alone. I was glad this one was different. Sarah took my hand and led me to our bedroom. She could always tell when I was tired, and tonight was no exception. There had been a shipment coming in and one of the guys messed up the numbers. Mr. Fox, who was my boss at Wayne Industries where I worked, was NOT happy. We had to stay late to work out the issue. "You look exhausted." Sarah said softly, her eyes filled with concern. "Come to bed, love." I nodded, too weary to argue. As we lay down, she snuggled close to me, her warmth and presence soothing my tired soul. "I''m so lucky to have you." I whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "And I''m lucky to have you." Came the reply, her voice filled with love. We lay there in the quiet, the only sound being her gentle moans as we made love. Despite the exhaustion, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and gratitude. In that moment, I knew that no matter how tough the days could be, coming home to my beautiful wife and precious daughter made everything worthwhile. I drifted off to sleep, holding onto the image of Emily''s drawing. -0- Late in the night, I jolted awake, my head pounding and my vision blurry. I found myself sitting in a chair in the living room, arms painfully bound behind my back. Panic surged through me as I tried to move, only to find that my wrists were tightly tied. The warm comfort of my wife''s body was replaced by a chilling dread. "Sarah?" I called out, my voice cracking with fear. My heart stopped when I saw her across the room, tied to a chair just like me. Her eyes were wide with terror, and she was struggling against her bonds. "Michael!" she cried, her voice trembling. "Where''s Emily? Have you seen Emily?" My blood ran cold. Emily. Where was Emily? "Good evening, folks!" A voice, dripping with madness and malevolence, echoed through the room. I turned my head, and my heart sank into an abyss of despair. No. Not us. Oh God. Why...what''s he doing here!!??! The Joker, with his grotesque smile and twisted eyes, stood in the doorway, holding a small, struggling figure. My daughter. "Emily!" I screamed, straining against my bindings. "Let her go, you monster!" The Joker cackled, the sound filling the room with an eerie resonance. He held Emily up by the scruff of her dress, her tiny feet kicking desperately in the air. "Oh, don''t worry, Daddy. We''re just going to have a little fun." he sneered, his eyes gleaming with insanity. I wanted to kill him. How dare he?!! "Please, no! Let her go!" Sarah begged, tears streaming down her face. "Please, she''s just a child!" The Joker ignored her, his focus entirely on me and the hateful glare I was sending him. Unfazed, he took out a knife and brought it close to Emily''s face, making her cry out in fear. Seeing her like that broke something in me. I cursed myself for being weak. What was I thinking, this was DC! "Stop! Please, I''ll do anything!" I shouted, my voice breaking with desperation. "Anything?" The Joker''s smile widened. "Now, that''s what I like to hear." He placed Emily on the floor and walked over to me, the knife glinting in his hand. He crouched down, his face inches from mine. The stench of his breath made me gag, but I couldn''t look away from those crazed eyes. "You see, Daddy, it''s all a game," he whispered. "And I''m going to make sure you never forget it." He turned and walked back to Emily, who was now huddled in a corner, sobbing. He raised the knife, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. "No! Please, no!" I screamed, my voice raw with agony. With a swift motion, the Joker brought the knife down. Emily''s scream pierced the night, and everything went black. -- I woke up with a start, drenched in sweat, my heart hammering in my chest. I was back in our bed, the room dark and silent. Reaching out, I felt Sarah beside me, her steady breathing a soothing reminder of reality, beautiful blonde hair sprayed out on the pillow. "Sarah," I whispered, my voice shaking. "It was just a dream... just a nightmare." She stirred and turned towards me, concern etched on her face. "Michael, what''s wrong?" "I... I had a nightmare," I said, my voice barely audible. "It was so real..." She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close. "It''s okay, love. It was just a dream. We''re safe." I melted into her embrace, my heart rate calming down. And as she held me I felt her giggling softly. The sound grew louder and more manic. My heart sank as I pulled away and saw her face, twisted into a grotesque grin, her eyes wide with terror. "No... no, no, no..." I stammered, realizing the nightmare was far from over. The laughter echoed around the room, and I saw her eyes rolling back. "Sarah, what''s happening to you?" I begged, but she continued to laugh uncontrollably. Suddenly, the darkness of the room shattered and I found myself back in the chair, my body aching and bloody from a brutal beating. An...an hallucination... I had briefly passed out from the pain of having my shins and hands broken by a bat. One of my eyes was shut and everything was painted red under the other one. Sarah was still in her chair, her hands broken from struggling against her bindings, frothing at the mouth, her laughter a symphony of horror. "Welcome back, sleepyhead." the Joker''s voice cut through the haze. He stood there with Harley Quinn, who was holding a crying Emily. She must have been so terrified. My heart shattered as I realized this could be it for us. This was Joker. Maybe if I beg hard enough...he''ll let them go. Or at least Emily. "Please." I whispered through bloodied and bursted lips, my voice barely audible. "Please, let them go." The Joker threw his head back and laughed. "Let them go? Oh, Daddy, you''re killing me!" "Why are you doing this?" I sobbed. "Is it because I work at Wayne Industries?" The Joker and Harley looked at each other and burst into hysterical laughter. "Wayne Industries? We didn''t even know you worked there! Isn''t that a riot?" the Joker cackled. One of the three goons in the corner hesitated, then spoke up, "Boss, I hear sirens..." The Joker spun around, pulled out a golden gun and shot him point-blank. "Don''t interrupt me when I''m having fun!" He turned back to Harley. "Come on, let''s bail and find Scarecrow. He promised this mix of Joker venom and his toxin would make someone laugh in terror until their heart exploded, but the wife seems to have gone mad instead." Harley looked at Emily. "What about the little one?" The Joker''s smile widened. "Let her go." Harley did so. Emily ran to me, crying, "Daddy, Daddy!" "Thank you, thank you," I sobbed over her shoulder, as she hugged my bloodied form. "Thank you for sparing their lives." The Joker paused at the door. "You''re welcome. Oh, and I forgot to mention, what does a rabid dog do?" He shot at Sarah''s cuffs, releasing her. Sarah''s laughter stopped. She began growling, her eyes wild and feral as she looked our way, sights lingering on Emily. I didn''t see anything that remained of my wife in those eyes. My heart sped up in fear as I realized, the Joker hadn''t spared us. "Emily, run!" I shouted. "Lock yourself in your room and don''t open it!" Emily obeyed, running up the stairs, but Sarah cleared the distance quicker, grabbing our daughter''s leg and throwing her back down. "No! Sarah, stop!" I screamed myself hoarse, trying to move. The chair tipped over and I fell to the floor. Sarah didn''t even spare a look my way as she lunged at Emily, her eyes empty and soulless. As I watched, helpless and broken, my wife, under the influence of the Joker''s enhanced venom, began to devour our daughter. "NOOOO!!" I screamed and cried, lunging against my restraints, but there was nothing I could do. My world shattered as I lost everything I held dear. Royal Road Ban If you''re wondering why I''m no longer active on RoyalRoadl, it''s completely my fault. RoyalRoadl has strict rules when it comes to Lemon/Smut. Son of the Savage unfortunately had one which got me banned from even uploading my new fics here, which include:- -A GhostRider Self Insert in DC(29 chapters)(real Title- Times Up, Joker) This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. -Son of the Savage(62 chapters)(They removed it from the site) -Jon Kent SI: Made of Steel(35 chapters) -Hercules'' Demi-god Twin(16 chapters) -James Bond in WW2(MCU X DC Crossover) (14 chapters) -Anodite Magic in Percy Jackson(15 chapters) -*New* Killing Batman(1 chapter) Check out all these works on my Patreon.com/Saintbarbido or Scribblehub under the same name. To commission a Fanfic/Original Idea, contact me on Patreon or here. The rates are:- 100 chapters:- 250 50 chapters:-150 10-20 chapters:-75